This post has its origins as a suggestion email that I’ve now sent to a few friends, but I quite like the idea of sharing it with everyone. If you know me, you know that Florence is one of my favorite places in the world and the place that my soul reaches out to way too often. It has been, up until this point, the best summer of my life. Part of this tour is from my own memory of going on a tour through the city and finding out all of these super interesting facts about Florence. I'm a history nerd so I loved hearing everything. I know I can never go back and have the same experience, but I love reminiscing. So, here goes nothing:
Florence is beautiful and magical, and yes, I know this sounds like I’m romanticizing it, but dammit, it’s amazing! It was my home for nine amazing weeks, although it felt like I was there longer. I lived on a street called Via il Prato, down the street from the western gate of the city. Beyond the gate is this huge park called Le Cascine, and in that park is the public pool, which is cool to go to if you want to be surrounded by tons of people in their bathing suits. Honestly, though, a Vegas pool party is more sanitary -- and I now live in Vegas. Anyways, the city is normally referred to in terms of the churches you are in the vicinity of. I lived just a few minutes' walking distance from Santa Maria Novella, which is also right next to the transport center for the city.
Inside the mercato (not my photo)
If you walk east, you’ll hit Il Mercato di San Lorenzo, which is a huge indoor fresh produce market surrounded by an even bigger outdoor market, selling everything but food. I implore you to walk through it. Some of my favorite restaurants were hidden back there. One place that I remember so well we called affectionately Alice’s (pronounced Aleechay’s) because of the owner. Its real name is Antica Sosta, and there on the corner of Via Faenza and Via del Giglio, you can customize your own sandwiches. My personal favorite is just simple basil pesto and mozzarella on hard Tuscan bread. Delizioso! Also, my favorite part about the mercato is the haggling. I have a very proud haggling story about shopping for an extreme amount of scarves and ties, but I won’t bore you with it here. However, buy something nice there, it'll definitely be worth it.
View from the top of the Duomo (not my photo)
After the mercato, walk south to the Piazza del Duomo, where the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is. It’s “the” Duomo in Florence -- which is just a fancy name for the main church of any Italian town or city --, and it is recognizable by its dome that you can see if you look down almost any alleyway in the city. You can climb the 492 steps up to the top. DO THIS! It costs a few euros, but it’s so worth it. Trust me, I speak from experience - I did it with bronchitis and I would do it all again. You can basically see all of Florence from there. Once you’re down from your hike up the Duomo, pop into a little bar next to the church on the left side (if you’re looking at the doors of the cathedral) called Astor. I knew the owner when I lived there, but that was in 2010: he wouldn’t remember me even if I were in front of him with pictures. But it’s a good bar. Cool upstairs area, party central downstairs. The piazza also has other bars, but I can’t remember names. One piece of advice though - keep your valuables close to your body. I don't have pictures from this adventure because my camera was stolen out of my purse sometime that afternoon.
After the Duomo, if you’re facing the golden doors of the Battistero (the tiny building directly across from the Duomo), go to your left and down the main street there to the Piazza della Repubblica. There's this delicious gelato place with the crazy amount of flavors on that street - think 31 Flavors but it's about double that! But so are a million others. Anyways, the Piazza della Repubblica has a few great restaurants, a good bar towards the back right corner and a carousel. And the Ferrari store is just off of the piazza, as well, if you like that sort of thing.
Piazza della Signoria (not my photo)
After Piazza della Repubblica, go back to the same main street that you took from the Duomo. Keep going south, i.e. away from the Duomo, until you hit a main cross street and take a right and then a left to get to the Piazza della Signoria. This is where they have a lot of sculptures out in the piazza, and the Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace) is there, as well. It’s incredible! There’s almost always something going on at night. It also has the Galleria degli Uffizi, which is a huge museum. If you want to go into the Uffizzi, dedicate a day to it. Unfortunately, I never did, and it’s on my list of places to go when I go back. If you don’t want to dedicate a day to a museum and would rather enjoy the free art outside, walk through the outdoor part because a lot of street artists have their stations set up. This is how you get to the Ponte Vecchio (the famous "Old Bridge", or the only bridge in the city to remain standing after World War II).
Ponte Vecchio (not my photo)
When you hit the river (Fiume Arno), take a right and then a left when you get to the bridge with the buildings on it. That’s the Ponte Vecchio. It used to house all the butcher shops way back in the day, because it was easy to simply dump the garbage into the river, but it was almost bombed away in WWII. Now, it's home to all of the gold shops, and almost always, there’s a musician playing. Meander your way across the bridge and make your way down the street there. I do not remember street names, so just trust me on this. On your right will be the Palazzo Pitti. To gear up for the massive grounds at the Pitti, eat at this tiny little restaurant that looks more like a wine closet but has the best tagliatelle dish with fresh tomatoes I have ever eaten. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Go into the Palazzo Pitti, or at least go through it and get to the Giardini di Boboli (Boboli Gardens). It sounds small, but it’s seriously a huge park with fountains and statues, and it’s gorgeous. Just gorgeous! I could have spent a week in there. If that’s not your gig, that's fine too. Just make your way to the Piazzale Michelangelo. To get there, you just have to walk along the river to the east, or upstream, until you arrive at an old city gate. From there, it’s an uphill trek, but so worth it... and I did it in sandals. Bring food, bring booze, and sit on the steps up there and stare at the city. Bring friends. It’s a grand old time.
Photo from Piazzale Michaelangelo by yours truly
There are plenty of bars and clubs there, and honestly the turnover rate is pretty high, so I wouldn’t even be able to tell you the hottest places. I lived near a club called Space Electronica and frequented that. I went to Astor, Red Garter (which is down by Piazza del Santa Croce) and Lion’s Fountain (a great Irish pub). Ironically, my favorite places were Red Garter and Lion’s Fountain. The Red Garter has beer pong tourneys and towers of beer and American fare. I probably liked them because that’s where the students gravitated toward. Also, Lion’s had a crazy 4th of July party. Yes, I went to a 4th of July party at an Irish pub in Italy.
One of the coolest things that my language school did for us was set us up on a walking tour of the city. Since you might not want to take a tour, I linked a write-up I did when I took a tour provided by my school when I was there. If you want, you can read it on my old blog.
Now onto the best part of Italy - the FOOD.
Pear and Cheese Ravioli from Coquinarius via TripAdvisor
The best pear ravioli ever (and I don’t even like pear) is at a restaurant in Florence called Coquinarius, and it’s a delicious pear and pecorino cheese ravioli. The address is Via delle Oche, 11R. The website is www.Coquinarius.it if you want to check it out. It’s small and seemed popular the two times I went, so you may have to wait. It’s down an alleyway and has a green awning and two trees in pots outside the door (yes, I know: completely unique).
Corner view of Osteria Il Gatto e la Volpe (not my photo)
For the best peasant (a.k.a authentic) Florentine food, go to Osteria Il Gatto e la Volpe. The address is Via Ghibellina, 151/r (corner of Via Ghibellina and Via dell'Acqua) They have a balsamic dipping sauce that will make you cry with happiness. You sit at family-style picnic tables but inside, and it’s a hustle and bustle restaurant. It’s right near the Bargello, so you can make an evening out of it. If you go and I’m not with you, please bring me back a bottle or 12 and I’ll love you forever.
And then, there is a dish called bistecca alla fiorentina (Florentine-style steak). It's a family meal (meant to be shared), but it's delicious. Trattoria Marione is a good place for it. It's on the opposite side of town from Gatto e la Volpe, but the city isn't that big of a place to walk to begin with. Trattoria Marione is at Via della Spada, 27 (if you get lost, ask where Santa Maria Novella is). Here's a fun fact: I lived over by Santa Maria Novella!
- If for some reason you crave American food (I’m not sure why you would, though), there’s actually a decent American diner by the Bargello: on Via dell'Acqua, the intersecting street of Osteria il Gatto e la Volpe. I think it’s just called The American Diner. So original.
- For the love of God, eat gelato every damn day. Twice a day if you so please. Just do it. You’ll thank me later. And you’ll be walking so much that the calories will not matter. There’s a great shop by the Piazza della Republica that’s akin to 31 Flavors out here, but they have like 50 flavors. My friends and I went far too often (yet not often enough), and we still didn’t get through all of the flavors.
- DO walk the side-streets! That’s the best part sometimes. My favorite part of walking a new city is to go away from the crowds.
I got this little gem from my friend Dylan, one of the wonderful people who I met while living in Florence. He spent a much longer time there than me and wanted to share something as well!
One of the hidden gems of an experience alla fiorentina is the mountain town called Fiesole. It is only thirty minutes outside the city centre, and it is an insanely beautiful spot for picnics, restaurants, strolls and even sightseeing. Once home to the Etruscans, that is the indigenous tribe of Tuscany before the Romans conquered, Fiesole offers interesting ruins, including temples, baths and an amphitheater. You can even get a tour guide to give you even more insight. There is also an old monastery a short walking distance away in the hills of Fiesole. But besides a temporary escape from the hustle and the bustle of the Florentine city centre, Fiesole offers above all one of the most magnificent aerial views of the Cradle of the Renaissance and the surrounding hills that one could ever imagine. Why not take the Line 7 from Piazza San Marco for a few hours to experience just that alone? It is an absolute must! Buses run all day!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this. I know I have. And tonight, like many nights, I’ll dream of walking Florence again.
