Florence, I Love You

Firenze! Two days was not enough. I fell in love immediately. I’m sorry Iceland, don’t be jelly, you’re still my #1 <3 But we agreed to see other people and wow, I can’t wait to go back and soak up more of this gorgeous city.

View from Ponte Vecchio and I mean just look how gorgeous. i meant the view but also those sunglasses are killer right?

We took a train from Termini Station where we had just spent the last three nights in Rome. I’m glad I went, it was iconic. We saw the ancient ruins, the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and all that good stuff. Got my fill and I’m not trying to go back anytime soon. It was so touristy, which is fine, just not my favorite vibe on a trip and I can only handle so much of it before I want to scream. I’ve worked in Times Square for about nine years and it’s a literal nightmare. No shade to Rome. It’s just not the energy my stressed out anxious little heart craves when I’m escaping my world to visit another.

Look at these smiling faces Even after the gory history lesson of the colosseum. my expression is saying, ‘I’m super disturbed right now but still want a cute pic’

Maybe a part of me knew deep down that Rome wouldn’t quite hit the spot and whispered “if you visit elsewhere, you will love it more” like I was Kevin Costner building a baseball field or something. Since Florence was only a 90-minute train ride away we figured why not see both?! Round trip tickets with ItaliaRail were about $100 each and it was a really comfortable. No regrets packing two beloved Italian cities into one whirlwind of a trip, but would do some stuff differently if I had a redo. I’d tack on one of the train rides straight after or just before a flight to cut our travel days down from four to three. We spent three nights in Rome, trained to Florence for 2 nights, then back to Rome for 1 more night before flying home the next morning. I was SPENT by the time we got back to Rome for our final night. I don’t know how my travel buddy did it, she went to Vatican City on that last day. I was donezo by the time we got to our Airbnb and spent the afternoon with my feet up watching bizarre Italian T.V. So my take on a twofer: it can and should be done but be strategic about your travel days.

This was the last of several flights of stairs to our apartment in Florence ‘The Tower’

This was our key to ‘the tower’ which i found incredibly amusing. I don’t think I’d stay somewhere with such a hike again but this place was super charming with all it’s old quirks.

Florence is completely walkable which was lovely. We went everywhere by foot including from and to the train station. It was rough dragging our suitcases but it was only for 15-20 minutes tops so we managed. We stayed in a character of an Airbnb, it was called the tower and had 75 stairs leading up to it, but was located right off an adorable square with lots of restaurants, shops and gelaterias nearby. It was heaven to stroll out the front door and be eating my way through a cup of gelato within a few minutes. The city streets were so peaceful without cars zooming all around. Even though it was bustling I didn’t have the same level of anxiety I am prone to get in crowds (see above bitch fest about Times Square).

This is my fave pic of Florence. The historic duomo peeking through this little street with people all around and not a car in sight.

We visited the Galleria dell'Accademia and saw the famous statue of David which of course was impressive. We booked our tickets ahead of time which saved us from a much longer line to enter. My favorite part of the Museum though was the music section. They had all these old instruments, Stradivarius strings and some odd ones I’d never seen before. The audio guide would play clips of what the displayed pieces sounded like which I really enjoyed. My favorite was the pair of hurdy-gurdies because come on, hurdy-gurdies, it’s just so silly. I think an hour or two is enough time to explore this smaller space. We didn’t have enough time to see the Uffizi Gallery but next time I will make sure of it.

Strolling through the city after the Galleria dell'Accademia with no itinerary, gelato in hand (because of course, you have to stop and try every place that looks good), was the perfect way to spend our first evening. I Fratellini was this awesome sandwich place a short walk from Piazza del Duomo and is a must. Super simple ingredients but good quality and such a bargain if you’re on a budget. For only a few euros you get a solid meal and for a couple more you can add a glass of wine. Sip on your glass stall side where adorable wooden shelves hang just for the purpose of resting a wine glass. Or take it to go and work on that vino while you continue your evening stroll.

Day two we went to Mercato Centrale which was amazing. To get to this indoor food market you have to walk through the San Lorenzo Market which is packed with vendors selling leather goods where I bought a beautiful leather bag. It was stunning so I haggled with the guy for a good price and voila, new overnight bag. At Mercato Centrale, the downstairs level is full of stands where you can buy goods like pasta, cheese, bread, meats, and any food thing you can imagine. Then upstairs is where you get your grub on. You grab your food, find an open seat where servers walk around taking drink orders. If you’re going to ask me if I want a cocktail while I’m on vacation in Italy, I’m going to say yes please one Aperol Spritz. Downstairs was where I got most of my takeaway gifts and goodies. The aged balsamic vinegars and pistachio cream I got were to die for.

After we had our fill of the market or more like we couldn’t fit any more food in our stomachs or purchases in our bags, we went back to our apartment to drop off our haul and freshen up for drinks at Ponte Vecchio. We had a little time to kill before we had to meet up with friends who were also visiting so we went to this adorable little vintage boutique, Lady Jane B. It was the sweetest place. The owner was so kind and generally cared about the merchandise she sold and her customers. We bought some sunglasses and she was so sweet to let us each pick a pair of earrings out as a gift. It is a tiny little place but chock-full of quality vintage goods. These little unique Florence keepsakes were wonderful reminders of our time there.

After riverside drinks at sunset (yes ugh, it was a dream) we walked across the bridge and had dinner on the other side of the Arno river or, Oltrarno which literally means the other side of the Arno. We shared a Steak Florentine at The Antico Ristoro di Cambi. I don't normally eat a lot of red meat but I am always game to try local foods when visiting a new place. Years ago I was vegan very briefly, then vegetarian for a while, then slowly kept introducing more classes of meats back into my diet. One of the big reasons was because I was traveling more and didn't want to miss out on getting the full experience of new places by having a limited diet. So bring on the big ol' steak. It was done right, was good quality and I dug it.

The next day we only had the morning free before we had to catch our train back to Rome. We ended up going once again to the other side of the Arno to walk the Boboli Gardens. It was beautiful with some really pretty views of Florence. It was a pretty intense hike for me. I hadn't been in the best shape of my life and it was the end of our already exhausting trip so I found it to be a bit tough. But I made it! If you visit just know it's going to take some extra energy to hike these grounds so make sure you're ready and be kind to yourself. If you need to rest at almost every bench stop like I had to, no shame, whatever gets us to the top!

Before I wrap this up, two things need mentioning. The first is this cannoli needs a shout out as it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever eaten in my life. When you visit Ponte Vecchio, stop at Ginos Bakery. It will be on your left shortly after you cross the bridge. On our walk to Boboli Gardens this coffee cannoli called my name and I am glad it did because we are living happily ever after. The wedding will be next fall.

It was the best cannoli I’ve ever had and no cannoli has ever come close. Add the chocolate covered espresso beans and it’s everything you could ever want.

The second thing worth mentioning is beware if you fly with Air Italy. Their armrests do not go all the way up which I found very frustrating. Both I and the friend I traveled with are bigger than the average bear and it was really uncomfortable not being able to lift the armrest all the way up on a 7+ hour flight. But the biggest takeaway...you should visit Florence and have a wonderfully magical time and maybe let me know when you're heading there because I am dying to go back again. Ciao!