The train trip to Florence from Rome was fast & smooth. Italian trains are really efficient. I was taking photos all the time of the wonderful views. Compared to the UK the farmlands are very dry. I was expecting more greenery & rarely saw any livestock. The numerous allotments are an unusual feature of the land. I assume the allotments are for the people from the local apartments. I was also surprised to see hills farmed up & down rather than following the contours. I was always told never to go up & down hills as this leads to erosion. The general look of the soil to me was bad – I am used to seeing a darkness to soil that indicates good composted soil.

Arriving in Florence, it was as hot as Rome. Taxi to Palazzo Gamba which is next to the Duomo. As in Rome I had planned on visiting sections of the city. We headed off for lunch towards the via Cavour but didn’t find anywhere that appealed & ended up back by the apartment at a restaurant there. No hot chocolate densa & never heard of it. After lunch went round the street markets by the mercato centrale. Got some essentials from the Spar & went back for siesta. The apartment had a kettle but small cups.
Our evening walk was past the Duomo & the queues. We meandered along & found ourselves at the Ponte Vecchio just before sunset. We got some good photos there. Heading back to the apartment we came across the handbag sellers – haggled down from 75 to 15 euros.

Friday we followed the same route as before, stopping at Pegna – the exclusive grocery shop. It was cheaper than the Spar for a lot of items & was well laid out. There are a lot of good quality plastic flowers around but we were unable to find anywhere that sold them. We crossed the Ponte Vecchio & started looking for somewhere to have lunch. The church of Santo Spirito was shut – it is closed from 12.30 to 4.30. We headed back past the street we should have been staying in on santo spirito – not a particularly nice area, and crossed the ponte santo Trinita bridge.
Afternoon siesta & then out to the mercato centrale area just as the stallholders were beginning to pack up. Around the via Guelfa are we decided to head back. There were some unsavoury characters around & the area was looking a bit run down. Back at the Duomo the handbag sellers were out again. The police were setting traps to catch them, but there are enough lookouts that they always seem to get away.

Saturday we went off to Sienna by train – 23 euros for 4 of us. I had checked the schedules on the internet & at the train station when we arrived. The trains are very comfortable & fast. Yet more allotments – what I wouldn’t be able to grow if mine was in Italy. The soil still looked washed out & rows were up & down hillsides – don’t know why they don’t follow the contours. Arrived at Sienna & checked the distance to the Campo on my satnav – 5 minutes by car – decided to get a bus. The buses stop at the train station but the ones to town are across the road, through the shopping centre & down the stairs – not signposted. The trip was about 10 minutes & up some steep hills – definitely not a walk. The bus stopped for 2 minutes but I couldn’t tell if we should get off – only when the bus moved off & the sat nav started to show we were moving away from the Campo that I quickly pressed the next stop bell. As satnav gives you the quickest car route it was hard to work out the best way to walk. Seeing a number of those fast moving guided tours heading back where we had come from we followed them & were soon back on track. Sienna is a lovely town full of narrow streets. By 12.30 a lot of shops were closing – on Saturday some shut for the rest of the day. Time for lunch before the restaurants shut at 3.30. After lunch we walked up to the Duomo which is similar stone to Florence’s. There was an admission charge & a queue so we walked back into the main town. I asked where all the lace/curtain shops where & an english speaking German couple translated my request to a shopkeeper. To my surprise the shops are only open on weekdays. By 4.00 we were getting peckish again so went in to an empty restaurant for desserts & hot chocolate – not as densa as Rome but good enough. I didn’t want to risk the bus back to the station so opted for a taxi – 10 euros. Train was in at the station so we didn’t have long to wait & then we were back to Florence. Walking back to the apartment I noted some shops to revisit on Monday as they were now closed.
After a brief stop in the apartment we set off in search of the handbag sellers – my daughter had seen one in Rome & was hoping to get it in Florence. We got to the piazza della Signoria & bought a gelato each – 5 euro each – so we sat down at the tables outside. The waiters blew a fuse that we dared sit at a table with our own ice creams – even though they were from their shop - & as I got up mine dripped onto the tablecloth causing even more outrage. We had to get away as quick as we could before we burst out laughing. We thought of doing it again the next night. Handbag sellers were late coming out but didn’t disappoint. My daughter got her 5th handbag & I got a watch – I asked for a small watch as the ones they have are like dinner plates. One was produced from inside the sock he was wearing & we haggled it to 20 euros. Its still working so I think it was a good buy.

Sunday – there was not much left we wanted to see in Florence & in fact 2 days would be enough for most people I would expect – we decided to go to Pisa. 20 euros & off we went. I had noted in the guide book that there was a church that claims to have a thorn from the original crown of thorns. It was on the way to the leaning tower so we headed there first. Whether it was being a Sunday but the town was deserted. I found the church santa Maria della spina. There was an entrance fee but we paid up to get in & see the relic. After 10 minutes of not being able to find it I asked where it was. It had been removed some years ago to a church just beyond the police station towards the hospital. Unable to find it I asked in the hospital but no one knew. Another couple we had seen in the church had found it & gave us directions – along via Roma, botanic gardens on your right, hospital on your left, there is an entrance way after the hospital gates that have turnstiles; go through the turnstiles into the courtyard & to the left is a doorway to a church – from the doorway look to eleven o’clock & the thorn is housed in an enclosed display next to a large crucifix behind glass. Entry is free.
Mission accomplished we set off for the leaning tower. It is quite a sight & now it has been cleaned up & looks very stunning. Had lunch & set off back to the station. A quick look at the timetable showed trains back were about every 15 – 20 minutes. Trust us to get there at 2.55 just as a train was leaving & there wasn’t another one for an hour – 3.55 then 4.10 & 4.30. When it did come, it was full – standing room only in some carriageways – whilst we found seats in the company of 30 scouts who had not washed since leaving home on Friday & were full of revelry. Taxi back to the apartment for a quick nap & then out for an evening walk ending up by the carousel in piazza della Republica where we got another hot chocolate densa & a dessert. The restaurant sprays a fine mist into the air to cool you down. A lovely end to the night. Got some more abandoned crates for my collection from outside the apartment.

Monday – headed off to find the closed shops from Saturday. Bought some unusual door handles & locks. Headed to church of santo Spirito & arrived at 11.45. Another free to enter lovely church. Wardens were out trying to stop photos being taken. Headed back across ponte Vecchio, into Coins & Pegna. No queues at the Duomo so went in. The exterior is by far the most impressive part of the church. The inside was good but there are better in Rome. Back to the apartment to pack most of our stuff & then I was off to the lavarapido to wash & dry the laundry whilst the others went to the lego shop as it had the latest star wars lego not yet available in the UK. An hour to wash & dry then back to the apartment & out for our last walk in Florence. 6th handbag haggled for – I think they knew us by then & back to bed.

Tuesday – sneaked out early for bread & water for the trip. Bread is sold out by noon most days so you need to buy in early to avoid disappointment. Final packing and get the stuff downstairs in the one small lift that everyone wants to use. Taxi had been ordered for us but was facing the wrong way & had to go on a circuit to the station. The train to Venice was fully booked & every seat was occupied. We had pre booked tickets & were ok but our luggage had to be put in the carriage corridor.

"...in fact 2 days would be enough for most people I would expect"

I guess if "most people" are not interested in art, architecture or Tuscan food, then two days might be enough. IMHO, two months wouldn't be enough time!

I am with Margaret in that I love Florence and would happily live there if I could...but then this is YOUR Trip Report about YOUR trip! You have provided your own little touches and that is what makes Fodor's so interesting. Many thanks for your perspective.

"We got to the piazza della Signoria & bought a gelato each – 5 euro each – so we sat down at the tables outside. The waiters blew a fuse that we dared sit at a table with our own ice creams – even though they were from their shop - & as I got up mine dripped onto the tablecloth causing even more outrage. We had to get away as quick as we could before we burst out laughing. We thought of doing it again the next night. "

All over Italy, outside tables are for those who pay to sit and have waiter service. You bypassed paying this higher rate by purchasing at the counter inside and then attempted to use a table anyway. Thus the blown fuse.

You and your daughter would seem to have made a clean getaway with your counterfeit purchases, but are you aware that, if caught, you could have faced fines of up to 1,000 euros each? And by buying counterfeit goods, you were not only hurting legitimate Italian manufacturers but also supporting organized crime?

http://www.florencenewspaper.it/vedi...a8.04.17.15.29

http://www.unicri.it/topics/zuccarelli.php

http://www.gacg.org/pub/upload/docs/rapport_uk.pdf