Visiting Florence (or Firenze as it’s known in Italy), the cultural capital of Tuscany, is a dream come true for many. We felt that we should visit and see the main sights, but there wasn’t anything we particularly wanted to see. In this post, I’ll take you on a whirlwind tour of Florence and the places we discovered after leaving there, and before making our way to Rome.
- Florence: The Duomo and Beyond:
We stayed outside the city centre in a fairly uninspiring, but handy, camper stop in Scandicci. It was convenient as we had just a 10 minute walk to the tram which then took us into the centre within about 15 minutes. If you’re ever here, do make sure that you’re holding on when the tram starts up – the driving of trams, and trains, as with any vehicle in Italy is very aggressive, leading to people nearly falling over left, right and centre….
Arriving in the city centre, we picked up a map from the information centre and then made our way to the historic centre, where we were met with a view of the spectacular Duomo and Baptistery, both of which are truly breathtaking. It really is a sight to behold and as a result, after much umming and ahhing, we decided to join one of the long queues to go inside the iconic Duomo. Our queue snaked its way past the campanile (bell tower). Of course, there were no queues there as it is ticketed only!
Once inside the cathedral, we soon discovered that the real marvel lay in its exterior beauty rather than the interior. We looked at the dome from below, which was definitely worth seeing, and tried heading down the steps towards the crypt (the crowds were inhibiting) only to find another area that needed to be paid for and, of course, the gift shop….
With many warnings in mind we chose to sit outside a bar at the dome end of the Duomo for a drink – I enjoyed a limoncello spritz 😊 It wasn’t overly expensive and we were able to appreciate the exterior of the cathedral more – noticing that we were sitting at the point where they had yet to clean!!
We spent the rest of the day simply exploring the city’s other architectural gems, such as the Ponte Vecchio, populated entirely by high end jewellers shops, and various palaces (Pitti Palace), statues and fountains. We saw the Uffizi gallery from outside, but the queues were huge (and you really do have to book ahead if you want to go inside).
We enjoyed a nice lunch at Il Bargello (me, ravioi; Calv, meatballs) overlooking the magnificent building that the National Museum di Bargello is housed within. We also enjoyed our 2nd gelato of the trip (the first having been in Lucca – it was more expensive in Florence!!)
We stayed:- Scandicci
- Monteriggioni: Leaving Florence behind, we had found a camper stop with all services (including toilets, showers and electric – for 16Euros per night) at the enchanting walled town of Monteriggioni, a true hidden gem. Although we were heading for Siena (having seen it recommended by another tourer) we decided to stop here first and then just have a short 10-15 miles to Siena the next day. We ended up staying 2 nights as it was just perfect, with the most wonderful views over the Tuscan countryside 😊
Heading about half mile up the steep hill on the Via Fracigena (an ancient walk from Canterbury to Constantinople) we town itself. It is a tiny town that captures the essence of medieval Italy. The atmosphere was vibrant on a Sunday, as locals, cyclists, bikers, and tourists alike filled the narrow, windy cobblestone streets. We soaked up the town’s rich history, strolled around it’s few streets, and partook of a quick drink and ice cream sundae. The church was tiny but beautiful, and we enjoyed listening to the bells ringing.
(Campers note – there is a car park just below the city walls where you can park for a lower day rate. If you don’t fancy a bracing walk up the hill!!)
We stayed:- Monteriggioni
- Siena: Moving on on Monday we continued just a few miles up the road to Siena, where we parked in an authorised stop which is used by coaches. Again, not overly inspiring – being in the middle of a roundabout – but perfect for our purposes (cost 20Euros).
We could see Siena as we approached, perched high above the main road. Walking up a road (which is normal it would appear..) we found the elevators to take us up to the historical centre. This is a city renowned for its medieval architecture and famous Palio horse race. Once we knew this all the mini ceramic helmets on sale in the tourist shops made more sense! There is a lot more to it, including, of course, a duomo, a magnificent piazza dominated by a tower (which you can go up – we couldn’t face it!!) We’re convinced that this square is where public executions were held (Piazza del Campo). For lunch we enjoyed a giant slice of pizza (which I worked out how to eat – after I’d finished and having made a bit of a mess!!) We later returned to sit on a narrow, perhaps you could say rickety, balcony overlooking the piazza, enjoying a drink and indulging in a bit of people watching 😊
The narrow streets were a labyrinth, with mopeds zipping by at every turn, defying the conventional rules of the road (as seems to be the norm in Italy ☹). Amidst the confusion, we stumbled upon a delightful surprise: the enchanting strains of a piano practice accompanied by a soaring opera soprano, drifting from a window high above us. It was one of those moments that will stay with us forever – and made the fact that we were lost, again, very worthwhile 😊
We also walked a fair way to find the fort shown on the map, then walked the whole way around the fort to find the entrance (we should have turned right… we always should (except when leaving St Peter’s Square in Rome, but that’s another story…)) and watching a fairground HGV going through one of the entrance arches with just cms to spare!!
Once again, we managed to get back to the van within a minute of so of the heavens opening and yet another thunderstorm ensuing – luck seems to have been with us so far on this trip; long may it continue….
We stayed: Siena
- Orbetello: Finally after the hustle and bustle of the previous week or so we decided to head to the coast before making our way to Rome. Plus we had just discovered that Friday was Republic Day, a public holiday, so we thought it prudent to get ourselves onto a site to sit it out.
We identified our destination as being Orbetello, a coastal town on a narrow spit leading to an island. We spent the first couple of days indulging in beach and pool time, interrupted on the last couple of days by bike rides. The first of these was not successful – we couldn’t find the cycle path we’d been told about, and ended up heading the wrong way when we got onto the island. With fast moving Italian traffic (mopeds overtaking the cars that were overtaking bikes – not great when they’re coming towards you on a narrow windy road) this wasn’t enjoyable, so we headed back early having only covered 9 miles.
We then did a bit of research and found the cycle path, so set off again the next day. Much more successful (managed a full 14 miles this time)! First stop on reaching Orbetello was lunch in the delightful Café Gagu. We then locked up the bikes and went for a wander, stumbling upon another hidden gem when we discovered the town’s history as a seaplane base, adding a unique twist to its charm. Orbetello town turned out to be a delightful surprise, and we were so glad that we went out that 2nd day as it would have been so easy to head back to the beach and veg out!!
We stayed:- Camping Orbetello
Conclusion: So we went to Florence, Monteriggioni, Siena and Orbetello over the course of just over a week. Our favourite? For me it had to be Monteriggioni, followed by the day we cycled to Orbetello and discovered it’s hidden history.
What we are finding throughout Italy is that there is a lack of information available. Often there will be information boards, but they tend to go into so much technical detail (architecture etc.) that even I, a voracious reader, get bored and give up!!
The moral of the story however is to head off the beaten track and discover those places that are not written about and photographed everywhere – these new discoveries were very much more pleasant to visit.
See the following links for photos:-
Florence:- https://www.instagram.com/p/CsuHQYuoRw4/
Monteriggioni:- https://www.instagram.com/p/CsvhOvlorhU/
Siena:- https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs1MLeZIJAx/
Orbetello:- https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs_qJZXIR2M/ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs4VFmZI2OH/
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