The flight from Nantes airport in France to Pisa in Italy went smoothly.  This was despite the fact that a series of strikes across France threatened to scupper the whole trip.  The puzzle that then faced us was the mode of transport to choose to get from Pisa to Florence. It’s about 80km between the two and the time taken by bus or train is very similar.  Not having endlessly deep pockets we didn’t even consider a taxi but if you can afford it, I have no doubt that it would be a seamless transition.

 At the last minute, we opted for the train.  It is just a few yards out of the airport to the terminal where you can buy a ticket on the platform for the ‘Pisamover’ for just a few euros.  If you are new to Europe, don’t forget to get your ticket validated at one of the machines on the platform. This takes you into central Pisa where you can hop off and go visit the famous Leaning Tower or just buy another ticket on the platform to get you into Florence.  The railway station here is pretty central and most hotels are within walking distance. Having just arrived, I recommend that you treat yourself to a gelato or a pizza as a reward. We decided on both (but not at the same time!) and I can’t tell you which we enjoyed the most.

Most of the crowds in Florence are centred either around the Ponte Vecchio bridge or the Cathedral of Santa Maria (usually referred to as the Duomo).  

We headed for the bridge but in December, at 3.00pm, the sun was dazzling making it impossible to see a thing without shading your eyes.  Combine this with pavement to pavement crowds and I didn’t find it a pleasant experience at all. This explains why I was halfway across before I realised that we were actually above the river.  In fact, we later discovered that the best way to see this ancient monument was from one of the two adjacent bridges – well worth doing as it is pretty unique being filled on either side with gold and jewellery shops and dating from 1345.

As the sun began to set, we headed back towards the Duomo, determined to see the exterior as soon as possible.  Again it was busy but without the dazzling sun the crowds were much more manageable. It turned out to be a ‘wow’ moment.  The exterior is stunning but the queue to get inside was crazy. It must have run for several hundred yards so on this occasion and in fact, on numerous others – we passed.  There are actually other Cathedrals in Florence where the interiors are much more worth your time and the queue time is a fraction of that of the Duomo. I’ll get to those at another time.

And so to end our first exhausting day, what better than spaghetti carbonara and a bottle of chianti at one of the many trattorias.  There must be hundreds but as we later found out, try to book ahead if you don’t want to be turned away while you watch all the happy diners munching away.  Yes indeed. Florence is crowded.