Florence; Friday, 15 July, 2022

I did several hours work out of the hotel in the morning and over lunch so that I’d done most of a full day by the time I powered down the laptop a little after 14:00 and headed out into the wall of heat outside the hotel.

I caught the tram back into the centre of town and then walked over to the nearby bus stop to pick up the number 12 bus up into the hills above the city at the Piazzale Michelangelo. I spent quite a bit of time up at the square taking in the views over the city, helped by the crystal clear skies caused by the very dry heat which meant there wasn’t a haze over the city.

The only downside was due to the heat it was quite a bit of work to do anything so after taking quite a few photos I headed down to a small bar located just below the Piazzale and stopped there for a very large water and also a Spritz Aperol.

Refreshed I wandered back up to street level and after stopping off for a quick Gelati from a stall by the road I wandered the short distance round to the Church of San Miniato al Monte. To get up to the church it’s quite a stiff climb up several flights to stairs, but from the top the views over the city are even better than those from Piazzale Michelangelo.

After taking in the views for a while I headed into the church to have a look around, the church was beautifully cool compared to outside so I spent quite a bit of time just sat inside the church enjoying cooling down.

From the church I walked back down to Piazzale Michelangelo and then used the staircases and paths that lead down from the viewpoint back down to the riverside. Down at river level I followed the river towards the centre of town and crossed over on the Ponte Alle Grazie which is the previous bridge upstream from the Ponte Vecchio and from where there are some stunning views.

I continued on walking until I made it to the Piazza Signoria which was very busy with tourists. I had a little wander round there before finding a little bar to sit in and spend some time people watching with a large bottle of water, and another Spritz Aperol.

Feeling refreshed I headed out of the square and walked the short distance to the Duomo area to have a wander around the cathedral and take in the views, before it was time to meet up with my colleague, who had been doing her own thing all day, for dinner in another recommended restaurant.

After dinner we had a little wander round the city centre including taking in the Ponte Vecchio before we returned to our different hotels.

Weather

Sunny Sunny
AM PM
Very Hot (30-40C, 86-104F)
39ºC/102ºF