Florence, capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, is home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. One of its most iconic sights is the Duomo, a cathedral with a terracotta-tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi and a bell tower by Giotto. The Galleria dell’Accademia displays Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture. If you want to compare Rome and Florence, Rome is the bigger of the two and has a more traditional, urban feel, while in comparison, Florence gives a bit of a small-town vibe which is why I liked it a lot more. In my opinion if you’ve seen Rome once there’s no other reason to go back but Florance is fun to go back.
Before starting this blog, you can always go to my Instagram account and watch some videos and more details of Florence and my Italy trip in my “Italy,Florence” story highlights. You can also read about my day 1 in Rome from here and Rome day 2 from here.
After Rome based on how I had my Trip planned, I rented a car and started my road trip from Rome to the mall and then to Florence. I’ll write a seperate blog for the road trip portion so I’m not going to talk about the details of it here but I’ve shared a lot about it on my Instagram account “Italy,Roadtrip” story highlights.
I was so excited to travel to Tuscany since I’ve heard a lot about it. It is a region in central Italy. Its capital, Florence, is home to some of the world’s most recognizable Renaissance art and architecture. Its diverse natural landscape encompasses the rugged Apennine Mountains, the island of Elba’s beaches on the Tyrrhenian Sea and Chianti’s olive groves and vineyards.
In this trip, I got to visit Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Massa and Carrara. You can read more about those on my road trip blog.
Hotel
I wanted a different type of hotel in Florence or maybe with a different vibe and I definitely got that with Villa Medici. It was a long time since I stayed in a hotel that had a physical key! I don’t know if you remember the time when you would get your physical room key from Lobby and then return it when you go out, this was the case for this hotel! for some reason I enjoyed this part a lot!
Besides the key situation, the Hotel was so clean and cozy. The service was also really good, they had a shuttle taking you to downtown Florence everyday (10 min away from the hotel) and then taking you back. They also had a turkish bath that you could use for free. Overall if I get back to Florence again, I definitely will stay in this hotel again.
5 things to do in Florence
I’ve listed the things that I think are the things that you better do when visiting Florence. If I go back, I’ll probably repeat this list of 5.
I traveled to Florence in April. Usually April, May, June, September, and October are the best Months to visit Florence and Tuscany in general. April was a little bit chilly and rainy in Florence but probably if you go there in May or later in the year it should be a lot better although I’m a big fan of rain and cold weather ( if you’ve read my London Blog, you know what I’m talking about!)
1. Walk around the town
My trip in Florence started with a beautiful rainy day. I did have a car but driving and parking in downtown Florence is almost impossible. Unless you’re doing a road trip there’s no other reason for renting a car in Florence and besides that walking around the town is something that you have to experience and you really can’t experience it in a car.
These masks are one of the souvenirs from Italy that you can buy but you see a vast variety of them in Venice.
There is a carousel in the middle of the downtown which was so cool and cute.
For some reason I packed for a summer type weather and didn’t have any warm clothes or coats for a rainy weather so I had to do some shopping in downtown Florence. Honestly this part was an extra bonus in my opinion since any extra time that I get for shopping is great especially when I don’t feel guilty for spending too much time on shopping, I really needed it this time!
Early in the day is the perfect time to window shop on Florence’s most fabulous street, Via de’ Tornabuoni! You’ll feel like a million bucks flirting with Gucci, Prada and Ferragamo first thing in the morning. While you might not be able to afford any of the goods on display, you can pop into L’Opera Caffè and feel like part of the jet-set set, at least for the length of one Florentine food and Cappuccino or Marocchino. You can drink your Aperol Spritz and have a view of Duomo church and Giotto bell tower in a perfect weather after rain in April.
Marocchino is a coffee drink created in Alessandria, Italy. It is served in a small glass and consists of a shot of espresso (sometimes a small shot, or ristretto), cocoa powder and milk froth. In some regions of northern Italy, thick hot cocoa is added. In Alba, the home of the Italian chocolate giant Ferrero, Nutella is used. The name Marocchino (Italian for Moroccan) is derived from its colour, as marocchino was a type of light brown leather (see Morocco leather) used in the 1930s to make hair bands.
Nothing will refresh you like an Aperol Spritz and sitting down in front of Duomo church and just looking at magnificent monument and it details.
2. Visit Duomo Church and Giotto bell tower
Duomo is an italian term for a church with the features of, or having been built to serve as, a cathedral, whether or not it currently plays this role.
Florence’s cathedral stands tall over the city with its magnificent Renaissance dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, with the baptistery right across. The exterior is covered in a decorative mix of pink, white and green marble which is one of the reasons that has made it so unique.
The oldest religious site in all of Florence is the Baptistery right across from the Duomo church. Its origins are unknown although it is believed that it was built over the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Mars dating back to the 4th-5th century A.D. It was first described in 897 as a minor basilica. In 1128, it was consecrated as the Baptistery of Florence. Up until the end of the 19th century, all catholics in Florence were baptized within its doors. Today, young children can still be baptized here on the first Sunday of the month, but as they only have space and time for 4, you have to make the request with ample time.
one good point about Duomo church is that,there’s no entrance and it’s free to get in! You do have to buy the single “Grande Museo del Duomo” pass to visit the other monuments in Piazza del Duomo (climb up the Dome and the bell tower, the Baptistery and the museum) though. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to get into the church but I’ve seen some pictures like this one below which makes me want to go back there again!
3. Visit Piazza Della Signoria
Piazza della Signoria is an L-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. It was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also called Palazzo Vecchio. It is the main point of the origin and history of the Florence Republic and still maintains its reputation as the political focus of the city. It is the meeting place of Florentines as well as the numerous tourists, located near Palazzo Vecchio and gateway to Uffizi Gallery.
The Uffizi Gallery is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza Della Signoria in Florence. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of the largest and best known in the world and holds a collection of priceless works, particularly from the period of the italian Renaissance.
After the ruling house of Medici died out, their art collections were gifted to the city of Florence. The Uffizi is one of the first modern museums. The gallery had been open to visitors by request since the sixteenth century, and in 1765 it was officially opened to the public, formally becoming a museum in 1865.
Today, the Uffizi is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Florence and one of the most visited art museums in the world.
among the master pieces in Uffizi Gallery you can find paintings and sculptures that are as famous as Mona lisa like “The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli”
The sculptures in Piazza della Signoria bristle with political connotations, many of which are fiercely contradictory. The David (the original is in the Galleria dell’Accademia) by Michelangelo was placed outside the Palazzo Vecchio as a symbol of the Republic’s defiance of the tyrannical Medici. This is one of the copies of David in Florence.
Bandinelli’s Hercules and Cacus (1534) to the right of the David was appropriated by the Medici to show their physical power after their return from exile.
The Nettuno (1575) by Ammannati celebrates the Medici’s maritime ambitions and Giambologna’s equestrian statue of Duke Cosimo I (1595) is an elegant portrait of the man who brought all of Tuscany under Medici military rule. After two long years of restoration, the original splendor of the fountain has returned and it will be impossible to not admire it from up close walking through the Piazza.
4. Eat Florentine Food
Nothing is like walking around Florence and then sitting down for a sip of Tuscan wine and a bite from the famous Florentine steak or Fiorentina Chianina. There is definitely something different about the Tuscan wine after only a few sips, you’re already relaxed which doesn’t happen with California wines besides every time I tried a Tuscan wine I had no hangover the next day! I’ve heard that there is less preservatives in Tuscan wines and so that plays a big role in being less hangover the next day.
If you are in Tuscany region and it’s capital Florence, you have to try the Florentine steak or Fiorentina Chianina. Fiorentina Chianina is a T-Bone steak from a cow which has reached an age of 30 months. It is typically grilled rare and is taken from the part of the animal pictured below.
This type of steak is from Chianina. The Chianina is an Italian breed of cattle, formerly principally a draught breed, now raised mainly for beef. It is the largest and one of the oldest cattle breeds in the world.
This a 2lb Florentine steak or Fiorentina Chianina that you can get in majority of the restaurants in Florence.
If you’re not a big fan of steaks, there are more options from the Florentin food list that you can choose from. There is a traditional Tuscan beef stew called Peposo which was beyond this world slow cooked with red wine. If you pair that with a glass of red Tuscan wine, I’ll guarantee that you’ll create one of your best experiences in the world especially if your sitting in one of the restaurants in Piazza Della Signoria looking at David’s statue and all the other masterpieces in that square.
Well if you happen to be a vegetarian and you’re mad at me even talking about all of these meaty food, there are some options for you among all the meaty florentin food. You can try the Pappa al pomodoro which is a thick Tuscan bread soup typically prepared with fresh tomatoes, bread, olive oil, garlic, basil, and various other fresh ingredients. It is usually made with stale or leftover bread, and can be served hot, room temperature, or chilled. Honestly this soup doesn’t have any special ingredient but it was really good!
Last but not least is everyone’s favorite section which is the dessert.
Panforte is a traditional chewy italian dessert containing fruits and nuts. Its origins date back to the crusaders who discovered it in Turkey. In Italy’s Tuscany region, particularly Siena, claims to have been the origin of this dessert although I think it’s a copy of Gaz from Isfahan in Iran! well you be the judge 🙂 They look and taste the same! Regardless of that you can buy the best panforte in Florence at Migone Confetti Firenze.
Panforte from Italy
Gaz from Iran
Although Panforte has a large range of flavors but gaz has only two!
5. Visit Piazza Michelangelo
Piazza Michelangelo is on a hill on the south bank of the Arno River, just east of the center of Florence, and offers a stunning view of the city. It doesn’t really matter what time of the day you get there because in both day and night you can see a spectacular view of Florence. You can also find a bronze copy of David statue there.
If you’re just walking from downtown Florence, you could just pass the Arno River which is a scenery itself and then walk up to the Piazza Michelangelo although I have to admit that the walk gets a little intense with all the stairs that you need to climb up.
you can also take a bus or drive up there and there is a 72 spot dedicated parking that you can use to park your car there.
By the way, while you are up there, probably it’s a good idea to chill out in La Loggia Del Piazzale Michelangelo which has a great view of the Piazzale Michelangelo and the city and also drinks and environment were great there.
Afterall, there is still a ton of things that I wish I had time to do in Florence so I would definitely go back there in future. I really think if it is your first time in Florence, you definitely will need 3 days to explore all the goodness there.
Before ending this blog, you can always go to my Instagram account and watch some videos and more details of Florence and my Italy trip in my “Italy,Florence” story highlights. You can also read about my day 1 in Rome from here and Rome day 2 from here.
