Florence was just a train ride away from Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia in Venice to Firenze Santa Maria Novella. We were done with exploring Venice and touring Murano. It was time for the next leg of traveling through Italy.

The train ride to Florence

It was easy finding our train coach and seats. The only hiccup to the whole process was the conductor transferring us to another seat assignment. Accordingly, Gate 1 Travel booked us a different seating arrangement.

The train was finally rolling into Firenze Santa Maria Novella station. The Grand Hotel Adriatrico was a seven-minute brisk walk. The hotel was small but clean and comfortable. We were happy to clean up and refresh before heading out the door.

The town square

Our Florence walking tour group was meeting at the main town square, Piazza della Signora. We were navigating through our maps app and found the piazza to be within manageable walking distance. But, we thought of saving our knees and decided on taking a taxi ride instead. I think it was a very good decision.

We arrived too early and found ourselves standing in the middle of the piazza. It was within walking distance but we saved our knees for the walking tour by taking a taxi. People were walking from all directions. The only thing that was in my mind was, “This is a good time to be people watching!”

The piazza was wide and spacious. There were shops and restaurants on all sides. It was distinctive for me to notice the front of restaurants. Tables covered with white cloth, surrounded by fancy chairs, and topped with flowers in vases were well laid out in fenced-off areas. Here, patrons can sit, eat, drink coffee, and watch people walk by.

Art in the piazza

We soon found ourselves exploring the other parts of the piazza. There were works of art on public display! There were statues depicting myths and events.

The buildings were also as magnificent as the works of art. Palazzo Vecchio definitely represents the seat of power at the square. Loggia dei Lanzi housed the outdoor arts. There were several other buildings in the surrounding area of the square that served different purposes.

The walking tour

We eventually found our tour group and guide. The tour started at the piazza with the guide describing the history and significance of each building, markers, and statues. Step by step we were moving forward along the narrow streets of Florence. All around, we saw subtle changes of influence that shaped the city. Similar to Venice, my naive mind thought of Florence as a homogenous city. Contrary to my belief, the different cultural influences, whether recent or long-standing, has given the city a unique character.

Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral

The narrow streets, though interesting and excellent as a learning process, soon became monotonous. The monotony did not last very long. We turned a corner and was awe-struck by the massive and intricate design of Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral. The familiar combo of baptistry, cathedral, and bell tower were there but, this time, a duomo (dome) housed the bell.

The walking tour ended at the vicinity of Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral. We took some time walking around and admiring the magnificent cathedral. There was no time to enter the cathedral itself as it was getting dark. Eventually, our slow exploration of the area brought us to a night market at Piazza di Santa Croce. One stall was selling Bavarian cuisine and that became our dinner for that night.

We called it a night and went back to our hotel to start planning for the next day’s bus tour to southern Italy.