Curious - what did you love about Florence?
 

So we just returned from our 3 week trip and had 3 nights in Florence.

Before we left, many people seemed to gush about Florence and how wonderful it was.

I think it may have been our least favourite city. I mean, it was nice, but we were expecting something more.

I think if we had more time in the countryside, we may have enjoyed the area more, but the actual city of Florence didn't seem to have a lot to do. We were very disappointed with the Duomo. Traffic was the worst of any city (even worse than Rome). The Arno River was very green and dirty looking. We loved the Uffizi and the Accademia. And the food was incredible.

Just wondering what you love about Florence - and wondering if we missed something?

By the way - we stayed in London, Paris, Venice, Florence, Sorrento and Rome (in that order)

the section i like the most is Oltrano, on the other side of the Arno River from the main town focal point - a warren of old lanes, pizza shops, caffes, old churches, etc. and much fewer crowds than in the main area. I believe it's called Otrano but not sure about exact spelling.

It's a relatively small city and getting more and more like Rome.

If you're a museum person it's tough to beat.

Otherwise, as far as I'm concerned it's worth part of 2 days to wander around plus The David and the Uffizi (scheduled in somehow).

harrowgirl - I have to confess that Florence is not my favorite city either. We adore Rome and Tuscany. We spent 3 days in Florence and very much enjoyed the museums and were pleased with our hotel (Relais Uffizi). That said, I've never been able to put my finger on what it was I didn't like about it. It's as silly as thinking I didn't "bond" with Florence! Is that possible?

My hubby and I had the same reaction about Florence. We're not huge museum people so that could've had something to do with it. I would like to go back to the Tuscany region though and spend more time in the countryside. We spent a wonderful day in Siena.

I have to agree with you. While we loved Rome and other parts of Italy, we weren't really too impressed with Florence. Sure, its a beautiful city, but there wasn't as much to do (we're not really "art" people, so we didn't do the Uffizi) and the traffic was horrendous. We liked it, but we too were expecting more as people always seem to gush about it. Too each their own, I guess. I'd take Rome any day!

Tracy

I love Florence.I guess we are just looking for different things, for example:
>>We were very disappointed with the Duomo.<<
I adore the Duomo. The brick-work of the actual dome, The winding climb up it, the Vasari (highly underrated in my opinion) frescoes, the sheer scale of the building, the baptistery in front, the Ghiberti doors, Brunelleschi's doors in the museum - whats not to like?

>>We loved the Uffizi<<
Actually, I wasn't that impressed except for the Botticellis. I really liked Palazzo Vecchio though.

We can both agree on the wonderful Accademia and the dirty Arno.

I loved the Duomo square at night, piazza signoria any time of the day, piazzale Michelangelo for the sunset, the boboli gardens to cool off in the afternoon heat. I loved Mercato Vecchio for its buzz and the narrow back streets for their no-nonsense feel. I loved the student vibe and the street artists everywhere.

Is the traffic chaotic, yes. But, I accidentally went down the wrong way into a one-way street and there was no uproar, 'cause people know how to deal with chaos. I stalled a couple of times on the roads since I was driving a stick shift after a very long time, but no one honked or ran into me, both of which ould have happened in my hometown - Chicago.

Florence, if anything, over-whelmed me with the sheer amount of beauty and history.

It's one of those horses-for-courses things. I prefer Rome. And this is coming from someone who loves Renaissance art! I could live in the Uffizi. And the Brancacci chapel. But I'd probably be arrested.

Still, Rome is my fave. Florence is lovely. Rome is enthralling.

Hello harrowgirl, I am another one that does not have Florence as an Italian city on the top of my list. I do enjoy going there to see friends and I stay in a lovely residential area which is no nice after all people in the historical center.

I love Rome!! Wished I lived there.
In fact I love Milan. And always enjoy Venice although it is nice to get away from the Piazza San Marco as it too has so many people unless you are there early in the morning of later in the evening.

I always thought I was the only one in the world that was not overenthused about Florence until I started coming onto Fodor's and discovered that others sometimes feel the same way also. Having said that I do think everyone should try to visit Florence when they go to Italy, at least once anyway. There are so many beautiful sights to see.

Everything it loved!!! But I am a self confessed renaissance history/art lover. On the ohter hand, I did not bind with Rome.

It is very curious how these things work, you expect to love something and then you dont. The opposite is also true but a lot more exciting. I expected to love Siena and it did not do anything for me but I had no expectations of Assisi and I loved it.

The wonder of travel...you can read as much as you want and never will find out if there is true chemestry until you are there :D

Just to walk the streets where the renaissance occurred leads me to grin with pleasure. I love to pretend that I'm living there during that exciting time. In fact, just thinking about Florence makes me smile.

I on the other hand didn't bond with Rome. Tried it twice. I love the sights but it just doesnt' resonate with me like Florence and Venice. Rome is not one of the cities I 'Miss" and yearn to go back.

I've had the misfortune to visit Florence several times. What I like best are the roads and railway lines out of the city.

But we all enter on our travels with a differing set of likes, dislikes, and expectations. Someone else might love Florence, and that's great for them.

I agree. I have been to Florence twice and don't adore it.

Hi H,

>We loved the Uffizi and the Accademia. And the food was incredible.<

What else do you need? :)

The architecture is rather nice.
A moonlight stroll along the Arno is nice.
Great views from the Boboli Gardens and the Piazzale Michelangelo.
The Piazza Signoria has some interesting points.
The Mercato Centrale is worth a look.
A walk down the Via del Calzaiuoli is not without interest.
St. Croce and Santa Maria Novella are not unattactive.
The Bargello has some interesting works, as does the Palazzo Pitti.
An evening visit to Fiesole has a certain beauty.

((I))

We just returned from 17 days in Italy, mostly Sicily, and spent the last 5 days in Florence. I adore Florence; after Paris,it is the European city I love best. My favorite place is the Piazza della Signoria with its marvelous Palazzo Vecchio. I love the Pitti and the Boboli Gardens with a wonder view of the Tuscan countryside. The Brancacci Chapel has the clearest and best preserved frescos I've seen, the Botticellis and the Carravagios in the Uffizi are worth a visit, the Duomo is a work of genius. Have you visited the Bargello, the Museo del Opera del Duomo, with its wonderful statue of Mary Magdelene by Donatello and its Michelangeo pieta? The Medici Chapel is great. Santa Croce is a wonderful place to visit. Florence has the best food and the best gelato in Italy. The view from the Piazzele Michelangelo is spectacular. I have to agree that the Arno is not the loveliest river but have you stood on one of the bridges at night and seen the reflections from the lights of Florence - lovely. And, if for no other reason, Michelangelo's David makes Florence a sublime destination.
Different people like different things and different places. I have seen some of the most fabulous works of man in Rome but don't especially like the city. Florence, on the other hand, touches my soul and I could return again and again.

I'm another Florence lover. I've studied Italian Renaissance history extensively. I always love the idea that I was walking in teh same place as all those amazing artists and historical figures. I loved walking down the street and being able to say "Oh that's where so-and-so lived. They did..." It really came alive for me. I think my travel companion got a bit sick of the sex, lies, and politics after a few days, but I was in heaven.

Rome on the other hand was interesting, but I just didn't click with it. I guess I"ll just have to study it some more, then give it another try.

It is really interesting to note the different responses to Rome and Florence. I too am in the camp who was disappointed in the city. The art is indisputably amazing, and I am thrilled to have seen it, but was it Patrick who posted some time ago that he had the impression it was a city that merely facillitated the works of art?

I absoloutely adored Rome - have only been there once this year, but I cant wait to go back. I loved the "buzz"!!
I think it must be something to do with expectations. I didnt expect to enjoy Rome but I have always longed to visit Florence. I spent 10 days there and just didnt connect!

Florence is nice, but not overly impressive. Rome is much more to my liking.

Florence is my favorite city and I rent an apartment with five terraces two blocks from the Duomo every chance I get . .

Look, everyone has different tastes. We all don't have to like the same thing!

To me, the food, shopping, shops, museums and just walking down each historical street is a memorable experience and a lesson in histroy!!

Rome is my favorite Italian city, which is not to say I dislike Florence.

A few highlights for me:

Cellini's Perseus

The Botticellis (and much more) at the Uffizi

The waitress slowing down her Italian, confident that, if she did, we would understand. The complimentary wedge of mortadella, the gnocchi with gorgonzola and the carpaccio with the curls of parmigiana . . .

Wandering through the Roman ruins in Fiesole.

Pappardelle glistening with a ragu of wild boar . . .

Brunello

Santa Croce and Donatello's Annunciation

Fishermen on the Arno . . .

Spent three days in Florence last Spring and loved it. We enjoyed the Duomo ... even the trip up the stairs to the top! We had a wonderful three plus hour meal at a little pizza place at Pizalle Michangelo ... watched the sunset and consumed two bottles of great chianti! We loved strolling the streets, the shopping, and my favorite was the first day there when I left the hotel on a quest for a cup of coffee. Found a coffee shop easily but made a wrong turn out of the shop and promptly got lost ... spent over an hour walking around (obviously I wasn't worried about finding my hotel) and thoroughly enjoyed the trip!

How odd that so many people go to Florence and come away disliking it! Why didn’t they assess beforehand if Florence would even remotely be to their liking? It’s not a dark horse, after all.

Some people will want to know every last little detail about a hotel before they book if for a lousy two nights, but they can’t even figure out if Florence should be a destination for them. If you don’t know your Botticelli from your Donatelli or your Leonardo from your Michelangelo, if the word Renaissance means to you a guy who says in his personal ad that he likes to cook and hold hands on the beach - why go to Florence?

Not everybody is a museum-goer at home, or an art lover, or a history buff, or even mildly interested in trying out “someting different”. Nothing wrong with that, but why do these people go to Florence?

Because it’s on everybody else’s itinerary? The sheep / herding / lemmings-over-the-cliff syndrome? I’d really like to know, it just baffles me. What do you think?

WK

We heard the same gushing before we left for Italy.
We did our trip in this order: Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, Venice.

Rome blew me away, it was spectacular! I can't wait to get back there! But anyway, we stepped off the train in Florence and I remember feeling disappointed. I kept comparing it to Rome that first day, which I should not have done.
By day 2, I realized what everyone was saying. Florence was great! I loved Piazza Michelangelo, I loved the Uffizi, I loved how convenient it was to day-trip to Siena and San Gimignano, and the food - the food (except for the bread) was divine!

But I agree - I liked Rome much better!

WallyKringen,

I understand that you may enjoy Florence and have a hard time understanding why others may not, but to insinuate that we may not care for it because we don't appreciate art or history, or because we have to know everything about every place we visit, isn't really fair. Have you never visited a place and been at least a little dissapointed?

I can only speak for myself. As mentioned above, I too was dissapointed with Florence. I will admit that I am not a huge art lover, although I do appreciate it. I do love history and culture and I do love visiting new places and trying new things. If I didn't, I wouldn't take so many trips to Europe. I thought Florence would be a wonderful place to visit based on what I've researched. Did I choose to go there because its on "everyone else's itinerary"? Absolutely not. If that was the case, I would have added Venice to the itinerary, but I didn't. There was nothing particularly wrong with Florence; it just simply did not jive with me. I loved Rome, but many people have expressed their disdane for it, I would never place judgement on them for that. To each their own.

Tracy

I loved Florence, others were not impressed - what's Italian for Chacun a son gout?
What puzzles me however is all the complaints about chaotic traffic, "worse than Rome" etc. A large part of the centre of Florence was traffic free when we were there a few years ago - has this changed?
We had a week in Rome immediately followed by a week in Florence, and we were really glad we did it that way round. Florence felt much more like a city on a human scale, lots to do and lots to see but within walking distance. I was able to relax in Florence, but however much I enjoyed Rome it certainly wasn't relaxing.

Hi Craig,

>what's Italian for Chacun a son gout?

I entered this at a machine translation sight and got the English, which I had translated to Italian (Ciascuno ha la sua gotta), back to English and then to French, where it came out as "Chaque il a son gotta".

The machine translates "gôut" as ?gout", not "taste".

((I))

I love Florence at night or early evening when I can stroll along and dream of the birth of the Renaissance right where I am walking. I love the stones that make up the old buildings, they are so masculine and foreboding. I picture who lived in those palaces and how their daily lives were.
I love to go to the concerts in the old churches. I have heard beautiful sopranos and wonderful ancient music played under candlelight in the darkened naves.
I love to sit and watch the river flow under the Ponte Vecchio.

Florence and Venice really get my imagination racing.

To impress with my "cultured mind" I'd say I loved the Duomo because my son and husband are builders and the design is incredible and I found David absolutely incredible but what really stands outabout Florence?
Ashamedly-the shopping. I'd lost my handbag in travel and what a place to find a stand in.
Plus our son's friend was there and her upbeat tour guiding made everything simple and loads of fun seeing Florence through the eyes of a college student (read: great bars).
So as everyone else has more eloquently put it: what you get out of a city depends on so many individual factors that experiences just aren't universal or consistent.

I didn't like Florence either, though Michelangelo's David is impressive. On the other hand we all loved Rome, the whole family! For me, Florence was too crowded, smoggy, and trafficky. Even at 11:00 pm the ponte vechio was still crowded on our days in June 2004. Also, to us, Rome seemed friendlier than Florence.

Yep, it's all about chemistry.

I have only spent two days in Florence. On Day 1 I found Florence dirty, noisy, and chaotic. Blech. Well, I figured, at least I can check it off my list of places to go before I die. About halfway through Day 2, DH and I walked to the top of Boboli Gardens and looked down on the city nestled amongst the glorious Tuscan hills and I instantly, surprisingly, fell in love. For the rest of the day, even though we walked the same noisy, dirty streets that I had previously found so undesirable, Florence was <i>my</i> city, and I've been longing to return ever since.

Wally--sometimes people go places because of outside factors. Sometimes they go to stretch their boundaries a bit--it doesn't always work for them, but they give it a try.

I'm not a fan of Renaissance art, so one of Florence's main selling points is lost on me. But if other people like Renaissance art, that's great--for them.

I love Venetian architecture and Venetian art and the atmosphere. Other people don't. That's OK. It might not have anything to do with them not being &quot;a museum-goer at home, or an art lover, or a history buff, or even mildly interested in trying out “someting different.” But to say people should not go places that they feel they might not like based on what they've read or heard--well, I'll just disagree with that totally.

Give things you think you might not like a try now and then. True, it might end up actually not being your cup of tea, but, then again, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Based on prior experiences and on what I'd heard and read, I was certain I wouldn't like Venice when I returned there in the mid-70s. But I loved it. I thought I would enjoy Florence, aside from the art, but I didn't.

That doesn't mean I'm a museum-loathing low-life who has no sense of history, art, or culture; it just means that Florence does not resonate with me.

We spent the first 4 days of our honeymoon in Florence. While I liked it, I wasn't in love- but I think that had a lot to do with being exhausted from the wedding and really needing a slow pace!

What I loved most about Florence was the views over the city. It is truly a beautiful cityscape. Though the Piazzale Michelangelo was too crowded for us, we were fortunate enough to be there when the community rose garden just down the hill is open (May 1 - June 15). From there you can follow signs to a &quot;secret garden,&quot; which consists of a small bench- and the most breathtaking view of the city you can imagine. It's truly like having your own private lookout point. This, above all things, made our Florence visit magical.

I have just finished reading all the comments on this thread.

I found Wally's comments a little narrow so thought I would give my personal experience of Florence.

First, I was there for some of the time as part of an Art Gallery Members tour. I expected spectacular Renaissance art and saw it.

I also expected to enjoy the city itself more than any other Italian city. I had no idea about the awful air quality problems, the shocking crowds, the large water rats etc. I attended Tosca and was disappointed to find a 'modern' theatre in an ancient city.

I guess I had romanticised Florence in my mind and Rome was going to be something I had to see. Didnt expect any 'emotional' connection.

It was, in fact, reversed. I loved Rome and it's 'craziness' and cant wait to go back. I will also return to Florence to see whether it grows on me.

Have yet to experience Venice. Once again I expect I will love the Venetian Art and the Architecture but who knows!! One can only try a place and see whether there is a 'connection'.

I can't wait to be in Florence for my three nights. I want to see its museums and feel its tempo. I want to eat its food, view its duomo, and see its neighborhoods. How can I be disappointed? It is new to me, its not where I work, and it is going to be somehow different than the other places I am going in my three weeks. Phil

I love the art and food in Florence, but when we were there last May, the crowds were really starting to &quot;get&quot; to me. I was so glad we were staying at a peaceful place out of town (Villa Belvedere)because I needed a break from &quot;all those tourists&quot; (and yes, I realize I was one of them!)

I lived in Florence for my junior year of college. I had been a few times with my family before that but only for day trips from Lucca. Florence is part of my soul now. I understand everyone has their preferences but there's just a magic there for me. Just envisioning walking down a random street right now makes me tear up and I wish I could be there! The last four trips to Italy have been to Florence as a home base and I would not want it any other way.

I love other cities in Italy - Lucca, Venice, Assisi, Rome. But none of them do for me what Florence does. But I totally understand when someone has the same reaction to another city. You can't explain it and you can't pinpoint exactly why, it just IS. :)

Dana

Florence was not my fav...but my husband really loved it. I didn't like the &quot;touristy feel&quot; (but I was a tourist, so I shouldn't complain!). I must admit that I got chills (emotional) ones in St. Croce...So many 'greats' all entombed in one area.

My theory is, visiting Florence is like visiting Albany, if all the great writers and thinkers of the U.S were were from Albany -- Mark Twaine, Thomas Jefferson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ben Franklin, William Faulkner, Sylvia Plath, Thomsas Edison. Some people are overwhelmed by the sense of history and time and intellectual energy -- some people are overwhelmed by the traffic and noise. (To each his own goat;-)

So many variables - if you have already seen Rome and some other cities and you are beginning to get tourist'ed out, or if Italy and the Italian Renaissance aren't your major passions, or if you're jet-lagged, or if you stay in a less charming area, or...or... or...

When I visited Florence in 1968, I fell in love with it -- it struck me as one of Europe's most graceful and picturesque places. Also, I was a recent art-history graduate who had spent a lot of time with the artists and the buildings already, so it was like coming home to an enchanted memory.

I could hardly wait to show it to DH and DS in 2005 - but, oh no! Is this really the Florence I remember? Small and grimy in places, cramped, with cars and scooters choking the streets, and -- worst -- graffiti everywhere. The contrast between classical art forms and territorial markings was sharp and sadly eloquent about the changes in culture in just a couple of decades. I still loved the Boboli garden and view; enjoyed Oltrano, and even the little otter poking around in the river. But I was kind of relieved to leave, and sad that my travel companions will never see what I had once seen.