Florence is one of those places that just feels right. A walkable city, brilliant options for food and wine, enough scenery to keep you on the lookout and more history than you can take in. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here with walks into the main city piazzas and squares, trips to historic palaces and a wander down and over the Arno River’s many bridges.

We day trip to the Medici Family Palace and find a garden the is simply incredible. Now named the Pitti Palace, the building has solid stone walls rising above the forecourt and hides a vast amount of paintings, sculptures and treasures gathered by the Medici family during their control of Florence. Moving through the entrance into a large central courtyard, you get the feeling that there is something special here. Crossing the space to a staircase leads you out onto a garden area that starts with a amphitheatre that begins to peak your curiosity.

The garden takes up just on 111 acres of space and has more tree lined avenues than most botanic gardens. It is a testament to the designers as they have utilised the space well and created different elements that work well together but also stand alone quite well. The ongoing up keep must be substantial as there was a continuous movement of equipment and staff while we were in the grounds. The palace itself contains a collection of paintings, sculptures and fresco ceilings to make any small museum very jealous. 

One of the big draw cards for Florence is its markets and the opportunity to purchase from the many vendors that inhabit the city as well as the vast amount of street stalls that are peppered around the city. We try to see as much as we can in the few days we are here but there is only one option left to us and that is to come back for another look in the future.

We take a rail trip to Siena on a very wet day where the rain is moving through in downpours and the humidity is climbing. Not too much to view from the hilltop town as the clouds are hanging low. The one and a half hour train trip shows us some of the countryside around Florence which is green and lush at this time of year. We arrive in Siena and are surprised to find that there is a set of escalators that take you from the station up to the main part of the township. Better than climbing stairs! 

The centre square is an interesting dished piazza that is the venue for a horse race, the Palio di Siena, that is run twice a year in July and August. It’s a bareback race with the riders wearing traditional colours of the different wards of the areas. It’s hard to imagine how the track is set up in the piazza as there doesn’t seem to be nearly enough room and then you see the footage of the race and come to understand that the crowd stands in the middle of the track and the horses and riders race around the perimeter. It would be exciting to watch in person. 

We enjoy lunch at one of the local cafes while we wait for the rain to stop and then walk through the streets looking at the different eras of architecture and the various churches. The main church, the Duomo di Siena, is a mixed bag of design and features that is fascinating to look at. There are elements of both catholic religion and ancient roman myth standing side by side on the front of the church. The colouring is also in the striped fashion that seems to be favoured in this region.

Our day is done with more rain moving in and the deluge sees us head back to the train and the long ride back to Florence.  

Our time in Florence has been enjoyable and this is one of those cities that you could easily call home. The restaurants and cafes deserve a special mention as the food is outstanding. We have found our favourite bar, La Boite, we have a favourite cafe, Melaleuca overlooking the river, and we have eaten at some superb restaurants where the Italian fare has tempted us into trying dishes we would not normally order.

I think it is fair to say we will be back.

Tomorrow sees us hiring a car and driving to Modena for a few days in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy.