I am so excited to be spending my summer holiday in Italy. I haven’t been to Italy in a long while, so I am ready for culture, art, blue skies and amazing food. [There was that infamous IBWE weekend with a trip to Venice in 2009. But that time we drank mostly Spritz and then dressed up as Romans.]
I will be spending 3.5 days in Florence and yesterday was my first day of exploration.
My hotel is the very chic and convenient Room Mate Luca, that’s just a skip and a hop away from Michelangelo’s David and a ten minute walk to the Duomo.
I arrived around lunch time, was very thankful for my early check-in opportunity and then started my city exploration with a huge portion of gelato and sunscreen. It seemed best to escape the sweltering heat by ducking into the first museum that didn’t require standing in line: the Gucci Museum. A beautiful place that spans over three floors and covers all historic masterpieces from luggage, to camping, to evening robes and hand bags. Truly beautiful.
The Dante House is described as a don’t-miss in the Lonely Planet, however, I highly recommend to be a rebel and give it a miss. What is definitely worth a visit though is the Uffizi. After an hour I felt slightly beat by those larger than life Renaissance paintings. After covering the essential Botticelli, da Vinci and Michelangelo highlights, I felt like Pizza and Rosé, followed by Santa Croce and then a walk by the Arno. I finished my day with a splurge on Spritz atop the Continental Hotel’s La Terrazza rooftop bar from where I had a splendid sunset view.
