Hungover in Florence

Although I hadn’t expected to be hungover, booking Brunelleschi’s Dome for the morning was suddenly looking like a terrible decision. I’d had a great sleep, especially after finally getting to sleep in a comfortable bed for the first time in a while. Unfortunately, when I realised I had about an hour to get back to the hostel, pack everything, and check out, I was suddenly forced into a much more focused mindset. I left the girls’ place, walked back to my accommodation, quickly packed my bags, found somewhere to drop my luggage, and made my way to the main square. And that was only the beginning of my pain.

Before me were more than 400 stairs between me and the top of the dome. As part of the Brunelleschi’s Dome experience, we also got to see the inside of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. This was interesting, but honestly, not as impressive as some of the other churches I’d seen throughout Florence. That was surprising given that it’s the largest cathedral in Florence and one of the most spectacular buildings from the outside. I think the dome is really the main attraction. Nonetheless, it was still fascinating to see the ceiling from inside the cathedral, and then get up close to it as you climbed towards the top of the dome. They certainly weren’t exaggerating when they warned about the confined spaces. For someone of my size, I hit my head multiple times while trying to watch where I was stepping. The stairways were narrow, cramped, and winding, and there were plenty of moments where I wondered why I had voluntarily put myself through this while hungover. The view at the top made every single step worthwhile, though.

It was incredible to see Florence from that height. You could pinpoint landmarks throughout the city, see the surrounding countryside and hills, and take in the entire landscape. You’ll have to look at the photos for context because I don’t think I can do it justice with words. Florence is truly a beautiful city. Its global significance completely dwarfs its physical size, which makes moments like this even more special. You aren’t just looking down at a collection of modern buildings or endless skyscrapers. You’re looking over thousands of years of architecture, artistic design, compact living, cultural spaces, natural landscapes, and incredible feats of engineering. Because there are no skyscrapers or giant office buildings dominating the skyline, it genuinely feels as though you’ve been transported hundreds of years into the past. I would have climbed five times that distance to see it - even as violently hungover as I was.

It hasn’t been long into the trip, but Florence has already taken the cake as the city to beat when it comes to beauty, culture, art, and uniqueness. It’s incredible. My day was far from over, though. In fact, it had barely begun. I had to return, collect my bag, and take it to the train station for my journey to Rome. I had once again lucked out by staying with Stef and getting free accommodation in a proper Airbnb rather than a hostel. The catch - which wasn’t really much of a catch - was that she was going to a music festival that night to see an Italian rapper. Although I was exhausted, she had been kind enough to let me stay with her, so I felt like I should go along and spend some time with her. It ended up being a much bigger fuck-around than I expected. Stef went into the festival early to get a good spot, while I followed behind because it was a long train ride. When I eventually got back to the accommodation, I realised I didn’t have a key. So, I had to improvise. I gave myself a makeshift shower using wet wipes, threw my belongings over the fence, and headed off to the festival. At this point, I was starting to feel like a real backpacker.

I had been to plenty of festivals before, but I had never seen so many people packed into such a small area. Trying to get through the crowd about an hour before the performer came on stage was one of the most difficult crowd movements I’ve ever experienced. Eventually, though, I made it to Stef. When the rapper finally came on stage, the crowd became so dense and sweaty that I knew there was no way I was going to make it through the entire performance. Another thing I learnt that night was that Italians are very short. There were several women complaining that they couldn’t see over me, although I’m not really sure what they expected me to do about that. I did find it pretty comical looking out over the crowd of small brunette Italians and essentially seeing nothing but the tops of everyone’s heads. The photos reflect this. I also don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people choosing to film an event rather than actually watch it. The girl directly in front of me literally posted the entire 1.5-hour performance to her Instagram story. About 20 minutes before the end, I decided it was time to get out, grab a drink, and take a break. Getting out was almost as difficult as getting in. People were generally happy to let you through, but the crowd was so tightly packed that nobody could actually move. Somehow, the number of people inside the festival seemed to have doubled since I arrived, meaning the distance I had to squeeze through had doubled as well. Eventually, after a lot of pushing, squeezing, and apologising, I made it out. I had a good time, but fuck me, it was a big night. We eventually made it back despite having to deal with a very dodgy Uber driver who must have been in his 60s and spent most of the journey trying to hit on Stef. When we finally got home, we had a little smoke and promptly passed the fuck out, preparing ourselves for yet another big day ahead. Overall, despite not understanding a single word the rapper was saying and being cramped against hundreds of people for most of the night, I enjoyed the festival.

It was another completely unexpected experience, and I’m glad I went.

It was a huge day. But it was worth it.Read more