Day 5 - Day trip to Florence
Many people love Florence. They say that I should have spent a night or 2 there. Yes I liked it, but I still think a day trip is good enough. Most of the sights can be covered quite easily by walking. We caught the 8:35am - 10:07am train from Roma Termini to Firenze S.M. Novella station. What's the first thing we did when we got to Florence? We went straight to the Factory Outlets!!
My aim was to get a Bottega Veneta wallet, and The Mall factory outlet near Florence is the only place in Italy that has this brand's outlet. From the S.M. Novella station, you have to locate The Mall's bus stand that will take you directly there for €5 per person. Finding this bus stand was no easy task at all. We ended up walking around the entire block before we found the entrance to the bus station. Here's a map for you:
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| Where to catch the Shuttle Bus to The Mall for €5 per person |
I was rather upset that I did not like the wallets at Bottega Veneta, they didn't have what I was aiming for. I ended up bring home a Prada. You can do your GST refund immediately at The Mall itself. We spent a good 3 hours shopping here, including lunch which was tasty and reasonably priced. We eventually left at 3:30pm, and arrived Florence at 4:30pm.
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| Lunch at The Mall, very good pasta |
With only 4.5 hours remaining to walk around Florence itself, this was my walking route
A. Firenze S. M. Novella Station
B. Basilica of Santa Maria Novella (a.k.a. Duomo)
C. Holy Trinity Church
D. Vecchio Florence Bridge (Old Bridge)
E. Palazzo Vecchio - go inside the courtyard for best pics
F. Church of Santa Croce
G. Oblate Public Library of Florence
H. Piazza del Duomo
However, when we got there, we kinda went in reverse direction, as we thought we didn't have enough time to cover everything
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| San Lorenzo Market - lots of leather goods here |
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| Biking makes more sense here. Streets are pretty narrow |
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| At the Duomo. The exterior was magnificent. Did not go in |
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| Even buses are half-sized here. So cute |
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| A replica of The David outside the Palazzo Vecchio. The real one is inside the Ufizi's Accademia Gallery. No time to see it |
Now comes the fun part - dinner. 5 things you must eat in Florence: Bistecca Alla Fiorentina, Crostini (toasts with liver pate), Ribolita (beans soup), Pappa al Pomodoro (tomato soup) and Trippa Alla Fiorentina (tripe). Of all the restaurants for Bistecca Alla Fiorentina, we picked:
Trattoria le Mossace
Via del Proconsolo, 55/r. Tel: 055294361
12pm-2:30pm, 7pm - 9:30pm
Conclusion: Nice, but nothing beats the Matsuzaka Beef I had nearby Tokyo.
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| A queue was forming before 7pm |
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| The famous Bistecca Alla Fiorentina |
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| Ribolita (beans "soup" but was more like a paste. Quite good!) |
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| Minestrone Soup |
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| Shops on the bridge itself |
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| Here's another shot from the other bridge |
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| A heated discussion about Salvatore Ferragamo - to go in or not to go in? |
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| This is the Salvatore Ferragamo HQ and Flagship Store |
Costing for today:
Train to Florence = €38 x 3 person for return (Prebooked 6 months in advance)
Bus to The Mall = €10 x 3 person for return
Lunch = €45.75 for 3 mains and a glass of wine
Dinner = €46.50 for 1 Bistecca Alla Fiorentina & 2 soups
Shopping = As much as the credit card allows Kakakaka
Day 6 - Getting to Ciampino Airport
Our flight to Barcelona departs at 8:10am from Rome's Ciampino airport. We would like to reach there 2 hours before, therefore 6:10am. The journey takes 30 minutes. Therefore, we hope to catch a bus from Termini at 5:40am at the latest. However, the only available option for us was the 4:50am bus by Terravision. We checked out of the hotel at 4:15am and dragged our bags all the way to Terravision, so cold, so quiet. Luckily we had a guy with us haha.
Continue reading on Europe2014:
How I Ended Up In Norway In Jan 2014
6 Days Itinerary In Italy - Day 1 & 2
6 Days Itinerary In Italy - Day 3 Visiting The Pope!
6 Days Itinerary In Italy - Day 4 Napoli & Pompeii
6 Days Itinerary In Italy - Day 5 & 6 Florence
4 Days in Barcelona - Intended Itinerary
4 Days In Barcelona - Day 1
4 Days in Barcelona - Day 2
4 Days In Barcelona - Day 3 & 4
4 Days In Berlin - Intended Itinerary
4 Days In Berlin - Day 1
4 Days In Berlin - Day 2, 3 & 4
Northern Lights in Tromso, Norway - Day 1
Northern Lights in Tromso, Norway - Day 2
Northern Lights in Tromso Norway - Day 3 & 4
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