Florence Might Be My Favorite Italian Destination

Florence is dope for many reasons. Everyone I know who visits Italy talks about their adventures in Rome, but few mention Florence which is one stop away on the Frecciarossa.

Florence and Rome are exceptionally close together. Of course driving take longer, but by train they’re only an hour and a half apart. Rome benefits from having two major airports while Florence has an airport I’ve never used. Just off of face value, I can tell more travelers visit Rome than Florence; and that’s a shame. Don’t get me wrong, I love Rome. It’s a beautiful city, but I feel it’s got nothing on the style and grace of Florence.

Italy is riddled with amazing cites filled with extensive culture and history. Florence is significant because it was the epicenter of the European Renaissance. It was also the capitol of the Kingdom of Italy.

Believe it or not, video games taught me much about European history. Assassin’s Creed 2 takes place in Florence during the Renaissance and recreates many landmark structures in the city. The Assassin’s Creed series launched during a time when I was stuck in my hometown; absent a worldly mindset.

It’s amazing that you can use Google Earth to explore the locations, but a video game also steps up to the plate in the realm of digital recreation.

It’s one thing to experience Florence through a video game, but it’s another thing to travel and see the city for yourself.

Florence was the first family trip after our daughter was born. An easy four hour drive north of Naples, we didn’t expect it to be very cold. My wife and I had to track down a children’s store in the city to buy our daughter a heavier jacket.

Yes, Florence has it’s big time tourist attractions to visit and check out. You can see the Statue of David in two locations.

• The original is located in the Galleria dell’Accademia.
  • It’s a very unassuming location that’s easy to overlook.
    I would only recommend seeking it out if you ABSOLUTELY feel the need to see the original statue in a controlled environment.
• A replica is located outside Palazzo Vecchio.
  • When the original statue was completed, it was so impressive that it was placed outside the government building. Eventually the original was placed indoors and the replica was positioned outside the government building.

I don’t know if they’re still around, but I really loved the alterations to the street signs.

They look official, but upon further inspection I noticed that they were high quality stickers used to alter the signs.

If you’re looking to visit Florence, I’d recommend staying at a hotel along the river that bisects the city. It’s a city river, so don’t expect to go swimming. It’s just nice to walk along it in the mornings and evening on the to and from the hotel.

If you’ve been to Italy, but have not visited Florence. You owe it to yourself to go back and explore some more~!