Today I am sharing a travel guide to one of my favorite cities in the world: Florence, Italy. I was born and lived in Florence for all my life and just recently ( 3 years ) start to live in Valencia. As a lifestyle blogger too, I made it my business to explore every restaurant, gelateria, boutique, and attraction I came across, and narrow down a list of my very favorite spots.
Check them out below..
Join some Tuscany experiences with me !
WHERE DINE & STREET FOOD
Antico Vinaio | 📍 Via dei Neri, 74, 50122 Firenze | Easily my favorite schiacciata shop in Florence for so many reasons: it’s authentic Italian vibe, incredible schiacciata, sweet as can be employees. Vegetarian & Veg. op.
SantaRosa Bistrot | 📍 Lungarno di Santa Rosa, Firenze
Ditta Artigianale | Italy's original specialty coffee company, roasted and brewed daily in Firenze | Lunch & Aperitivo | 🇮🇹 📍Via Dei Neri•Dello Sprone•Carducci•Lung.Soderini
BISTECCA IN THE FLORENCE COUNTRYSIDE
Vegetarian option too, a very Tuscan place | Trattoria La Baracchina
PIZZA TIME
Fermento 1889 | 📍 Borgo San Frediano, 42r 50124, Firenze - FI
Giovanni Santarpia | 📍 Via Senese, 155/red, 50124 Firenze FI
WHAT TO DO
David of Michelangelo | 📍 Via Ricasoli, 58/60, 50129 Firenze
I’m personally a huge art and history fan so seeing the David was a must on my list. Even if you aren’t, you’ll want to add this to your list of things to do in Florence. The stunning museum it’s located in offers up tons of insight into how Florence became the city it is today, which makes for an even more enjoyable time roaming the streets afterwards. Although seeing the David itself will only consume a few minutes of your day, standing in line at the Galleria dell’Accademia can easily take hours.
Uffizi Gallery | 📍 Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6, 50122 Firenze
Go to Mercato Centrale | 📍 Piazza del Mercato Centrale, Via dell'Ariento, 50123 Firenze
Similar to an indoor farmers market, the Mercato Centrale offers some of the best produce, meats, flowers, pasta, and spices, all from Florence. I recommend visiting the market around 11am so you can aimlessly walk up and down the many aisles of food and then grab some of their ready-to-eat meals for lunch. If you have a little more time on your hands, they recently opened an upstairs level where you can take cooking classes and make your own lunch!
Walk along the Arno River: Known as one of the most important and prominent rivers in all of Italy, the Arno River runs through the center of Florence dividing it into two sides: one which is considered a more touristy side where the Duomo and David are and the other more local with art galleries and untouched history. Both are definitely worth exploring! Make sure to walk the Ponte Vecchio, the most famous bridge on the Arno which has jewelry shopping, adorable buildings, and incredible gelato.
DANCE & DRINK
Villa Vittoria | 📍 V.le Filippo Strozzi, 2 Firenze | Aperitivo, dinner & music! #estate #summer
Mad Soul & Spirit | 📍 Borgo S. Frediano, 36/38r, 50124 Firenze | Cocktail Bar
Bulli & Balene | 📍 via dello Sprone, 14R - Florence | Spritz + Cicchetti ( Venezia Pinchos )
YOGA IN THE CITY
Yoga Garage | 📍 Via dei Conti, 22R, 50123 Firenze FI, Italia | If You are in the city center of Florence, definetly You should go to my teachers, Tess & Guido
WHERE TO GET GELATO
Sbrino | 📍 Via de’Serragli 32R 📍 Via Senese 1R📍 Piazza Gaddi 3R
WHERE TO RELAX
Boboli Garden | Pitti Palace | 📍 Piazza de' Pitti, 1, 50125 Firenze FI, Italia
While technically the Boboli Gardens can be a bit of a workout (it’s on a massive hill right behind the Pitti Palace), it’s also the perfect place to bring a book and some snacks to unwind. My suggestion is to order a Gusta Pizza to-go (located two blocks away) and bring it to the Gardens for a picnic!
Villa Bardini | 📍 Costa S. Giorgio, 2-4, 50125 Firenze
The Baroque staircase, embellished with mosaic backdrops and six fountains, is the most picturesque part of the garden, with its panoramic view of the city.
Astonishing views of Florence, framed by the flowering trees in the garden.
A collection of old fruit trees typical of Tuscan gardens, as well as 4 species of non-traditional cultivation: fruit trees growing in espalier, on a single stem, free-range and dwarf.
At the top of the garden is the Dragon Fountain, which gives this part of the park an 'Anglo-Chinese garden' appearance, with a canal running down one side. This area was part of Jacques Louis Le Blanc's estate at the beginning of the 19th century, who transformed the woodland part he had bought into today's 'Anglo-Chinese garden' to surround the villa, now part of Villa Bardini, also owned by the Le Blanc family.
The Bardini Garden has been accepted into the European Garden Heritage Network
Rose Garden | 📍 Viale Giuseppe Poggi, 2, 50125 Firenze
The Rose Garden in Florence is a place of extraordinary beauty, where you can see for free many different types of roses and other plants. That's why it is the ideal place for a romantic promenade or for a break in a green oasis set in the heart of Florence.
I suggest going early in the morning (they open at 8:15am) to take it all in without too many tourists around. Built according to the French model, the garden has a bucolic natural setting, yet it was streamlined to accommodate the Italian style.
Of particular interest is the advanced irrigation system, near the square, and a pipeline that carries water up to numerous outlets in the garden. In recent years the giardino has been enriched with some works of art and today it houses ten bronze sculptures, two chess pieces by Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon, donated to the City by the widow of the artist.
The garden houses a collection of roses, lemons, and other plants, as well as a Japanese garden, donated to Florence by the twin city of Kyōto and the Zen Kodai-Ji temple. In particular, it contains about 400 varieties of roses for a total of about 1,200 plants.
The park is found in the Oltrarno area, just below Piazzale Michelangelo. From there you can admire an amazing view over the city histoical center, a Unesco World Heritage Site, as is the Garden area itself.
The garden was created in 1865 by Giuseppe Poggi, who also designed also the Piazzale, on behalf of the City of Florence, ready to become the capital of Italy after Turin. The land belonged Padri Filippini, who also owned a house and farm called San Francesco, then Attilio Pucci redeisgned to space full of terraces and walls to create a collection of roses.
Piazzale Michaelangelo | 📍 Piazzale Michelangelo, 50125 Firenze
