The Adventures of JI & Kels – Three days in Florence

This trip was so incredible. I still can’t get over the fact that we were in three different Italian cities because it all just feels so surreal now. We had the most free time in Florence, and we were able to just explore quiet a bit while we were there. Florence definitely had the best food while we were on the trip, and I will probably be dreaming of it for a long time to come.

Day one

When we arrived, we were able to check into our hotel and then go out exploring. There was a great leather market near our hotel with all kinds of jackets, bags and other goods. We also explored the piazza near our hotel, and saw some sculptures.

Then we walked along the river, and crossed the second bridge to take photos of Ponte Vecchio. We looped around through some side streets, before wandering back across the bridge and decided to go see the Duomo. At this point my feet were killing me and I needed a break.

After we showered, we grabbed a quick snack and wandered some more. We went back to our hotel to use the restroom, and Justin bumped into a nice couple from Georgia along the way. Bill and Kay were on their way to dinner, and invited us to go with them. They are such sweet people, and we loved getting to know them. They were even kind enough to buy our dinner that night. I think the food from that meal was my favorite from the whole trip, and we even considered going back there on our last night in Florence, but it was a Sunday, and the place was closed.

Day two

We didn’t have anything planned on this day, except our cooking class in the evening. By the time we decided we should have tried to do something, all the tours had left. There was a castle on the outside of Florence that was also a winery, and the person at the front desk of our hotel said it was always open, and only about 20 euro cab ride to get there.

Oh, how wrong that was. Our cab ride on the way there was ridiculous. The driver kept taking different side roads and having to stop multiple times, meaning we were just waiting while the total kept climbing. I kept trying to tell him I had the map open and could see he was going a different way, but there was a serious communication barrier, and I should have learned more Italian. So, 40 euros later, we are at the castle, the cab driver has left, and the castle is closed. CLOSED! We wandered around a bit. I took some photos of the country side. And then, we called the hotel to ask they send a cab to take us back to town. This ride was much closer to 20 euro, mainly because we stopped him when things looked familiar enough to walk home. Whoops?

We met up with our guide for the evening class and walked over to the cooking school together. We met another couple on their honeymoon, and we also had a couple of ladies vacationing together at our table. At our cooking class we learned how to make pizza and gelato from scratch. These are definitely skills I plan to use at home!

Day three

We went to the Piazale Michelangelo in the morning for the most incredible view of Florence. Walking up the all of the stop to get there was not incredible however, and I was sweating so much (bullets down my forehead while wearing a gray shirt that showed it all). It was absolutely gorgeous, and one of our favorite parts of our time in Florence. On our way back to the hotel, we found a great spot to grab some take away pizza that was incredible. Then, we walked over to a gelato shop that had been recommended the night before.

In the afternoon, we had a day trip to Pisa. We almost thought we were going to miss it, because after the 20 minute walk to the bus station we were meeting at, we couldn’t find our group! While in Pisa, we toured the cathedral and where able to take the super cheesy photos holding up the Leaning Tower.

The cathedral in Pisa was absolutely gorgeous. All of it. Our guide told us a story about the outside of the cathedral. She said if you look at the third row down of columns, you will see one purple marble semi column. We were told the Pisans stole the semi column from a temple of Venus while building the church. The local legend states that if you or your significant other look at the semi column for five minutes, you will be fruitful for the next  24 hours. And she made sure to note that a picture counts as well, and that it doesn’t have to be in person.

When we left the church, we went to look at the Leaning Tower. The tower was built as a way for Pisans to show their wealth and power, so the whole thing is made of marble. There are no windows and even the steps are marble. Our guide told us that the tower started to lean when they were building it because the marble is so heavy. We didn’t go up in the tower, but it was still pretty great to see if from the outside. 🙂

Want to get in touch?

If you’d like to book your session or wedding, you can contact me at kelsey(at)kelseyalumbaugh(dot)com. Check out my Instagram @kelseyalumbaugh ! I’ve been working curating my feed, so let me know if you see the pattern! And like me on Facebook to see the latest blog posts and wedding updates. 🙂 If you’re curious about the investment, you can check that info out here, but please feel free to reach out so we can better address your photography needs.e newsletter 🙂

[mc4wp_form id=”3549″]