Now that we have been home for just about two weeks, many of our close friends and family have asked about our trip and have gotten a bit of the low down. One of the more popular questions proposed to us has been, “So, where would you go again?”
I field this one to Adam because I had already been to three of the five cities we visited. Obviously, I don’t mind going back to anywhere.
If being totally honest, he had to think about it because we really liked everywhere we went. But, if the question was followed with “What city was your favorite?”
Florence was the response that came to his lips more and more quickly.
Florence is quintessentially “Italy.”
It’s a beautiful city, full of art, history, impressive architecture, really good food and great wines. While it is a large city in Italy, it isn’t overwhelming.
Instead, it’s almost simple. It’s relaxing and romantic. It felt like every street we turned down, church we wondered through or view of the city took our breath away.
It was a perfect home for three great days.
Getting there and Getting Around:
As I mentioned, Florence isn’t overwhelming. In fact, it’s very walk-able, measuring only a couple miles from edge to edge. Cabs are available only at specified stations and can’t be “flagged down” throughout the city. But, the only time we used one needed one was as we came into the city from the airport.
We flew into Florence (FLR) from London City Airport. The flight was quick (less than four hours) and had us on the ground in Italy around noon. Customs was a breeze. The line for the cabs was short and rates to any hotel in the city center was 20 Euros a car.
Buses and trains are available at the airport as well, but the cab was reasonable and didn’t take long. The drivers took all six of us right to the steps of our hotel so there was no lugging bags down old, stone roads.
It was easy.
It all was easy.
… Too easy.
Where to Stay:
Feeling relieved and excited after our painless flight, no lost luggage, great cab rides to a hotel with amazing proximity to huge Florence landmarks, such as the Duomo, all three couples headed to the lobby to check into Hotel Perseo.
The hotel was recommended by my great friend from grade school, Laura. Laura Honeymooned in Italy with her husband Jay at the very end of 2012. They actually spent Christmas in Florence and used Hotel Perseo as their home base.
Laura took great notes of her trip and told me that the rooms were comfortable and clean. She also mentioned that the hotel had a great location and a fabulous breakfast that was included in the price. I was sold, and after Kylie and Kristen agreed that it looked good, we didn’t research anything else in Florence for accommodations.
Adam and I were the last of the three couples to check in only to find out that we did not have a reservation and the place was sold out for the rest of the week.
My heart sank.
Turns out that the hotel had run a pre-authorization on my credit card in May that didn’t go through due to security reasons. The kind women, who fortunately spoke great English, said that she had tried to email me. But, unfortunately for me, the only thing that showed up in my email was a confirmation from my booking in February.
With a little anger, disappointment and desperation brewing, my imagination started running. I could picture Adam and I at either, A. A dirty hostel boarded up in a room full of bunk beds with travelers from God knows where. Or, B. Blowing our budget for the trip at the Ritz for 1000 Euro a night.
I am pretty sure Adam imagined us at option C. On the street.
The front desk clerk at Hotel Perseo was helpful and hopped on booking.com to try to see what was available nearby. She pulled up a place that looked clean, in our price range, just around the corner near San Lorenzo. Only one room was available so we booked it right away.
The planner in me slowly died. I had no clue what this place was like. I had not Trip Advisor’ed it…! I didn’t feel good at all.
Soon, Adam and I were in front of a door that we thought had to be the right place based on the address: Via dell’Ariento 3 Rosso.
We easily found Via dell’Ariento, just around the corner. What “rosso” meant, I didn’t know. But, we were at #3 on Via dell’Ariento.
And… there was a sink in front of the door.
… An old, rusty, sink.
This was so not good.
After a little sweat and help back at Hotel Perseo, we learned that roads in Florence have black numbers and red, or “rosso,” numbers.
We had been at 3 Black.
3 Red turned out to be the Residence La Medicea, a great, clean apartment complex, complete with excellent sinks (…!) and a beautiful terrace area looking over San Lorenzo.
It was perfect. The owner, Eva, was incredibly helpful and kind to us. There was free Wi-Fi and we had a ton of space. We even had a full kitchen! Which of course meant, after an afternoon like ours, we needed to get some prosecco in the fridge…
ASAP.
Where to Eat:
Just around the corner from our new, great (phew!) accommodations was a Mercato Centrale. Markets are abundant in Florence featuring leather, clothing, and Italy souvenirs. Mercato Central is a must see food market.
It is home to many food shops full of Italian ingredients such as meat, vegetables, pasta, mushrooms and wine. On the second floor we found a variety of restaurants similar to North Market in Columbus, Ohio or City Market in Indianapolis. The wide array of restaurants showcased Italian favorites like pizza and pasta while others were a little more “unique” (at least by American’s in Italy standards) like a burger and steak place.
It was our first meal in Italy so Adam and I both had to go for the brick oven margarita pizza.
The pizza pros had it all down to a science from the rising dough to applying toppings. It was impressive and a great first taste of the country that is so influential on our cooking style at home.
We also were attracted to the truffle restaurant. Plates of prepared antipastos were arranged to get one final shaving of large truffle mushrooms before they were passed onto the customer. (They also had truffle mushrooms for sale in a clear cooler… the largest and most expensive? 500 Euro!)
We had to have one to split.
… Antipasto… not 500 Euro truffle.
And, speaking of things to split… Florence is famous for Steak Florentine, a T-Bone steak with a filet as large as possible. It is a bit under the radar, but grilled steak is super popular in the Florence/Tuscany area.
The men in our group were very interested in finding the most authentic Steak Florentine and the helpful front desk women at Hotel Perseo helped us get reservations for our group at Club Culinario. There, the Steak Florentine was exceptionally cooked with a very simple seasoning of just salt and pepper and just one order of the Steak Florentine fed four people.
The staff was accommodating and helpful despite a bit of a language barrier at the more local hangout. They encouraged us to order the table wine and brought over shots of lemoncello at the end of the great meal.
We enjoyed another great, group meal at Fuori Porta a nice, authentic restaurant across the river from the City Center and closer to the base of the hill to get to the Piazzale Michelangelo. (More on that later…)
As we walked in Adam and I both were making googly eyes at plates of burratta cheese with eggplant swiftly coming out of the kitchen. It looked dreamy and decadent, but by the time we ordered the kitchen had sold out.
It all worked out though. I had a super-fresh panzenella salad that I need to recreate as soon as the tomatoes are ripe while Adam enjoyed salmon carpaccio.
Adam and I also had a couple spots that we liked so much that we visited them twice.
The first was Giannino in San Lorenzo, a small restaurant on a side street in between the Duomo and San Lorenzo. The first time we visited we were just looking for something to drink to kill an hour and, because of the location, we didn’t have any expectations. It’s a bit of a touristy area, but at Giannino you couldn’t tell. We sat at the tables on the curb and it was so quiet and relaxing.
On our second stop here, we experienced the food. We split a pizza and some caprese. I also requested the “coldest wine you have” from a great waiter whose English was so good Adam and I both thought he was American at first. He smiled and said he had something special for me. He came back to the table with a crisp and cool bottle of rose. Exactly what I was looking for after the hot afternoons in Italy.
The second place was Lion Cafe, a late night bar right below our apartment on San Lorenzo square. We went here for drinks, but came back for the people. Every night we met really neat people from all around the world. Our favorites may have been a sweet brother and sister in their late teens from Paris who were so eager to try out their English.
… oh, and the man who handed Adam his baby while he went in to the bar for about thirty minutes. We are not in America anymore, kids!
What To Do:
So, I mentioned Piazzale Michelangelo. It’s a must do in Florence.
It is a square south east of the city, situated up high on a hill that boasts the best view of Florence.
Our group decided to make the trek up the hill to watch the sunset. After the 100 wide steps up the hill, it was a great time. There were quite a bit of people there, but we expected it and everyone was there just to chill out.
There was a woman playing guitar singing everything from Ed Sheeran to “Volare.” (Which always makes me think of Italy…) A couple vendors sold souvenirs alongside beers and bottles of wine to enjoy at the top of the hill.
Adam and I popped a bottle of prosecco and savored every moment as we watched sun dip towards the hills, adding a orangey-pink filter to the city
… leaving the confusion and all disillusion behind…
Another must do is to visit the Duomo. The Duomo is so impressive. It’s a cathedral with a huge dome built during the Renaissance. The facade is made of green, pink and white marble and in person it almost looks as if it was painted, not made of stone.
In Florence, you can’t miss The Duomo because it towers over the other buildings.
We chose to rise early and climb up to the top first thing in the morning to beat the crowds, lines, and heat of the day. It’s 463 steps to the top through narrow, short halls but the view is so worth it.
When in Florence, we passed by the Duomo countless times throughout the day. But, one of the best memories of the trip was when we decided to stop and have a bottle of prosecco on the steps late one evening.
The protective gates had been taken down after the masses of people that come in for the day had left. It was a completely different area. Sure, it was still touristy with every other vendor trying to get us to buy a selfie stick, but it was also really special to share that night with our great friends.
After seeing the “tourist” things in Florence like The Duomo and Statue of David, my favorite thing to do was just wonder. It was so easy to follow the little side streets find a neat ceramics shop, a food store, a shop full of beautiful leather… or a trattoria for another glass of prosecco.
So glad you got to make that trip. Reading you blog sure brings back good memories for us . Every body should get the chance to experience Florence.