The city. Not a person. After leaving Bologna, it was on to Ancona for a couple of nights, where I did some more sightseeing and visited a friend. I then had a longish train journey, where I had to change a couple of times, before reaching Florence. It was raining when I left the station, but thankfully my Hotel was quite close, and I was there soon enough. The hotel set-up was super random though, so I had to check in at another hotel down the road, then head back to my hotel, and navigate a mini maze (I actually filmed my walk to my room one time, and it took me over a minute through long corridors, up and down stairs, and deserted reception area's that needed decorating), before finally arriving at my room. The room was thankfully very nice, and obviously I napped. Travelling usually makes me sleepy, even if I've slept loads beforehand, so it made sense. Sightseeing could wait.

After waking, it was time to venture out, and off I went, following my usual tactic of picking a direction and heading that way. My hotel was quite well located, and the incredible cathedral was around ten minutes away.

Fun fact (borrowed from the previous link), the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is the third largest church in the world after Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome (which I also visited and will write a post on shortly) and Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London.

It was still a bit wet, and felt cold compared to the majority of Italian nights I'd experienced previously, so it was quiet, meaning I could appreciate the beautifully illuminated cathedral without the crowds you'd usually find.

I then had a wander trying to find food, and ended up settling for a depressing McDonald's. These are one of the only things that seem to be more expensive than their equivalent in the UK, and you have to pay for sauces. Outrageous. I've written about graffiti and street art a lot in these pages, and I stumbled across one of my favourite bits so far in Florence. Genius in its simplicity.

The following day, the sun was shining, I was well rested, and it was time to get exploring Florence. I Headed back towards the cathedral, which was unsurprisingly a lot busier, with a decent queue outside waiting to get in. I'll admit, I found it a lot more impressive at night, but it's still a very impressive sight, whatever time of the day you visit. After this, I headed towards the Piazza della Signoria, more by luck, and found a rather interesting set of statues. As mentioned previously in other posts, I have been travelling during times of Covid concerns, so things haven't been as busy as they could have been. My temperature was checked during entry to the outdoor room housing the statues, and then I was allowed to peruse to my pleasure. Another bonus is, it's free to enter.

After this, I headed away from the slight crowd that was amassing, and found a square that was a lot quieter. I can't remember what it was called, but it was of a decent size, and the church there was closed on the day I was there. How's that for riveting content?

A brief sit down, and onwards I headed, still unsure of exactly what I was looking for. I found myself at a river, and then saw an interesting looking bridge, which turned out to be pretty famous. My meandering was paying off. The Ponte Vecchio (“the old bridge” in Italian) was beckoning me from a distance, so I headed that way, walking alongside the Arno River.

There was a cool zodiac installation I spotted on the way, so I had to represent my Pisces gang. I've also taken to waving when my shadow is visible in photos. Modern art at its finest. Continuing my gift for stumbling upon interesting things, I soon found myself surrounded by angry looking wolves. Naturally. I didn't have a clue what they were about at the time, but it appears they were a temporary installation, by the Chinese artist Liu Ruowang. I managed to find both places that these wolves frequented, and they were quite unnerving during the daytime, as well as the night.

After this, my luck ran out a bit, as I got slightly lost, in my quest for food. I eventually found a small cafe, had a sandwich and a snack, and headed towards Piazzale Michelangelo, famous for its stunning views over the city. It was quite a difficult walk at times, as the incline was pretty steep (I went a different way which involved me ascending and descending a big hill before the main climb, pics below), and it was hot as balls, so I was super grateful to reach the top.

There are a number of options when you reach Piazzale Michelangelo to get a drink, and I bought a cold, not cheap water, as it was desperately needed. Hydration is key.

The view at the top is 100% worth it. I spent a while up there (and not just because I was knackered), simply appreciating what I was witnessing. You have a beautiful panorama over the city, with a number of ways to look, giving you the chance of finding something else that piques your interest.

It was here I also continued my groundbreaking photo collection I like to call, 'Looking depressed in beautiful places.'

I remembered I had money left on a scooter/bike app, so decided to get a electric bike back towards the centre and my hotel. In hindsight, I perhaps should have got one up the hill, but hey, you live and learn. A quick note on the electric bike, it was awesome. Obviously slightly more expensive than having to pedal and do all the hard work yourself, but worth it if you're travelling a decent distance. It also allowed me to travel a different way back, and I stumbled across a number of other interesting sights.

I got back to the hotel, chilled for a bit, before heading out for a classic Italian dish of curry, and another explore of Florence in the night.

I only had two nights in Florence, before heading back to Bologna for a night in an airport hotel before heading to Gran Canaria, but goodness me, what a city. After a slightly underwhelming first night, having a day to explore this magical place was totally worth it. Culture seems to be everywhere you turn, and although some of the sights are spread out, it didn't feel too much like hard work, even if I was exhausted after all the walking. It's definitely a city I'd like to return to at some point in the future.