Hey everyone, back in January 2020 which seems like forever ago even though it’s still the same year I went to Florence for some work. Due to the timings of the flights I managed to have two evenings and a day to explore by myself which was really exciting. I absolutely love Italy especially the food of course! However, I had never been to Florence so it was really exciting to visit somewhere new but to also have the chance to explore it a bit as well.
I flew into Florence on Wednesday evening out of Gatwick which is easy to get to from my work. I left work at around 13:00 pm in order to make my flight which was later on in the afternoon. The thought of getting on a plane almost seems alien at the moment however, during normal circumstances I actually really love flying it makes me so excited. I prefer long-haul flights as I love having the time to take a break from the world and watch lots of movies whilst travelling to somewhere new.
I arrived in Florence at about 18:00pm local time so I just jumped in a taxi to my hotel and then ventured out to get some food. Luckily, I found this really nice restaurant close by which was reasonably priced as well. I decided to order pasta for the first night as I had plenty more opportunities to order pizza. I went for a classic tomato pasta with lots of parmesan on top. I loved the feel of the restaurant as it was very authentic and the staff were so lovely.
After dinner, I went back to the hotel which was only down the road, and settled in for the evening. The hotel itself was very Italian but it was actually a really nice hotel and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay. I was actually quite sick when I went to Italy as I had a very sore throat and cough so I had to take some medication with me. I made sure to rest as much as possible the night before as I knew that I would be talking a lot the next day and would need all my energy. Although Italy is known for being a warm place it was actually quite cold in January so I made sure to pack lots of layers.
The next day I got up and had some breakfast in the hotel before heading to a local cafe to use their wifi. I wanted to check on my work emails first as I wouldn’t have much of a chance to throughout the day. The main reason I was in Florence was for the Pitti Immagine Uomo show which is basically Florence’s version of London fashion week. The company I work for had donated some of our products to one of the businesses that had a stand so that they could create tasting samples for the visitors. I spent the day talking to people who came to the stand and talking about the company I work for and the products we sell. I also had a chance to walk around some of the show which was absolutely massive. I found it really fascinating as there were lots of fashionistas walking around in some incredible costumes.
After the working day had finished I then headed into the town centre to have a look around. Even though it was around 18:00 pm the city centre was bustling with lots of people. I walked around for about an hour before I headed back towards my hotel. On the way back I stopped off at a local supermarket to pick up some snacks for the evening. I then went and got some dinner at the same restaurant I went to the night before as it was familiar and close to the hotel. This time I went for a pizza with anchovies on which I know is an acquired taste but I just love them because they are really salty. Pizza and pasta are two of my favourite things so I just knew that I had to eat both of them while I was in Italy.
After dinner, I went back to the hotel and watched some TV before heading to bed as I was going to need my energy the next day as well. By this point, I wasn’t feeling great but I was powering on and I think because I was in a different country I wanted to make the most of it. I was very happy to get into bed and settle down for the evening as the day had really worn me out. Having to talk to a lot of people when you can’t talk much yourself was quite tough but I did manage to do it. I just made sure that I was always drinking warm liquids and that I had a scarf on to protect my throat from the cold.
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