A Week in Italy: Florence, Assisi, & Rome
Buongiorno! Italy is a truly beautiful place filled with generous people, amazing cuisine, and unrivaled landscapes. I also felt amazingly accomplished using my newly acquired Italian. The people were always willing to help me or kindly correct my Italian. It helped that Italian is very close to Spanish, so I didn’t have any troubles communicating if I forgot a word in Italian. I was traveling around Italy from June 26 until July 4. My trip started in Florence and was completed in Rome. It was great to see more of Europe while spending time with my family. Although my time in Italy was brief, the memories and journey through the different parts of Italy will forever be in my heart. We ate, trekked, and cruised our way through many of Italy’s historical landmarks. Even if, by the end of the day, I was exhausted and felt dead on my feet, I am so thankful that I got to have this incredible vacation bursting with activities that I had only dreamed of doing.
On June 26, I checked out of the B&B and took a taxi over to the train station. Since I was in Austria, I was taking a train to Italy. At 9 am I boarded the train that was heading towards Italy. There were several stops along the way, and I had to switch trains. The first leg of the trip was about an hour and 20 minutes. From there, the landscape gradually changed and it was obvious that we were in a different country because the style of the houses and buildings changed. Many houses were nestled near the bottom of the mountains, and there were many vineyards and orchards dotting the countryside. I had two more train rides that were 5 hours and 35 minutes each. The land gradually flattened out and we entered the urban area. I could tell that it was sweltering outside and there was a slight haze that comes with living in a huge city. I finally made it to Firenze (Florence) at 6:30 pm, and debarked at the platform. There were many people rushing around and trying to leave the station. After leaving the station, I walked down the cobbled road to Hotel Maxim. Unlike Austria, my hotel thankfully had air conditioning in the rooms. Going from only hearing German, and getting used to asking and answering in German, it was quite a struggle for me to switch to Italian. Many times I found myself saying something in German, and then having to switch to Italian. I really enjoyed that I was able to put my language skills to the test in both countries. What’s the point of learning languages if I don’t use them? Anyways, that night I strolled around Florence and got to see some of the sights. Compared to Austria, it was quite a crush with all the tourists swarming in the streets.
Florence – Firenze
The first day in Florence, June 27, consisted of wandering around lost for a good while when we were trying to find the building where we picked up our Firenze cards. The weather was already blazing hot and humid. Many people were crowded into all the shady places that were available.
I visited the Galleria della Accademia where Michelangelo’s David and many of his other unfinished works are presented in several different rooms. It was spectacular to see all of his art up close and in reality. I cannot believe that he was able to turn a slab of marble into a work of art that would, centuries later, still continue to wow people from around the world.
For those who know me, it isn’t surprising how I enjoyed the food in Italy. I love seafood, and I took every opportunity to order it. It was definitely a dream come true to have it at each meal.
After lunch we strolled around the San Lorenzo Market and visited the San Lorenzo Basilica. Basically, everyone in the market was selling the same thing. All the vendors would hound us trying to get us to buy their products. Each stall consisted of leather products and small trinkets.
After a nap in the hotel, we headed out again and walked into the Baptistry that is directly across from the Duomo. The ceiling of the Duomo was so detailed and stunning. It was surprising to see that the Italians had built a huge building solely dedicated to baptizing people.
My family and I had reservations to climb the Bell Tower of the Duomo. As someone who doesn’t love heights and isn’t in tip-top shape, it was definitely a challenge; especially with the humid heat. The climb was worth it when I got a good look at the view. From the tower I was able to see all of Florence and the many historical buildings that are scattered around the city. The stucco-colored roofs of the buildings with the mountains in the background made for a great view. Of course, we ended the day with a visit to one of the many gelato shops.
The next day we spent a huge chunk of our time exploring the Uffizi Gallery. I was surprised how huge it was and all the famous art that it held within its walls. There was artwork from Da Vinci, Donatello, Michelangelo, Botticelli, and many others. It was amazing to have the opportunity to walk right up to the art and be able to see all the strokes and details that the artist had made while creating each artwork. Some of my favorites was The Birth of Venus and the Primavera paintings.
Afterwords, I headed over to the Ponte Vecchio and window shopped. The streets were extremely crowed since so many tourists were shopping at the expensive stores that lined the bridge.
After another afternoon nap, I went to the Duomo museum and viewed many relics and artifacts that have been saved over time. I was surprised how simple and bare it was inside the cathedral since many other churches had been so ornately decorated.
My time in Florence ended on June 29 at 12 pm when I took a train to Assisi, Italy. The bustling streets of Florence filled with tourists, delicious aromas, and historical sites at every turn are all etched deeply in my memory. Until next time Firenze!
Assisi
I arrived in Assisi at approximately 3 pm. Compared to Florence, which was cramped and crowded with tourists, Assisi was calm and refreshing. The weather was also cooler which was a relief. There were barely any tourists and the town was not too big. While in Assisi, I stayed at Le Grazie, which was only a short walk from the train station.
After unpacking a bit and a brief rest, I headed downtown to see St. Mary of the Angels Basilica. It was a stunning church with chapels lining the walls and many details from the floor to the ceiling. In the center of the church there was a chapel that was the original. Off to the side was another chapel that marked the place where St. Francis died.
St. Francis was known for having a connection to animals. In a hallway there was a statue of him, and on it there were two live doves. In the gardens were some thornless rosebushes that also had a story behind them; I can’t remember what it was though.
June 30, I got up to eat a filling breakfast that the hotel provided. Since my hotel was located at the base of the mountain, I had to hike up the mountain to get to the Papal Basilica of St. Francis. Up on the mountain were many churches and were many people resided. The streets were narrow and steep and wound around the mountain. The Papal Basilica was on the very left side of the mountain and there was the upper and lower basilica. It is also where St. Francis’ body is buried. The frescoes inside the basilicas were very detailed and were illuminated by the lights. I hiked all the way to the other side of the mountain were I stopped briefly for lunch. It was raining and slightly windy, so my family and I were freezing since we were accustomed to the extremely hot and humid temperatures of Salzburg and Florence.
After warming up a bit, I continued on to the Basilica di Santa Chiara where St. Clare’s body is buried. After looking around the basilica, I walked some more to the shrine where St. Francis heard God asking him to rebuild a church. The shrine was very small and had a small statue of Mary. Further down the mountain was the Santuario San Damiano where the Poor Clares and St. Clare resided. After seeing all these historical places, we walked down the mountain and through the countryside until we arrived back at our hotel.
Rome – Roma
After my brief stop in Assisi, I took the train on July 1 to Rome. Rome was even more crowded and temperatures were blazing hot. We lugged our luggage to our hotel, Hotel Franklin Feel the Sound. The hotel was amazing since it featured many couches, side tables, etc. shaped like instruments. When I entered my room it was pleasant to feel air conditioning. On top of that, there was a strobe light in the bathroom and a blinking light in the bedroom. It gave a very chill atmosphere.
After a short rest, I took a taxi to Villa Borghese where there are many famous paintings and sculptures. The rooms were decorated to the point that they seemed almost gaudy. All of the rooms featured frescoes on the walls and ceilings.
If I continued to write about every activity that I did in Rome, this would be a very long blog post. I’ll list some of the sights I saw, and then post the photos. I believe that, as cliché as it sounds, a photo is worth a thousand words.
On July 2, I visited the Vatican City which was amazing. It was so huge. In the Vatican, the pillars and ceiling were so high. Throughout the church were the tombs of well-known saints. After exploring and attending an exclusive mass, I wandered outside to hear Pope Francis address the people. So many people crowded into the square to hear him talk and pray.
Later, I got onto the Hop-On Hop-Off bus and viewed more of Rome. I got off at one of the many stops and walked to the Pantheon. Like any of the other places, it was very crowded. The Pantheon is known as a Roman temple that was converted into a Catholic church.
Not far from the Pantheon was the Trevi Fountain. It was crowded but it was truly a sight to see such a magnificent fountain that I’ve only seen in photos. My day ended here and I took a taxi back to the hotel to take a short nap before dinner.
The last day in Rome was spent visiting the Vatican City again. I climbed up the steep stairs of the dome in St. Peter’s Basilica. It was a magnificent view of Rome, many of the historical sites, the quarters where the pope resides, etc. After descending, I wandered around in St. Peter’s and saw many of the tombs and the famous Pieta sculpture. I also toured the Vatican museum where Roman artifacts, frescoes, the Sistine Chapel, etc. are held. It was amazing to see so much famous history in one building. The only downside was that it was so crowded that it was difficult to enjoy and freely observe the art since we were all packed into the rooms like sardines.
Later, we visited the Colosseum which was stunning. It is such a huge and impressive structure. It is not too difficult to imagine the events that happened in it while it was still in use. Some parts are still close to original but many parts have been renovated so that the Colosseum doesn’t collapse.
This second part of my Europe trip has been a blast. Getting lost, joking, laughing, shoving through crowds, etc. have all contributed to a wonderful memory. It has been great to experience another culture and language while traveling abroad. Now, on to the last country!