tcreath

We enjoyed the historical aspect of Florence but felt that overall it was of an art-lovers city. Not to say that it doesn't have its fair share of history because of course it does. We just appreciate the sights of Rome (or other parts of Italy) much more.

I think you are right; you either love it or you hate it. Hate is a strong word, and I certainly don't hate Florence, but I do dislike it. Maybe one day I'll return and feel differently, but I have enough of an aversion to it that I don't know if or when that day will come.

Tracy

danon

visited a few years ago for 6 days. It was a lovely place to see ( loved the view from Fiesole, and a day trip to Siena)) but I have no great desire to go back .

SeaUrchin

tcreath, that is what I found so interesting in my case. I really did "hate" it the first time and we even left a day or so early to wander around Tuscany. Then on another trip when friends really wanted to go there for their first time I went along, sort of grumbling under my breath.

We stayed a bit out of the center by a school and it was refreshing and changed my whole outlook. A lot of hidden gems there to discover too.

tcreath

SeaUrchin, your comments make me thing that I really should go back sometime and give it another try. Sometimes places just don't jive with you based on varying circumstances. In our case, it started off on the wrong foot from the moment we arrived at the train station. We took an overnight train from Vienna, got next to no sleep, and were abrumptly woken up with about 10 minutes to gather our things and get off the train. There we were walking the streets of Florence in a sleep-deprived stuper at 6:00 am trying to find our hotel. We finally found it, dropped our luggage and actually hopped on a train to Pisa just to take a nap. And it seems like things just didn't get any better from there.

I admit that this is not a fair way to judge any place, including Florence. I'm sure we'll end up there in the future because we loved Tuscany and Umbria and definitely want to return. Next time we will have to make a special trip to Florence, if just for a night or two, and give it another go. Who knows...maybe we'll fall in love with it.

Tracy

SeaUrchin

That is funny and true. On my first trip there, we had driven a long way and were hot and tired, we couldn't find the hotel in order to drop off the luggage and when we did find it we couldn't get to it from the one way streets, so we kept circling and pointing at it from other streets, it is amusing now but not then. Then when we were unloading the car in a no parking zone it rained hard and humid. I was totally not in the mood for any of it at that point.

Before another trip I was telling a friend of mine that I may have to go with friends to Florence again, woe is me, and she gave me a nice little scolding and told me to read up on the Medici. I will never forget her reaction, so cute, she said "you don't appreciate the Medici?" "Cosimo?" "Lorenzo?" with a gasp.

OK, I read April Blood and House of the Medici and everything changed. You will have to let us know if you visit again.

dawnnoelm

Tracy,

I did not care for Paris - at all. We arrived after traveling for almost 48 hours due to delays out of the states, being re-routed etc. Our time there was cut short by a few days due to the flight delays.

I really did not care for it - I did not have a decent meal, I thought it was "okay".

We are going back for 10 days in December - I realize that my experience had to be colored by our sleep deprived state of being.

travel2live2

Another Italy lover here; however, I am neutral on Florence. Yes, it is gorgeous but I could have better spent my time (on that particular trip) in the countryside or elsewhere. One day would have been perfect. On the other hand, I LOVE Rome. We go there on every Italy trip.

Someone mentioned Paris. When it comes to Paris I have to say I dislike it. I would take Florence over Paris.

dawnnoelm

I mentioned Paris because I think we did not give it a fair shot due to the conditions of our arrival etc. I am hoping to fall in love with it like so many others when we go in December.

If I don't... there are always day trip

LucieV

dawn, my first visit to Paris I thought, "Not my cuppa." Second time, I said, "How soon can we return?" Have loved it ever since.

Which is why I never try to convince anybody that a place is "bad" just bc I may not have had a good experience there. Too many factors involved!

Proenza_Preschooler

Well, I do hope that you are going to stop by (and genuflect before going in) Farmacia Santa Maria Novella--the Holy Grail to the fashion cognoscenti. This is the place to buy pot-pourri for your summer cottage on Nantucket or sandalwood soap for your bath.

Farmacia Santa Maria Novella, 16n
via Scala.

Superifically Thin

tuscanlifeedit

I guess I should have qualified my Florence rave: we are art lovers. We go on trips to see art; not always, but very often. We both have art backgrounds and have worked in the general art field. Art Bags, I call us. So, yeah, we like Florence.

And I think that we are confusing the Ponte Vecchio with the streets leading on to the Ponte Vecchio. The actual bridge itself does not have dollar stores on gelaterias.

dawnnoelm

Lucie,

If we did not have tickets to use we would not be returning - but I am thrilled that we "have" to go. Dh was bemoaning the dollar vs. the Euro but I helped him out with sharing it was not that much more then when we were there last summer. Don't think he feels that much better.

Anyway - glad to hear someone else loved it the second time they went. I am sure I will as well.

I completely agree on the fact that too many factors can play into if I like something or not.

Just the art and the history in Paris alone is enough to have my heart... same with Florence.

rosetravels

I was in Florence for 5 nights in February and neither my daughter nor I loved it. We had an apartment right by a great market and we liked that. On our block there was one of those wine coops where we'd buy great cheap wine and there was good gelato a few doors down. (Dawn I think we were in the same apartment you rented in Florence.) I'm an art fiend so I loved the Uffizi. My daughter had fun buying a handbag.

But we just didn't like the streets. The sidewalks were narrow and dirty - SO narrow! The cars flew by and we had to walk one in front of the other. The streetscape just isn't like Paris or Rome or Bologna or...so many other cities where just a simple walk is a marvel. We love to walk in Europe but not so much in Florence. And there were huge flocks of tourists - in mid-February.

So we did day trips to Sienna and Modena and went to the museums.

dawnnoelm

Rose really? I wish I could remember the name. I do know right on the street is an Italian resturant that is also in San Diego...

tcreath

rosetravels, I think you hit the nail on the head as to why I disliked Florence. We too love to just walk and walk and walk...taking it all in and marveling at this and that. I just felt like Florence was not very fun to walk in. I can't even tell you how many times I was "this close" to being hit by a vespa! It just got annoying after awhile. And we too were there in February. It was so crowded. I loved Rome, which many feel is overcrowded. For us Rome felt like a breath of fresh air...so much easier to stroll and without that fear of being ran over by pedestrians, vespas or cars. I'm sure Rome is crowded in the peak season but in February (and March an December, the other two times we've returned) it was just lovely.

Still, I do think I will give it another chance. I think that Florence got on my nerves from the minute I got off of our train and, like you SeaUrchin, I just wasn't in the mood for it. I guess in my mind I decided I didn't like it and perhaps didn't give it a fair chance because of this.

Dawn, hopefully you will have a great trip to Paris and will fall in love with it. We loved Paris. I have to admit that I was a little surprised by that, as the only reason we went is because we found an awesome deal (back in the day when you could still find r/t flights to Europe for $300...no longer the case!) and decided what the heck. It took us a long time to get there as well, although only 26 hours and not 48, because we had flight issues leaving the US as well. I think I had such low expectations though (which sounds terrible to say, but is the truth) that it made it easier for me to like it.

Tracy

Apres_Londee

I definately had to learn how to get the hang of walking in Florence. After 7 days I felt perfectly comfortable, and was confident with things like knowing when to jaywalk and when to wait for the light, or the right time to move back onto the sidewalk to let a car or vespa pass (there are times to jump out of the way, and there are times to hold your ground) I actually get a kick out vespas, and I thought it looked like fun zooming around Florence like that. I was most impressed with the women, driving in heels and skirts.

Florence has a "keep alert and low to the ground" sort of feeling for me, walking is like active exploration, and you have to be ready to react to the unexpected. Paris, on the other hand, is like a red carpet rolled out before your feet, and you can stroll quite easily and happily keep your head in the clouds while doing so. I love them both, though they are very different cities.

rickmav

Our first trip to Italy we planned to spend one day and night in Florence. It was a compromise - my husband didn't want to go because of what he'd heard and read, and I couldn't bear to be in Italy and not at least see it.

After staying one night, we changed our plans for the end of the trip and cancelled Rome, deciding to leave it for our next trip, and returned to Florence instead.

But I'm finding it very hard to put into words why we did that.

We went in late October. There were crowds. We just walked and walked, sat, watched, ate, walked, back to our room and sat at the window watching the market beneath us. Part of may have been our accommodation, it was quiet but in the middle of things - Relais Cavalcanti, Via Pellicceria. The owner, Francesca, was amazingly warm and helpful.

We had great food, were never bothered by gypsies, liked the fact that people from all nations were enjoying this amazing place. We woke up very early and walked, and stayed out very late. We slept in the afternoon, lit candles in churches, windowshopped for about 10 seconds on the Ponte Vecchio, took part in a peace protest, and just were very zen-like. Why, I have no idea.

Getting in and out of Florence was a pain, there were line-ups to get into most museums, there were a lot of people. But still it was a strange and wonderful experience for us.

Lostmymind

I went to Florence during December of 2006. Not the best time to go but it was cheap and David was there so I went.

I stayed near the train station which was very shady to say the least.

I loved the shopping, Gucci, Prada Cavilli oh my!

I enjoyed the art and the palace. Even in winter the landscape was beautiful. I would go again.

JBX

Michelangelo's David Updated >>>

http://www.theonion.com/content/from..._david_updated


{Okay, okay, it's THE ONION - they're just kidding}

wondering

Well, you have deduced by now that you don't go to Florence for peace and quiet. But there is plenty to see (Uffizi,David, etc), good food, and good shopping, in my opinion. Ira is dead on about planning your outings around the arrival and departure of the tour buses. It really makes a difference and, by all means, take the public bus up the hill to Firesole for some nice views and peace and quiet. I don't think it is more than one half hour away. I think you will like it just fine!