My initial views of the beautiful city of Florence were a bit negative due to the downpour we arrived into and the decrepid state of our hostel, the "David Inn." We arrived at the hostel soaking wet despite umbrellas and raincoats to be checked in by a gangly looking Italian man with one large sideburn. We were trying to stay positive about it but the fact that there was one sink, one toilet and one shower for the 20 people there was absolutely horrible. Moreover, upon showing us around, our less than gracious host introduced the entire kitchen as 'broken.' How the hell is the entire kitchen broken? Nonetheless, we had two days there so we tried to make the best of it.
After another instance as the proverbial 'loud Americans' at an authentic Italian pizzeria, the next day greeted us with sunshine and a laundry list of thins to do and see. Florence is unlike any other city I have every been to. All of the architecture, from the size of the buildings to the classic terra cotta tile roofs give the entire Florence area an unparalleled sense of togetherness and unity. Even the gigantic Duomo at the center of the city holds the traditional color scheme while acting as the center piece for a city most well known for its intellectual role during the Renaissance. Walking around the streets of Florence can be somewhat overwhelming if you sit down and think about what you're doing - just imagining the people that walked through the same streets can be baffling. Notable Florentine inhabitants were not just celebrities but those who helped make the discoveries that shaped the world we live in.
Us guys met up with a group of girls from USC who are also studying in London and got in line to hike up the winding, narrow steps of the Duomo to get a birds eye view of the city. I spent the majority of the clime ducking and thankful that I was skinny. The builders of the dome were clearly under 5'10" and rather fit. Regardless of who they were, it still baffles me how such an enormous and gradiose structure was built by anyone over 500 years ago. Absolutely incredible. The view from the top gave a few of the city that really did its part to try and take your breath away. Again, I strongly adivse anyone to take 30 seconds and run a google search, it will be completely worth your time! For the rest of the day we all wandered the streets and outdoor markets, taking in the sights as we went. We made sure to head towards the Palazzo Vecchio, a large public square and Medici palace filled with some of the most impressive sculptures I have ever seen. There was also Ponte Vecchio, a nearby bridge which is covered with shops and houses similar to London Bridge a few hundred years ago. To end the day we found or selves some cheap bottles of wine and headed up to the Piazza Michealangelo which sat upon a hill south of the river giving a brilliant panoramic view of the city. We spent more than an hour up there passing bottles and watching the sun set. Normally, I dont consider going out to dinner a particularly notable occasion but we managed to find a place that gave unlimited amounts of free wine with dinner to student groups :) Lets just say we took advantage of it - Thank you Pizzaria Dante!
On our last day in Florence we tourned the world famous Uffizi Gallery and its beautiful collection of Renaissance art from some of the most notable artists in world history. Aside from that we took some time to enjoy the gorgeous day before hoping on our train down to Naples where our adventure would continue. I am currently in the last few hours of my ferry adventure (as of when I'm writing this, not when it will be posted) from Italy to Greece and excited to get into Athens for the evening. Along the way I have met a wonderful Australian couple taking a 3.5 month tour of the world who have been kind enough to buy me a few beers and breakfast :)
More to come and I promise I will put up pictures eventually! Hope all is well with everyone and I'll be in touch with a great deal of you once I get back to the UK :)
Cheers,
Patrick
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