Dressing up for Florence

Some places deserve a special occasion treatment. For grungy backpackers, this means a skirt. Florence deserved a fresh look. Moreover, we had been advised a long skirt was more respectful for church visits.

Our new frocks did not slow us down. I was a little surprised when I read my journal that we spent only one day in Florence and packed in so many sites.

A visit to the Uffizi gallery in the morning inspired me to take an art history course at university the following year. In the afternoon, we toured Brunelleschi’s famed Duomo, the Baptistery and Giotto’s Bell Tower. To get the most value out of our new ensemble, we toured another church, Basilica di Santa Croce. Eavesdropping on a tour, I learned that Galileo was born in the year Michelangelo died (both illustrious Italians are entombed at Santa Croce).

We wandered past the jewelry shops on Ponte Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti and the elegant Boboli Gardens. The hostel also deserves a special mention as it was a work of art, with sculptures and fountains inside and out. The villa was out of the city with gorgeous views of the Tuscan countryside. We picnicked on the terrace overlooking the tall cypress trees and rolling hills under the soft Tuscan light.

The skirt did not make me elegant (I still had Birks and a baggy t-shirt) but I am glad I dressed up. Florence is special.

This is one entry from my 1992 European backpacking trip with my friend Sarah. If you want to start at the beginning, please check out The journey starts in Nice.