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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
You might also enjoy:
- How Much We Spent Living in Pisa for One Month and Traveling in Tuscany
- Scenes From Lucca, Italy
- Learning to Make Pasta in Bologna
- Making Pizza and Eating Our Way Through Rome
November 16, 2014 @ 5:02 AM
NIce pictures. I really love the ones of the leaning tower of Pisa and of the frescoes as well. I never get tired of seeing pictures of Italy. Such a beautiful country, filled with such beautiful people.
November 17, 2014 @ 11:25 AM
Thanks Matthew! Italy really is an amazing country!
July 13, 2015 @ 3:25 PM
After reading about your experiences with Walks of Italy in Rome, I actually signed up for their food walk in Florence (and actually a group of three on the same walk also found the tour group through your blog). My mother-in-law and I really enjoyed the walk experience and it was a great way to learn about the city and a neighborhood we likely wouldn’t have visited without the tour. Thanks for the introduction to Walks of Italy.
Also in case any of your readers are looking for an airb&b apartment in Florence for 2 – 3 people, I can highly recommend this flat where we stayed which appears to be in a very similar area to where you stayed:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/719786
Thanks for your on-going posts!
July 13, 2015 @ 3:58 PM
That’s so wonderful, Emma! Thank you so much for letting me know, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the tour! I haven’t taken their tours in Florence yet, but they do sound like fun. My husband and I enjoyed the Walks of Italy tours in Rome so much, we took my parents on a couple last fall when we were there again.
Thanks for the apartment recommendation!