In the afternoon I decided to do some exploring, and attempt to find the gate that the bus took us…read morepast. Well, it ended up that I landed up at this gate, which is actually a completely different gate (though at the time I didn't realise it). Basically this is the gate that leads to Rome, which is why it is called the Porta Romana. Once again it creates an interesting perspective as to why cities were like back in the Renaissance era, and also how wandering into a city is nowhere near as easy as it is these days (though crossing country borders can be fun at times).

Porta Romana is a traffic hub, and entrance point to the historic centre of Florence. It's one of…read morethe few doorways that boasts an actual door and a long length of wall. (Most of the others doors and walls are no longer intact). Just outside the door is a huge roundabout for cars that leads traffic to piazzale Michelangelo, Poggio Imperiale, and viale Petrarca. By entering the doors you have access to the Oltrarno neighbourhood via via de' Serragli or via Romana. There is a great Lampredotto stand in the small piazza just outside the door, if you're looking for some traditional Florentine eats.

Beautiful square with the Basilica della Santiasima or of the Most Holy Annunciation from 1520. A…read morelarge Foundling Hospital is on one side of the the other piazza. The facade were built later to imitate Brunelleschi's loggia. The west façade, the Loggia dei Servi di Maria in the 1520s. It was built for the mendicant order, the Servi di Maria, but is now a hotel. The equestrian statue of Ferdinand I of Tuscany was made by the noted sculptor Giambologna and placed there in 1608. The fountain was added later.

If it weren't for the chocolate festival that was held here, I would have missed Piazza SS…read moreAnnunziata but I was glad to made my way to see it! Piazza SS Annuziata (The Holiest Annunciation Square) is rather out of the way from the typical tourist route, so not many tourists would make their way out here. Consequently, this is somewhat a hidden gem despite being having some jewels like the arched portico of the orphanage Ospedale degli Innocenti, which was an early Renaissance masterpiece by Brunelleschi - the master behind the Firenze Duomo's signature dome! While I would not recommend this piazza as a must-go destination, it is nonetheless an interesting and quiet location to see. If you have time in Firenze, try to take a detour to here, especially if you are interested in Renaissance architecture.

Absolutely gorgeous place to visit. Please go inside if you have the chance but if you don't, the…read moreexterior is absolutely gorgeous. The areas has a lot of hotels (pretty obviously, since the train station is right across the street, on the back side of the church) and quite a few places to eat and drink. Two wine windows are in the area and my best friends favorite gelato shop, you can see from the square.

This review is merely for the exterior and a bit of the surrounding area. I read that they offer…read moretours inside, but we did not have time for one. This church was near our hotel and I wanted to at least see it as I'd taken an architecture course once in college that covered it. The back of the church is close to the front of the main Florence train station, separated by a wide street with multiple light rail tracks. You need to walk around to the far side (from the station) to see the façade, which is the famous view. There are businesses flanking one side of the church (hotels, restaurants, and other shops). There was some booth set up where people attempted to flag down passing pedestrians (I'm not sure if it was some political thing or they were eventually asking for donations, etc.; we escaped without hearing their pitch). Also around the front of the church there were African guys selling trinkets or attempting to engage tourists to sell something. These guys were fairly common throughout downtown Florence, actually. In front of the church is a large plaza which provides good longer-range unobstructed views for photos. The front of the church is sort of a 'late Gothic transitioning into the Renaissance' style. It is quite striking and worth a short detour on your way to the city center. The best lighting for photos seemed to be in the mid to late afternoon.

The Forte is temporarily closed but you wouldn't know that from anywhere else except when you have…read morehiked to the top of the (mountain? hill?) and find there is a gate across it. And you can't go back down through the Boboli Gardens because the gate between the two is also closed and locked, which you won't know until you're at it. The only way into the Gardens is all the way back down the hillside, past the Palazzo Pitti and then the ONE entrance to the Gardens (which is free to enter). The outside if visible and you can walk around the outer walls, but that's it. And the outer walls are impressive. Google told me it was closed, but Google has been wrong before. Yelp has nothing and I'm reporting it now. I don't know how long it's closed. [Review 16978 overall - 183 in Italy - 494 of 2022.]

So we happened upon Forte Belvedere by complete accident. Just so happened that the street our…read moreAirBnB was on dead ended into the Fort. You know me by now... I gotta snoop everything out... what is this magical place? NOW.... PAY ATTENTION BOYS AND GIRLS! THEY HAVE FUNNY HOURS! YOU SHOULD CALL AHEAD AND NOT ALWAYS AUTOMATICALLY BELIEVE THE HOURS LISTED ONLINE! Anyway, the third time we walked up the massively steep hill to visit, totally worth it! I've seen some pretty spectacular sights in this lifetime... from New Years Fireworks at One Whitehall Place to soaring miles above the canopy in the jungles of Costa Rica and taking the evening sunset in from the roof of the Capital in Rome... I'm a lucky dude and appreciate every amazing moment I've gotten to absorb... ...however, Fort Belvedere, it quickly hit my Top 10 best views list! I will say no more, go check it out... I'd love to hear feedback if you felt the same?