Florence

A small quaint city, with walkable narrow streets and amazing food. This city is known for its artwork, with the region of Tuscany in its backyard! While only here for a few days, we maximized our time with a wine tour, cooking class, and museum visits.

Also known as Firenze, it has a small-town feel to it, despite the quantity of things to do and see. Most places to see and food to eat lie within a 40 square mile radius, and only has about 400,000 residents. You can walk from one end to the other, which will take about 20-30 minutes!

GENERAL TIPS:

Stay in the outskirts of the city radius – I know this seems counter-intuitive, but trust me, the walks are easy, and you’ll be better accessible to get in and out of Florence without hassle (I’ll explain later)
Don’t bother with Uber, but opt for taxi or train – it’s cheaper and they run more frequently!
GO EARLY if you want to see Michaelangelo’s David – it’s the place where it gets so overwhelmingly busy if you sleep in
Find wine windows in the Santo Spirito region south of the Arno River – it’s less touristy, but still close to the historic center
Opt to visit in April, May or Sept/Oct – these are the least touristy times, as well as gorgeous weather for all the walking
Check the dates of your visit against any holidays – because it’s a small town, restaurants and stores will close on holidays!

Where to Stay

We stayed in a wonderfully peaceful hotel called the Ville Sull’Arno. With a charming garden, incredible included breakfast, and zen spa at your disposal, it was easy to take a relaxing morning here when it rained. The room service was divine and didn’t have an extraordinarily large price tag attached to it.

The major downside of this hotel is its location. Located further down the Arno River, which meant a 40-minute walk into the center of the city, or a 20-minute taxi ride. This city really is meant to be walkable. Inevitably every time, it took longer to wait for the taxi, and then experience the roundabout routes the taxi must take to get to your destination (due to closed roads exclusively for pedestrians). However, we loved being removed from the tourism, even if it meant an earlier morning start or a later evening.

These are the hotels I’d recommend instead after visiting: **we really have been gravitating toward the hotel with that boutique feel!

What to Do

Well, the best things in Italy are the food and museums! If you’re going to maximize your museum visiting, make sure you get the Firenze card. This will give you access to many difference museums, without paying more for each individually (FYI does not include the Duomo).

My top recommendations are Galleria dell’Accademia, The Florence Cathedral (aka the Duomo), The Uffizi Gallery, and Palazzo Pitti. For the Duomo, Galleria, and Uffizi, you’ll need to reserve a time to visit in advance to avoid long lines.

Some free plazas and sightseeing:

Piazza della Signoria
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
Ponte Vecchio

Because there is so much to see within and around the Duomo, I recommend a full morning at least. Try a custom panini for lunch at Panini Toscani right across the Duomo and an aperol spritz at Move On. If you’re into music, you must check it out this vinyl shop/bar to take a break from sightseeing!

The Mercado Centrale

The Mercado Centrale was the highlight of my foodie experience. We started out in this market before our cooking class, to gather our fresh ingredients for the day. We found some great cooking products and utensils to bring back with us to Cairo as mementos of our trip! You can walk upstairs to the mezzanine floor, and order some of the best pizza in Florence. All of the vendors accept card or cash. You can buy groceries, hot or cold food freshly prepared, or order drinks. It’s truly a great place to hang out!

The BEST shops in the market are Pany da Lory (amazing truffle oil), and Perini (sublime cheese).

Our Cooking Class (Taste of Italy) *found on Get Your Guide!

This was so fun for us. We cooked a beef ragu with tagliatelle, spinach and ricotta ravioli, and made tiramisu for dessert. Our chef instructor was incredibly knowledgeable and helped us execute delicious dishes, even though it was our first time!

Unique Finds and Shops in Florence **I added links!:
– Acquaflor: a gorgeous perfume shop – but the kick is you can design your own fragrance!
– Leather goods: Madova has been around for a LONG time, and sells the best quality
– Formaggi e salumi (Sandro & Ivana) – the king of cheese operates here (Via dei Serragli 39 50125 Florence Italy Palazzo Pitti)
– Antica Trattoria Da Tito – classic Tuscan food in a traditional trattoria
– Enoteca Maria Novella – niche wine shop for all things Chianti classico e Brunello wine
– Eredi Paperone – the cutest paper goods shop; a great place for handmade paper goods to give as gifts!

Chianti Classico

Last but not least, I must write about the WINE. Okay, so I still prefer a bold French Bordeaux, but it was still delicious! The wine favored more of a pinot noir lighter vibe, if you’re into that. I found a Tuscan wine tour on Get Your Guide, and they took us to two chateaus where we tasted the finest Chianti classicos!

Wine Windows

An iconic (and fun) part of Firenze history! Dating back to the 16th century, these windows allowed wealthy families to sell the wine they made directly, bypassing taxes and middlemen. The Medici family (Cosimo de Medici) was the mastermind of this concept! The city of Florence boasts 150 wine windows (not all working), but it’s fun to try and spot one as you travel throughout the city. Take a look at the wine window association’s website for more history. I used this link while I was in town to find one for myself!

Overall, do keep an eye on your belongings at all times, plan ahead, especially for the popular sites, and try to wake up early to miss the heavy tourist rush! I didn’t notice any pickpocketers, and thankfully nothing happened to us, but I do know they flock to the tourist traps to swipe anything they can. Plan to walk everywhere! Pack comfy shoes, and layers so you can bundle up when it gets chilly or rainy.

I hope you visit Florence and enjoy its beautiful sites! Let me know if you come across any gems or fun things I didn’t mention. xo