How are you a post office and not have packing supplies?…read more I didn't even come in to mail anything. I came in to pay a parking ticket and had the worst experience. Walking out of there was the best feeling in the world. So.....I got a parking ticket in Pisa. When I asked my hotel how I could pay it, I was advised that per the note on the back of the ticket, I could do so at a post office. I was advised that it can be handled at any post office. I should've taken care of it in Siena where I was, but I figured I could do it in Florence since there were so many. Oh the regrets. I got back to the city, found a post office, walked in, looked immediately confused, asked the person next to me if there was a line and she tells me "no capito." This was usually the response I got from city people when they don't want to deal with tourists. Let me preface by saying a majority of the people in Florence are assholes. SI. Some random guy tapped me on the shoulder, pointed me to a kiosk and tapped it for me. It gave me a number. So I stood there waiting. There were about 2 dozen other people inside. All waiting. I noticed an American couple who looked super stressed packing up a box so of course I started talking to them. They were trying to mail home some souvenirs they bought. When they walked in, no one wanted to help them. They were told there were no packaging supplies at the post office. The only thing they were sold was a flimsy box. The kind used for packaging Christmas presents. Thinner quality than a shoe box. The woman had to run to a store to get tape and everything else. I digress. My number finally gets called. I explain to the man what I'm there for. He looks at me confused. I hand him the ticket and he reads it. He then hands me a piece of paper and he tells me I need to fill it out. Mind you he tells me all of this in Italian. He didn't speak a word of English. At least he claimed to not. The form is in Italian. No translation. I walk away confused and frustrated. I fill out the form guessing what needed to go on what spot. He told me to go back to him without waiting in line. I finish filling it out and go back to his area and what do you know - HE'S NOT THERE. So I'm standing there like an idiot not knowing what to do. Meanwhile, next to me are the American couple who are being berated by the guy helping them. They were being told they're not allowed to put paper inside the box. WTF! The woman and I are looking at each other baffled. We mouthed "why do they hate Americans" to each other. Back to me. There was no sign of the guy so I went to grab another number. I stood again waiting. He finally showed up after about 3 minutes. I immediately go up to him, he looks at what I filled out, sighs then he filled out the form for me. I could tell he was irritated. He tells me how much I have to pay, I hand him the money and get the fuck out of there. This was legitimately the worst experience I had in the city. I got pretty used to people treating Americans poorly in the city, but this experience was something else. Typically, when someone found out I was American, I would be hassled about our president. It just didn't make sense to me why they would treat tourists the way they do when we're who bring in the money to their city. To summarize, if you don't need to go to a post office in Florence, don't.

After settling at our (new) hotel, we set off on foot to "where it's happening" and after walking a…read morefew blocks with some twists-and-turns down overly populated side streets, you make one last right turn and POW! - you're starstruck at these magnificent structures made eons ago. This church is so massive and detailed and stunning... the frescos alone could make a lapsed (cough) Catholic (cough) start to recite the rosary he hasn't said in over 40 years. It's a hard walk all the way up AND back down. Stay/be hydrated and not famished (I learned this the hard way). But, oh, this is so worth it. (Seeing this cathedral for the very first time up close left me utterly gob smacked - which also happened when seeing the sculpture of David, The Colosseum and, of course, the Sistine Chapel.) Amazing.

Bought the tickets online making a simple mistake, they would not change or reimburse... terrible…read moreservice. Plus all monuments are undergoing intense restoration, which leaves little to be available to the tourist.

A lovely church located in the heart of Florence. Amazing works of art but the church lacks the…read moregrandeur of other locations. A very nice place to pray and reflect. Very interesting history of construction and reconstruction. Worth a visit.

Santa Maria Maggiore may just be the most forgettable church in Florence. Most tourists will just…read morewalk by this church. We visited because I was interested in the hidden secret (below). It is, after all, one of Florence's oldest churches (some say the oldest). The church has an unfinished exterior. We enjoyed the peace and quiet during our visit. There is a hidden secret on the outside of the church. It is about a "petrified woman" known as "Berta," whose head comes out in a disquieting way from the stones of the walls of the church. You really have to look for it on the Via Cerretani. The story goes that on September 16, 1327, Cecco d'Ascoli, a doctor, astrologer and teacher, was being led to execution after predicting that the future queen of Naples would be 'inclined to lust'--an accurate prophecy as it turned out: (Joanna I had four husbands, one of whom she killed, and she was suffocated to death in her own bed.) As Ascoli was being marched to the bonfire on which he would be burned, crowds poured out into the street to shout and jeer at the poor man. When he passed in front of the church, he begged the crowd for a little water for his parched throat. Berta, watching from a window in the bell tower, shouted cruelly, 'He's a wizard! If he drinks he shall not burn!' Ascoli, in response to the woman's meanness, cursed her, saying, 'And you shall never again lift up your head from that place!' To this day, her petrified head can be seen on the wall of the tower, waiting to be freed from the curse.

We found the reversed balcony at Borgo Ognissanti, 12. The building goes back to the 16th century,…read moreand it seems to have been built by the owner of the house out of spite with Duke Alessandro de' Medici. The initial project of the balcony was rejected by the Duke as, for some law of the time, it was too prominent. The owner of the building presented a second project, with little changes, and again it was rejected. At the third attempt, the Duke, trying to be irreverent or just fed up with the continuous requests, wrote on his response: "Yes, on the contrary." The owner of the house, expressing a true Florentine spirit and applying the answer to the letter, ordered his architect to build the balcony upside-down!

This Roman Catholic church was amazingly open on a weekday afternoon so we stopped in to see. And…read moresomehow, neither me nor my travel buddy burst into flames. I guess the church is broken? Basilica di Santa Trinita was founded in 1092 by a Florentine nobleman. The church is home to the Sassetti Chapel, containing 15th-century frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio, and the Bartolini Salimbeni Chapel, with frescoes by Lorenzo Monaco. The current church was constructed in 1258-1280 at the site of a pre-existing 11th-century church. Multiple reconstructions occurred over the centuries. The church has approximately 20 chapels, many with masterworks. The most significant are the Sassetti and the Bartolini Salimbeni chapels. Francesco Sassetti had been a manager of the Medici Bank, and some of the Ghirlandaio frescoes capture views of contemporary Florence. It is well worth your time to stop in and I hope that you also do not burst into flames. [Review 17055 overall - 246 in Italy - 571 of 2022.]

We stopped in to see Chiesa di Santa Trinita ("Holy Trinity Church") on the via de' Tornabuoni, one…read moreof the most elegant streets in Florence near the Arno River. (A few steps away stands the Santa Trinita bridge over the Arno.) It is the mother church of the Vallumbrosan Order of monks, founded in 1092 by a Florentine nobleman. The church is extremely rich in artworks, most of them displayed within its chapels. One of the most famous is the Sassetti Chapel, containing notable frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio. The church has been renovated numerous times. This church is often overlooked by tourists, but it should not be.

Piazza Santa Croce is spacious, beautiful, and full of character. The basilica is breathtaking, and…read morethe piazza feels lively without being overwhelming. Perfect for people-watching, a coffee stop, or soaking in Florence's atmosphere--especially lovely in the evening.

Named after the fameous churce at the end of the piazza, the Basilica of Santa Croce, this is a fun…read moreopen air area in Florence. The piazza is all paved, however, there is usually a famers market (mostly prepared goods vs produce), and the people watching can be pretty spectacular. It was a easy 15 second walk from my apartment, and the adjacent Taxi stand made getting to the airport a breeze. There are no services or greenery, but the steps of the church can be used as a nice place to sit. It is dotted by a large number of restaurants, leather shops, and gelato places. Its a cool place to simply stop and take a breather and the church is worth a visit as it houses the remains of many famous Italian's and the interior is quite nice as well