Daytripping has been mentioned again today by my family here, as something we can do this weekend or next. Suggestions: Milano, Turin, Pisa, Lucca, Rome and a few other smaller areas. So...decided to atleast have a rethink. Several times, I had already researched and thought about daytrips, by flying in/out of a different city then taking the train to Florence. Eventually, had decided, that for me, visiting anywhere in Italy for a day would ultimately be a disappointment, in that I know for me, it would not feel like enough time to do or see anything. Focusing on Florence, as imho even having 3 weeks here is still a short time! It´s Florence, after all, and I am an artist. There is no way, as much as I spend seeing things from the moment I arrive til the moment I leave, that I will feel like I couldn´t have spent months or more here. Frankly, being here makes me wish that I had come here to live directly from leaving high school--yes, I do love it that much and more here in Florence. It´s such a walkable city, among other things, and that is why I could live here, under different circumstances.
If I change my mind to do a daytrip after all, then info is here. Daytrips from Florence, in order of my preference:
1) VENICE Daytrip
Take the CDM not SMN* overnite fast train (ICN- number?771 I think) Marco Polo (see Trenitalia website for time tables, etc), Florence to Venice.
CDM = Campo di Marte station
SMN = S. Maria Novella station (SMN is where the airport bus goes to, and has many long distance trains, just not this one---or does it now have the Venice train also? or do both stations? Or, do they leave from CDM, but arrive return trip into the SMN? I need to check on this, to make sure my info is up to date).
Anyway, the train info I got was, train leaves Florence at nearly 2am, arriving in Venice about 4 hours later, early in the morning, as the city is waking up. Saves having to get a hotel room, if you get the return train back leaving about 6pm, arriving in Florence about 9pm. Total cost of trains, about 80E.
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Not really interested in seeing the other cities mentioned, compared to time in either Florence or Venice, my two top choices for Italy, unless of course I can borrow the tardis, then I will see all the cities!,)
Regardless, I enjoyed my visit to SMN, upon my arrival there. It´s very beautiful station, and I like train stations and trains, simply for them being train stations and trains, since a baby when I would "borrow" my older brothers metal trains,).
Gorgeous, loud, noisy, great station. I thought the details were charming, such as the double looped tiny and ornate metal/iron (?) fences about a foot high, surrounding tiny flower gardens on the ends of some platforms. The trains are lovely, modern and old-fashioned, really really charming station. I hope to spend some time to visit the others. SMN is the main station in Florence.
Slightly off-topic, this post reminded me, that it´s odd how much I´ve always liked trains and train stations, but how I also have always had rare nightmares of endless traintracks, being surrounded by nothing but train tracks, since seeing old black and white photos when young of the US meat packing and similar train districts.
When younger, I used to ride old steam trains along some wooden bridges in the US. Very charming, slow, open windows, loud whistles. I wonder if they´re still there...
