things to do in Florence

Sunset at the Florence Duomo

Sunset at the Florence Duomo

Sunset at the Florence Duomo

Florence is a must-visit destination for anyone visiting Italy. There’s so much to see and do there, yet it’s not huge and overwhelming. It’s a city of art, architecture, and Italian history. I’ve been twice, and each time was absolutely floored by it’s beauty.

One of my personal favorite things I did in Florence was visiting the famous Florence Duomo. It’s properly known as The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore and is the main cathedral in Florence. I’m a huge fan of churches, and Italian churches just can’t be beat! And my favorite thing about this Gothic Cathedral is the facade. I’ve been to Florence twice. The last time I was there, I was able to visit the Florence Duomo as the sun was setting. Visiting the the church at any time of the day is definitely one of the best things to do in Florence, but visiting at sunset was extra special!

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Florence and Venice in 72 Hours

Florence and Venice in 72 Hours

Florence and Venice in 72 Hours

My first time visiting Europe was when I studied abroad after freshman year of college in Innsbruck, Austria. It was the most amazing 6 weeks of my entire life. It was what really started my obsession with traveling. During my time in Innsbruck, we only had classes Monday-Thursday mornings. So, as soon as the final bell rang (OK, there was no actual bell, this is just figurative) we would head to the Innsbruck train station to hop on a train to other countries for the weekend. Most weekends, we would focus on one place – some of my weekends were spent in Prague, Amsterdam, London, etc. Well, one weekend we decided to take on the heaping task of seeing TWO fantastic cities in a little over 3 days – Florence AND Venice.

How could we cram in two beautiful Italian cities in just 72 hours? Here’s how it went down.

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