Firenze
We have just come back from a short visit to Firenze.
We stayed at the hotel Degli Orafi, which is very central and very friendly and welcoming.
There are numerous places to eat within easy walking distance and we found several nice restaurants near by. The prices were reasonable but expensive compared to prices in Abruzzo.
We enjoyed a visit to the Ufizi (also spelled Uffizi); this is not an art gallery as we expect in England but more a museum of art, charting the changes over a period of time. By the end of your visit you will be an expert on the various different ways it is possible to depict he Madonna and Child!
The Duomo is worth a visit, it is very extravagantly decorated on the outside but the inside is comparatively plain. If you have the energy you can walk up and around the cupola.
When we visited there was live music in Piazza de la Signora. The musician had toured with Art Garfunkle so it was fun to sing along with some old Simon and Garfumkle tunes.
The Ponte Vecchio is lined with shops, all of which are jewellers. Orafi means Goldsmiths and this area of Firenze is the quarter where the goldsmiths plied their trade.
Along the river on the Uffizi side are lampposts, which have bicycle chains and loads of padlocks with people’s names on. We think that the idea is that you lock your names together as a sign of your romantic commitment.
The craft markets sell all sorts of things but if you want a leather jacket this is the place to look. A lot of the stalls will take your measurements and make you Jacket in24 hours. Failing that they will ship goods to you once you are home.
We were told that there were 25 thousand students in Firenze and we certainly heard a lot of English and American spoken. Most of the locals speak English too, so it is not difficult to get by if you don’t speak Italian.
Altogether we had a wonderful time and would recommend a visit to this lovely city
We have just come back from a short visit to Firenze.
We stayed at the hotel Degli Orafi, which is very central and very friendly and welcoming.
There are numerous places to eat within easy walking distance and we found several nice restaurants near by. The prices were reasonable but expensive compared to prices in Abruzzo.
We enjoyed a visit to the Ufizi (also spelled Uffizi); this is not an art gallery as we expect in England but more a museum of art, charting the changes over a period of time. By the end of your visit you will be an expert on the various different ways it is possible to depict he Madonna and Child!
The Duomo is worth a visit, it is very extravagantly decorated on the outside but the inside is comparatively plain. If you have the energy you can walk up and around the cupola.
When we visited there was live music in Piazza de la Signora. The musician had toured with Art Garfunkle so it was fun to sing along with some old Simon and Garfumkle tunes.
The Ponte Vecchio is lined with shops, all of which are jewellers. Orafi means Goldsmiths and this area of Firenze is the quarter where the goldsmiths plied their trade.
Along the river on the Uffizi side are lampposts, which have bicycle chains and loads of padlocks with people’s names on. We think that the idea is that you lock your names together as a sign of your romantic commitment.
The craft markets sell all sorts of things but if you want a leather jacket this is the place to look. A lot of the stalls will take your measurements and make you Jacket in24 hours. Failing that they will ship goods to you once you are home.
We were told that there were 25 thousand students in Firenze and we certainly heard a lot of English and American spoken. Most of the locals speak English too, so it is not difficult to get by if you don’t speak Italian.
Altogether we had a wonderful time and would recommend a visit to this lovely city
