I'VE BEEN A VERY NAUGHTY GIRL! (Sights & Attractions in Florence)

Member Name: moonbailey

Product:	Sights & Attractions in Florence
Date:	08/11/01 (157 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: amazing food both in restaurants and in the markets

Disadvantages: don't be ripped of by the tourist prices

I went to Florence last week and didn't go to a single art gallery. Some say that's a sin. I say, bugger that - I'm on me hols. I'll do as I darn well please.

And you know what? I had the best time ever.

We were naughty right from the start...

We stayed at a friend of a friends right in the heart of the old city so I avoided the high hotel prices and paid her around £20 in a converted church with arched ceilings as high as the building.

We ate pizza 'til the cows came home and our own body weight in ice cream.

We didn't climb the famous Duomo (Cathedral) but instead paid slightly less to climb the equally high tower beside it and as a result had the famous Duomo dome in all our pictures from the top - rather than having the view from it without the Duomo itself. Clever eh?!

We ate in, but cooked with local ingredients bought ridiculously cheaply from the supermarket and covered markets. Mozerella cheese is about 30p a pack instead of £1 in Britain; fresh bazil and parmezan is a quarter of the price and ten times as impressive to the tastebuds and pasta tubes are sold the size of toilet rolls.

A good bottle of wine will set you back £1.70 so there's no excuse not to sink truckloads - there's plenty of time to sober up when you get back to Blighty.

It's not sacriledge to do it yourself - if you use the original stuff and cook with gay Italian abandon - it can be a truly liberating experience - for a quid a piece!

Don't miss the famous bridge (Ponte Vecchio) and if you fancy a visit to the stunning gardens of Florence - try going on sunday - when we went, entry was free that day.

At another friends recommendation, we took a bus to Fiesole - a tiny village on the hilltop overlooking Florence.

Take a No.7 bus from the central station. Buy your ticket from one of the newsagents nearby. It's about 65p for a ticket that lasts for
1 hour from start of journey. Stamp the ticket when you're on the bus in the machines to validate it. The trip to Fiosole os about 30 mins so you'll have plenty of time.

Food and drink is priced like gold there - expect to pay up to £5 for a bottle of Becks - Italian Beer is very hard to find as they pride themselves on their imports!

We took a picnic - our supermarket bought wine and cheeses, and had the most amazing time exploring, ending up on the viewpoint at sunset - an unmissable experience.

Back in Florence - you can't miss the markets selling leather goods, but also do search out the giant foods market as it's nothing like English markets - massive swordfish, ten types of olives, mushrooms that look positively dangerous and a buzzing atmosphere. Take courage and at least come away with some of the cheeses if not enough for a five couse gourmet dinner...

If you have ever wanted a leather jacket - buy it here - there's almost nothing else for sale in Florence boutiques and stalls and the quality is very high.

If you fly from Pisa airport (we got a Ryan Air deal for £11.95 plus taxes return from London!) - take the train . Tickets are only £3 or so for the 1 hour or more journey and the sights are a treat - whisking you through vineyards and little towns full of character.

My only other advice is do what you want and only use a guide book as just that - not a set of rules.

But most of all - Florence is a night-time city. Lots of shops are closed in the morning and the character of the place comes alive after about 6.00pm.

By all means take advantage of the city at its least crowded state in the early morning - but have a siesta rather than turning in at 9.00pm. Early nights are a trajedy!

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