Trip to Italy, part 2: Florence

I am recapping our trip to Italy we took at the end of June/beginning of July. You can see our adventures in Rome here. Next week I will touch on Cinque Terre.

Of all the places we traveled in Italy, I think Florence was my favorite! Maybe because it was a nice change from the city life of Rome or because it reminded me a bit of home, the wine country area of Sonoma in California.

We took ItaliaRail from Rome to Florence. It took about 1.5 hours and very reasonably priced. I definitely recommend traveling via train in Italy. So convenient! We opted for 1st class which gave us a bit more room and beverage service.

We stayed directly in the city center of Florence, right next to the Duomo. While it may have been a little busier than somewhere outside the city, we were close to everything: the Arno River and Ponte Vecchio Bridge, the famous galleries and museums and the main shopping district and restaurant areas.

I took this shot from the Uffizi Museum. This museum is home to several pieces from Leonardi da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael. Definitely worth a visit, for the artwork or the views!

One of the days in Florence, we took a full-day tour of the Best of Tuscany. I recommend both a trip to countryside of Tuscany and the tour group we went with: Walkabout Florence. The tour took us to Siena, a Chianti vineyard for a tasting, tour and lunch, San Gimignano and Pisa.

I found Florence to be very cultural. There were so many options for museums and galleries. You could really focus your entire stay in Florence trying to see them all.

The city is gorgeous regardless. We walked around and spent much of our time by the Arno River.

Make sure you head to the riverside at sunset, the colors are absolutely breathtaking!

Here's a picture I captured with my iphone.

While Florence is more known for its art & history over its food, we found a couple of amazing places:

Restaurants:
• Gusta Pizza (By far the best pizza I have ever had! Great spot for lunch.)
• Trattoria 4 Leoni (A must visit. Excellent food and wine! We celebrated the bird's birthday here.)
• Baldovino (Lovely atmosphere and excellent food! It is also right next to Piazza Santa Croce.)

Also worth noting is the San Lorenzo Market. It's a large outdoor walking market very close to city center. My favorite part was the indoor part, San Lorenzo Mercato Centrale. If you head to the market, make sure to take a stroll inside the lovely Mercato. It's full of wines, cheese and other delicious temptations.

If you have any specific questions about Florence, feel free to shoot me an email. I am happy to help!

All photos taken by me.