Rome And Florence Trip Log Day 6: Florence Day Trip Part Two - Visiting the Accademia Gallery
Today we are returning to Florence for the last time on this trip, and we are going to the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo’s David, a work of art I have dreamed of seeing since I was a child.
Getting tickets to the Accademia Gallery was unnecessarily stressful. It may be because we only had six days to put this trip together, but this was the only part of ticketing that was a pain.
Unfortunately, the Accademia Gallery suffers from scalpers and third parties buying up most of the tickets, so we were unable to purchase them directly from the gallery; we had to use a third party, and I think we paid an inflated price as well.
Once we arrived in Florence, it was a bit hard to find the Accademia Gallery because, to tourists, all of the streets look similar. That is not a complaint; this is just something travelers should expect when they visit.
We picked up our tickets, then waited in line outside for approximately 30 minutes before our entry time. It was fine until I heard one of the most ignorant comments I have heard in a while while traveling.
A family standing in line next to us was frustrated with the wait time and how narrow the streets were, as it was very cramped, with Florence's traffic and queues for the gallery in the same vicinity, and they legitimately said, "Whose idea was it to put a museum here?”
I lost so many brain cells.
It’s not like this museum is hundreds of years old and they had no idea that one day over a million people a year would visit the site.
God help us.
You can also read my detailed experience visiting the Accademia Gallery and my personal top three must-see works here: What To Know Before You Visit The Accademia Gallery And The Top three Must-See Works.
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But TDLR, Michelangelo’s David blew me away. The sculpture is massive, and I cannot comprehend how michaleonglo was able to craft such a beautiful work from marble. It’s a skill that no one has anymore. The definition in his veins and muscles was incredible, and I couldn’t stop looking at David. He’s gorgeous.
The museum is small, so it did not take us long to walk through the rest of the galleries and then purchase some items from the gift shop.
Right outside the museum exit is All’Antico Vinaio, an authentic Italian sandwich shop, so we decided to have lunch there.
The sandwich was really good, but the staff was a bit cold to me, and I did have an unpleasant experience. The sandwich is decently priced, but I prefer the staff, prices, and sandwiches at I Fratellini in Florence. We ate there for lunch when we visited Florence a few days earlier.
Before we caught the train back to Rome, we stopped at Venchi to get some chocolate. It was very expensive, and the salespeople were VERY pushy.
They wanted you to leave a review to get a discount on your purchase. As someone who has worked in retail and knows a bit about corporate and reviews, I declined, and they were shocked, then offered me the Wi-Fi password, thinking it was because I didn't have service.
But I still politely declined because I never understood why these corporations make employees ask customers to fill out surveys while they are standing in front of them. The review is not genuine, and the person is only doing it for the discount. This happened a few times in Rome and happened to me at some restaurants in the States and even at a hotel in Miami.
It just makes me rethink the honesty of reviews, especially since the hotel in Miami I am referring to was very different from what the reviews suggested. Honestly, it was one of the worst hotels I stayed in. If you want to be notified when that post goes live, please subscribe to my email list at the end of this post to be notified of my new posts.
Wish I remembered the name of this resturant
We then committed the travel sin of going to a restaurant clearly marketed to foreigners. Unfortunately, this was one of two instances in which we committed this travel sin.
The menu was entirely in English; only foreigners, Americans, I am assuming, were seated in the restaurant, and most of the menu items I did not see on the menus of other restaurants we have eaten at.
Notabley penne vodka. This was the first and last time I saw it on a menu because it is not an authentic Italian dish.
But we were starving and wanted to eat something after coming back from Florence, and then head back to the hotel.
This meal actually bothered my stomach, and it was the only meal this entire trip that did. I was eating fresh mozzarella on sandwiches in Florence and pizza and pasta with cheese in Rome, but this meal messed me up. It was not high-quality and very expensive.
Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of the restaurant.
After this disappointment, we made our way back to the hotel as we needed to rest up for our final full day in Italy, where we were going to visit St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, or so we thought.
TRIP LOG INDEX
Day 1: Traveling Abroad For The First Time
Day 2: Exploring Rome via Big Bus Tour and Visiting The Colosseum
Day 3: Florence Day Trip Part One - Visiting the Uffizi Gallery
Day 4: Visiting The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
Day 5: Exploring Rome via Gray Bus Tour - Visiting the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps
Day 6: Florence Day Trip Part Two - Visiting the Accademia Gallery
Day 7: Last Day In Rome - Almost Visiting St. Peter’s Basilica
Hi! I’m Andrea, the creator of Cinematic Excursions.
I am a video editor, photographer, travel and events vlogger, and blogger who likes to write movie analyses and yap about fandom. I also have a useless film degree.
I have been creating videos since 2018. In 2023, I started Cinematic Excursions to share my unfiltered experiences traveling, cruising, going on excursions, and using city cards that are supposed to save money.
I also use my platform to document my experience attending events like New York Comic-Con, MCM Comic-Con London, and the Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival, advising others and covering news from these events.