Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The capital of Tuscany was the birthplace of the Renaissance and to this day is a centerpiece of culture, art, and history. It is a city not to be missed during a visit to Italy. I found the city to be much more charming and quaint compared to it’s southern sister Rome. The surrounding Tuscan hills, vineyards, and old villages make Florence a central hub to a perfect week or more in Italy. Here are 20 pictures to inspire you to visit Florence!
My plan originally for the cloudy March day was to hop on a train to Naples to visit the famed archeological site of Pompeii. But two days after landing in Rome, my jetlagged body just couldn’t fathom the idea of waking up at 6am and traveling all day. So I chose my backup plan instead, Via Appia Antica, and it was a great decision! Located just outside the center of Rome, this nature and ecological park along one of the oldest roads in Rome makes for a splendid day of exploring!
The doors opened and we pushed our way out into the sea of people at the metro station. The dingy station opened onto a busy street where we caught our first glimpse of the Roman Colosseum looming above us. It really was a spectacular sight to finally see. I imagined how it might have looked like all those centuries ago; the stands full of Romans cheering, the clink of swords crashing as mighty gladiators fought, and the emperor presiding over them all.
“Hmm, it’s not as big as I imagined,” I thought to myself. Having visited two other wonders of the world already, I expected to be blown away. Yes, it was beautiful and looked exactly how I imagined it otherwise; I just thought it would be even bigger!
