Party at the Piazza

After walking around Basilica di Santa Corce for a while I think we both understood that we would never find that tourist information so we could get a map, so in the end my mom said “Let’s go to the river!” So we did, only steps away from the Basilica where Michelangelo and Galileo sleeps the river of Arno is splitting the city in two.

    We crossed the blue river and went out to explore the streets the tourists haven’t taken over yet and found a little shop where we bought a map, not that we have needed it much. The Duomo can be seen from pretty much all over the city and we live right next to it at a charming little two star hotel called Hotel Medici.

 For lunch we had pizza, bought in a tiny, tiny shop somewhere between Ponte alle Gazie and the beautiful Ponte Vecchio, eaten at a street corner. Dinner on the other hand was not so Italian as we have a tradition of visiting Hard Rock and this one were just across the Piazza della Republica, a minute or two from the hotel. The food was great, the drinks were even greater and it was good to speak with someone who actually understood English. So while watching music videos and resting between Rod Stewards shoes and Paul Stanly’s guitar we had a lovley meal.

    “I don’t get why people go to Paris or Rome for romantic holidays,” my mom said. “They should try Florence.” I agreed and we spent the rest of the evening going from Piazza della Republica to Piazza Signoria listening to the incredible street musicians of Florence.. The trio at Republica got an entire crowd of at least hundred watching, clapping and enjoying the fun men playing violin, accordion and bass. At Signoria the crowds from Uffizi sat down to listen to the man on the guitar, and later another one playing the flute. Further up the street, two more en at the accordion played classics like Toccata.

      We decided to climb up the stairs to Piazzale Michelangelo in the evening. From there you can see the whole of Florence and it was stunning, even better as the guy in front of the David Statue singing “Oh baby, baby, it’s a wild world,” and while dancing around up there I tought that everyone should know about Florence and come here instead of going off to Rome for their romantic springbreak.

Mari Clémentine