On June 15, despite the first match for Albania, against Italy, in the European championship, there was also the Firenze Rocks. The concert culminated with the group TOOL. We left with the 6 am flight from Tirana to Bologna. After arriving in Bologna, we changed 2 buses to arrive near the bus station, where we took the 10:40 bus from itabus. Flixbus seemed more punctual. We spent a few minutes panicking as the bus was late. Then there was heavy traffic on the way out of Bologna.
After arriving in Florence, about 2 hours later, we took the tram for about 40 minutes which stopped us near the hostel where we had booked for just one night. As this trip was last minute, we did not take advantage of good prices. Even though we booked about 2 weeks in advance, 80% of the hostels in Florence were 100% booked. We stayed at the hostel for about an hour and a half to relax. The journey up to these moments consisted of a taxi to Rinas, the plane, a series of buses and finally the tram.
The hostel had a nice pool and I took advantage to get some tanning and chill. Around 4pm, we left the hostel and the first destination was a place to have lunch. We went somewhere near “Mercato Centrale Firenze”, to a small roadside restaurant. Then the walk towards the city center started. First stop was Florence’s iconic Cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore. The cathedral is large and dominating, with white, black and pink marble. Which I find characteristic of Florence. Part of the cathedral is also the famous tower “Campanile di Giotto”.
Since we had very limited time, it was impossible for us to wait in long lines to enter various cathedrals and museums. For this reason, we missed the opportunity to see the magnificent David up close, but we were pleased with his copy at the entrance of “Palazzo Vecchio”.
This was another very interesting point to visit, with free entrance. It was connected to the “Uffizi Galleries”, and both were really big buildings, considering the narrow streets of the city of Florence. We continued our walk across “Ponte Vecchio”, a bridge that transports you back to medieval times with small shops on both sides and balconies overlooking the Arno River.
The next destination was “Piazzale Michelangelo”, a small square on top of the hill, where you can enjoy the whole panorama of the city, with the pride cathedral. The way there was challenging because of the stairs and the uphill, so I wouldn’t recommend it during hot hours of the day. Moreover, don’t forget to take water with you. Water in Florence and Bologna is potable and you can fill up bottles at public fountains.
While it was getting close to go to “Firenze Rocks 2024”, we made a stop for an aperitif and took the C3 bus to get closer to the hippodrome, the concert venue. Public transport in Florence and Bologna allows payment by debit or credit card at the terminals inside the bus. If you have a ticket, it must be validated and is valid for 70–90 minutes.
After a long wait to get into the concert, we finally got in. TOOL hadn’t started yet, so we took a walk around. The show, although simple, was very beautiful and the band was brilliantly. After the concert, we decided to challenge ourselves by walking to the hostel. Although it was only 30 minutes away, it seemed much longer.
The next morning, after checking out, we had breakfast at the hostel and took the same tram to go back to “Villa Costanza” bus station. The way back was faster and after arriving in Bologna, we went to “Parco della Montagnola” for coffee. We put our bags in a “Luggage Deposit” and continued exploring the city.
The first stop was “La Piccola Venezia”, a small canal that mimics the real Venice. We continued to the “Tombe dei Glossatori”, where there were three stone tombs from the 1200s. Then, we went in the center of old town, stopping at the Fountain of Neptune, “Piazza Maggiore” and “Basilica di San Petronino”. The special feature of this basilica was the white and pink marble for the lower part and bricks for the upper floors. We stopped for an aperitif right next to it.
We also visited “Portici di Bologna” with its old frescoes. Almost the entire old town of Bologna had its sidewalks lined with domes all along the way. The walk then took us to “Piazza Santo Stefano” and “Le due Torri: Garisenda e degli Asinelli”. One of the towers, envious of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, was weighing aside in an attempt to touch the other. For that reason I believe the area was fenced and visits to the towers were prohibited.
After a lunch, we returned to “Tombe dei Glossatori”, where the bus stop for the airport was located, thus concluding our weekend adventure. We took a quick tour around the cities and spotted a few interesting places, although I believe that all Italian cities are full of interesting squares, churches and historical sites that no trip is enough to savor.
