it’s been months since i studied abroad in florence; i’ve had a lovely time reminiscing for this post! it thrills me to be able to share this abundance of knowledge i have of florence. after many facebook message guides to friends abroad, i thought “if only there was a convenient way to collect all my favorite must-sees in florence!”. then i remembered: i have a blog.
the image above includes photos i took of my favorite florentine adventures. from my experience, i’d highly suggest you:
- climb to the top of the duomo (florence’s cathedral) on a clear morning
- better than giotto’s tower, in my opinion! the atmosphere is incomparable
- hang out with the statue of david at galleria dell’accademia
- browse the galleria degli uffitzi
- marvel over palazzo pitti & boboli gardens
- cross ponte vecchio (touristy but fun to see)
- this is the bridge with all the jewelry merchants
- visit piazzale michelangelo
- great views of the city
- santa maria novella church
- while you’re there, check out the beautiful officina profumo farmaceutica
- shop at mercato centrale (i lived near here)
- take the ATAF bus #7 to the hilltop village of fiesole (gorgeous view of florence & tuscany)
- it runs every half an hour until almost midnight. the line starts at the santa maria novella train station
…and on to my favorite food experiences:
- breakfast
- grab a pastry and espresso at any bar
- lunch
- mario trattoria | only open for lunch, so don’t miss out!
- gusta panino | perfect for a quick sandwich
- dinner
- acqua al 2 | great meal with a dessert sampler
- san michele all’arco | delicious homemade pasta
- trattoria parione | the restaurant i enjoyed my final italian meal at before my journey home!
- gusta pizza | grab a pizza and take it to piazzale michelangelo – no use waiting inside for a table when you can enjoy a nice view nearby!
- apertivo (delicious italian appetizers served with the purchase of a drink)
- kitsch | begins at 7:30pm | €7
- negroni | begins at 7pm | €8
- oibo | begins at 7:30pm | €8
florence is a horrible city to navigate (take it from the girl who wandered three hours dragging luggage on cobblestone streets)… so, I made you a map!
pull the full map (with key) up on your mobile while you have wifi & you can use it around the city!
if you have any questions, feel free to ask!
||| happy travels! | rachel |||
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