How to See FLORENCE IN A DAY

Hi, welcome to the Roman Guy how-to series. Today we're going to show you how to get the most out of your day trip to Florence. A lot of people refer to Florence as a city, but it has much more of a small village type feel. It's perfect for a day trip because it's centrally located between Milan, Venice, and Rome, and very easy to get to by fast train. It's an hour from Rome, two hours from Venice, and an hour and 40 minutes from Milan. Think of it this way. It's a three-hour car ride from Rome to Florence, or a one-hour train ride. I took the fast train today to get to Florence, and I can honestly say how extremely comfortable they are. I recommend an early train so you can make the most out of your day trip to Florence. Most of the main attractions are a short walk from one another. Our first stop is Accademia, which is about 13 minutes by foot from the main train station. Be sure to RSVP tickets to Accademia to see Michelangelo's David. You can call ahead to get the lowest price or book online with one of our partners. Visit our blog for more information on these options. You'll find a link below in this video's description. Regardless of how you book, I recommend getting inside by 9 30 a.m. Be sure to give yourself at least 30 minutes between your reservation and your train arrival time. It's heavily debated on what Michelangelo's masterpiece is, but David is an amazing work of art with a great story. At the turn of the 16th century, people would walk by Michelangelo's studio and describe him as working like mad, faster and more vigorously than other sculptors. After David's completion, Michelangelo was asked why he worked so fast. His response was, I saw an angel trapped in that marble, and I carved until I set him free. Let's try to step inside the head of a genius here. Michelangelo looked at the block of marble while he carved as if David was already inside, like a character of a storybook trapped inside a block of ice. The central market of Florence is about a seven minute walk from Accademia. In Italian, it's referred to as Il Mercato Centrale. It's a great place to grab a coffee, some fruit or snacks to keep you going all day. The first floor is home to locals selling produce, meat, cheese and fish. You can put together a cheap picnic style meal here and take it with you to go. The second floor has more of a modern feel with a very stylish food court type atmosphere. It hosts a variety of different restaurants. You'll see a lot of locals eating here during the lunch break at work. After the central market, you should head to Brunelleschi's Cathedral, which is Florence's central focal point. It's about a seven minute walk. You'll hear the massive cathedral being referred to as Il Duomo. It's recognized for its captivating color scheme, bronze doors and magnificent cupola or dome. The cathedral took over 100 years to build and was consecrated in 1436 during the height of the Florentine Renaissance. It's an epic symbol of Florence that towers over the surrounding homes. Right in Piazza del Duomo is a great artisanal gelato shop called Gelato Edoardo Bio. It's family owned, organic and has recipes that are over 100 years old. What more could you want from a gelateria? They named it after their son, Edoardo, who even has a flavor named after him, deriving from hazelnuts and rich chocolate. As for all points of interest in this video, you can find their website, address and hours of operation in our blog, which is linked below in the description. From Piazza del Duomo, it will take seven minutes by foot to get to the Basilica of Santa Croce. Not only a beautiful church, but the final resting place of Michelangelo and Galileo. One of the best parts about Santa Croce is on the outside. This lively piazza is a people watcher's dream. It's often host to buskers playing live music with plenty of locals running and playing in the piazza. Great for a sunny day. By now, I imagine you've built up an appetite. There are plenty of outdoor restaurants in Florence, It's only a few minutes by foot from Santa Croce and right in the thick of things. This is a local favorite and recommendation of one of our guides in Florence. They have great salads, sandwiches, as well as other local delicacies. From here, you should pass by one of Italy's most famous bridges, the Ponte Vecchio or Old Bridge, famous for its shops physically built into the bridge. Today, most of them sell gold, but they've been selling different artisanal goods here since it was constructed as far back as the 12th century. It's said the concept of bankruptcy originated here. Vendors sold their goods on a type of table or bench called banco. If they couldn't afford rent for their space, local authorities would come and destroy or break their table so they couldn't continue to sell. The Italian word for broken is rotto. So the authorities refer to these people as banco rotto or broken table. It's still the term used today in Italy for bankruptcy, although the spelling has slightly changed. Look at the similarity to our English word. Now you're right around the corner from Piazza della Signoria. This square is connected to one of the world's most impressive collections of renaissance art, the Uffizi Gallery. Piazza della Signoria is host to a beautiful array of outdoor statues, monuments, and fountains. It's a prime example of a European square buzzing with life, excitement, and tons of foot traffic from tourists and locals alike. The most notable building in this square is Palazzo Vecchio, which is the Town Hall of Florence. By now it should be getting late and you should consider going to All'Antico Vignaio for a Florentine sandwich. Could be great to bring on the train. They have a ton of options and you could always get a glass of wine to pair. This is one of my favorite Italian street food stops. The guys behind the bar are fun and helpful in ordering. Something to highly consider is the porchetta or pork sandwich. On the way to the train station you should stop by La Fontana dello Porcellino. It's a bronze statue of a boar and Florence's most famous piece of folklore. You put a coin in the boar's mouth and let it slide out. If it successfully falls to the grape below it ensures a safe return to Florence. This tradition was documented as early as 1766 and it's the perfect last stop if you want to return to Florence. From here you're only 10 to 15 minutes from the main train station, but by a rule of thumb when in a foreign city you should try to get there 20 minutes early. You never know if you're going to get lost or happen upon a last minute shop that you have to run into. As I've mentioned throughout visit our blog link below for more in-depth descriptions, websites, addresses, and hours of operations. You'll also find a helpful timetable when planning your day trip. For more information on tours and excursions visit our website theromanguy.com