Hello,
this will be my first TR here. I do not plan to do this totally live, as I much prefer to post from my laptop, and for sure I don't want to carry it with me But still I will do my best to provide an update at least daily.
It's a Plan B - Plan A had a 10 days in Middle East, but last wave of cancellations left me without it, less than 3 days before expected departure. So, after some search for reasonable prices and new places, I ended up with 4 nights in Florence (and later on also in Naples, but that will be separate trip). For the first time I decided to book some activities in advance.

So, what to expect:
- quick morning coffee in Polonez, Warsaw
- Austrian hop WAW - VIE on E195
- layover in VIE, rather no lounge, as it is about 55 minutes
- Austrian VIE - FLR also on E195
Day 1 there was focused of walking around the city, but due to Olympic Volleyball Gold Final, I will find some nice enoteca to watch the game and enjoy some wine. Walking around is scheduled for later, but if the game will have 5 sets, this may be topic for a last minute cancellation
Day 2 - morning walking around and enjoying the city, since early afternoon Galeria Uffizzi, later on some other attractions of the city
Day 3 - more sightseeing from the Uffizzi ticket option, possible quick visit to the local food market to taste something good, around a lunchtime organized tour to Wineyard 1, expected comeback around 9 pm.
Day 4 - well, nothing new in the morning, maybe some shopping, and again from a lunchtime tour to Wineyard 2, same comeback to the city. Maybe also some late night walk around.
Of course, in the meantime I will do my best to try as many things as possible, but lets' see how this will go. Have some preindentified places to visit and dishes to try.
Day 5 - last morning in Florence - maybe some walk in the morning, maybe last shopping and to the FLR airport:
- FLR - MUC on Air Dolomiti E195 (or 190, not sure here)
- longer layover in MUC - so some lounge time and tour around the airport. Nice exception for my usual gate-to-gate rush there
- MUC - WAW on LH.
Hope you will enjoy this TR.

Welcome to FT and well done on posting your first TR. Florence is one of my favorite places. Keep us posted on your travels...

Welcome and looking forward to Florence!

Be prepared for the hottest days of the year due to another heatwave, the forecasted highs in Firenze for the next entire week are between 36 and 38 C with high humidity. Anyway, Looking forward your TR.

Hello from very hot Florence! Time for some first updates, from the morning. This means that for sure I will be behind schedule with some "live" updates.

4-point-something-am wake up to catch the Bolt to the airport. Despite 3 morning LH-group departures, checking a bag was a breeze. Security also, despite a family who looked like they were first time there From entering the terminal to the airside in less than 10 minutes. 30 minutes left for some breakfast at Polonez. So, just a few bites fo cheese and meat, and some coffee and something more to start the day properly




Quite a standard selection for now. The lounge was not so crowded, despite limited space, due to renovation.
After some time there it was time to board. Or almost a time to board, as boarding started about 10 minutes behind schedule. E195, so standard business cabin, row 1 for me today on both legs. Quite good amount of legroom. 3 rows of business cabin, 4 out of 6 seats taken. Shortly after takeoff, the breakfast was served. Quite enjoyable, of course, some coffee and Schlumberger to follow it. Absolutely great purser, and very attentive. Flight totally nice and uneventful.







Our motto for today is... bus gate Which shortened the connecting time in VIE from relaxed 50 minutes to about 30 before the next boarding. And the gate was at the end of the airport, and one level below the "standard" one, which means... guess what - bus gate.

But I still somehow made it to the lounge to use the toilet and have some coffee. Opted for a quick doppio, but the Meindl cups were not suitable, so after a quick fail, I downgraded myself to single. And a bottle of Almdudler to take with me - no time to enjoy it there, Time in the lounge - maybe 8 minutes door-to-door.



Quick stop in the Worldshop to get the red bag, because why not



Bus gate, which meant priority standing in the bus
After reaching the plane it turned out that I would be on the same plane, with the same lovely crew as on the first leg. I was quite happy with that. Again row 1 for me, 2 rows of C cabin, all seats taken. 2 buses needed to board the plane, so Schlumberger was offered as the pre-departure drink. And was enjoyed
Slightly different meal, coffee, and more Schlumberger in the air.




Another great flight and great service from the purser. BTW, choose the right side if you want to have a look over Venice.

And guess what - bus gate for another time. So I had the first chance to feel the heat

Bag collected, fo curse nobody took the "priority" tag as a serious thing. Next step - tram to the city.

The best (and cheapest) way to get from the airport to the city is via tram. The T2 line runs from just next to the terminal to the city center in about 20 minutes, with departure every 10 minutes or something like that. Ticket machines are on the platform, one-way ticket is 1, 70 Euro. Just please remember to validate it. This is a little bit confusing, so every tourist stamps the ticket at least twice, as it is hard to find out which side up you should put it to the validator

After a tram ride and another 10-minute walk, I was in my apartment. More about it in some later posts, but it is rather basic, as I'm usually out most of the time in the city.

The next goal was to find a spot to watch Olympic Volleyball Gold Final. As Mercato Centrale is close to my apartment, I decided to check this location first. Will cover it later on, as I was pretty late for the offering on the ground floor, but you can find there everything that you may need - cheeses, meat, fruits, wines, etc. For sure will go there before my departure to do some big shopping.

Upstairs there is a big food court with big TV screens broadcasting Eurosport 1. Quick check if they will show the match that I need, and I know that I'm in the right place. Lovely enoteca close to the screen, so let's start







Unfortunately, only 3 sets were played.

About Enoteca - there is a big selection of wines available to purchase for glasses. Prices start from about 5 Euro (for example for Lambrusco), the rose was for 6, and local sparkling specialty for 9.
Finger food is 3 euros each, with about 10 to select from. Quite an enjoyable bite to go with wine.

The food court was full, so after the match I went back to my place to rest a little bit (and add the previous post). After some time I was back in the city, so more to follow.

Oh yes, you can feel it. So, the big bottle of water and Panama hat are your best friends. But it isn't impossible to survive in the city. Or at least that's my opinion for today

OK, the time is running fast, so it means that I have about a 24-hour delay in this report. Sorry for that. Will do my best to keep it more up-to-date.

After some rest, which I didn't use for a nap (mistake) I got a little hungry. Being hungry in Italy at about 5 pm is usually a mistake, But once again Mercado Centrale is a solution.
The first local specialty to try is the sandwich with cow's 4th stomach. Sound gross, but tastes very interesting. Usually comes in the form of the simplest possible sandwich, top half topped in a sauce to make it more moist. Quite a good quick bite. Do not be afraid to try. Price: 6 Euros.



After that, it was time to explore the city more. First, crossing the river via the famous Ponte Vecchio.





After that, I decided to climb to the Piazzale Michelangelo, which - keeping in mind the temperature - was at least a brave decision, someone may name it stupid
The climb was intense, and at some moment I reached a heart rate at the level of good orbitrec training. You can go a more distant way, but I decided to use the stairs to make it a little bit faster. Up there there are cafeterias, so you can hydrate yourself if needed. Wiev was really good, and if you want to have a good look at the city, I think that this is a mandatory place to go.









Going down is much easier On the way there is a tower to climb - Porta San Niccolo, but I resisted the temptation to go there, as I had enough stairs for some time
Some nice views around:






Back to the "my side of the river" using the nearest bridge available



And then some walk around the city. I will present more pictures directly from the city in a separate, dedicated post. Plan for the rest of the day: back to the apartment for a shower, some beer and a small dinner.

After a shower and some rest with a beer


Stile Capri means that there is a lemon flavor, but it was hard to find, so I would classify it still as a classic one. Very refreshing.

I was tired, so I decided to check the maps for someplace for dinner, as close as possible. I chose Osteria Il Basilico, with some god opinions. I was not in the mood for pizza or pasta (maybe it was a mistake), so I went with the grilled lamb and some local IPA beer to follow.




The dish was really nothing to remember. Just a very standard piece of meat with potatoes. So, I will not come here again, unfortunately. IPA was also very standard. Not so hoppy, not "dry" in the IPA style. Rather on the lower shelves of IPAs. But still a nice change from lager.

After the dinner, I planned to just come back to my room, and have some local wine, but there was one significant problem. I had no glass in my room. Like even no water glass. Really nothing. And we are not here to drink wine from a bottle, or maybe not now

So, once again, Mercado Centrale. There are some wine bars and enotecas there. At first, I was really surprised, but the enoteca where I watched the game transferred into a place for cooking lessons. Like a totally confusing metamorphosis. And they were closed. But just a few meters from there, another place was present. Some I came there with a question, that I just want to buy a wine glass. At first, I was sent to a souvenir shop. There was nobody there, finally, they found the employee, and they started to search There were plenty of them at the display, but no, they still searched everywhere and found nothing. It took about 10 minutes or more and was really confusing. I came back to the bar and they really had to think about what to do. Seeing them do confused, I just explained them, that my needs are as basic as they can be, as I have nothing in my room, so I don't need any fancy packaging, just give me a glass, please And I will pay for it. Problem solved in 10 seconds.

Quick march to a Pam Local, which is the nearest market, and some simple wine for today:



Quite good, cost: 6,50 Euros. Very needed end of my first day in Florence

After much-needed sleep, I was up before 9. Breakfast is included in my stay, and - to my surprise - South meets North, so you can also find bacon, eggs, sausages, etc. Lovely surprise. After a few bites, back to the city. Some walk and quick espresso on the way



Some interesting clothes available for purchase (but I didn't check how much is the Lowcost )



And some interesting cooperation between luggage brand and Italian volleyball national teams:



First planned stop of the day: Ferragamo Museum



Rather a small one, but interesting. As far as I remember, it has 9 rooms. Focused on shoes manufactured by Mr Salvatore, not on the current brand. The entry fee is 8 Euros. Nice place to spend 30-45 minutes. I was surprised, that there was no cafeteria there.







So, no coffee means a quick hop on the other side of the river





Some Piazza there with a Cathedral, uninspiring from the outside, but nice inside (as far as it was available, due to prayers)




Espresso is a great form of coffee, but has it's master of type, which is - of course - Caffee Coretto. Some will name it the only proper coffee in Italy
Available with a few choices of alcohol, I prefer it just with grappa. It gives you a lot of energy Some drink it instead of Red Bull, and I totally understand this approach Very affordable 2 Euros at the Piazza with Cathedral.




Further plan - some shopping including collecting order from one of the stores in the city, and to the apartment for a shower, some rest, and then back for lunch and Uffizi, which is booked for 2 pm.

I can't believe how delayed I am with this report
And - on the other hand - I can't believe how in rush I am. Booking some experiences in advance was on one hand nice idea, but on the other it forces a lot of planning, not to be late.

But, getting back on the track...

Lunchtime - my new Italian discovery. EATALY - a network of shops and restaurants around (at least) couple of big cities in Italy. Very nice shop with some nice offers, for sure a place to go, if you know what you need.



Expect more cheese, vinegar, wines, pastas, pesto, and everything that you may need. Or may not, but the Dolce&Gabbana-designed box for spaghetti with a kilo of pasta inside was tempting

But, back to the food. They have tables outside, and deep inside. I prefer those inside. As well as cafeteria inside, just after the entrance. The menu consist of mostly something around classic dishes, with good quality and OK prices. Already I've had 3 meals there, and enjoyed all of them. So, for my first I went with Arancino with ragu (6 Euro as far as I remember) and focaccia (6,5). Both really tasty.





For the main I went with tagliatelle al rags, typical classic dish, but very tasty (16,9 Euro). Washed down with some local beer.




Parmiggiano was available, if wanted, but I politely declined.

Quick espresso at the bar when going out, and to the Uffizi, as time was running short (my motto for this trip).

So, Uffizi.
What to expect? A lot of people, than a lot of people, and third thing - a lot of people Be prepared for crowd, lines, etc. Even with the "skip the lines ticket".





The art inside is an absolute masterpiece, and worth visit. For sure. But expect crowd inside, and lines for the best picture. To take these, I had to wait about 30 minutes




And, of course





And, even more of course



Of course, if needed, I can provide much more pictures.

For the visit, please reserve minimum 2,5 hours. The maximum times depends on your pace, but you can easily spend a day there.

But, for sure, it was worth it. And it must be said.

After the Uffizi it was time memorabilia (which I'm not sure I will use, but maybe just for the future)


The hour was absolutely perfect for some much needed refreshment (and a shower)



After that self-improvised aperitivo, I headed up for the dinner, back to EATALY.
Bruschetta to start



And nduja' and burrata pizza for the main




The plan for the rest of the evening was simple - this refreshment and some rest, as the next day was about to be intense.

After a quick breakfast (no bacon this time) it was time to visit Mercado Centrale and do some shopping.

This is a big hall with plenty of shops with most food items that you may want. Fish, meat, some frutti di mare, cheese, cookies, wine, vinegar, etc. Of course it can be, and it will be crowded.










The prices are rather fair, slightly higher than in shops, but slightly. The big advantage of this place is that you can get a lot of information about the products, and some tasting to get what exactly want. I had the pleasure to taste the whole range of kinds of vinegar, and some nice, matured Parmigiano. Of course, purchases were made to get the good things home, for myself, and my friends.






You can have your cheese vacuum-pack for 50 Cents, and if you are HBO, most of the places offer shipping worldwide. Now, back to the apartment to leave the items. The next point of the day will be lunch at EATALY (guess what, quick lunch, as I was delayed, like always on this trip ) and then the first vineyard trip.

Wow - the red on your photos of the tomatoes and pizza really pop. Hope they were equally tasty.