There are some cities you arrive in with a list – a list of monuments to see… museums to visit… photographs to take and places you absolutely cannot leave without ticking off… and then there are cities like Florence. Cities that seem to ask you to put the list away for a little while, wander down whichever street looks prettiest, order another cappuccino and simply see where the afternoon takes you.
Florence was one of our stops on our Italian roadtrip, and somewhere between arriving in the city and watching the afternoon light begin to disappear behind the terracotta rooftops, I realized that Florence was going to be one of those places I would remember in moments rather than landmarks.
Although, admittedly, the landmarks are rather difficult to ignore.
We spent the afternoon doing what I think Florence is made for – walking. Past beautiful old buildings and little cafés spilling out onto pavements. Down narrow streets where bicycles leaned against weathered walls and every second corner seemed to reveal another impossibly beautiful piece of architecture. It was simply beautiful
Eventually, our wandering brought us to the Piazza del Duomo. And there it was.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.
No photograph quite prepares you for the scale of it. Its famous dome rises above the Florence skyline while the cathedral itself is covered in an extraordinary patchwork of green, pink and white marble. It is intricate and enormous.
So naturally, we decided the appropriate thing to do was sit down, have a cappuccino and take it all in.
We found a little café right there in the Piazza del Duomo, just outside the cathedral and ordered two cappuccinos.
There was no rush. Just two friends, somewhere in the middle of an Italian road trip, sipping coffee beneath one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. It was wonderfully ordinary and completely extraordinary at the same time. A perfect Life of Shal moment. That’s one of the things I love most about travelling – sometimes the memories that stay with you aren’t the carefully planned ones… it’s the pauses in between everything else.
A coffee you didn’t plan to have. A table you happened to find. A conversation you can’t quite remember word for word, but somehow still remember the feeling of. And Florence, passing quietly around you.
Pistachio Cannoli’s
Of course, a cappuccino in Italy requires something sweet… or at least that’s the rule we all know I live by. Somewhere along our wanderings we found some pistachio cannoli. Crisp shells filled with creamy ricotta and that unmistakable pistachio flavor that Italy somehow manages to make taste better than anywhere else in the world.
Now listen guys. There are foods you eat because you’re hungry… and then there are foods you think about long after you’ve returned home. These cannoli definitely belonged in the second category.
Florence Turns to Evening
After our cappuccino’s and cannoli’s, we decided to wander on. The evening slowly crept in and Florence seemed to change with it. The lights became warmer. The streets took on that golden fairy-light-like glow that makes old European cities feel so romantic. Restaurants began filling, wine glasses clinked on outdoor tables and the city seemed to settle into its evening rhythm.
Eventually, we made our way towards the Arno and one of Florence’s most famous sights: the Ponte Vecchio.
By day, the bridge is busy with visitors peering into the little jewelry shops that line it. But as evening settles over the river, there is something especially beautiful about this part of Florence.
We found a little restaurant around the Ponte Vecchio and sat down for dinner. Pasta and wine of course.
Speakeasies in Florence
Through conversations and our own research, we came across the whispers of Florence’s secret speakeasies. And really, how could we not go looking? So after dinner, our elegant Florentine evening took a slightly more mysterious turn.
We set off through the streets in search of one of the city’s hidden bars — the kind of place tucked behind an unassuming door, hidden from anyone who doesn’t know where to look.
There is something rather whimsical about two gypsy girls searching for a secret place in old Florence at night. Suddenly every doorway looked suspicious. Every quiet street felt like it might be hiding something.
And Florence becomes less of the Renaissance masterpiece we were exploring and more of the adventure waiting just behind the next secret door. It felt like the perfect ending to a day of exploring.
When I think back on Florence, there are plenty of things I could tell you to see. The Duomo. The Ponte Vecchio. The beautiful Renaissance architecture. The museums, galleries and piazzas that have made the city famous.
But perhaps my advice needs to be much simpler.
Walk. Walk until your feet hurt a little. Stop when you find a café that looks inviting. Order the cappuccino of course. Definitely order the pistachio cannoli.
Watch the light change over the buildings. Have dinner somewhere beautiful.
And when night falls, go looking for something secret because sometimes the best way to remember a city isn’t by how much you managed to see. It’s about how it felt to simply be there. For me, Florence will always taste a little warm cappuccinos and pistachio cannoli’s.
So did we find the Speakeasy? Well you’ll have to come back to find out.
LIFE OF SHAL 