Since we planned to be in Florence longer, we looked for other things to discover that aren't tours or museums. And honestly, I can only handle so much of museums.
Mirko Filati, yarn shop, Piazza di San Lorenzo, 36r, 50123 Firenze FI
Since the Wool Guild was the one that commissioned the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in 1296, I thought it would be a better souvenir than magnets or t-shirts. This shop sells only Italian yarn. It is hard to find because it is a small door and the store is below the street level. But it's there!
Bike ramp and garage at the Santa Maria Novella Train Station
This was the coolest thing. We rode our bikes to the train station a couple of days before we had to catch the train so we could just lay eyes on it and know where to go when timing mattered. I looked around for a place to lock our bikes up. I found a fence with a large bike image on it and discovered that fence led to a spiral ramp that went underground and then opened up into this fantastic parking garage just for bikes!
Primi Piatti, in the Mercato Centrale
Great pasta place. Simple. You pick your pasta shape, pick your sauce. €7-8.
The hills behind Cinema Chiardiluna
Most of the beautiful green space is locked behind a stone wall and costs money to see. Our spirits were suffering from the narrow streets and high buildings that blocked the horizon. These hills saved us. There is a beautiful lookout over the city right before you get to the hotel ("panorama su Firenze").
Area cani del Boschetto, the park adjacent to those hills.
It was raining one day so we took our ombrelli and wandered this lovely park. It had stepped paths, stone paths, cement paths, and dirt paths. It even had a bridge. We also found a hidden dead end with a lookout over the city.
Go under the Amerigo Vespucci Bridge
On the south side of the river, just west side of the bridge, there is a path that leads under the bridge. It's fun to see the river up close and the under side of the bridge.
San Niccolo
This is one of the porte (doors) of the original city walls from the 1300s. It is the only door to still stand at its original height of 115 feet. The others were reduced in height in 1529 (on the advice of Michelangelo) to make them less vulnerable to artillery fire.
Piazzala Michelangelo
After you see San Niccolo, you can zigzag up the hill where you'll find this open plaza. It has a replica of the David statue, and there are a few vendors up there, but mostly it's a beautiful lookout over the city. Lots of people enjoy watching the sunset there.
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