Day 2: Florence

It's safe to say Florence lived up to my expectations. In fact, it blew them away and this place turned out to be my favourite destination of the whole trip. 

We arrived at Le Due Fontane Hotel. Overlooking Piazza della Santissima Annunziata, this refined hotel in a neoclassical palace is a 5-minute walk from Florence Cathedral. 

Classic, antiques-filled rooms are individually furnished and the location makes it a dream spot. 

Le Due Fontane Hotel

The great thing about Florence is that when you turn a corner there is always something different to see. We were in absolute awe of the architecture. Our first stop was the Duomo Di Firenze which will forever be my favourite building of all time and was in view from our hotel. Florence's cathedral stands tall over the city with its magnificent Renaissance dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. The cathedral build began at the end of the 13th century and took over two centuries to finish. We started at Giotto's Bell Tower and made the trek up 414 steps to the top to see the beautiful view of Florence. To say my legs were sore is an understatement. They were beyond trembling. The climb of the Bell Tower or Brunelleschi's Cupola is not for the faint hearted or unfit; the winding staircases are narrow, are on a steep incline with no ventilation. I unfortunately fall into the unfit category. To reach the peak though, is definitely worth it. This whole area is just beautiful. That night we had dinner right outside the Duomo and you feel like you're in a dream. 

Duomo Di Firenze

Inside Giotto's Bell Tower

View of Giotto's Bell Tower from the top of Brunelleschi's Cupola

Next we made our way to the Piazzale Michelangelo. This was also one of my favourite things to see. The view was incredible and we could see the magical skyline of Florence. The square was created in 1869 and has a monument base dedicated to Michelangelo, where copies of Michelangelo's works, including the David can be seen. We hiked from our hotel thinking it would be a nice walk, and it definitely is, but it's also very intense. There are a lot of stairs going up a steep incline and on a hot day, it was quite the workout! You need a camera, water and self belief. 

View from the Piazzale Michelangelo

Day 2 in Florence was one I won't forget. If you go in the middle of summer, expect tourists and heat, but don't worry the buildings are so tall they provide great shade. 

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The Airport Journey Part 2

After 20 hours on a plane, we arrived in Rome in one piece (just). Palms sweating, knees weak, arms were heavy (thanks Eminem), we hesitantly made our way to the baggage carousel.

After 5 minutes of bags circling and re-circling us we had almost given up hope. Then, praise the Lord, my red bag popped out and came towards me. LIFE SAVED. We literally jumped with joy, hugging each other and laughing/crying hysterically. The Italians were looking at us like mad women, but we didn't care.

What I neglected to mention in Part 1 (mostly because the fear of the reality was too hard to digest) was that we booked a Topdeck Tour. Our first destination wasn't even Rome and we would be travelling every two days. There is no way if we lost our luggage we would ever see it again and the thought of traipsing through Italy in 30+ degree heat with long pants and one t-shirt did not sound appealing. Not to mention no sunscreen, clean underwear, make up and general necessities.

That feeling of everything turning out okay was the biggest relief and such a joyous moment. It felt like the universe (or airport) was trying everything in it's power to knock us down, but things kept happening to make it all alright again.

Our next challenge was to brave the Rome train system. How hard could that be? Well, put it this way; where I live there is one train line that I can't use. I fail at public transport. We need to catch two trains- one from the airport to Roma Termini and then from Roma Termini to Florence. We've been given clear instructions on how to get the tickets. What I notice in Italy already is the serious amount of required checkpoints needed and the zero staff around to help navigate. We purchase our tickets (somehow), go through all the security and attempt to 'validate' our tickets. Suddenly, my friend Sophie looks at me. Her face is white, she's silent with her mouth wide open and I know something is wrong. I quickly scan around us and notice we're one suitcase down. HOW?!?!

We look about 50 metres behind us and notice a lone suitcase propped in the middle of the train station. We've just gone through numerous check points, our train leaves in 3 minutes and my travelling companion's life (okay, slight exaggeration) is just out of reach. She sprints back, desperately trying to squeeze through barricades and railings to reach her suitcase and success, she has it. How no one thought that lone suitcase sitting in the middle of a train station by itself for 10 minutes was a bomb, sent the train station into lock down or it wasn't stolen beggars belief. The travel gods were on our side. The train guard just looked at her shaking his head and waved her back through. Our first, actually second, judgement of the day.

Suitcases in tow we got on the train and made it to Roma Termini. The next challenge begun. Remember how I said I wasn't good at public transport with my one-line-train at home? Well try adding about 20 platforms, multiple train companies, a foreign language and no staff around to help you to the equation.

My first tip on going on overseas holidays; if you think pre-booking tickets will save you stress and time, think again. Our train company was different, the train number was different and the platform had changed. After one hour of aimlessly wandering around the station with the tourist information desk refusing to help because we didn't buy tickets off them, we took a gamble and went to the only platform with our designated departure time. And hallelujah, it was right. After all this, we were on our way to Florence.

Man, Florence better live up to our expectations!

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