Hidden secrets of Florence

It’s hard not to be overwhelmed by Florence. Uncountable numbers of tourists swarming the streets like bees in a beehive. Mountains of ice cream gently waiting for your weakness to buy yet another cone. Historical buildings trying to attract your attention, yet the Dome of the Florence Cathedral always wins.

Florence off the beaten track

We were concerned about finding the hidden secrets of this city. Would we be able to get off the beaten track? Let’s find out.

Bell tower versus the Dome

„Dad, I want to climb the top of the Dome!”
-„Come on Alec, have you noticed the waiting line? Do you want to stand in line for 45 minutes?”

On the other side of the cathedral we do find a small door without any waiting line. „You can go up the bell tower here”, the man behind the counter tells us, „Six euro for adults and kids half price.” It is not busy at all and in general we like people who mention anything about half price, so within 30 seconds we take the first step. 413 more to go. Benefit is you can actually see the Dome!

View from Piazza Michelangelo

Don’t let anyone tell you the view on the city from the Piazza Michelangelo is better at night…..or better during the day for that matter. Just go there twice: day and night! At night you can take something to eat and drink and maybe even release a sky lantern (lit the candle, release it and make a wish – or kiss your loved one).

Love locks Piazza Michelangelo

You can find love locks all over the city of Florence. Piazza Michelangelo is of course one of the most beautiful places to declare your love… Try to find these love locks when you are over there!

Rose garden

If you are not really into horticulture, a rose garden must sound pretty boring. Luckily there are some that also offer you a fantastic view. Like the one in Florence.

-I beg your pardon….I never promised you a rose garden –
True, but if you accidentally pass a nice one with interesting sculptures (like the one with the travel suitcase), why not sit down and relax a bit. You will pass the garden when you walk from the banks of the Arno river up to Piazza Michelangelo (and that is a steep climb, so you need a rest!); just follow the smell of roses….

Duomo (or Florence Cathedral) at night

The van den Boomen family is back with some good ol’ jumping pictures (like the ones we did in Barcelona in front of the Sagrada Familia)!

Florence is a city that should be explored in the evening. During the day the Duomo area for example is extremely busy…..too busy for me honestly. It looks like Florence is just one big open-air museum created solely for tourism… Others will just call Florence a very popular city, I’m fine with that too. Luckily in the evening things turn around; people are more relaxed, buildings are nicely lit, and it is less crowded. An overall better atmosphere.

White circle

Now we are getting to a real secret in Florence: the white circle behind the Duomo. My friend Laurel of Capturing La Vita pointed this one out to me. In the year 1600 a bolt of lightning hit the copper ball on top of the dome.

After the ball was hit, it rolled down the side of the dome and landed down on the street. The white circle (made of marble) shows you where the copper ball hit the ground that night…

Hardly any of the tourists know the meaning of this white circle. You can imagine the strange faces when they saw me taking pictures!

Antiques at flea market Piazza del Ciompi

The morning sun found its way into the narrow and cold alleys of Florence. It’s warmth slowly woke me up while I was on my way to buy bread for our breakfast. Knowing the family was still sound asleep I decided to walk a bit further.

Some older men are unloading their van on a little square called Piazza del Ciompi. They carry old stuff. I look around and realize I stumbled upon multiple lines of little shops selling….well, second-hand stuff or antiques. Let’s call it a flea market (don’t you dare to call it trash!).

The flea market is open all week long. You never know if you might discover a great and long-forgotten piece of antique!

Ponte Vecchio – look the other way

“Look at that bridge”!“
“I know, it’s a beautiful bridge”.
“Sure, but it’s the famous Ponte Vecchio! Just look at it!”
-“Just a moment, I have to capture this other view first.”

Of course you will visit Ponte Vecchio and of course you will cross the bridge filled with small jewellery shops. The hidden secrets can also be found if you look the other way up the Arno river: beautiful Tuscan scenery.

Fruit stalls and small restaurants

Sometimes the beauty can be found in simple things….like a small Italian restaurant.

Traffic signs by Clet

Have you ever paid attention to the traffic signs? Of course you do when you are driving (I knew that), but in Florence a local artist called Clet decided one day to spice up the city. He adds stickers to traffic signs ever since the summer of 2010. This is really a hidden secret of Florence and you can read all about it in my post Street Art in Florence.

Alessandro Dari goldsmith

Alessandro Dari is a multi-talent: a maestro goldsmith, a pharmacist and a sculptor. His work is somewhat spiritual and you really have to visit his workshop at via San Niccolo 115/r (on the other side of the Arno river). Alessandro is self-taught and I can honestly say that his work is one-of-a-kind. Some of his pieces are on permanent display in Paris and Venice.

Thanks Florence and see you next time!

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