FLORENCE, oh man. WHERE DO I START WITH THIS CITY?
I have been to Italy before, three times actually. Once when I was like 6 I think, then again when I was 11(ish), & my last trip- before this one- was when I was 18. Fresh out of highschool.
All three of those times, I don’t remember clearly. ISN’T THAT AWFUL?! I feel like you can’t fully appreciate Italy until you are over the age of 21. Maybe that’s just me? But this time I was SOAKING it in. The history made me want to cry. At 18 all I cared about was pub crawls, this trip though, all I cared about was pasta & touching ancient walls. I MEAN- how cool is I am touching a wall that has literally been on this planet for thousands of years? V cool & I am not even into history.
Also, I have a thing for TUMBLR AESTHETIC vibes & the art was all of my Tumblr dreams IRL.
ANYWAYS- if you are reading this cause you are going to Florence, you are in the right place my friends. If you know anything about me, I don’t like to travel blind. I am not a fly by the seat of your pants kinda girl. I need to know everything before I go. I spend hours researching & I have compiled all of my info/tips/hotspots for you guys.
CHECK OUT MY ITALY INSTA STORIES TO GET A BTS LOOK AT OUR TRIP!
5 FLORENCE NEED-TO-KNOW’S (before you go!):
1. MONEY: Florence is on the Euro which is pretty easy since it’s so close to the dollar. Check the rates before you go, but generally Florence is not super expensive.
2. TRANSPORTATION: one of my favorite things about Florence was you could really walk everywhere. People also ride bikes, but we had rode bikes throughout Copenhagen so I was pretty maxed on the bike riding.
Transportation from the airport is easy- take a cab! Cab line is outside the airport & make sure you ask if they take card if that’s all you have getting off the plane. Some do, some don’t. The cab drivers all speak pretty good english.
3. THE LANGUAGE: ITALIAN, duh! A lot of people spoke english, but DEF. not everyone like in Copenhagen. There were a few language barrier moments but the Google Translate app, again, is our life saver.
4. BOOK MUSEUMS (& THE DUOMO) IN ADVANCE: I do think you need to book tickets in advance but I made a huge mistake when booking online- I didn’t read there is a pickup point for the tickets so we were late the first time & then the other time we bought them I wasn’t clear if there was a pickup point so we ended up having to buy tickets twice. Give yourself time to find the pick up places!! Buying tickets does help you cut the long lines, which in the summer heat is 100% worth it.
5. THEY HAVE DISPENSARIES: just a random tidbit for my 420 friends. Italy does have dispensaries. When you’re walking around, you will see them for sure. The thing is, they sell something the lady told us was called “marijuana light”. It is marijuana, but there is a legal cap on the amount of thc allowed. It’s a TINY number… so get enough to roll a few joints.
6. THE NO SNACKING ON THE STREETS RULE?: I don’t know how I learned this, some Google search I think… but I guess they just made a rule there is no snacking on certain streets? IDK how much this is enforced currently as we saw plenty of people walking around with Gelato- but just a fun fact I guess. It may enforced more in the future, it’s weird, but I get it- there is so much history they won’t melted ice cream falling onto the pretty cobblestone.
Fashionlush Guide to Florence
We flew from Copenhagen to Brussels and then Brussels to Florence. It was an easy 2 hour flight (minus the whole luggage fiasco). We spent a total of 4 days/3 nights in Florence and it was JUST the right amount time.
As a reminder- download the app PINBOX! It’s my holy grail travel app. You can add all the places you want to go to by dropping pins, you can color code your pins (food/do/see/shop/etc.) & then you can refer to Pinbox when your out & see which places you want to see are nearby where you going. It’s efficient.
WHERE WE STAYED
» This AIRBNB: I get claustrophobic in hotels after too long & since we were staying in three hotels, I really wanted to do an airBNB in Florence. Going into it, I didn’t know which neighborhood to stay in, so I just opted for the cutest looking airBNB at the best price. Luckily for us, we ended up in the perfect spot.
Florence is basically split down the middle by The Arno river. On one side it is more mellow, less tourists, more Italians, & is just really cute/charming (where we stayed). On the other side, it’s the city center/the big sites/the museums/etc. Depending on what your vibe is, you can pick which you’d prefer BUT FOR ME- I loved staying on the more mellow side. It’s only an 8 minute walk to the other side of the river, so NBD & just nice to get away from the crowds.
Our airBNB was so rad. It definitely had an Italian Bachelor pad vibe & I was into it. It’s funny cause walking into the place it’s a tiny cobblestone street & you enter into a really authentic Italian OLD building & then you open the door to the door to this super modern apartment. It was dialed out with Netflix & Hulu on a huge flatscreen which was nice at night when we just wanted to relax & watch one of our favorite shows from home (it comforts me TBH). Also, an epic bathtub situation which I always love.
WHERE TO EAT
» Gusta Pizza: I was told there would be heart shape pizza, but even though mine was round, it was still THE BEST PIZZA. There is pretty much always a line to place your order, but so worth the wait. Order your pizza (get the Gusta pizza!), grab a few beers, & walk across the street to sit and eat. It is buzzing with people, also eating & drinking, and is SO DREAMY.
» Osteria Santo Spirito: the BEST dinner of the entire 2 week long trip. Our airBNB host recommended this place as it is right around the corner from the apartment. We went our first night but they said you needed a reservation so we made one for the next night. In those 24 hours I got a handful of DM’s telling me to go there which made me so excited for the next nights dinner.
I got the truffle cheese gnocchi & it was the most beautiful dish I have ever laid eyes on. I swear, I got emotional. I have never had anything better in my LIFE. Zack’s pasta dish was also good, the prosciutto & melon was delicious- but that truffle gnocchi is where it’s at.
» Antico Noe: I am not a huge sandwich person- so take this very seriously, this is THE best sandwich I have ever had. I crave it daily. There is a restaurant next door that says “Antico Noe” & it is the same place, but not where the sandwiches are served. It wasn’t open when we got there, but we were fine waiting with wine. Also, the nice lady at the restaurant charged my phone while we waited. I can’t remember what sandwich I got (possibly #6) but just ask the guy for the most popular & get that. That’s what I did/always do. .
» #RAW: not really a restaurant, but a GREAT JUICE BAR & the only one I saw. They had some amazing organic juice combos, smoothies, bowls, etc. After all the vacation eating, it’s nice to have a big green juice to balance things out.
» Other restaurants that came highly recommended, but we didn’t make it to: Trattoria 4 Leoni, Simbiosi organic pizza, & Le Volpi e l’Uva.
*all of the door porn in Florence*
WHERE TO SHOP
As mentioned in my Copenhagen post, I am not a big shopper on vacation. I will make a note of really special gems (i.e. a good vintage store) BUT when it comes to the big shops on the popular streets or the high end shops- I would rather be outdoors then stuck inside trying on clothes. THAT SAID- I lost my luggage for 24 hours so in Florence we were forced to do some shopping. Here are the hot spots.
» Via de’ Tornabuoni: This is the high end street & I did not go here cause I wasn’t looking to spend a fortune for an outfit I only needed for 24 hours- BUT, if we had more time, I would have because this is supposedly where the best dressed Florentines go. I would have liked to see some rad Italian street style cause honestly, I didn’t see much. I think it’s probably because we were doing touristy things though.
ALSO- don’t forget the VAT discount if you are shopping designer. A lot of people save their big designer purchases for when their abroad because the VAT discount is pretty big (I think it’s 25% off in Italy!). Basically you ask for a VAT receipt when checking out & if you spend over a certain amount (different in each country so google it!) you can turn it in at the airport & get a nice discount. Just a thought.
» Via dei Calzaiuoli: This is where we did our shopping when we needed new looks- tons of stores both high end & more trendy. I can’t say I enjoyed the experience as I was wearing bike shorts from the plane & I had sat on a blueberry muffin so I had to wear a sweatshirt (the only thing I had) in 80 degree heat. I was V GRUMPY, but if that wasn’t in the equation, I would have been thrilled.
» Mercato de San Lorenzo: We actually didn’t have The San Lorenzo market on our list, but luckily we stumbled upon it. It’s an outdoor market that is BUSTLING. The prices are pretty good & they have leather, local art/goodies, souvenirs, & FOOD! It’s fun.
» Marie Antoinette: A REAL VINTAGE GEM. It is located near the Arno river & carried an overwhelming amount of amazing clothes & accessories- they have great vintage pieces as well as slightly or NOT used at all designer pieces (Givenchy, Dior, YSL, Louis Vuitton- etc. etc.
WHERE TO GET GELATO
» Gelateria La Carraia: we only had two full days in Florence so we only ended up getting Gelato once. IDK, shockingly I wasn’t in the mood for too much gelato. All the pasta had me pretty full the entire time, but I was told I had to try the “cookies” gelato at Gelateria La Carraia & I did. It was AMAZING- I can’t say the best because I am sure all gelato in Italy is pretty great, but the line was out the door which is always a good sign. The cookies flavor was 100% something to write home about & goes great with their passionfruit flavor *drooling… cause now I am def in the mood for gelato*.
OUR 2 DAY FLORENCE ITINERARY
Honestly- Florence is one place you could go without a huge itinerary & just run into amazing stuff all day. The art, the architecture, the CLOUDS IN THE SKY (what is it with the clouds in Florence- they are next level!!). It is all so damn dreamy- but of course, I’m a psycho & had a strict itinerary to follow. Here’s what we did during our two full days in Florence!
» THE FIRST NIGHT: okay, so first I want to say, we got into town later in the day & as mentioned we had to spend most of our first day shopping. BUT OUR FIRST NIGHT- we met up with some friends from home who had already been in Florence for a a few days for dinner (forget the name of the place, we were just going with their flow- bomb pasta, but that’s everywhere!!). After dinner, wine drunk, we just wandered Florence at night. We saw the Duomo & walked around Piazza dell Signoria & it was magical. During the day the crowds are intense- so at night it’s really special when there is very little people blocking your view.
» Duomo/Florence Cathedral: the first thing we did on our first full day was the Duomo, which was smart cause it took A LOT of energy- 463 steps to climb. Bring water! If you are claustrophobic I wouldn’t recommend doing this. IF NOT- it’s definitely worth it. On your way to the top you get a close up look at the ceiling of the Duomo (“the last Judgement fresco- it’s insane) & when you make it to the top- the view is equally insane. Buy your tickets in advance to skip the line & most tickets include entrance to the Cathedral, the Crypt, the Baptistry, and Museo dell’Opera.
» Piazza della Signoria: this is the main square in Florence (a 5 minute walk from the Duomo) & worth spending sometime just walking around the surrounding streets. The street performers, chalk artists, souvenir shopping, cute stores, the replica of The David- it’s all there.
» Uffizi Gallery: if you only had 2 hours in Florence, this would actually be the one thing I recommend doing. It was the museum of my dreams… everything I imagined about Italy & so much more. It is one of the world’s greatest & oldest art museums & is home to artwork by Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci & so much more. The Birth of Venus is there along with other jaw dropping art but what I loved was the rooms filled with statue after statue. This is precisely where ALL of my Tumblr obsessed dreams came true. It’s about a 3 minute walk from Piazza della Signoria & you again, buy tickets in advance.
» Santa Trinita: a reader or two recommended we check out this church near the Piazza della Signoria so we strolled in & SO glad we did. Entry was free, the art was *of course* beautiful, & it was a nice COOL break from the hot day w/ tons of people. To get there you walk down Via de’ Tornabuoni, which as I mentioned above, is the most elegant shopping street in all of Florence.
» Palazzo Vecchio: OKAY- we did not go inside the Palazzo Vecchio cause we had some time reserved to see something else & weren’t able to make it back, but if you have time this is something I am bummed we missed. Outside though, they have a SPARKLING WATER FOUNTAIN & we did have time to fill up our bottles. It’s behind the Fountain of Neptune & it’s all I have ever wanted in life.
» Gucci Garden: Second to the Uffizi, this was definitely a HUGE highlight of our time in Florence. It is so so so rad. You don’t need to buy tickets in advance- you can totally just stroll in. It is one floor with 7 (I think) amazing rooms each cooler than the next. They also have a restaurant & a Gucci store. The restaurant was closed when we went, which was SO sad cause it was insanely cute with Gucci menus & plates.
