Soaking Up the Joys of Traffic-Free Florence

Some people shop randomly. I sightsee randomly. And after a long day of determined and focused sightseeing while researching my guidebook, I find a special joy in just being out and lapping up the beauty of a great city like Florence. Its downtown is traffic-free, the street musicians are top notch, and romantic floodlighting spills onto the goofy selfie-stick salesmen. Then suddenly it hits me. Seeing the Baptistery newly restored, I, for the first time in my life, truly appreciate the amazing stonework in this zone. Here, 900-year-old Baptistery stones, 700-year-old Duomo (cathedral) stones, and 150-year-old Duomo facade stones all come together in perfect harmony.


This is Day 25 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.

Comments

4 Replies to “Soaking Up the Joys of Traffic-Free Florence”

  1. Hi Rick, my family and I were standing right there about 3 hours earlier enjoying the chimes of Giottos bell tower after touring Santa Maria Novella. Sorry we missed you! We just finished a fantastic meal at Trattoria Casalinga in Oltrarno.

    Thanks for inspiring us to keep on traveling (even with a 4 year old!)
    Enjoy the rest of your trip (and research)

    Peter F, MD

  2. Last May when were were in Florence we really enjoyed the fact that there was a traffic free area. Last time the city just did not click for us, so we were so surprised at how pleasant the whole city was and ended up being one of our favorite parts of the trip

  3. Thank you, Rick! Watching your videos, I feel like I’m re-living some of our April 2014 trip to Italy. We stayed in Venezia, Vernazza, Firenze, and Roma and your guide books helped us in a multitude of ways. I can’t wait to go back someday!

  4. Unlike Peter above, we did happen to run into you on the square in front of the duomo! My husband, friend and I were thrilled to meet you, and you were so gracious and kind, even though I was a bit of a “fangirl.” Ha. We loved Florence, and it was a nice interlude for us between the energizing grittiness of Rome and the delightful beach towns of the south. Thank you for all you do! You were a great influence on our travel plans, and gosh, who wouldn’t want your job!

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