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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

We're going to Florence, and....

58 replies

PeachesMcLean · 24/03/2007 22:40

want to know everything you know about it. I'm soooo excited!

We're staying near there with opportunities for a couple of day trips. Going in June with our 6 year old son who is well used to being dragged round "places of interest", and can occasionally be appreciative, but does anyone have any tips / advice / comments at all about the place. Food / places to see / what to avoid. Anything.
Thanks in advance.

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Califrau · 26/03/2007 00:35

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Ellbell · 26/03/2007 00:38

GreenPark

Califrau · 26/03/2007 00:40

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Ellbell · 26/03/2007 00:42

Dante !

Don't forget to blow him a kiss from me!

Thank you Peaches. I feel as if I've been on a vicarious holiday!

[Oh, and btw Califrau, dd2 has been absolutely fine, so I feel a bit ]

Ellbell · 26/03/2007 00:44

Depends when you are there, but if you're there at the end of June and go to Siena you may be lucky enough to catch one of the rehearsals for the Palio. The actual Palio is run on 2nd July, but they have practices in the Campo in the week running up to it.

jura · 26/03/2007 01:56

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Ellbell · 26/03/2007 13:31

According to this site , which also has pictures, you can see rehearsals for the Palio as follows:

29th June: 9 a.m. selection of the horses; 7 p.m. first rehearsal

30th June and 1st July: Rehearsals at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

2nd July is the race, but it is ultra-packed, and your ds would probably see more and spend less time claustrophobically packed into an overcrowded square on one of the rehearsal days.

Rosa5 · 26/03/2007 13:48

Agree re Palio and children the two should not be mixed. The trial races are far better.

Psycho · 26/03/2007 14:11

WE took our 6yr old son into Florence for a day trip last summer.

He loved it.

We went to the market next to San lorenzo and bought a Luca Toni football shirt -this was our first stop.

We also went in San lorenzo, our Ds is interested in everything if I have a guide book and tell him something about it all. He exhausts my own knowledge fairkly quickly.

We went into the medici family tomb (behind st.lorenzo i think) at Ds insistence, thought he find it dull but we were in there for an hour and a half. Medeicis can be interesting for small boys.

We then climbed the duomo, where we discovered that Ds is scared of heights. great views though, particuarly of inside the dumo, when you walk around the inside of the dome.

I then told ds all about staue of david how famnous it is etc, went to paiazza showed it to him, got tourist to take some family snaps of us all in front of it, only to discove half an hour later that we were looking at a differnet statue (Nero I think)had to explain that to DS.

DS then had portrait done by one of the many artist in the square.

Had lunch at a brilliant pizzeria outside centre recommneded in the Rough guide.

Then went to santa Maria Novella, where there's a paotrait of virgin Mary painted by an Angel (just last week overheard Ds showing his friend his scrapbook with a postcard of this in, saying nonchanently 'that's painted by an angel' DS and friend just nodded and moved on).

We had ice crream at festival gelato, but all the ice cream is fabulaous.

Finally went to San Marco, Ds loved this with the fescos and monks cells, we had to go round and round and choose our favourite.

Last of all we had a Mcdonalds at the station we were hungry and in a hurry>

It was a brilliant day. I love Florence.
We're going back this summer. Staying in Umbria, but having 2 days in Florence at the end.

Claigula, someone mentioned to me to visit the old orphange, now a museum?? can't remeber what it's called. can you help?

Psycho · 26/03/2007 14:12

Sorry Califrau, not Caligula!!

Twiglett · 26/03/2007 14:15

Florence

we got married there

must go back

Psycho · 26/03/2007 14:16

Married in Florence???

How wonderful.

Where, when how?? Post pics.

Twiglett · 26/03/2007 14:20

this is not us but we got married in the Sala Rossa in the town hall

we had 30 guests

it was marvellous .. we have amazing wedding photos .. in the Sala Rossa, with the statue of David, overlooking the Florence skyline

Psycho · 26/03/2007 14:24

Oh Twigglet that sounsd amazing.

But are you sure it was David and not Nero....??

Dh and I do have a vague plan to go to Rome to renew our vows for our 10th anniverary, or back to venice where we had our honeymoon, with the children this time. I love that idea.

Psycho · 26/03/2007 14:27

Go on, go on, put up some wedding photos, just for a short time.

In fact I think everyone on Mn should do this.

I love wedding photos.

Please Twigleet it sounds idyllic, I WANT TO SEE

Twiglett · 26/03/2007 14:28

I'm pretty sure it was David .. he was nekkid with a tiny todger .. Florence is famous for the statue of David (althouth the one outside Palazzo Vecchio isn't the real one ) ... not so much for Nero though

Mhamai · 26/03/2007 14:29

Can't really add anything that hasn't been already posted but just to be aware that museums are closed in Florence on Monday's My Greatgrandfather was from Luca

Psycho · 26/03/2007 14:30

I know Twig, but we manged to mistake nero for David.

the same square, also naked, little todger....it's an easy mistake to make!!

...waiting, excitedly for wedding photos....

Mhamai · 26/03/2007 14:31

Oops pardon my lack of a full stop and space.

Twiglett · 26/03/2007 14:34

I'm terribly confused .. pretty sure there's only one huge statue in the town square in Florence .. kind of certain its David

I don't have digital photos from my wedding sorry ...

Mhamai · 26/03/2007 14:35

Lucca even

Twiglett · 26/03/2007 14:36

ooo we loved Lucca ... fab walled city

Psycho · 26/03/2007 14:36

Don't worry, yours will be David.

there is another staue, which most people don't notice, and we were the only dunderheads taking family photos of us standing in front of it.

yours will definetly be David.

PeachesMcLean · 26/03/2007 16:20

Oh this is wonderful - you lot are so much better than any guidebook. And I love the guy on the tortoise! I ahven't had chance to read everything in detail - am supposed to be at work!

Mhamai - thanks for giving me the best laugh. I misread your post and now want to know where your grandad is from on Tuesdays, or any other day of the week for that matter.
LOL Psycho - I can't comment on McDs - I went to one in Paris [equally blushing]

Califrau - we're staying near Lamporecchio, south of Pistoia. Do you know it? Please tell me it's gorgeous.

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Califrau · 26/03/2007 16:29

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