Florence is known as the capital of Tuscany and is a beautiful city to visit in Italy. There is so much history and culture to explore. It has many great sights to see, restaurants to enjoy local cuisine, markets to shop at and wine bars to taste local wines.
Where We Stayed:
We stayed at B&B La Dimora degli Angeli right in the heart of Florence! It was in an excellent location and our room had a beautiful view of The Duomo. We were able to walk to all attractions and parts of Florence that we wanted to explore.
Adventures:
Piazzale de Michelangelo
The first attraction that we wanted to check out was Piazzale de Michelangelo. When checking into our B&B, we were told that this is the best spot to get views of Florence. We took a 45 minute walk to get there, crossing the Arno River, and climbed up many, many stairs. We could have taken a bus, but we figured walking would be a nice way to see the city as well. The views were incredible – so worth the trek to make it to the top!
Ponte Vecchio
On way back to our B&B, we took a different route and crossed over the Ponte Vecchio. This is a beautiful arch bridge in Florence, filled with shops throughout. It was always crowded and a popular place to buy souvenirs. This views of the Arno River were gorgeous.
Tuscan Wine Tour
We were so excited to take a day trip into Tuscany to taste some local wines with Grape Tours. The excursion was 8 hours and brought us to the wonderful grape growing countryside of Chianti & Chianti Classico. Our tour started at the office Tuscany in a Bottle. We met our tour guide who was friendly and knowledgeable on both the area and wine. We stopped at two wineries: Corzano e Paterno and Villa Calcinaia. What an awesome experience we had- the first winery was a small, family owned winery and the second winery was owned by a larger company. Both were delicious, local wines, and have very different feels to them. In addition to tasting wines, we were able to try local cheeses as well as olive oil. We also had a mid-day break with a large lunch full of delicious meats at Antica Macelleria Cecchini, owned by the famous butcher, Dario Cecchini. We would highly recommend this tour if you are a wine lover. Experiencing the countryside in Tuscany is a must!
Sightseeing
We enjoyed walking around the city of Florence and seeing all of the historical architecture in Piazza del Duomo (right outside of our B&B). In this area we saw the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower, Baptistery of St. John and Museo dell’Opera del Duomo. The Duomo is the most iconic landmark in Florence. Just a tip, to get into the churches in Florence, visitors need to have their shoulders covered and clothing down to their knees. There is so much history right in the heart of Florence!
Statue of David
We made reservations at the Academia Gallery to see the most famous statue in Florence, Michelangelo’s Statue of David. If you don’t make reservations in advance, there can be long lines to get in. The museum offers time slots to control the crowds. This was a “must see” while in Florence! The museum offers many other beautiful sculptures and paintings to see as well.
Culture & Food:
All of the food we had in Florence was delicious. We did have a few favorite places that we would highly recommend!
Mercato Central
Mercato Central was a unique place to shop and dine for local foods and cuisine in Florence. There are two floors to the market. The first floor had many local vendors – from butchers cutting meat, a seafood area with a wide variety of fish, fruit & vegetable stands, and small shops with local foods that make great gifts, such as dried pasta, olive oil, etc. You can take an elevator to the second floor where there is more of a dine in experience (you can also take out). There were several stations of Italian food to choose from such as pasta, pizza, seafood, sandwiches to gelato. We even found a wine bar up there! There is truly something for everyone to eat here. We found ourselves dining here a few times for either lunch or dinner and enjoyed the atmosphere.
La Prosciutteria was a great lunch spot. We were so excited to check this place out as we have heard rave reviews about it. It didn’t disappoint! From the atmosphere with meats hanging everywhere, we knew we would love it. They offer a wide variety of sandwiches or you can get a charcuterie board, which is what we did. You can also get wine here. Overall, the prices were reasonable $$ and the food & wine were both delicious!
We made dinner reservations at Acqua Al 2 (reservations are recommended in advance). This restaurant had a lovely menu and wide variety of options to choose from. One of the things that they are most known for is their Assaggio di Primi (a pasta sampler) where they serve you 5 small portions of pasta dishes from the menu (the chef chooses the 5). Miro got that and enjoyed each sample. Lauren got her favorite pasta dish from the USA, penne alla vodka. The penne was cooked to perfection and the sauce was delicious. Another popular dish that we didn’t try, but a couple near us had, was the Florentine steak with blueberry sauce. They said it was so unique. Definitely check this place out when in Florence!
To end our final night in Florence, we came across this amazing wine bar, Antica Bottega. Everything was fabulous here, from the service, to the decor, to the wine and cheese we sampled. We only wish we found this place sooner than our last night. If you want to learn about the wine making process and about a variety of local wines, head on into Antica Bottega for a unique wine tasting experience you won’t forget!
Travel with us to our final destination in Italy, Cinque Terre!