Scenes From Florence

When my parents told me then wanted to go to Italy when they came to visit, I started making a mental list of all the places I thought they should see to get a good feel for the country. It’s a very regional country with distinct differences from north to south, region to region, city to city. So as I got down to actually planning out the trip, Florence easily made the cut.

I found this apartment with two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a tiny rooftop balcony with a gorgeous view of the city.

Click here to get a credit towards your first stay with Airbnb and see why we love it so much.

Florence, Italy photos

Florence, Italy photos

We spent a few days just wandering around. The streets in Florence are attractions themselves, and it’s a great way to soak up the atmosphere. We were just a few feet away from Piazza Santo Spirito and a 10 minute walk from Ponte Vecchio.

Florence, Italy photos

Florence, Italy photos

Florence, Italy photos

On our first full day in Florence, my parents tried to get money from an ATM but with no success. When I tried, the same machine worked just fine. We found several more ATMs to try, but they were all out of order. (How are there so many non-functioning ATMS?) Frustration was setting in, but we tried to remain calm, and the next day my dad called their bank.

Apparently they had a $350 limit for foreign ATM withdrawals. Not a per day limit or even a per month limit, but a hard limit. How crazy is that? I have no idea when that limit would reset, but luckily he got them to bump it up to $1000.

We continued our exploration of Florence with a visit to the famous Duomo. I vaguely remember seeing this cathedral on two previous trips, but the most recent visit was in 1999 with my best friend Rachel, so I was happy for another look.

Florence, Italy photos

Florence, Italy photos

Florence, Italy photos

Florence, Italy photos

Andy and I also took my parents to see one of Italy’s iconic sights, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Already knowing we would be spending an entire month in this city, I made sure to take a look around while we rode a bus from one end to the other, and I thought it looked like it could be an interesting city. Little did I know how our stay in Pisa would actually turn out.

Pisa, Italy

Pisa, Italy

Overall it was a good introduction to Italy for my parents. Florence really is a gorgeous city, and I think it’s a good one to include on an Italy itinerary if you have never been. It’s also a great city to base yourself in if you want to explore Tuscany further.

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