Planning for Florence Italy:
I went in a Flix bus from Naples to Florence. The ticket cost 18.90 €. I visited Florence and Pisa, Italy in July 2023. Florence is in Tuscany region in Italy.
Planning for Pisa Italy:
I left for Pisa from Florence by Trenitalia by paying 9.30 €.
Accommodation in Florence Italy:
I stayed at Hilton Garden Inn Florence Novoli for 40,000 Hilton Honors points and paid 6$ in taxes for my stay. I got the Hilton Honors Points by applying for Hilton Honors Surpass Credit Card. The link to apply for this Credit Card is HERE
- Train stations are in Purple.
- Touristic places of interest are in Blue.
Boots on the Ground:
1. Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and Piazza Duomo:
The cathedral complex, in Piazza del Duomo, includes the Baptistery and Giotto’s Campanile. These three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic center of Florence and are a major tourist attraction of Tuscany.
2. Baptistery of St. John:
This 12th-century octagonal baptistery is a consummate work of art with its marble façade and the intricate mosaics of its interior. Magnificent bronze panels that Ghiberti created for the doors facing the cathedral is magnificent. Nowhere has bronze been worked with such exquisite expression as in these Gates of Paradise.
3. Florence from Piazzale Michelangiolo:
Piazza Michelangelo is on a hill on the south bank of the Arno River, just east of the center of Florence, and offers a stunning view of the city of Florence. A bronze replica of Michelangelo’s David was placed in the center of the square.
4. Uffizi Palace and Gallery:
This is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence. It is also one of the largest and best-known in the world and holds a collection of priceless works, particularly from the period of the Italian Renaissance.
5. Piazza della Signoria and the Loggia dei Lanzi:
Piazza della Signoria is a w-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. It is the main point of the origin and history of the Florentine Republic and still maintains its reputation as the political focus of the city. Loggia dei Lanzi is a beautiful arched gallery that was built in the 14th century at the Piazza della Signoria right in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. Today, the Loggia della Signoria holds invaluable sculptural masterpieces, all original, and to be enjoyed freely day and night.
6. Academy Gallery:
The Gallery of the Academy of Florence is one of the most important sculpture museums in the world. It houses the world’s largest number of Michelangelo’s sculptures, as many as seven, including the famous David.
7. Ponte Vecchio:
The Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge, was the only bridge across the Arno River in Florence until 1218. The current bridge was rebuilt after a flood in 1345. During World War II it was the only bridge across the Arno that the fleeing Germans did not destroy. It is noted for the shops built along it. Building shops on such bridges was once a common practice. Butchers, tanners, and farmers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewelers, art dealers, and souvenir sellers.
8. Pitti Palace:
This enormous palace is one of Florence’s largest architectural monuments. The original palazzo was built for the Pitti family in 1457. Today, the Pitti Palace houses some of the most important museums in Florence: on the first floor is the Palatine Gallery, containing a broad collection 16th and 17th century paintings (including works by Raphael), and the Royal Apartments, containing furnishings from a remodeling done in the 19th century. On the ground floor and mezzanine is the Treasury of the Grand Dukes displaying a vast collection of Medici household treasures, from table silverware to precious stone vases, rock crystals and precious jewelry. The Gallery of Modern Art is on the top floor, holding a collection of mostly Tuscan 19th and 20th century paintings.
9. Leaning Tower of Pisa in PISA:
Leaning tower of Pisa is a freestanding Bell Tower of PISA Cathedral. It is known for its nearly four-degree lean, the result of an unstable foundation. The tower is one of three structures in the Pisa’s Cathedral Square, which includes the cathedral and Pisa Baptistry. The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase.
From Pisa, I left for Milan Lampugnano station by a Flix bus, for which I paid 21€.
