Fall in Love with Florence and Pisa in Two Days
10:34 AM
Florence, the beautiful capital of La Toscana, Italy was my second destination after Rome. In two days, I visited museums, landmarks, gardens and even made a quick trip to Pisa.
Day 1 - Museums, the Cathedral and other city sights
We took a 3-hour train from Tiburtina to Santa María Novella Station and arrived at around 11 AM. Our hostel was walking distance so we dropped off our things and after some nice recommendations from our host, we went straight to Galleria dell’Accademia, home of Michaelangelo’s Il David.
Galleria dell’Accademia
We were lucky to arrive in Florence on the first Sunday of the month, because museums are free all day. I expected to meet a long line but there was none! Within 3 minutes of arriving, we were inside.
L’Accademia is a small but pretty museum, also featuring a collection of marble statues and a Music Museum.
After Galleria, we figured we could try to also see Galleria degli Uffizi, the other main museum in Firenze that features the Birth of Venus (Nascita di Venere).
💡 Tip: Move by Florence on foot – Florence is a very small city that you can walk completely. Our hostel was near S.M. Novella and from there to the farthest spot -Piazzale Michaelangelo- is a 3 KM walk.
On our way to the museum, we stopped at a few landmarks.
Galleria degli Uffizi
At this museum, the line was very long. It took us about one hour and a half to get inside. I figured that we could have lunch while we waited so I wandered around looking for a place to grab something to eat at a normal price.
💡 Tip: Compare prices at different food places – Florence, specially the whole area near Ponte Vecchio is full with places to eat and the prices are mostly outrageous. Walk a bit and you will find a better place. If you’re on a hurry and can’t find a place that will sell you a whole pizza, do not buy just a slice. Go with a sandwich or a crepe. Slices are aimed at tourists so you will pay 4 or 5 euros for one, when you could grab a whole pizza for the same amount.
Inside Galleria degli Uffizi
After we came out, it was heavily raining so we only saw a few spots more before calling it a day.
We took the 8:35 AM train to Pisa, at around 1 hour from S.M. Novella. From there, it’s a 15-minute walk to the square where Torre di Pisa is located.
💡 Tip: Go to Pisa early in the morning – If you want a good picture, it's better to go early. At around 10 AM, a lot of people and tours arrived filling the streets. Besides, there's not much to see in Pisa so if you go first thing in the morning, you can come back to enjoy the rest of the day in Firenze (or continue your trip towards your next destination).
Back to Florence by midday, we decided to cross Ponte Vecchio, walk around the other side and visit other landmarks.
On our way, we stopped for gelato.
💡 Tip: Don’t buy the 10-euro gelato – No it’s no joke. Some places will price their gelati starting at 6 euros with the “big” cone priced at 10. Again, walk around until you find the place that sells them starting at 3.50 (with two flavors). This one cost me just that and it was delicious.
Giardino delle Rose
We wanted to visit the Bardini Garden but since entrance was not free, we decided against it. We were initially looking for Piazzale Michelangelo, when we saw a sign that said “Giardino delle Rose” (Garden of the Roses). A fellow traveler I met at Pisa said it was a beautiful garden, so we followed the signs uphill until we arrived.
From there we went to our final spot, Piazzale Michelangelo.
💡 Tip: Short way from Giardino delle Rose to Piazzale – there is an entrance/exit by the garden. So instead of going downhill to follow the signs and go uphill again to get to Piazzale (like we did out of ignorance), walk through the other site of the garden and you’ll exit towards some stairs. Go up and you’ll be at Piazzale Michelangelo in the shortest time.
Piazzale Michelangelo
After enjoying the view and catching our breaths, we went back to our hostel, had some pasta for dinner and went to sleep. Next day, we would head to our final destination: Milano.
--
If you've ever been to Firenze, let me know in the comments below or through my IG :)
Galleria dell’Accademia
We were lucky to arrive in Florence on the first Sunday of the month, because museums are free all day. I expected to meet a long line but there was none! Within 3 minutes of arriving, we were inside.
L’Accademia is a small but pretty museum, also featuring a collection of marble statues and a Music Museum.
After Galleria, we figured we could try to also see Galleria degli Uffizi, the other main museum in Firenze that features the Birth of Venus (Nascita di Venere).
💡 Tip: Move by Florence on foot – Florence is a very small city that you can walk completely. Our hostel was near S.M. Novella and from there to the farthest spot -Piazzale Michaelangelo- is a 3 KM walk.
On our way to the museum, we stopped at a few landmarks.
 |
| Santa María del Fiore Cathedral |
 |
| Piazza della Signora and Palazzo Vecchio |
 |
| Loggia dei Lanzi |
Galleria degli Uffizi
At this museum, the line was very long. It took us about one hour and a half to get inside. I figured that we could have lunch while we waited so I wandered around looking for a place to grab something to eat at a normal price.
💡 Tip: Compare prices at different food places – Florence, specially the whole area near Ponte Vecchio is full with places to eat and the prices are mostly outrageous. Walk a bit and you will find a better place. If you’re on a hurry and can’t find a place that will sell you a whole pizza, do not buy just a slice. Go with a sandwich or a crepe. Slices are aimed at tourists so you will pay 4 or 5 euros for one, when you could grab a whole pizza for the same amount.
Inside Galleria degli Uffizi
After we came out, it was heavily raining so we only saw a few spots more before calling it a day.
 |
| Chiesa di Santa Margherita dei Cerchi |
 |
| Piazza della Reppublica |
 |
| Sagrestia Vecchia |
Day 2 – Pisa and more Florence spots
We took the 8:35 AM train to Pisa, at around 1 hour from S.M. Novella. From there, it’s a 15-minute walk to the square where Torre di Pisa is located.
💡 Tip: Go to Pisa early in the morning – If you want a good picture, it's better to go early. At around 10 AM, a lot of people and tours arrived filling the streets. Besides, there's not much to see in Pisa so if you go first thing in the morning, you can come back to enjoy the rest of the day in Firenze (or continue your trip towards your next destination).
Back to Florence by midday, we decided to cross Ponte Vecchio, walk around the other side and visit other landmarks.
 |
| Galleria Degli Uffizi from across the canal |
 |
| Piazza Pitti |
💡 Tip: Don’t buy the 10-euro gelato – No it’s no joke. Some places will price their gelati starting at 6 euros with the “big” cone priced at 10. Again, walk around until you find the place that sells them starting at 3.50 (with two flavors). This one cost me just that and it was delicious.
Giardino delle Rose
We wanted to visit the Bardini Garden but since entrance was not free, we decided against it. We were initially looking for Piazzale Michelangelo, when we saw a sign that said “Giardino delle Rose” (Garden of the Roses). A fellow traveler I met at Pisa said it was a beautiful garden, so we followed the signs uphill until we arrived.
From there we went to our final spot, Piazzale Michelangelo.
💡 Tip: Short way from Giardino delle Rose to Piazzale – there is an entrance/exit by the garden. So instead of going downhill to follow the signs and go uphill again to get to Piazzale (like we did out of ignorance), walk through the other site of the garden and you’ll exit towards some stairs. Go up and you’ll be at Piazzale Michelangelo in the shortest time.
Piazzale Michelangelo
After enjoying the view and catching our breaths, we went back to our hostel, had some pasta for dinner and went to sleep. Next day, we would head to our final destination: Milano.
--
If you've ever been to Firenze, let me know in the comments below or through my IG :)
On my next post I'll talk about what to do in Milano in 8 hours. Until next time!
0 comments