Our third stop in Italy was to magical Florence. We arrived in the evening to the city but the sun hadn’t set quite yet. It was picture perfect! People were everywhere, walking and eating in the streets and didn’t seem to mind much we were driving right through them. They simply just moved aside to let our car pass.
When we finally arrived to our hotel, The Savoy, we were so excited to see all the action happening right outside the door. Located in the Piazza della Repubblica, The Savoy was in a prime spot for shopping, site seeing, dining, and reaching just about anywhere in the city relatively quickly. Roman was extra excited because the piazza was so big that he could run around freely while daddy chased him. There was also a beautiful gold carousal that operated all day and night that he could not get enough of! As the sun set the Piazza turned into a hub for artists. Painters creating art, seamstresses making clothes, and singers playing the most beautiful music. All night long. At one point I was listening to a man play music on his guitar and sing while this couple just danced the night away. Standing in the middle of this, with the city lit up, I became so overwhelmed with emotion, tears started streaming down my cheeks. I really did not want that moment to end.
The Shopping and Art Scene
The shopping in Florence is really fantastic. Some of the most beautiful window displays I have ever seen were right outside our hotel. I was definitely taking note of some of the Italian brands for when I’m back to a normal sizes. We also discovered the cutest embroidery shop down one of cobble streets that we later went back to and purchased some things with our baby girls name on it.
There is art literally everywhere. It reminded me of Rome a bit how you’re just walking around the city surrounded by Masterpieces. But nothing compared to seeing the Santa Maria del Fiore Duomo. The Duomo is absolutely Incredible. Not just the size of it, which is HUGE, but the architecture of the buildings. It almost looks like it was hand drawn by a pencil. I looked forward to passing this every day as it was right around the corner from our hotel.
I think the best part about our time in Florence though was watching Roman discover the city and become a little explorer. We love seeing the world through his eyes and watching him light up with excitement when he sees something he wants. We hear it all the time, “but he wont remember this trip.” We simply don’t subscribe to that theory. We believe and know that traveling with our son shapes his personality and the way he sees the world around him. And, with all the photos we take, he’s sure to remember something!
Special thanks to The Hotel Savoy for an amazing stay and for catering to our little man so much. We will be back!XOXO
Bridjet