Teresa

Can’t believe we’re in Florence!

5am wake up call but we were awake earlier for our transfer to Catania airport and flight to Florence. 

The hotel had kindly arranged some breakfast for us – just cereal, bread and packaged croissants and machine coffee. Then we had a private car take us and another couple to Catania airport which was about an hour away. The sun was just rising and sky was turning pink.
The airport was very busy at this time of the morning. After checkin we went to an airport lounge, again complements of our AMEX priority pass. It was very small and quiet apart from a little boy trying to get his father’s attention! 
I didn’t realise that Anthony had reserved us priority seats on our Vueling flight. We sat in the front row and were welcomed with a glass of water and anything we wanted from their small menu – coffee, juice and a toasted ham roll for Anthony. Lots of people jostled into the plane each with lots of hand luggage that needed stowing.
Best thing was the view over Mount Etna which had a dusting of snow.

Coastline view from our plane.

Short flight and we were in Florence! Negotiated our way to the shuttle bus for a 6 euro trip to the main train station – the Santa Maria Novella train station. Then excellent directions from Ricciardo saw us winding our way from the station to our apartment for 4 nights in Florence at Terrazza della pergola. We are very close to the Duomo and the Galleria dell’ Academia. Amazing views of the Duomo on the way – our Stendahl syndrome has started! So much beautiful architecture everywhere you look, layer upon layer, almost like a cardboard cutout street scene!

[ Note: Stendhal syndrome, Stendhal’s syndrome, hyperkulturemia or Florence syndrome is a psychosomatic disorder that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to an experience of great personal significance, particularly viewing art.

The illness is named after the 19th-century French author Stendhal who described his experience with the phenomenon during his 1817 visit to Florence in his book Naples and Florence: A Journey from Milan to Reggio. When he visited the Basilica of Santa Croce, where Niccolò Machiavelli, Michelangelo and Galileo Galilei are buried, he saw Giotto‘s frescoes for the first time and was overcome with emotion. He wrote:

I was in a sort of ecstasy, from the idea of being in Florence, close to the great men whose tombs I had seen. Absorbed in the contemplation of sublime beauty… I reached the point where one encounters celestial sensations… Everything spoke so vividly to my soul. Ah, if I could only forget. I had palpitations of the heart, what in Berlin they call ‘nerves.’ Life was drained from me. I walked with the fear of falling.[2]I was in a sort of ecstasy, from the idea of being in Florence, close to the great men whose tombs I had seen. Absorbed in the contemplation of sublime beauty… I reached the point where one encounters celestial sensations… Everything spoke so vividly to my soul. Ah, if I could only forget. I had palpitations of the heart, what in Berlin they call ‘nerves.’ Life was drained from me. I walked with the fear of falling.]

We were met at the apartment by Pam, a friend of Ricciardo’s. It’s very spacious and has everything we need for a comfortable stay, even a little private terrace. 

We had lunch at the OK cafe which is quite close to our apartment and received 10% discount by mentioning that we are staying at Ricciardo’s – seafood tagatelle, ravioli with mushrooms and capresse salad. Touristy but good food.

And then just wandered! So much to see. Managed to find a place to buy our Firenze card – good value at 72 euro per person for 72 hour access to a range of museums, churches and galleries. 


Bought provisions at carrefors (grocery store) and had a refreshing pot of tea when we got back to the apartment. Tired but started circling things on the map that we wanted to see. Still very overwhelming.  

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