A Tourist’s Opportunity to Feel Reconnected with History and One’s Self
Florence can be described the same way a collection of paintings might be: serene, exudes passion, subtle but with masterful nuances. Walking on narrow cobblestone streets and then suddenly coming face-to-face with the marvelous Duomo, or amidst a piazza bustling with excitement is exactly what you can expect in your first twenty-four hours in Florence.
What Florence has done is help some Northeastern busy-bees find a sense of tourism that did have a schedule, but instead mustered a reconnection with the romantic self. No, not that version of romantic but a platonic one that reignites life to feel serene and secure, with a mix of excitement and intrigue. To romanticize life again was what Florence provided, at least for the few nights that my family and I could call Florence our home.
Other than the lists of top 5 things to visit in Florence that Tripadvisor can offer, below is a small glimpse into the experience that has put Florence at the top of my must-see European city list.
Stay
I remember securing our stay in an apartment on AirBnB that once belonged to one of the last members of the Medici family, a prominent Italian banking family that held formidable political and religious control for many years over Italy and Florence specifically. (Pro-tip: When visiting a new location, my research is best done with documentaries or a television series and a good book. I watched the Netflix series Medici and re-read Under the Tuscan Sun). Our AirBnB came with an apartment filled with wonder and intrigue, hidden doors, beautifully crafted chests and drawers, and pictures of family lineage.
As the real kicker, our room had views directly across the Santa Croce Basilica, the final resting places of Michelangelo, Dante, Galileo and other famous Italian figures. Our host accepted the fact that we were his first guests and we brought along four kids under four, and likely said a little prayer at the basilica before leaving the city. With that said, it was an absolute honor (and a steal) to be at this apartment, and we wanted to take care of it. While the amount of trust we had in our children was rather commendable, I should say that they surprised us with taking care of all the relics in the apartment. Most of the time, if we treat children like adults, adult like they will be.
Down below the balcony overlooking the piazza was the rowdiness of the youth- a word I used to describe myself, only a few years ago. There was youthful clamor in the courtyard as expected and I thought about what it would have been like in the old Medici days where drunkenness and play, action and intrigue was still a big part of Florence, no matter how religious the Firenze crowd was (or acted to gain power). Instead of being upset about the noise, I found it laughable that the culture may have shifted in the kind of drunken songs and occasional expletives, but nothing changed in the exciting life of an open courtyard or piazza under the moonlit skies, even when the streetlights or candles dimmed down to nothing, no matter the generation.
And while “When In Rome” may come to mind to some tourists, to go down and join the city youth, we were a family traveling with small kids and friends who religiously did not drink, and by choice, slept at midnight to catch up on sleep. Instead, our “When In Rome” was to appreciate the Firenze culture, in all its glory (and, of course, adjust by using white noise on our iPhone so the kids could sleep).
Culture
I found the people to be kind, helpful, and calm- quite the opposite of how people describe their time in Rome. But, to compare Rome and Florence is not fair. Instead, they both offer their strengths. The cultural aspects of Florence that I appreciated most was the architecture, art, and the level of quietness that brought calm to busy days of touring.
Oftentimes, when in need of a break, to decompress and breathe again, there was immediate solace in the peacefulness of the many basilicas we passed and entered. All visitors remained quiet for obvious reasons, and that in turn helped tourists recharge, reconnect with quiet, and to whisper a prayer whether it was in Italian, French, English, and in my case Arabic, to the One we worshipped.
The kids themselves enjoyed the outdoors without us fearing vehicles in the narrow streets. The museums also offered open space that easily welcomed children to roam free.
Without intending on it, you can easily find yourself in the midst of many beautiful museums and landmarks that make this city a do-able wonder. Walking comes with ease, and ease comes with knowing that around every corner you will find a gelato spot or some shopping just in case you yearn for a break.
As an added bonus, it was great that they had good leather. A huge part of Florence is the leather that they make; the quality of bags, shoes and jackets. When purchasing leather, it’s important to take note that it retained its smell as if you just received it from the leather maker him/herself. But, also look for labels that say that it is made in Firenze. Some stores will have certificates and pictures of where they purchase their leather – don’t be shy to ask or take a look around the store to see if those are posted.
I found that the food was fresh, clean, and not drenched in seasoning- just enough seasoning to call to attention the base of the food- tomato sauce that was meant to taste like a fresh tomato with a bit of oregano or sugar to bring out the tomato’s optimal flavor.
Gelato spots, like most of Italy, were ever-present. There will always be arguments for the “best spot” but why not continue to ask all the locals, and venture out on a self-guided gelato tour to figure it out for yourself.
If the saying “you only live once” hasn’t been attributed to one culture as of yet, I would think it came from a fat Italian grandmother feeding her grandkids a spoon of ricotta gelato that tasted like a piece of heaven’s clouds.
It would be travesty if I did end without talking about the olive oil. Like most of Italy, olive oil is taken seriously and is a huge part of the culture. With Florence being outside Tuscany, a region responsible for producing the best olive oils because of its temperature, methods and irrigation, it is no surprise that Florence, the city belonging to the Tuscany region, offered the best for us to taste, causing one foodie to smile ear to ear the entire trip.
A piece on the Tuscany countryside is forthcoming. If you are interested in following travel and food journeys throughout the world, please follow me on Instagram as well: www.instagram.com/travelandfood_unraveled or @travelandfood_unraveled.
