Firenze!

We head back to Florence in late September, and as I am preparing for that trip, I can't stop thinking about how amazing our first visit was.

I. Love. Florence. Italy.

I mean, who doesn’t, right? Florence was the second stop of our Italy trip in the fall of 2017, and after a whirlwind of tours and sightseeing and pasta eating in Rome, the hubs and I were looking forward to a mix of fun and low-key things to do in Florence.

We arrived by train from Rome, and somehow with all the luggage managed to find our way to our apartment (we stayed here, and LOVED it! Of course being close to everything, and a terrace with a view of the Duomo helped!).

We no sooner dropped our luggage and hit the streets, ready to eat all the gelato. Thankfully, my favorite in the city ended up being right below our apartment, making it easy to justify a quick stop before heading out, or to end the night.

Over the next four days we walked what felt like every inch of the city, enjoyed aperitivo as often as possible and took advantage of some pretty amazing group outings: including quite possibly the best day ever riding around Tuscany in a vintage Fiat, and a day trip to hike Cinque Terre that more than made up for all the pasta we were indulging in.

There is still so much more I want to do and see in Florence, and thankfully we are headed back in less than two months (pause for excited squeal), but here are my favorite things to do in Florence, along with tips and things to know before you go:

My favorite things to do in Florence

• Eat – the food here is the stuff of legends. Take advantage of the bistecca alla Fiorentina (see recommendation on that below)

• Walk everywhere – the city is extremely walkable. The only time we hopped in a car was the vintage Fiat!

• Block off an afternoon at the Boboli Gardens – we didn’t make it into the museum at Pitti Palace, opting instead to soak up the gorgeous fall weather, and spent an afternoon getting lost in the enormous gardens

• Buy yourself a piece of jewelry on Ponte Vecchio – I wear one necklace, and it is a tiny “Florentine Florin” pendant from one of the many jewelry shops on the famed Ponte

• Try Aperol Spritz everywhere – my love for this drink runs deep and I highly recommend stopping by La Ménagère to get one

• Climb the Duomo – get your tickets ahead of time (you can get them across the street at the museum) and prepare yourself. Like, seriously and deeply prepare yourself. While climbing nearly 400 steps to see all of Florence proper in her glory is without a doubt worth it, you must prepare yourself for the narrowest winding staircase ever (if you’ve done the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Duomo stairs make that look like nothing).

• Vintage Fiat Tour – a day I lovingly refer to as the Best. Day. Ever. We did this tour with Walkabout Tours and big, puffy heart loved every single second of it. We zipped around Tuscany on our own trailing a lead car, that eventually led us to a villa where a feast was waiting for us!

• Escape Florence – take advantage of how centrally located Florence is to everything. I had always wanted to see Cinque Terre and we booked a day trip through Walkabout Tours that handled all the transportation logistics, navigated us through the 12 mile hike, and made the best recommendations on things to do and what to eat and drink in each town.

• Visit Mercato Centrale – this is an incredible two story building, with the first floor dedicated to a market, and the second floor to pop-up style restaurants to grab food from and sit at a counter or at one of the many tables. This is a great way to try a variety of flavors without breaking the bank.

Where to eat

• I’Tuscani 2 – Florence is renowned for their bistecca alla Fiorentina. We found ourselves dining at I’Tuscani 2 for this experience and I could – and probably will – dedicate an entire post to this meal. By far one of the best meals of my life. Easily the best first bite I have ever had. And one of the most enjoyable dining experiences (that we somehow remember after the grappa to close the meal).

• All’antico Vinaio – Not a secret destination, and rightfully so. I would wait in line for an unreasonable amount of time to get another sandwich from here again (and I will this fall!). The fanfare fort his place is well deserved, but I suggest taking your sandwich to go, as the local businesses are not all that fond of the sidewalk sandwich sitters.

• La Strega Nocciola – If I could eat gelato here forever, I would die happy. We indulged in a bit of gelato during our time in Italy, and while the hubs argues SoSa in Venice was the best, I give my vote to La Strega Nocciola.

Tips for making the most of your trip

• Get tickets to see the David ahead of time! – I plan as much ahead of a trip as reasonably possible, thanks to missing out on seeing Versailles my first time to Paris. Yet, I never anticipated not being able to get museum tickets to the Galleria Academia where the David is.

• Treat yourself to aperitivo – the Italians know how to do happy hour. Except their happy hour, aperitivo kicks off around 5 and goes for a few hours. With a drink order most restaurants offer enough food to be considered a meal.

• Florence is a walking city, and they love their tiny sidewalks and cobblestone – wear decent shoes! (My go-to shoes are the Wata by Veja).

• Take advantage of the number of tours that take you outside Florence for the day (Walkabout Tours are THE BEST EVER!)

Check out more photos from my trip in my Florence highlights on Instagram!