Florence Part II on Film

Hi Film Friends! Happy 2019! How has the start of year treated you so far? I can’t believe it’s already the end of January! My month has been so packed that I didn’t even realize it was nearing February soon. I’ve been busy with shoots and work that I didn’t get a chance to update this blog. But I’m here now!

Anyway, this will be a shorter post as I didn’t really take many photos in Florence and Rome. Back to the actual post!

On our last day in Florence, Qi Xuan and I decided to actually explore Florence. The first thing we did, was to climb up to the top of the Duomo. We bought a ticket the day before and that set us back €15. The ticket included entry to the Baptistery of San Giovanni, Santa Reparata, Giotto’s Bell Tower, Brunelleschi’s Dome and the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo. So quite a bargain. After buying the ticket, you still have to reserve a timing to confirm your place in the queue! Don’t forget that! It would be best if you could get the tickets and reservation when you first arrive in Florence.

We managed to get a slot at around 11am and after climbing 463 steps and seeing the magnificent frescoes in the interior of the dome, we were greeted with a foggy morning view of Florence. It was so serene, you could hear Florence waking up, people chatting on the streets below, accordions disrupting the morning silence and church bells chiming in unison all across Florence. I think we stood there for a good 30 mins just soaking in the city.

During our stay in Florence, one place where we frequently dined was Trattoria Zà Zà. What food instantly comes to mind when one mentions the Florence? That’s right! Pasta. Trattoria Zà Zà served up the best pasta I have ever had in my life. While we were there, we’ve tried the truffle spaghetti and Papardelle al Cinghiale, a flat and wide pasta dish served with wild boar sauce. Honestly it tasted a little bit like Bak Chor Mee from Singapore. Just talking about it has got my mouth watering. The interior of the restaurant looks exquisite as well.

With our bellies filled, we decided to visit the Oblate Library where you could see the Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral from the roof top terrace cafe. Definitely worth the time to visit as it is free and not too far from the city center.

Some students chilling with the Duomo in the distance.

Photos up till now were shot on the Contax T2 with Fuji Pro 400H. Developed and scanned by Photocity Lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

We then made our way to Piazza della Signoria, the main square of Florence to soak in some renaissance goodness. The square was surrounded by important buildings such as the Palazzo Vecchio (Town Hall), the Loggia dei Lanzi, the Uffizi Gallery, the Palace of the Tribunale della Mercanzia and the Palazzo Uguccioni.

Being the budget travellers we were, we only visited the Loggia dei Lanzi as it was a free open space gallery where antique and renaissance sculptures were on full display. The statues were bigger than an average human and very intricately carved. My mouth was constantly wide open with awe just thinking about the time and effort put into each sculpture while we were in the gallery.

Sculpture of Leonardo Da Vinci by the Uffizi Gallery.

After admiring all the art, we made our way to Piazzale Michelangelo, a look out point in the in the Oltrarno district of the city. There were many tourists as well as locals there just seated on the steps drinking wine and taking in all the views Florence had to offer. A busker playing the guitar definitely added to the laid back atmosphere of the piazza.

Once the sun started to set, we realized we still had so much to do. So we hurriedly made our way down the hill and towards Giotto’s Bell Tower where we watched the sunset. We were so blessed. The light was beautiful and I said it so many times to Qi Xuan, I’m pretty sure she got annoyed. Haha. But I think it’s a photographer’s thing where whenever they see good light, they’ll constantly bring it up. Especially if we don’t see it a lot where we’re from. Up on the tower, the church bells were ringing to signal the end of the day and the whole moment was just so peaceful. I suddenly felt really grateful to be where I was.

Scary mannequin by the side of the road.

I can hear the church bells ringing just looking at this photo.

After coming down from the tower, I realized we still had a bit of light left so I made a mad dash to the Arno river dragging Qi Xuan along. I was so lucky to have decided to visit the river. The waters were still and the sky slowly turned a pink and orange hue. There I was, watching the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever had the pleasure of viewing. The photos can’t even begin the show the marvel that we were seeing with our own eyes. I just felt so blessed at that moment.

5 minutes after. The stillness of the water really added so much tranquility to the moment.

Photos up till now were shot on the Contax T2 with Lomography 100. Developed and scanned by Photocity Lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

And that nicely wraps up our visit to Florence. Florence was a surprise to me because I haven’t heard much about it beyond the renaissance art that was available that. But the natural beauty really blew me away. I think that’s one of the reasons why Florence was the birthplace of the renaissance. The people living here were so blessed with all this natural beauty. The food was amazing too. Definitely one of the best I ate on this Europe trip.

Anyway, stay tuned as we explore Rome on film in our next blogpost, till then, keep shooting film friends!