Sitting in office one day, I received a mail from my boss informing about last minute travel plans. My work has taken me to various places but this was something special. In the next 5 days, I was supposed to be travelling to Italy. My first European journey!

On landing in Milan, I got a taste of why it is known as one of the fashion capitals of the world. The way people dressed and carried themselves put me to shame. Such poise and grace everywhere I looked! Though we were there to slog our ass off, we did manage to catch a glimpse of the history the city offers that attracts more than a million visitors per year.

With barely 2 days of free time, we managed to tick off a few things on our list

Florence Cathedral

Locally known as the Il Duomo di Firenze, the Gothic styled structure left us spellbound. Covering almost 90,000 in square feet, the cathedral dome is one of the largest in the world. It is one of the oldest church in Italy and it took us more than hour to just see fleetingly. A must visit for architecture and history buffs. The surroundings of the cathedral are lively during the evenings. Unfortunately, the facade was all covered up for restoration during our time of the visit.

Piazzale Michelangelo

With the statute of Michelangelo’s David, the square provides a panoramic view of the entire city. Spending a relaxed evening here rejuvenated us for a hectic day ahead. The entire city was lit up beneath us. Cathedral, bridges and the entire skyline made for a stunning view.

Vatican

A fast train from Florence to Roma Termini was our mode of transport. And it was a local metro bus in which we headed straight to Vatican where we spent half a day admiring the architecture and grandeur. Standing in St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the largest churches in the world, we met pilgrims from all over the world. Being time bound, we avoided the long queue to get inside and checked out the place from far, praying we can make another journey back soon.

 

Food

Florence has a lot to offer, right from pizzas to gelatos. And we tried it all. For a person like me who loves spicy food, the food seemed bland. After gorging on Italian food for two days, it was definitely time for something spicy.

 

I don’t care if people shame me for wanting desi food where ever I go. After finding out, we zeroed in on a restaurant called Salaam Bombay. After all the delicious but bland food, the roti and chicken which we dug in seemed to be out of the world. For all those who love their desi spicy food, restaurants like these are saviours.

 

Clubbing

Next on our list was clubbing and yes the night life did not disappoint at all. We went to a club call Flo. We got a taste of how night life in Florence is. Apart from the food and music, the hip crowd was the best part. Heading to this place to unwind after a long day of work was relaxing. After being bombarded by lot of questions about India from curious locals, we hit the dance floor and partied the night away.

With so much more remaining to explore, I can’t wait to get back to the lovely city I fell in love with.

 

 

 

Have you been to Florence or anywhere in Italy?

How did you find it?

 

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Sanjay