After buying the Firenze card on Monday, we were determined to get our money’s worth! This meant that our second (and last) day in Florence had to be very full. I am writing this post on the balcony of my friend’s aunt’s apartment in Rome 🙂

It is very hot here, and my brain and body are quite exhausted. I want to take an easier way to describe this day, compared to DAY 1. I have made a bulleted list of the places we went with some pictures and details underneath. The main event of the day was getting to the Duomo and Campanile when they opened (around 10) to beat some of the tourists. We decided to find a place to go before the Duomo to make the most of the day, and start ahead of the game with our list!

 

1. The ACADEMIA

– home to Michelangelo’s David! 😮 This was a great beginning because we were in awe at about 8 in the morning. The amount of history in the museum, and craftsmanship that went into his work is incredible.

2. The DUOMO

– Walking up to the top of the dome was booked until the day after we left Florence, so we went in the chapel and the crypts. Churches in Europe are so beautiful and have been in the same spot for 100s to 1000s of years! We were not aware that the crypts were part of the tour, but everyone was heading downstairs – and it was a highlight to see the tombs and columns that stood in Michelangelo’s time 🙂

3. CAMPANILE (bell tower)

– conventiently located next to the Duomo. Rick Steves mentioned that climbing the bell tower gives the same effect as the top of the Duomo (you can see the entire city of Florence!) We walked up about 400 very narrow steps and corridors, while other tourists used the same passageways to come down. It was very squished, but definitely exciting. I took pictures along the way and through mini windows to get the whole experience. We were even inside the tower when the bell rang at 11:30! I am very afraid of heights, but everything there was to see was either above the height of the tower (like the dome) or at eye level so I didn’t have to look down much.

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3. BARGELLO

– sculpture museum of Michelangelo, Donatello, and Medici treasures. The picture below is with a statue of Hermes while mid-flight. Aren’t I graceful?

4. PALAZZO VECCHIO

– palace that was home to Medici – gorgeous! The pictures blur into that of Palazzo Vitti so put most of them together.

LUNCH (delish! written in Florence food post)

6. PALAZZO PITTI

– By this point, our feet and bodies were exhausted! My poor ankles were rubbed raw and my friend’s bad knee was acting up. There are 5 museums inside the palace, including gardens. We visited the royal apartments, Palatine gallery, and costume gallery. There were so many different gorgeous rooms, but my mind was focused on the pain underneath my feet..and there were a lot of stairs (I think we got our fix at the bell tower ha)

7. UFFIZI

– This was our last stop of the crazy day. We knew we had to go here to see paintings like Birth of Venus and other works by Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, and Botticelli!

DINNER (also in food post – a very fun experience!)

Phew! That was even stressful on my brain to write – to be honest, I had to use the guide book for descriptions of some places. This day went from 7:30 in the morning to 11:30 at night 😮 And we were up at 4:45 the next morning to head to Rome. Look out for a few slideshows posts of Rome!