Archive for June, 2009

The Night Life in Florence

Florence definitely sports a lot when it comes to art, shopping, palaces, and food. But it is important to realize that Florence is a city that also comes with an amazing nightlife. You won’t be returning to your hotel, villa, farmhouse, or hostel early. You may as well make plans to stay out late.

How do you discover this night life when it isn’t really that evident during the day?

Well, all you have to do is take a walk after dark.

The first place to head to is the Santa Novella Maria area. La Rotonda may seem like just a pizzeria, but what you will find is that it is a hangout and a place for live music.

Cappocaccia is another hot spot when you want some amazing cocktails. You’ll find it in the Duomo right along the river. This is a place where you can dress to impress and take a look at some of the best looking locals you can lay your eyes on. Overall, however, it is rather laid back.

If you want something with more of a Moroccan fusion style, Sesamie is a great place to go. You can lounge around and have a great time. The Rex Café is also a great place to hang out and enjoy its mosaic walls.

But if you really want to get into the contemporary nightlife of Florence, you will have to visit the area of the city where tourists don’t tend to go. This means going to an area where famous attractions such as the Uffizi are not around. If you go further down the river, you will find such hotspots as the Rifrullo Terrace bar. Club Montecarla is also a hot spot that consists of three whole floors.

So make sure you take advantage of all that Florence has to offer during the day and night.

When In Florence, You Have To Get Around

Something that is great about visiting Florence, Italy is that most everything is easy to get to on foot. You don’t have to utilize public transportation.

However, there are times that you do need to use public transportation, so it is good to know what is available to you and what isn’t available to you so that you can plan your trip accordingly. It’s good to have a plan, especially in a place such as Florence that has a lot of activities that you can enjoy.

When arriving in Florence by plane, you may arrive at the Florence Amerigo Vespucci Airport. If you do, you do have a shuttle service that will take you into Florence and drop you at the Santa Maria Novella train station. Luckily, between 6 am and 11 pm, the shuttles leave every 30 minutes so that you don’t have to wait long periods of time. You can expect a 15 to 20 minute journey into Florence.

Another airport you could possibly fly into is the Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport. It is further away than Florence Amerigo. A train into Pisa results in a quick transfer to Florence and takes a little over an hour to get to Florence. You do see more this way, but it depends on what you wish to do. You will find yourself ending at the Santa Maria Novella train station.

Make note of where the Santa Maria Novella train station is so that you can utilize it to come and go from the city. There are trains departing every hour to Rome, Venice, Milan, and Bologna so that you can experience other parts of Italy while you are visiting Florence.

If you are unable to travel by foot once you’re in Florence, you can elect to take a taxi. You can also hire a car, but parking is less than plentiful in the city. You may have difficulty finding a place to park, which is why individuals opt for public transportation. The city is grand, but it is also considered small, so you will be able to take in the scenery and the many activities better if you walk.

Nevertheless, you have transportation methods that you can enjoy so that you can see everything Florence has to offer.

Four Sites you must See in Florence

When traveling to Florence there are plenty of sites to see, but there are four that you should pay special attention to…unless they are not your cup of tea, but they are hard to not visit.

Here are those sites:

• The Duomo – You will find the Duomo in the Piazza Dumono. This is an area that is younger than some of the other areas of Florence because it was founded in 1891. You’ll be able to come to the Duomo and see the many changes that the city has gone through throughout the years. The changes are quite vast in some areas but not so much in others. These are portrayed in the way of sculptures. You may find that this is quite fascinating because that is the point when you really realize what sort of city you are visiting.

• The Ponte Vecchio – This medieval bridge can be found expanding over the Arno River. A lot of activities take place along the river and around this bridge. You can find gardens where you can picnic, as well as other activities. You’ll also find shops built into the bridge. This is something that was common in the old days. The bridge also has an interesting history that starts in 1117 and consists of rebuilds in 1333 and the last rebuild being in 1345.

• The Uffizi gallery – The Uffizi is the most popular gallery in Florence and is one that comes with long lines. It is best that you make reservations in advance so that you can see the great works by Michelangelo and many other Renaissance artists.

• The Palazzo Pitti – The Medici family once lived in this giant home. It is now the entrance to the Boboli Gardens and has give museums within it. You’ll find that many of the rooms have the original furniture owned by the Medici family. This is fascinating, considering the Medicis are responsible for a lot of things that occurred during the Renaissance era.