My Complete Florence, Italy Travel Guide

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The difference between our modern “big village” and Florence, however, is that Florence has the most insane history you could possibly imagine – seriously, if there was a place to invest in a tour or a guide, Florence would be it (though on that note, at least the Vatican City in Rome does too!). I’ll be sharing more about Walks of Italy soon but if you’re on the hunt for a good tour guide I can not stress enough how much Matt and I loved our experience with them – we booked the Best of Florence walking tour if you’re curious and it was unreal, our guide was amazing and we just learned so, so much.

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Now, on to the details! If you’re there for a few days, there are a few things you absolutely need to see. Other than the tours (already mentioned above) which will include a visit to the city’s most amazing museums, sites and art galleries (the Duomo, the Accademia, etc) there are some places that you definitely need to seek.

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WHAT TO SEE

First up, Ponte Vecchio! This literally translates to “old bridge” in Italian so obviously – it’s got some history! Interestingly, Ponte Vecchio used to be where butchers sold and cleaned their cuts – the famed Medici family (who ran Florence and pulled strings in much of Italy for years upon years upon years) built the Vasari Corridor above it to connect the Palazzo Vecchio with their main residence of Palazzo Pitti on the south side of the River Arno. They literally did this so that they could escape the offensive scents of the butchers’ products below and eventually banned any butchers from the bridge once they’d had enough of the stink, replacing it with (what else?) jewellers. Exclusively! To this date, the vendors on the bridge are primarily jewellers, along with some art dealers and the like. Come here just before sunset or at sunrise for the most beautiful shot of the river – apparently the river is usually pretty calm so you’ll get a stunning reflective shot (we loved ours so much we got it framed in our space!).

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Now, where to shop! I actually had the best shopping experience here. We were trying to escape this sudden downpour and happened to stumble into BENHEART with the sole mission of escaping the rain. There, I ended up chatting with the friendly and charismatic dude behind the counter of this Italian leather goods place and quickly fell in love with everything, so much so that I bought the most beautiful belt (you guys have seen it here, here and here) that he customized exactly the way I wanted. As we were leaving, he offhandedly mentioned he would be off soon too – he’s actually the owner of the company and just stopping in to check in on things. When I looked into their Instagram later, I discovered this was actually a massive brand with a ton of success in Italy and beyond – was so cool that I just happened to stumble in, to chat with the owner and also, how cool and humble and sweet he was! Not only do I have a belt I’m obsessed with (and still wear all the time), but now I have a cool memory out of it too.

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Let’s start with the gelato – if there’s one place to go to for a truly unique experience, it would be Arà: è Sicilia for its traditional Sicilian gelati. So. Good. I think we made at least 4 visits here in our few days visiting Florence.

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La Ménagère is a lovely cafe-meet-restaurant-meet-flower-shop – not especially traditional, but really beautiful and an IG must. It’s also on a bit of a quieter road so it’s nice to kick back and relax here for an hour or so during your adventures.

Simbiosi via de Ginori was amazing for organic pizza after we got in from a train ride from Cinque Terre our first day – so tasty! There are (as always, in Italy) so many options, but this one I would definitely recommend.

Florence travel guide, david tour florence, tuscan countryside guide, what to see in florence italy, what to do in florence italy, weekend guide to florence, how to see david florence, best views in florence, sunset in florence, best pizza in florence, best cafes florence, best gelato in florence, wine tasting in florence, bike tour florence italy by To Vogue or BustOkay and last thing! If you don’t get the chance to stay in the countryside the way we did earlier (though if you can, I’d really suggest spending a few nights there!), you can still experience the beauty of the countryside by booking in a day trip from Florence into the surrounding countryside. We booked an amazing bike tour with Tuscany Bike Tours to get some much-needed exercise in for the day, to learn more about the wine and olive oil production in the area and to get to actually visit a winery that’s been in production for years upon years, to taste the different wine and to get a chance to just gaze upon the beauty of Tuscany. As you guys know I’m a big biker at home, and I’m such a big believer that this is an incredible way to see new places, so definitely would recommend this tour to discover Tuscany. It’s such a special part of the world and I can’t wait to go back again in the summer – beautiful in all seasons I’m sure but I feel like the summer would be when it’d be really on display, and it was already so beautiful during our October adventures.

What a crazy long guide but trust me, this will be one of your favourite stops in all of your Italian adventures so keep this one bookmarked for fast reference! I also have a pin below that outlines some must-see highlights. Remember to come with a big appetite, some cozy footwear for discovering the city by foot (totally comfortable to walk it all but you should always be comfy!) and make sure you have a clear memory card because you’re going to be shooting like crazy!

If you guys have any other requests before I take off to Spain next week, let me know and I’ll try to share ASAP! Would love to hear where you’re off to this summer too – tell me in the comments below!

 

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4 Comments

  1. 5.12.17

    Great guide! Thanks 🙂

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  2. 5.13.17
    Joanne said:

    I enjoyed seeing your photos & perspective Alexandra. Florence was the first city in Italy I visited back in 2012 and I’ve been back many times & done many paintings of the city. The market (north of the train station) is my favorite stop for street food.. One of the stalls sells fresh, deep-fried seafood – and if there is a line they serve glasses prosecco while you wait! We need more of that in line ups in Vancouver!

  3. 5.14.17
    Candice said:

    Fantastic guide!! I’m heading to Italy this summer so this is extremely helpful!

  4. 5.15.17
    Ellie O said:

    I’ve never been to Italy, but this guide really makes me want to visit, as everything looks amazing! I’ve not got any holidays booked this year – my fella is often away so finding the time to go away together is tough! It’s also only a couple of years since we had a big holiday in South Africa, so we still need a little while longer to save. Europe is so close to us though, and even with impending political doom, it should still be affordable to visit. I shall have to bookmark this post and put Florence in the running for a short break destination.

    Ellie x

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