Florence is amazing!!! This was probably my favorite stop in Italy. Not just Florence, but Tuscany! Not only is the City of Florence beautiful with so much to see and do, but you have outlying towns and vineyards of Tuscany to explore as well. You can easily spend a week here! If you are an art lover, this is definitely the place for you! Even if you aren’t, you can’t help but to admire the architecture and beauty of this place!
How to Get Here
There are several ways to arrive in Florence. The first way, which is the way we came, is by train. The train systems in Italy are so convenient and easy to use. I was worried because I had never been on a train, but it was so easy! Just board the train with your luggage. Once on, there will be places to store your luggage. Since we were already in Venice, we just took the Trenitalia Frecce train here. The “Frecce” trains are just high speed trains. The main train station you will most likely be coming into is the Firenze S. M. Novella or Santa Maria Novella train station. The trip was just a little over two hours from Venice. You can buy your tickets online ahead of time, or when you get there. If you buy your tickets ahead of time, make sure you print them out. You can also fly into Florence. The airport is called America Vespucci. From the airport, you can either taxi or bus into the city.
Getting Around
Florence is easily accessible on foot. The city is not that spread out so we walked everywhere we went. If you do get tired of walking, just find a taxi stand and grab a taxi. If you want to visit the outer cities in Tuscany, you will need to rent a car, or book a day trip like we did as a tour. Italians drive on the right side of the ride like we do, so it won’t be hard to drive if you rent a car. We said we would rent a car or vespa next time we go.
Where we Stayed
We stayed at Hotel Duomo. This was a fantastic little hotel. It is right beside the duomo and baptistry. You feel like you’re right in the middle of everything. The staff are so friendly and helpful here. I left a dress in Venice and realized it on the train ride to Florence. As soon as I got to Hotel Duomo I asked them if they could call and see if the hotel found it. He had no problems calling them, and arranged for them to ship it to me at our next stop! They do have an elevator you can take so you don’t have to climb the stairs with your luggage. Let me just tell you though, the elevator is SMALL!!! If you are claustrophobic, get to climbing those stairs because you probably will freak out. For everybody else, think of the Dixie Chicks…say it with me….wide open spaces, wide open spaces! You will get through it! We booked the classic double room with dome view. It was so cool to get back to the room after a long day of sightseeing, open up the door to the window, and have a perfect view of the duomo. There is a delicious bakery a couple shops down from the hotel. One night we bought a ton of deserts, went back to our room with a bottle of wine, played Italian music, and sat there with the best view!
Things to do
We were only in Florence for two days, so trying to cram everything in was very challenging and almost impossible. I wanted to go to a vineyard and see other cities in Tuscany as well as Florence, so I dedicated one day to Florence, and I booked a day trip for the other day we were there. Now what to see while in Florence:
- Duomo
- Baptistry
- Cathedral
- Bell Tower
All these are right next to each other. Do not miss climbing to the top of either the Cupola or bell tower. I wouldn’t do both but choose one to do. The views are amazing and worth the 5 million stairs…just kidding but there are a lot of steps (463 to be exact!) for the cupola climb. We chose the cupola, which is another name for the dome of the Duomo. You do have to buy tickets to do this.
- Accademia Gallery– This is where the famous statue of David is, along with tons of other sculptures and art work.
- Mercato Centrale– This is a cool place, kinda like a fancy food court. There are a lot of restaurants and bars in here. It’s a great place to stop and grab something to eat and a drink.
- Piazza della Signoria– Here is where you will find Neptune’s fountain and lots of statues.
- Uffizi Gallery– a huge art gallery located in Piazza della Signoria.
- Palazzo Vecchio/ Ponte Vecchio– a bridge that you can not miss! There are lots of shops, restaurants, and places to see along this bridge.
- Pitti palace and Boboli Gardens
- Piazzale Michelangelo- I saved the best for last. This is the best view of the city! We went here at night and the view is amazing!! There were people sitting on the steps here with a bottle of wine, just taking in the views. I will be one of those people next time we come! I would like to see it in the day time as well!
Where to Eat
Ok, let’s get to the important stuff…food!! We ate dinner one night at Ristorante Ciro & Sons. I highly recommend this place. The restaurant is beautiful inside and they have outside seating as well. The food and service was so good! I ordered chicken Alfredo, which by the way is impossible to find in Italy, and my husband ordered spaghetti. We also ordered a pizza for both of us to split….yes we like to eat! Everything was so good.
Another place we ate dinner at was called Osteria dell Olio. This was my husband’s favorite thing he ate in all of Italy. Florence is known for their Florentine steak. If you are a steak lover, take my advice, and go here! He ordered the Florentine steak and I ordered ravioli. We also got a plate of pasta to split…hey I told you we like to eat and we are in Italy! I regret nothing! Everything was so good! He still talks about this steak all the time. It comes pretty rare, so I only took one bite because I don’t like my steak to moo. I will say the flavor of the steak was out of this world! So good!!
Now, let’s talk gelato. If you don’t get gelato almost everyday in Italy, I don’t even know who you are! We had gelato both days we were in Florence. Perche’ No! is the first place we had gelato. It was so delicious! It is not far from the duomo.
The other place we went to was called Gelateria Dondoli. This was the best gelato we had on the entire trip! It is located in the town of San Gimignano. Our day trip we took stopped here and the line was long to even get into the gelato shop. They have won world championships for several years. This gelato was so creamy and delicious!!! If you got strawberry gelato, it tasted like you were eating a fresh strawberry! Hands down, the best gelato!!
Florence was so amazing, with beautiful architecture and art at every turn! Stay tuned for next Tuesday. I will tell you everything you need to know about a day trip from Florence. I’m talking all about the winery and other cities in Tuscany we went to!