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Florence Day 1 - Things did not start off very well on this trip

Our flight to Italy was so early on Monday morning that we decided it would be a good idea to sleep at the Generator Hostel in Russell Square the night before to enable us to get to Liverpool Street Station on time in the morning.

After a couple of drinks at the Generator bar we went to bed knowing that we would have to be up at four the following morning. For much of the night we couldn’t get to sleep and just when we began to doze off again the fire alarm sounded which sent us right into panic mode.

With less than two hours left to sleep I resigned myself to the fact that no sleeping was going to be done and lay awake listening to some music on my ipod.

We had organised to have a taxi take us to Liverpool Street Station where we caught the Stansted Express to Stansted Airport.

Our flight was on time and we arrived at Pisa Airport at 11:20 on Monday morning. From there we had a direct train journey to the central train station in Florence. Florence’s central station is called Santa Maria Novella.

When we got out of the station it was pouring with rain which made the task of finding our accommodation so unpleasant. We eventually got hold of a cab to drive us there. Our accommodation had been booked with Hostel Madrid. On our arrival we were welcomed by the lovely Mara who was the owner of the property. A delightfully friendly woman although sadly I could not understand a word she said as I don’t understand any Italian.

We left our luggage there and decided to head over to our first appointment. Things did not start off very well on this trip. Our usual enthusiasm was quickly dashed when we kept getting repeatedly lost in the rain. To make matters worse we had the issue of Gab’s shoes. I think any normal person would have survived just fine as I did but no, Gab had to go and find some new shoes before our appointment because his feet had gotten wet along the way.

After a quick search round we found some suitable shoes that set Gab back a bit but very soon we were back on track. The first appointment was with Ostello Gallo D’oro where we met with Max. He was truly lovely and offered us some good quality Italian espresso. He gave us a tour round his property. For what appears to be a very small place the rooms were spacious and clean and tidy with a great communal area to sit and socialise. The property is situated in a lovely area of the city and it’s totally central. The property is right outside of central station and is in the centre of all Florence attractions and museums.

From there we had one more appointment for the day which was at Soggiorno Gloria. We met with Lefty who was a delightful character. This property has a variety of rooms available and the atmosphere is very laid back.

Soggiorno Gloria is close to the central railway station of Santa Maria Novella, near the congress and the expo centre of the Fortezza da Basso, just a stroll away from the Medicean district San Lorenzo with its typical open air market and in the close vicinity of the main historical monuments.

From there we made our way out to grab a bite to eat. We discovered an amazing cafeteria that had some wonderful home cooked typed meals. Needless to say we feasted on some incredible food and a lovely glass of wine. When we got back to the hostel we headed to bed more or less right away as Tuesday was going to be a long day for us.

Comprehensive list of Florence Hostels.
For more information on getting around Florence go to Florence Public Transport