If you love art, architecture, and food Florence, Italy is somewhere you need to visit. The streets are filled with art and food that will make anyone fall in love with this beautiful city. Over the course of two weeks I traveled around northern Italy. We started in Florence then made our way to Cinque Terre and finished in Venice. This blog post I will go over our time in Florence but if you’d like to read about Cinque Terre or Venice click here!
Day 1
Day 1 started after an overnight flight to Florence, Italy. We booked an airport shuttle pickup through Air BnB. We didn’t have early check in and had some time to kill before we could check in so we found a luggage storage option through BOUNCE.
Finally our Air BnB was ready and we were able to check in. We stayed here and it was perfect for our group of 6. This Air BnB was right near the Vecchio square and had windows facing streets that would fill with music at night.
At this point we were super jet lagged but we had to power through for our food tour. We booked this food tour and it was well worth it. We had delicious food and drinks and we were able to learn about some of the food history of Florence.
Day 2:
Souvenir shopping
Since we were with a group of 6, I had no expectations for them to make it out the door at a reasonable hour after a long day of travel. I however was ready to go out and explore Florence. My mom and I took a little stroll along the busy Via Por Santa Maria which had lots of tourist souvenir shops. A few streets over less crowded with less shops but more history and exploration.
Mercarto Centrale
For lunch we walked to the Mercarto Centrale- a massive food market and food hall. This place had everything and I mean everything. Pasta, pizza, sandwiches, sweets, drinks not even mentioning the market stalls for fresh meats and produce. This place was beautiful and if you love food you’ll love it too.
Academia gallery and Duomo tour
The academia gallery and the Duomo are some of the most famous things to do in Florence. We booked this tour which took us to the Academia Gallery, Duomo, and the Ponte Vecchio. Although long, this tour was a great way to learn about the history of the most famous places in Florence.
Museo Della Bistecca
Lots of walking and learning made us hungry so we stopped for a charcuterie board and glass of wine at the Museo Della Bistecca. This place was right outside the door of our Air BnB which made it an easy place to stop. Spoiler we came back here for dinner on our last night because it was so good.
Osteria Pastella
For dinner we made reservations at Osteria Pastella which is highly recommended as there was a line outside waiting to be seated. This restaurant is where you can get the famous cheese wheel truffle pasta. Some might say it is a tourist trap but the food here was delicious. It was one of my favorite meals we had in Florence.
Also, I would like to mention most every night ended with either gelato, wine, or listening to street music but most nights ended with all three.
Day 3
Guided Uffizi Gallery tour
We started day three with a guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery. Our tour came with skip the line admission and we were able to learn a lot about the art inside. It felt a little rushed so if you want to take your time and see everything I’d just go on your own.
All’Antico Vinaio
It’s not a trip to Florence unless you’ve had one of their delicious sandwiches on schiacciata. There are a lot of places in the city but we went to the famous AllAntico Vinaio which was worth it. The line moved fast and the sandwich was delicious.
Bardini Gardens
After lunch we took a stroll through the Bardini Gardens which has a wisteria pergola that is stunning. We were there at the end of April and it was in full bloom! The bardini gardens are also a great place to view Florence from above. Near the Bardini Gardens is Piazzale Michelangelo which is another great place to see the city of Florence and also free.
Trattoria Zaza
We made dinner reservations at Trattoria Zaza which was another good call since there was a line waiting to be seated. Each room had a different decor theme and walking through the maze of rooms felt magical. The food was delicious and I recommend making reservations here.
Day 4
All day Tuscan countryside tour
This day we booked a full day tour to the Tuscan countryside. Our tour included Siena, San Gimignano, lunch and wine tasting at a winery, and Pisa. This full day tour was worth it in my opinion as we got to see so much and also got to do a wine tasting at a vineyard in Tuscany. It was a long day but definitely do something similar or rent a car to get out of Florence for a day.
Day 5
Officina Profumo – Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
Our last day in Florence we needed to finish up some souvenir shopping. Santa Maria Novella perfume store is a great place to get souvenirs if you love perfume and lotions. It’s even worth it to go and look around at the historical pieces they have displayed from an old pharmacy.
Trattoria Nella for lunch
Trattoria Nella is a little family run restaurant that serves delicious homemade food. This place gave the classic mom and pop Italian restaurant which was a delight to experience. The authentic and homemade food is not to be missed.
Adams Leather Shop
Florence is known for leather goods so there is no shortage of leather shops around. I made sure to do research on which shops had authentic Italian leather. At the leather market you can find cheaper goods but they aren’t usually real leather or Italian so do your research. I went to Adams Leather Company which had a large variety to choose from. They also stamped my purse for me free of charge with my initials. It was a great souvenir.
Photoautomatica
Another great souvenir to get is a photo from the Photoautomatica. These are old photo booths scattered around Europe that only take coins and print black and white strips. Here are a few locations.
Wine window
Wine windows are something you can’t miss while in Venice. There are only about 6 currently functioning and we went to the one at Osteria San Fiorenzo. These are super fun to order from, ding the bell and order your glass of wine, beer, or a spritz.
Museo della Bistecca
I said we would come back to the Museo Della Bistecca and we have! We had dinner reservations here on our last evening and it was a delicious way to end our time in Florence!
This concludes 5 days in Florence! We packed a lot into the few days and I felt like I saw enough of the city this trip to experience the culture of Florence. I would have loved to spend more time here and slow down and enjoy it longer but we had to move on to our second destination, Cinque Terre.
Check out my social media!