Florence, Italy – The Pleasure in Walking Alone

Florence was the first city I ever visited in Europe. I was immediately enchanted with this city full of incredible art and architecture and it was there that I fell in love with international travel. My first trip was only four days and I missed out on a lot because I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to return several years later and had learned a lot the interim, especially regarding planning ahead for the things I wanted to do while allowing enough time for spontaneous adventures and aimless wandering.

I was traveling with a group of about 12 and we arrived in Florence close to noon. Even if you have a general itinerary, the first day in a new city is almost always going to be a little chaotic as you navigate finding the hotel, dropping off luggage, locating a place for lunch, and basically just getting oriented to the surroundings.

We made good use of our time in Florence. We visited the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo), one of the largest churches in Christendom. Later we stopped into the Basilica di San Marco with plenty of 14th and 15th century artwork throughout along with a splendid courtyard. Next was Santa Croce, which turned out to be my favorite of the churches. I hadn’t realized how enormous it was nor the number of famous people buried there: Machiavelli, Galileo, and Michelangelo among others.

When we were done with the churches, we started with the museums beginning with the Uffizi. So grand, and huge! We had our lists of the things we wanted to see, Botticelli’s “Spring” and “Birth of Venus”. Di Vinci’s “Annunciation”, Michelangelo’s “Holy Family” and a gallery of Raphael’s paintings.

One evening we made our way up to the Piazza Michelangelo. The Piazza provides a spectacular view of the city. It is open and breezy with a copy of the statue of David right in the middle. There are wide benches all around and venders selling cold sodas and beer as well as various souvenirs. You could hear music drifting up from the restaurant below while we marveled at the view as the sun made it’s slow decent over the hills.

It's wonderful to travel with friends, but it can also be amazing to wander alone. That’s what I did on our last day in the capital of Tuscany. I left the hotel at 9:00 and made my way to Piazza Della Signoria, the square containing replicas of many famous statues: David, Neptune, the Rape of the Sabine Women. I found a place to sit and watch other tourists taking photos. I then stepped into the building that used to be the old town hall, back when the Medici’s ruled the region.

Then I walked down toward the Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio bridge. The famous bridge that you see in all the pictures of Florence. After crossing the bridge, I walked over to the Piazza of Pal Pitti (Pitti Palace). I sat down on a bench for a rest and debated about taking the tour of the palace but ultimately decided to pass as I was beginning to feel “art fatigue” so instead I continued on my walking tour.

Another hour of walking on uneven cobblestones, my feet were beginning to feel a little sore and I needed a short rest. I quickly found a little café with a sign in the window that said, “Free Wi-Fi”. I stepped inside, ordered a cappuccino, and sent a couple of quick emails to the folks back home. After leaving the café I walked a few blocks south and found myself back in the Piazza San Marco. This is one of the reasons why I love Florence, it is so easy and manageable and impossible to get lost in for very long.

I had a late lunch at a casual pizzeria then spent about an hour browsing through various shops looking at leather goods, jewelry, rare books, and olive oil. I bought nothing but still enjoyed the activity. I checked my watch and started making my way back to the hotel so that I would have time to rest and freshen up before meeting up with my friends for dinner.

On the way I passed a small wine bar so I went in and ordered a ½ bottle of Chianti. As I was relaxing with my wine, I was thinking about how people have such different styles of travel. I had spent hours walking all over the city and not once felt tired or achy or lonely. It makes such a difference I can go at my own pace, stop when I’m tired, get a drink when I’m thirsty, browse shop windows when something catches my eye, and head in whatever direction strikes me. We all need a few hours alone every now and then and it can so very relaxing and lovely.