I have not start with my homework. Now I must act.
We like to walk around and relax for three days.
I am not very crazy about history but I will enjoy to go to Duomo and Uffizi .
Shopping. Any good leather near by Florence?
I would like to go to Cinque Terre from Florence for a day.
I would like to watch sunset while we eat dinner by Ponte Vecchio Bridge. Which do you recommend the places for dinner?
Any suggestions?
Leather goods are manufactured primarily in the areas west of Florence. I used to buy leather goods directly from manufacturers in those areas when I lived in Florence, but I don't recommend you go out of your way since your stay in Florence is so short. There are stores around the San Lorenzo Market that could fit your needs. Also "Santini" on Via Alamanni (west side of the SMN train station) has good prices for clothing and apparel.
From Florenco to cinque Terre is about 2.5-3 hour trip by train. Consult timetable in the www.trenitalia.com website. End of June timetable may not be available yet, but you can use a date in the next week. It won't change much. Use Italian name of train stations:
Florence=FIRENZE SANTA MARIA NOVELLA)
For Cinque Terre use any of the 5 villages you want to go to.
Not sure about sunset viewing at a restaurant at Ponte Vecchio. My cousin's home would be perfect, but it's not a restaurant and I'm not sure the restaurants down below get the same great view. Maybe others can chime in. My favorite restaurants have no view since the only view I care for is the plate in front of my face.
For a nice sunset you could try the wine bar Verrazzano Spumantino which is on the Altrarno side just next to the Ponte Vecchio. I think they only do small eats to have with your wine, but check out their website.
For a great sunset view, go to Piazzale Michelangelo. There is a bus, I think it's #12. Have a pre-dinner drink, stay as long as you like. Better restaurants are in the main town below.
Get tickets to the Uffizi in advance. For the Duomo you can purchase tickets on the day of, but buying in advance wouldn't hurt.
You can find nice leather kiosks by the Mercato Centrale or in the Piazza della Repubblica. I wish I would have left more room in my suitcase for more purses!!
Last summer I did a day trip to Cinque Terre from Florence with "CAF Tours". The tour was wonderful our tour guide was superb. We left from the designated meeting place around the train station and got back around 7-8 pm. When we got back, we ate dinner at a nearby restaurant and walked around and got gelato.
I like Zoe's idea. Piazzale Michelangelo provides a wonderful view of Florence, and we had drinks and a snack at an open-air cafe up there. We did it on foot, and I'd advise getting there early enough to climb up a bit farther to San Miniato, just above the piazza. It closes about 7:00 or 8:00 in the evening.
