Venezia and Firenze

The quaint city of Florence was our next place to visit. It is an older city, painted with terracotta
roofs, full of buzzing plazas and home Michelangelo’s statue of David. Due to it being declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, it is overflowing with tourists hoping to take in the art and culture the city has to offer.

Inside the dome

We began the day by heading to the Accademia art museum that is home Michelangelo’s famous statue of David. The line was wrapped around the building, and none of us had a desire to look at an art museum, so we headed towards Florence’s famous church, Santa Maria del Fiore also known as the Duomo. The outside was completely different from any church I had previously seen in Europe. The façade is made of red, white and green marble making it look more like a museum than a basilica. The church is famous for its dome constructed by Brunelleschi and modeled after the Pantheon in Rome. We decided to pay the small fee and make the treacherous climb up the 463 steps to the top. On the way up we were inside the painted dome, which was disappointing after having just visited the amazing Sistine chapel. The end of the climb put us at the very top of the structure with a 360 degree view of the city. It was the perfect place to take in the city of Florence, and see the city that I have always seen on television.

The facade of the Duomo

View from the top

Once we descended the steps  we ventured into the ground level of the cathedral, and left after a short visit. There was not much to see, and it was rather disappointing. We strolled to some of the main plazas within Florence such as Piazza della Signoria, Santa Maria Novella Square and Santa Croce Square. The Piazza della Signoria, also known as the political hub of the city, houses the Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace), the city’s old town hall. Outside of this building is a replica of Michelangelo’s David, so that was as close as I got to the real thing. The real David used to be in the exact spot the replica stands today, but in 1527 it was damaged during a riot. A bench was thrown out the palace window and knocked off David’s left arm. In 1873, David was moved indoors to protect him against other strange events.

 

The replica of David

We then stumbled upon the main bridge in Florence, Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge). This bridge goes over the Arno River, which washed the Ponte Vecchio away in 1333. The bridge we see today was reconstructed in 1345. The bridge has shops on each side overlooking the river. The shops used to house butcher and hide-tanners, but were replaced in the 16^th by upscale gold and silver sellers. When walking past these shops and peeking in the windows, I actually spotted a beautiful key pendant for a necklace, and after going inside and trying it on, I bought it. It will be my little memory of Florence. The other bridges that go over this river are rather modern because they were all bombed out during World War II. The German commander made Ponte Vecchio impassable, but kept the bridge in tact.

 

Ponte Vecchio

The final major stop for the day was the Piazza Michelangelo, a big plaza that overlooks the city. We had to hike another long stretch of stairs, but the view was worth it. The whole city including the Duomo, river, and mountains in the distance were visible from this point. The only way the view could have been better was if we had a blue sky or the sunset.

 

The view from the Piazza

That concluded our day in Florence, so we returned to our hostel, grabbed our bags, got some dinner, and headed for the train station. The train ride to Venice was two never ending hours because suddenly I began to feel sick, and suffered from some type of food poisoning. We finally arrived, and took a cab to our place to sleep for the next two nights, Plus Camping Jolly. We got out of the cab and were greeted by a noisy, masquerade party going on at the restauarant/bar on the campgrounds. Luckily, our three-person bungalow tent was away from the party, allowing us to get some decent sleep. The campgrounds were extremely nice with a grocery store, swimming pool, restaurant/bar, and numerous types of sleeping facilities such as actual ground tents, our bungalow tent, and mini cabins with air conditioning.

The next morning I unfortunately was still plagued with whatever came over me the night before, so I remained in the tent while Zara and Julie ventured into Venice. The campsite was actually in Mestre, across the water from Venice, but was easily accessible through a twenty-minute bus ride. After relaxing and taking a nap, I mustered up the courage to make my way to Venice, knowing I would be extremely upset if I was twenty minutes away but never experienced the city. I caught the bus and arrived in Venice around 3:30, and what a great decision that was. Even though I was only in the city for four hours, I feel like I got to see a lot. In the process of trying to meet up with Zara and Julie, I wandered the streets, crossing bridges and enjoying the sounds of the gondoliers serenade their passengers. The atmosphere of Venice is unique due to natural element of water contrasting the immense amount of concrete buildings around. Eliminating the extreme amount of tourists would make one feel as if they were in another world.

I visited Piazza San Marco, which was bustling with people and birds. I unfortunately arrived too late to visit the basilica, but I will save that for another day. Also if I ever return to Venice, I want to visit all the surrounding islands of Venice such as Burano and Murano They each had amazing churches and would have provided a great view of Venice.  During high tide, Piazza San Marco becomes covered with a foot of water or more so they have to put up boards for people to walk on. Apparently, it had been like that just a couple of days before we arrived (click here to see pictures).

The view of another island

 

St. Mark's Basilica

After being unsuccessful at meeting up with Zara and Julie due to phone troubles, I decided to wander back to the bus stop. Of course I got lost, due to countless small passageways, my map that was missing streets, and numerous bridges. It is a rather confusing city so I think every person that visits Venice gets lost at least once, it just so happened that I got lost during a rain storm. After walking in a circle for an hour and soaking wet, I finally made it to the bus stop and headed towards the campsite where I reunited with my friends.

Sadly my sickness prevented me from seeing everything Venice had to offer, but it is a truly remarkable city. Florence was enjoyable as well, but did not compare to Venice, Rome or Cinque Terre. All in all, it was an amazing trip to Italy, and already has me thinking about when I will return.

Tips:

1.     Unless you are extremely fascinated by art, I would not recommend Florence to you. I found it rather boring and only worth one day (granted I had just visited Rome). It is a good base point for other trips through Tuscany or to Cinque Terre.

2.     Dedicate at least two days to Venice. There is so much more than just the city of Venice to see. It is also the perfect city to wander through and get lost in, and it will happen. Venice is not a city you can rush through and check items off a list.

3.     I would recommend Plus Camping Jolly to students and anyone who wants a cheap alternative to the high priced hotels on the island of Venice. A three-person tent/bungalow was only nine euros a person compared to the thirty plus you would pay for a hotel. The complex was extremely nice and the bathrooms were better than most hostels I have stayed in.