Florence, Italy

Last Monday I left for my first major trip since I have been in Germany and I didn’t start small. I didn’t go to Berlin or some other major German town. In fact, I didn’t even stay in Germany. No, as most of you know I went to Italy. I had been to Italy four years ago while I studied in Salzburg. My Uncle Brian, Aunt Jeri, and I visited Venice, Siena and Tuscany, and the beautiful beaches of Cinque Terra. It was a wonderful trip and I had a great time. But I always regretted not reaching Florence or Rome. Thus, when I returned to Germany, I made it a goal to finally see these two Italian towns. Originally another Fulbright Scholar was to travel with me, but she backed out. So I gave it some thought and decided that if I want to go to Rome, I had to go now, because my other free vacations are Christmas and Easter and I knew with the Vatican in Rome, those two periods were not going to allow me to see Rome. I dove into the planning and arranged to fly from Berlin to Rome. Once in Rome I would take a train to Florence and stay for two nights. Then I would take another train back to Rome and have two full days in Rome and a third day to see Pompeii.

Early Monday morning, I mean 5:45 am early, I woke up and headed to the Dresden train station to catch a 7am train that after two changes got me to the Berlin airport. Now you may be asking why I had to change trains so often and if not, well I will tell you anyway. I flew with EasyJet, a small European airline that flies in and out of smaller airports. I choose this flight simply because it was cheap. I arrive at the airport a respectable two hours early, checked-in, went through security (where they do not require you to take your shoes off) and waited. At 12:45 the plane took off and one hour and fifty minutes later I was in Rome. From the small, little heard of airport outside of Rome, I caught a private bus to Rome’s main train station. I don’t exactly remember how I found this bus company before I left, but I did and although the bus left 15 minutes late and was a little dirty, I did not have any problems and saved money. The bus ride was also nice because it gave me my first glimpse of Rome. I was a bit overwhelmed with the chaos of the city but quickly forgot it once I reached the train station. My mind was now set on finding a ticket machine, figuring out how to use it, and then find the right train before it left in 15 minutes. It wasn’t too hard to figure out and with the help of a few nice Italians, I made it to the train before it left. The train to Florence was only an hour and a half and I spent the time watching the beautiful landscape pass me by. When I arrived in Florence all that I wanted to do was get to my hotel. I headed with my bags in that direction and had to weave around the loads of people that wandered the streets of Florence. It felt like a long way, but my path took me pass the Duomo (cathedral). I was taken aback by the incredible size of the cathedral and especially its dome. A short time after, I reached my hotel. I stayed in a convent two blocks from the Duomo. I choose to stay in convents while I was in Italy because as a single traveler and female, I knew that convents would be safe. I also chose convents because I knew that they would be clean, but simple, and that didn’t bother me. It also helped that they were relatively cheap. After I settled in, I went hunting for dinner. Italians eat late. Most restaurants don’t serve dinner until 8pm, but since I was alone, I did not want to be too far away from the hotel since it was dark. About two blocks from my hotel I choose an Italian restaurant that had tables outside on a patio. I sat at a table and overheard that the only other people there were Americans. As there were not waiters I could see, I asked my neighbors, three female friends from Washington, D.C., whether they had gotten the menus themselves. They asked if I was eating alone and when I told them I was, they invited me to eat with them. From what you have read and know about me, I am a couscous person, and since I lost my wallet on the train, I have been extra paranoid, but they were friendly and looked harmless. I lucked out, because they were great. We ate amazing food, had tons of laughs, and in the end, they paid most of the bill. I am grateful for their kindness and entertainment. After dinner, which lasted past 9pm (I felt very European), I went back to the convent and went to bed.

The next morning, I woke up earlier and headed out to see the sites. I went inside the Duomo, visited the tombs of the Medici family, window shopped, eat, went to the main square, had gelato, window shopped some more on the Ponte Vecchio, the bridge that you have seen in pictures, and at the market, and finally bought something all before lunch. Man was I tired. But after lunch I had the David to look forward to. The statue was a lot bigger than I expected, but it was marvelous! The detail was amazing and I think I went around the statue like three times. I didn’t care for much else at this museum, but I stopped in the gift shop to get postcards. After that I stopped at a grocery store for a snack and then I walked around town ending at the Church of Santa Croce, but since it was closed, I sat in the square and people watched. When the sun started to set, I walked back to the convent, picking food up on the way. After dinner, I wrote postcards and planned for the next day. Exhaustion led me to bed early.

On Wednesday morning, I returned to the Church of Santa Croce. This church is famous because it is the burial place of famous men like Machiavelli, Dante Alighieri, and Michelangelo. But the church was also beautifully decorated. From there, I took a bus up to Piazza Michelangelo. This square is on the opposite side of the river up on a hill and gives a wonderful view of the Duomo and the rest of Florence. I took lots of photos and then took the same bus down the hill getting off at the Pitti Palace. The Pitti Place was once the home of the Medicis, the Hapsburgs, and Napoleon Bonaparte when he captured the city. I walked through one grand room after another looking at the art and the furnishing. I enjoyed it greatly and pretended that I lived there. After lunch, I headed back to the convent and picked my bags up before I walked back to the train station and took a train to Rome.

View from Piazza Michelangelo