Florence: A Finale

Last night we hopped off a train in Florence. To start our time in Florence right, we ate a big meal of Florentine steak. SO GOOD! They actually cooked it rare like we like and gave us a bunch of rock salt. Bailey was in heaven! We haven't eaten lots of meat since we got here, so it was the perfect way to shake things up but to still enjoy Italian cuisine.

And then today was an art history nerd's dream! And if you know me, you may know that I am definitely an art history fan. We got up first thing this morning to fulfill a lifelong wish of mine, to see Michelangelo's David.

We were the second couple in the gallery, which was such a neat experience because we had the place practically to ourselves! But also good because we had someone to take our picture haha.

I will say, David is way larger than I anticipated. We spent some time just staring at the masterpiece. So beautiful!

The rest of Galleria dell'Accademia was small but tasteful. A nice way to start off the day!

Something great about Florence is that everything is in walking distance. So convenient! We hopped on over to the central market to find some breakfast. If you go upstairs there's like a food court and it's super cute and clean with lots of options! We grabbed some breakfast and left with plans to come back for lunch.

Then it was time to fulfill some of Bailey's Italy dreams. Shopping! I'm ok with shopping but Bailey is a definite fan. We were sad that there's no Primark close by, but Shey told us to check out OVS which ended up being a similar sort of deal. Kind of like a cheaper H&M. We went there as well as some other fun shops. There were so many, I think that a lot of tourists who come here must like to shop. Then we went back to the market for lunch! This may be terrible but I'm over Italian food, so I went to a Chinese stand and I do not regret it. They had hand pulled noodles in beef broth and it tasted exactly like the kind we would eat in Changzhou! I was in heaven!

We had a 12:00 reservation to climb to the top of the Duomo which I have been looking forward to ever since learning that climbing it was a thing. So maybe for like two weeks haha. From the outside the basilica is unlike anything I've ever seen!

The inside of the basilica is fairly simple which I found surprising. Of course, the inside of the dome is filled with a massive and beautiful last judgement scene. Most of the climb up was in the walls, but they did take us around the inside of the dome to see the paintings close up. So amazing!! And a little scary looking over the edge into the Basilica, knowing that you're standing on a really old, narrow balcony.

When we reached the very top we were able to walk around outside on the tippy top of the dome. Such a gorgeous view of Florence! I love the orange roofs and being able to spot other various churches and domes. I think climbing the dome might have been a highlight of our Italy trip!

Unfortunately the dome museum is closed today, which was a surprise to me. Bummer! But we were able to see the replicas of The Gates of Paradise on the baptistery doors which were beautiful, and inside the baptistery was also quite the sight, I loved all the gold!

After a little bit more shopping we stopped by Piazza Della Signoria to see the outdoor statue gallery which was impressive. There were some beautiful sculptures there! It's also a quick walk from Ponte Vecchio. Ponte Vecchio by itself was a little underwhelming. But the view of it from the side was pretty cute!

The Uffizi Gallery was also high on my list, so we made that the last visit of our Italian adventure. They have such an amazing collection! My favorite was Botticelli's Birth of Venus, but I also love a good Caravaggio as you know. It was nice and relaxing moseying through the gallery, which was actually pretty huge.

The evening ended with our last Italian meal! I ordered my last caprese salad, my favorite food of the trip and something I'll try to continue eating at home.

We have had such and amazing time in Italy. I feel so blessed to have been able to see the works of masters that many can only dream of seeing for themselves. What a time to be alive, and to have these opportunities!

We fly out in the morning to head back to our normal lives. I hope to come back soon though, there is so much more in Italy that I still want to see!