Hey guys!
Welcome to the last post on my wandering adventures in Florence ☹. It makes me sad to see this end, but I am so grateful for having had the opportunity to visit Italy. My posts will not stop here, but this is the last time I talk about #MeanderingMondays. With that being said, here are some of the last memories that I made while wandering around Florence!
My friend came to visit me during Spring break, and we had the best time. I showed her the streets of Florence and we ate some of best foods and gelato the city had to offer. I also got to visit the other side of the Arno river, which I had only gone to a couple of times prior to that day. I found that the other side of the Arno river is much quieter and less touristic. It felt more like the regular Florence that Italians would experience… Or at least, I think. The vibe was more relaxed, and it was a lot less populated. We went to a park that faced the river and walked along with other Italians. After that, we went back to our side of the river, and tried to get some leather bags from the St. Lorenzo market but with no avail. We could not find things that we actually liked, and it was getting very late.
The next day, we went to Piazzale Michelangelo, which I have talked about before in another blog, and we took the time to sit down and breathe in the fresh air. Although there were less tourists than before Italy became a level three country, it was still kind of hard getting a good spot standing on the balcony. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed the weather, and we found a beautiful water fountain right underneath the piazza. My word of advice is that if you visit Florence, make sure to go to the popular spots early in the morning to avoid the crowds. My friend and I did that a couple of times and it gave us the opportunity to really enjoy places and take pictures without having people in the background. I now understand why my parents would always insist on us going places early while we were on vacation.
We also visited the high fashion row where all the big-name fashion houses are and took pictures, which by way was a lot of fun. During our walk, we found shortcuts to the Arno river from my apartment that I never even knew existed. I was so focused on the one route that I knew, that I did not really think to explore the other routes. This is another thing about Florence, you cannot really get lost because all the streets somehow connect. If you feel lost, just keep walking and you will find a main attraction that you recognize and from there you’ll find your way. Florence was so amazing, and I truly enjoyed getting “lost” in the streets. I would just go down a street that I had never gone down before and see where it would take me… but of course I only did this during the day when there were enough people out. I would not say that Florence is unsafe, but it is better to walk in the well-lit streets at night as you would in any other city.
This was such a great adventure and I recommend anyone to visit Florence if they can. This is all I have for this week, enjoy the pictures! Also, don’t forget to read Rebekah and Amara’s blog later this week!
