Pisa, July 3rd, 2026 (The Berlin Spectator) – The train from Pisa arrives at Florence Central station after an hour. Are there differences between these two cities? It’s like comparing chocolate bars to Cadillacs. Florence has four times as many inhabitants as Pisa and far more tourists. We should probably multiply them by ten, and the prices by five. A day trip of the kind we are taking is not good enough, also because the number of sightseeing spots is huge. We decide to go for it anyway.
Entire armies of tourists are being guided through this labyrinth of cathedrals, museums and statues. Lots of tourists from the U.S. are trying to see it all in this brutal heat. So are Mexicans and other Latin Americans, Indians, Koreans, Japanese visitors and Europeans from every single tiny country this continent accomodates.
All of the tourists we run into seem very motivated. At 100 degrees Fahrenheit, this is exactly the kind of mindset they need. If they weren’t as determined as they are, they would probably give up and spend the entire day in their hotel rooms, inhaling the cool air blown into their faces by tens of thousands of A/Cs.
Banana Kefir
This is Florence, guys. Sure, I could complain about all those tourists who stood in my way. Since we are tourists ourselves, I will refrain from that kind of BS. But I don’t know how the locals deal with this invasion. Well, at least those visitors create jobs. Lots of them. And they drive up the prices. At a convenience store, the clerk actually wants to charge me 7,50 Euro for a chocolate bar and a tiny bottle of banana kefir. These two items would have cost 2 Euro in Pisa or Berlin.
The band-aids we purchased were 6,50 Euro instead of 90 Euro Cents. We complain in Spanish. The pharmacist apologizes in Italian. “It’s not our fault”, she adds, knowing prices in Florence are crazy.
But the city impresses us from the first moment. They could sell a tiny pack of band-aids for 50 Euro, and we still would have gone there. The first spot we reach is the square in front of the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral. What a building! Obviously, we are not the only ones who think so. Even though it is early, we end up in a huge crowd. But where is Michelangelo’s David?
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Inflatable Pool
At this moment, we remember another mission, which is checking out the Great Synagogue of Florence. So, we take the opportunity to escape the big stampede. Through narrow streets, we follow Google Maps to the destination. Even those typical apartment buildings look beautiful. Sweating like pigs, we arrive at a small Chabad school, where Haredim (ultra-orthodox Jews) discuss the Torah with congregation members or Jewish visitors.
One of the latter is a kind young man from Boston who patiently waits for the school to open. He says he likes to communicate with fellow Jews on trips. After chatting with him for a while, we enter the synagogue and we’re impressed again. This temple’s size could lead to the conclusion the congregation is large. But in reality, there are only 700 to 1,000 Jews in Florence.
Built in the 1870s, the Great Synagogue is one of the most beautiful Jewish temples in all of Europe. Sitting on one of the wooden benches in the men’s section feels good, also because this is a good way to get out of the heat for a little while. Behind the impressive building, two rebbetzins are bathing four toddlers in an inflatable pool. They greet us back by waving.
Similar Concept
Then, it is time to fight our way back into the masses. There he is: David, made in 1504 by Michelangelo, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. At least that is what lots of tourists think. But this one is actually a copy, while the original can be found indoors, at the Galleria dell’Accademia. It was moved there in 1873 because it was supposed to be protected. Yes, there are two copies, one made of marble, the other one of bronze. The latter is part of a monument dedicated to Michelangelo.
After inspecting the first David copy in all tiny details, we continue on. Once we reach the Ponte Vecchio bridge across the Arno river, we finally become slaves to this city. What a beauty! The concept is similar to Rialto Bridge in Venice, which we saw two years earlier. We shoot a record number of photos and keep on walking around, in spite of the temperature.
Then we notice something: All the sightseeing made us hungry. We go for a foccacia with garlic and tomato, prosciutto on honeydew and pasta with a good goulash-style beef ragout. While sitting there in the cool restaurant, we notice how tired we are. So, we head to central station and hop on the train back to Pisa. Will there be a second visit? Definitely.
