Florence, Italy

Florence, Italy

This is part of our Italy Summer Road Trip – check out the rest of the trip.

August 2018 – 2 days with the family

While one should predominantly visit Naples for the pizza, one should predominantly visit Florence for the gelato. We hit 4 gelato places on our 2 days here. Oh, and I guess there’s some famous artwork here as well! Since this was Lynn and Dave’s second trip to Florence, we focused just on just the highlights for the kids. Although it has gotten more touristy over the years (and you often feel there are more Americans on the streets than Fiorentinos), it’s still worth a visit. 

  • Duomo (Florence Cathedral) – The iconic image of Florence always includes this architectural wonder that took 200 years to build. It’s free to visit. Just get in the long line outside early and make sure you have something to cover your shoulders and legs. And listen to Rick Steves’ audio guide. 
  • Uffizi Museum / Piazza della Signoria / Palazzo Vecchio – The Palazzo Vecchio is this beautiful town hall of Florence which sits in the Piazza della Signoria. It is most famous for its life-size replica of David, as well as many other statues in the Loggia dei Lanzi. It is adjacent to the entrance of the world-famous Uffizi Museum. Make sure to reserve tickets in advance – this museum gets over 12,000 visitors a day. There’s a new plan starting in the summer of 2021 called “Uffizi Diffusi” (scattered Uffizi), which will take major pieces of art from the Uffizi and temporarily host them in various other locations throughout Tuscany in the hopes of spreading tourists out to some of the other towns in the region. We agree that this is a super cool idea. 
  • Accademia Gallery – You cannot go to Florence and not see Michaelangelo’s David. No matter how many pictures you see of it, nothing quite explains the feeling when you are in his presence. It is truly miraculous. Definitely, reserve tickets in advance. Probably weeks or months in advance. 
  • Ponte Vecchio – Crossing the Arno River at its narrowest point is the unique Ponte Vecchio bridge. While it used to contain useful shops when it was first built (believed to be the 1st century AD), it now contains mostly touristy souvenir shops. Walk across quickly and take in the views from the other side of the river. 
  • Piazzale Michelangelo (no pictures since we didn’t go this time!) – And speaking of views, once you are on the south bank of the Arno River, hike up to this beautiful piazza with absolutely stunning views of Florence. We couldn’t get the kids to do it this time (kids are so lazy), but we did this on our honeymoon and still remember it well. 
  • Locale Firenze– We hadn’t really had a fancy cocktail since we left Chicago and we were super excited to have a few hours away from the kids. We were also still getting to understand the ‘Aperativo’ experience, and so were blown away with creative drinks and the delicious tower of snacks we enjoyed at Locale Firenze. 
  • Mercato Centrale (F.N. Pasta Fresca) – We stopped here as they were closing for a late lunch. Delicious pasta in takeout containers that we ate sitting on a curb in the street. So good. 
  • Sandwiches (no pictures!) – It’s definitely the most famous item on the menu to have a sandwich at All’Antico Vinaio.  But every time we’ve been there, the street is so crowded, you can’t get near the place. Instead, we ate a sandwich at La Prosciutteria Firenze and it was delicious. As good as All’Antico? The ratings say yes, but who knows! 
Gelato at one of the 3 places. She likes it!
Taking refuge inside Perchè no while it hailed outside!
  • Gelato: Although we have since found other favorite gelato shops in Italy, we went to Vivoli, Gelateria Dei Neri, and Perche no!, and definitely loved them all. It’s hot, you’re in Florence, do as the Fiorentinos do, and eat gelato more than once a day! 
  • Bistecca Fiorentina – Although we don’t have a favorite place for this if you’re a meat-eater, definitely try their famous steak. It’s delicious and is perfectly paired with a glass of hearty Tuscan wine.
  • Two other restaurants worth mentioning that we really enjoyed were a wine bar called Coquinarius and pizza at Gustarium.

Next time – We would be sure to take in the Pitti Palace/Boboli Gardens and a tripe sandwich – for Dave only! 

This is part of our Italy Summer Road Trip – check out the previous stop on our trip – Rome – or the next stop – Tuscany

Have any questions or suggestions? Post them in the comments below or contact us at LewinAvventura@gmail.com.