As soon as I got off the train, I bee-lined for the Uffizio Touristo (Tourist Office). It took all of one minute before I was stopped about a room. The gentleman offered a private room in his mother’s hotel. It included a private shower and breakfast and it was recommended by Rick Steves. It was also in the center of town, not too far from the train station. But it was 35EUR per night. Not within my budget. He asked me to keep the brochure in case I had no other options, which I did. Then I found the tourist office and at the door was another solicitor. This gentleman offered dorm rooms for 20EUR and it was located even closer to the train station, and equally as close to the center. He directed me where to go on the map and I decided to take a look at it. As I was leaving the station, yet ANOTHER gentleman stopped me about a room that was EVEN closer, but not cheaper at 25EUR. I took his card just in case I didn’t like the 20EUR room.
I found Hotel Veneto pretty easily and quickly. I also found an Internet café next to the hotel for 1EUR/hour, which was a better deal than the other ten Internet cafes on the same street. It was unbelievable to see how many Internet cafes there were in my eight-minute walk from the train station to the hotel. Hotel Veneto turned out to be clean and decent and I thought it was worth 20EUR per night so I booked three nights there. This happened all within thirty minutes of stepping off the train.
After I’d settled in and refreshed myself, I left the hotel with my camera in my pocket and a map in my hand. It was great not to carry a backpack. I decided that this trip to Florence was more about seeing Tuscany than about seeing all the sights of Florence again. I opted not to visit the museums as I had seen them on my last trip. Still, how could I be in this city, the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, and not be drawn to revisit all of its beauty? I walked towards the Duomo and found a supermarket near the hotel. I didn’t look at my map as I let myself wander the streets. It felt great to be so independent and free. Florence was just like I remembered. The buildings hadn’t changed one bit and I think I found the famous Chinese Restaurant where our entire tour group came to have dinner one night when we needed a break from pasta and panini. The funny thing was that our group had separated into several smaller groups, with no dinner plans, and we’d found ourselves there on the same night around the same time. It seemed we all needed a break.
There is a Duomo, or church with a large dome, in every city in Italy, but Florence’s Duomo is my favorite of all. My interest in it probably has mostly to do with the controversy of building the dome that no one knew how to build. The result was an amazing architectural feat. I wandered from the Duomo and came upon Orsanmichele, then the fake statue of David by Michelangelo and then the Uffizi led me to the Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio. I had planned to watch the sun set over the Ponte Vecchio, but since the sun was still high, I decided to wander some more and then come back when it was time.
I crossed the Arno via another bridge. I just kept walking until I thought this abandoned tower that looked like it could have been a part of a castle was a good resting place to quench my thirst with a 1.5L bottle of water I had picked up for 0.70EUR (what a deal!). The view looked great from here and I was glad to stop. I pulled out my map to see where I had wandered. Then I read over the excerpts from the Let’s Go guidebook and it mentioned that I should go across the Arno to Piazzale Michelangelo for views of Florence that are better than from the Duomo itself (and cheaper!). As a budget traveler, Let’s Go had me at “cheaper.” I compared my map to my location and discovered I was already halfway there to Piazzale Michelangelo - it was just a few more steps away!
I climbed the rest of the way to find that Let’s Go was right about the views being better from here. You can’t get the view of the Duomo from the Duomo and you certainly can here. Sunset was still awhile away so I wandered around some more and found myself at San Miniato al Monte. It sits on top of the hills, at a point higher than Piazzale Michelangelo. I sat on the low wall outside the cathedral for a very long moment taking in the view and watching the wedding parties take photos. There were three weddings.
The sun had gone down further and I made my way back to the Piazzale. For dinner, I dined on a hot dog served with sauerkraut, purchased from the Ristorante at Piazzale Michelangelo. There was quite a turnout of people for the sunset viewing, but I easily found an open spot on the stairs, in plenty of time for the show. At dusk, the sun glowed as brightly as a burning tong as it fell behind the hills beyond, covering the Ponte Vecchio and Arno River in a warm amber. The light of Florence slowly dimmed down for the evening. When the last color of the sun was gone, a quiet applause was heard on the stairs.
I walked back to the other side of the Arno via the Ponte Vecchio. I stopped to watch an impromptu street concert on the bridge with the Florentine night sky as a backdrop over the Arno. I sat on the bridge wall listening to the alluring sounds of the performer as he sang songs in English and Italian. I really enjoyed myself and found more happiness in this city on this trip than I had previously. The moment was aesthetically and emotionally beautiful.
Tonight couldn’t have been more perfect. I wish I could bottle up all the joy and overwhelming peace I feel from the experience and courage of arriving into a town without hotel reservations, finding a room with little effort, seeing the most beautiful sunset of my life while eating a very simple, yet very delicious dinner, and witnessing a wonderful street performance. This is not the hot and humid, crowded, austere Florence I remembered. This is the Florence I think should fit into Italy’s charm and way of life. Tonight is the reason why I’ve been yearning to return to Italy.
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