Our first full day in Florence was wonderful. Our host Silvia gave us a wonderful suggestion for a coffee and a small bite to eat before we started the day. We had the most delicious ham and cheese omelette, sweet croissant 🥐 and two much needed lattes. The little cafe was bustling with groups of men chatting and drinking their espresso standing at the bar.

Crossed the river to take the #12 bus to Piazzale Michelangelo but after waiting and waiting we realized the bus was not functioning that day and decided to do the other things on our agenda. Since Florence is quite small and walkable you can almost see the whole city in one day.

We walked along the river to the Ponte Vecchio. The sun was finally shinning down on us after all the grey skies and rain in London. The views of the buildings from the river were beautiful. We took our standard selfies and then headed into the city.

Walked through the streets some more taking in all the beauty of Florence.

We wanted to be at the top of the Duomo for sunset so we made our way over to Santa Maria Cathedral to get our tickets. We had about 20 minutes before our time slot and we were hungry again. We found the worlds smallest panini shop with the sweetest owner. He only sold panini and wine, you can’t get more perfect than that. After a short lesson and tasting all of the meats and cheese they had we chose our ingredients and they prepared our panini. It was amazing.

The climb to the top of the Duomo was quite an experience. After navigating through large groups, extremely small corridors that barely fit a child and winding up dizzying spiral staircases we finally made it to the top just in time for sunset. The views of Florence were spectacular.

463 STEPS LATER…

Wandered into the baptistry in the adjacent Piazza San Giovanni to rest our feet and take a moment to be grateful and thankful for his amazing experience.

After grabbing another coffee we walked up to the Mercato Centrale for something to eat and drink. The indoor market was busy with all types of people enjoying the warmth and good food and drink. We opted for a classic pizza and a ragú arancini. The food is so amazing here and we are in heaven at every meal.

Leisurely stroll back to our room but not without finally stopping for some gelato 🍨 . Perfect day indeed.