When I arrived in Florence, I quickly realized this wasn’t a city meant to be rushed through. The streets are small, the buildings are old and packed together, and everything you want to see is close by. Walking isn’t just transportation here, but a part of the whole experience. While walking, you turn a corner and, suddenly, there’s a cathedral, a gelato shop, or a live street perfomer. Stepping outside, you're always met with something different.
Most people walk, just like I do. There are buses and trams, which are more helpful if you’re going outside the city center to the airport or farther neighborhoods, for example. Florence has a big train station, Santa Maria Novella, where you can hop on a train and be in Rome in about an hour and a half. However, inside Florence itself, walking is usually just as fast (if not faster!) because the streets twist and turn and cars are limited in the historic center.
Honestly, I love walking. I felt independent and curious, like I could follow any street and it would lead me somewhere amazing, such as a piazza (plaza) full of music, a hidden bakery with fresh pastries, or a view of the river.
