Experiencing Florence, Italy For The First Time

Our 25th Wedding Anniversary Trip to Italy

Florence, Italy - La Bella ("The Beautiful")

Florence (Firenze) is everything everyone says it is. Beautiful and profound, it is full of art and architecture, fabulous food, unique shopping, stunning gardens and more. We stayed in an adorable little apartment with a balcony,  but unfortunately the only downside was that it had 96 or so steps to climb to get to it!  Our daughter Angelina was studying abroad in Florence during this time so she was able to be our tour guide while we were there. We were able to stay for 4 days total, with a short trip in the middle to visit Venice, Vicenza, and Verona. I think 3-5 days is a good amount of time to see and do a lot of the things Florence has to offer.

The evening we arrived Angelina took us to Pizza Napoli 1955, a little corner pizza restaurant, where we ordered the most amazing pizzas and of course everyone orders their own individual pizza in Italy so we walked out with 3! We went to her nearby apartment and devoured our perfectly delectable pizzas. By this time we were about to fall asleep so we muscled up enough energy to walk back to our apartment, climb our 3 flights of stairs and fall into bed. 

Our first morning we made it a point to have cornetto and cappuccinos from  Caffe Scudieri’s in front of the famous “Duomo” (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore)  for breakfast. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect morning ever. I just sat there in awe of such an astounding and breathtaking work of architecture. There were so many unique pieces of adorned artwork that you could spend a week looking at it and probably still not see them all. The famous bronze doors of the baptistry are called the “Gates of Paradise” and are carved with scenes of the Old Testament. (The photos are of the original doors now located in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo) The doors of the Cathedral were also magnificent and probably the tallest and most grand I have ever seen.

The Duomo and Baptistry Click picture to expand photos or arrow to scroll

We headed next to Pitti Palace by way of the Ponte Vecchio bridge. Crossing the Arno river on the famous Ponte Vecchio was a unique experience because there were a lot of tiny unique (albeit expensive) shops across the whole bridge. You could tell the tourist season was starting because it was getting crowded there too. Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens was a fascinating experience. Roaming the halls of Pitti Palace we admired all the beautiful statues, giant framed art, ceiling frescoes, and architecture and then we walked out to the gardens for a unique experience that made you feel you weren't in the city anymore.

Pictures inside Pitti Palace Click picture to expand photos or arrow to scroll

Boboli gardens are elaborate and elegant formal Italian landscaping with statues, rows of hedging, beautiful fountains, and even a grotto. It is landscaped on a hillside so we had to climb a steep graveled pathway to get to the top, but it was worth it for the rest of the experience of this beautiful place. The very tall and grand hedged pathways were peaceful to walk through and there was quite a bit of different walking paths you could take. We thought Boboli Gardens was a wonderful and unique experience.

Boboli Gardens

Another amazing museum we went to while in Florence was the Accademia Gallery of Florence (Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze) where the statue of Michelangelo's “David” was located. The statue is monumental! You really can’t understand its enormity unless you are standing in front of it. Not only does this museum host the “David” but it is home to many types of beautiful art also. You could walk through multiple rooms of religious artwork and a music room devoted to many old types of beautiful and unique instruments. There is also a room with many other carvings of statues and busts. This was a fabulous museum and it was nice that we purchased tickets with a time for entry because that kept us from standing in line for 2-3 hours. 

Accademia Gallery of Florence *Click picture to expand photos or arrow to scroll

For a change of scenery, one afternoon we created ourselves an Italian picnic lunch (which consisted of salami, cheese, focaccia bread, strawberries, and of course chianti wine), called a cab, and drove to a famous scenic spot called Piazza Michelangelo. Here you could see the whole Florence city skyline. The magnificent Duomo towered on top of the red ceramic rooftops and you could also see the pointed spires of the many other cathedrals in Florence. All of this was very picturesque along the beautiful River Arno with its many bridges. You could even catch a glimpse of  the top of Boboli Gardens from way up there. It was really amazing and our picnic just made it all the more memorable.

View from Piazza Michelangelo

Andy and I also took an Italian pasta making class one afternoon - so much fun! I figured if we were going to fly all the way to Italy we might as well learn to make pasta while we are there. I highly recommend Pasta Class Florence, the instructor was fun and very experienced, they also had A LOT of wine for us to enjoy while we were there. We made 3 different kinds of pasta: 2 of them - the lemon ricotta tortellini and agnolotti pastas with brown butter sauce were my favorite. We also made pappardelle pasta with an ossobuco ragu. I highly recommend taking this cooking class while in Florence it was so much fun and a very memorable experience.

Pasta Class Florence

So now let me get to one of the most important topics…restaurants! For starters we ate pizza for lunch on multiple days (yes, it was that good). A beverage recommendation I have, especially during warm weather, is an Aperol Spritz, they are refreshing! We also stopped into the famous All’Antico Vinaio for a wonderful Italian sandwich made on a delicious focaccia style bread baked fresh in house. Be aware that the menu is in Italian and they work fast so you better know what you want when you get there.

One evening for dinner we ate at a really nice restaurant called Trattoria ZaZa with starters of Bruschetta and Chianti of course, which afterward we walked past the Duomo all lit up at night.

We also ate at an underground, by reservation only, restaurant called Bucca Mario. It was the most fabulous restaurant we ate at while we were in Italy, where we enjoyed gnocchi bolognese, Grandma Isabella’s homemade lasagna (superb and I highly recommend), and Andy had the beef filet and potatoes, all being absolutely out of this world delicious.

Another night we ate at this wonderful restaurant with outdoor seating in the Piazza della Signoria called Osteria dell’Orcagna with mouth watering lasagna on the menu again (and more bruschetta). It is located near the Loggia dei Lanzi which is an outdoor statue gallery with many statues on display like the one of Perseus holding the head of Medusa and the grand fountain of Neptune along with a smaller statue of the “David”. For dessert we went out for gelato at the Gelateria Choccolatte - absolutely melt in your mouth, creamy, deliciousness! You definitely have to experience gelato while in Italy.

We visited a few specialty shops while in Florence, like different chocolate and biscotti shops where we enjoyed lots of samples, and memorabilia shops with fancy postcards and unique gifts like stationary, ornaments, and beautiful ceramics. There was even an open air art gallery we found one day where you could purchase beautiful hand paintings of Florence along with many other types of drawings or paintings from the artists themselves. We also walked through the leather market and even visited the Mercato Centrale which was a huge market selling just about any kind of food you can think of to include of course huge selections of salami and cheeses.

It was very enjoyable to take some time to meander through the city of Florence like a local and step away from the hustle and bustle of being a tourist. Needless to say, the shopping in Florence was fantastic and it was worthwhile to slow down, wander around, and browse through the many adorable shops in town. Here is a few extra "around the town" photos of Florence.

Florence is definitely a city I would love to visit again. I know there was so much more we could have experienced but the time we were there was very memorable and almost fairytale-like. The fabulous architecture and enormous elaborate doors on so many of the beautiful buildings were breathtaking. The statues were unbelievable in their detail and amazing stories they depicted. The grand “Duomo” was my favorite thing to see and admire every day (especially at breakfast with our cappuccinos). The gardens were so enjoyable and beautiful I would definitely visit them again if I am able to return. Then, there is of course the delicious food and wonderful shopping. Florence was an absolute picturesque and romantic city that I will always have such fond memories of.

Florence Inspired Meal Idea:

Starter:

Bruschetta:

4-5 Roma tomatoes

1/4 c thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

1-2 cloves chopped garlic (depending on your tastes)

2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion

2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste (it's best with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper if you have it)

1 baguette

Extra virgin olive oil (for brushing on baguette)

Balsamic vinegar for drizzle (optional)

Dice tomatoes and drain off juice ( I like to scrape out the seeds, but you don't have to). In a bowl combine the tomatoes with the basil, garlic, salt, pepper, onion, and olive oil - set aside for flavors to blend. Slice the baguette at an angle into rounds approximately 1" thick. Brush with olive oil and toast in oven for 2-3 min until lightly browned. Top each piece of toast with a spoonful of the tomato mixture. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.

Garden salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil (they are very simple in Tuscany)

Main:

Lasagna Bolognese (I have personally made this recipe and it is amazing)

Extra sliced Italian bread or baguette on the table

Chianti wine

Dessert:

Tiramisu (delicious recipe!) or Gelato

*Set the table with linen napkins, wine glasses, and candles. Have light Italian music playing and dim lighting. Slow down your evening (Italian's do not rush through their meals) and enjoy a long beautiful dinner.