Recently, a university friend of mine came to Florence with her family.
We have been friends since our university days.
Our children are close in age, and they have played together several times since they were little, so we were all looking forward to seeing each other again.
I asked my friend what she wanted to do while she was in Florence, and she came up with quite a few requests:
“I want to try lampredotto.”
“I want to see the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo.”
“I want to visit the Uffizi Gallery.”
“I want to go to some of the photo spots that are popular with young people.”
“I want to see Michelangelo’s David.”
“I want to go to an outlet.”
They had two nights in Florence, so fitting everything in was not going to be easy.
We Decided to Skip the Accademia Gallery This Time
First, there was Michelangelo’s David.
The Accademia Gallery, where the statue is displayed, has some of the longest lines of any museum in Florence. The queue can be long every day.
If you want to avoid waiting, I recommend making a reservation.
However, when we checked the available times, the only reservations left were in the morning.
My friend said she would rather not get up that early, so we decided to leave the Accademia Gallery for another time.
If seeing David is a priority and you want to visit at a particular time of day, I recommend booking well in advance.
First Stop: Mercato Centrale for Lampredotto
One of the things my friend wanted to try in Florence was lampredotto, one of the city’s traditional specialties.
So our first stop was Mercato Centrale.
You can order lampredotto on the ground floor, at Bambi.
Since lampredotto can be a matter of personal taste, we decided to order a few different things, including lampredotto, bollito and peposo, so that everyone could try a little.
After that, we went upstairs and chose whatever else we wanted to eat, including pasta.
One of the things I like about Mercato Centrale is that there are so many different kinds of food in one place.
There are seafood stalls, meat, truffles, pizza, hamburgers and much more, so everyone can choose something different.
It is especially convenient when you are traveling with a family or group and everyone wants to eat something different.
If You Only Have Two Days in Florence, You Don’t Have to See Everything
My friend’s family was staying in Florence for two nights.
There are so many things to see in Florence that, of course, it is impossible to see everything in just two days.
There was one thing I had decided beforehand:
I didn’t want them to spend hours waiting in line.
My friend was also considering visiting the inside of Florence Cathedral, but these days the line can start early in the morning and become so long that even we, as local residents, hesitate to join it.
When you only have two days, spending several hours in a queue seems like a waste of precious time.
So instead of going inside the Duomo, we decided to visit the Medici Chapels.
Florence has so many beautiful buildings and works of art that you don’t necessarily have to focus on just one famous attraction.
When your stay is short, I think it makes sense to adjust your plans according to the crowds and the time you have available.
My Daughter Took My Friend’s Family to the Uffizi Gallery
That day, my husband and I had some other things to take care of, so my daughter took my friend’s family from Mercato Centrale to the Uffizi Gallery.
It had also been a while since my daughter had seen my friend’s children, and she was really looking forward to seeing them again.
My daughter often visits the Uffizi Gallery with her friends, so she knows the museum fairly well.
The day before, she even checked the museum map and thought about which rooms they should visit first and how they could make the most of their limited time.
Watching her do this made me realize how, without me noticing, my daughter has become someone who can show people around Florence.
It felt a little strange, but also quite nice.
We Were Able to Enter the Uffizi Gallery Without a Reservation
I had also been checking the recent crowd levels at the Uffizi Gallery.
It seemed that the museum was not particularly crowded later in the afternoon, so we decided to try going without a reservation first.
If it had been busy, we were planning to make a reservation there.
But when my daughter and my friend’s family arrived at the Uffizi after visiting the Medici Chapels, it was quieter than we had expected, and they were able to enter without waiting.
Of course, crowds vary depending on the season, day and time.
But on this particular day, visiting later in the afternoon worked out very well.
Living in Florence means that we can sometimes adjust our plans according to how busy the city happens to be that day.
A Gelato Break After the Uffizi
My husband and I met up with everyone again at the exit of the Uffizi Gallery.
Since we had all been walking for quite a while, we stopped for gelato on the way to Piazzale Michelangelo.
One of the pleasures of walking around Florence is having these little breaks along the way.
You don’t always have to move from one sightseeing spot to the next.
Sometimes you simply stop and say,
“We’re getting tired. Let’s have some gelato.”
Having moments like that makes a trip feel a little more relaxed.
Sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo
The last stop of the day was Piazzale Michelangelo.
My friend had specifically asked to see the sunset from there.
Our family is actually more active in the mornings, so we usually visit Piazzale Michelangelo earlier in the day.
It had been so long since I had been there in the evening that I think the last time may have been when I was a student.
We checked the sunset time and arrived shortly before it.
The evening light in Florence is beautiful in itself.
Even the walk toward Piazzale Michelangelo gradually changes as the light begins to soften and the colors of the city shift.
And then we saw the sunset from the square.
It was truly special.
Even though it was a weekday, there were a lot of people there.
The steps were so crowded with people watching the sunset that it was difficult to walk through.
Even so, I think the view is worth coming for.
If you are staying in Florence and have some free time in the evening, I definitely recommend walking up to Piazzale Michelangelo.
Florence looks completely different in the evening from the way it does during the day.
Florence Is Not Just About What You See, but How You Spend Your Time
Our day exploring Florence with my friend was not a special sightseeing tour.
We ate lampredotto, visited museums, had gelato and watched the sunset.
That was all.
But showing a friend around the city made me realize once again that enjoying Florence is not simply about trying to see every famous attraction.
If a place is crowded, change your plans.
If you are tired, stop for a gelato.
If you have time, slow down and stay until sunset.
When you let the day unfold according to the city around you, Florence shows you different sides of itself.
And when friends or family come to visit, it gives us a chance to walk through the city we normally live in and see it again through someone else’s eyes.
For us, Florence is our everyday city.
But walking around with someone who is visiting reminds me once again,
“Florence really is beautiful.”
Perhaps that is also one of the pleasures of living in Florence.
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