2009 Europe Honeymoon, 2nd Stop: Florence!!

Florence, home of Renaissance art. For those of you who are art-lovers, Florence may be your paradise. But we are not a big fan of art.  For us, 3D2N in Florence included a day trip to Pisa that completed our Tuscany trip.

 High-speed rail Eurostar Italia train from Roma Termini to Florence Firenze S.M. Novella station. Trip duration is about 1hr 40min, a regular ticket is priced at €40 (S$82). If you purchase in advance, the ticket price will be discounted.

Our hotel for 2 nights stay, Hotel Montreal, €50(S$102) per night. Simple double bed room with en-suite bath. It was located very near to train terminal, which was good for us as we were making day trip out to Pisa the next day and leaving for Venice the following day.

Florence's best sights lies on the north bank of the Arno River. Many of these sights are within walking distances from each other. Do note that most sights are closed on Monday and Sunday.


Day 1 itinerary: (noon) Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo) - Piazza Della Signoria - (evening) Ponte Vecchio - Piazza Della Repubblica

 San Lorenzo's market street in Florence.

 Indoor market

 Wandering off the beaten track in wet Florence..

 Santa Maria del Fiore, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 The very impressive neo-gothic facade..

 Interior of Duomo..

 The Duomo ceiling art..

 A reproduction of Michelangelo's statue David. The original is being housed in Accademia.

Shops along Ponte Vecchio..

 View of Ponte Vecchio..

 Outside Uffizi Gallery.

Piazza Della Repubbica's magical scene...

Day 2 itinerary: (morning) Pisa - (late afternoon) Piazzale Michelangelo

 Grabbed a sandwich for breakfast before catching an inter-city train to Pisa.

 The inter-city train to Pisa cost €5.70 (S$11), duration of journey is about 1 hour.

 The train's interior

 Pisa train station

 Graffiti all over the train 

 Following the signage would lead you to the Leaning Tower of Pisa!!

 Street vendors adjacent to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

 The Leaning Tower was really slanted! It was due to the soft ground and insufficient foundation work during construction that caused it to tilt. You can actually go up the bell tower for a panoramic view of Pisa.

After spending the whole afternoon in Pisa, we headed back to Florence's Piazzale Michelangelo, which was on the southern bank of Arno River. From Piazzale Michelangelo, you could have a bird's eye view of Florence.

 Boarded a bus (number 12 or 13) up Piazzale Michelangelo.

The view from Piazzale Michelangelo. Ponte Vecchio on the left and Duomo on the right.

This was our last night in Florence, the next day, we would be moving on to Venice, the city on water!!