Florence is one of our favorite cities in Europe. While much larger than Siena, it still manages to maintain its Tuscan charm. Our trip through Tuscany would not be complete without a visit to the capital for some of the best art and food in the world. Having already visited Florence, we had a pretty loose itinerary. Of course, we had to start back at our favorite little sandwich shop, I Due Fratellini, for a wild boar salami sandwich and a glass of Montalcino.
Like Siena, Florence is a great city for walking and simply enjoying the architecture, energy, and history of the city. We took a stroll to the Piazza della Signoria, which is where we stayed during our last visit. In the square you can see the town hall (Palazzo Vecchio) and numerous sculptures including the replica of Michelangelo’s David, the Neptune Fountain, and our favorite Perseus with the head of Medusa.
We strolled down the Arno River to admire views of Florence and its iconic bridge, the Ponte Vecchio. During World War II, Germans did not destroy the Ponte Vecchio during their retreat, unlike all other bridges in Florence. This was allegedly, according to many locals and tour guides, because of an express order by Hitler.
During our stroll, we happened across a well-known gelato spot (this was no coincidence), and we had to make a pit stop. Gelateria La Carraia is one of the best gelato shops that we have been to on this trip so far. They have perfected the soft, creamy texture that we love about gelato and had a wide assortment of unique flavors to choose from. Our favorites were Baccio (chocolate hazelnut), Biscuittini (chocolate fudgy pieces in cream), and a panna cotta cream.
Our last trip to Florence was during the off-season in the fall. When we arrived at the Duomo (Florence Cathedral), we quickly realized that visiting in the summer was a different experience and were very happy that we didn’t have plans to tour inside or climb to the top of the cupola (dome). The lines were extremely long and the thought of waiting for hours to hike the narrow, cramped corridors to the top in 90+ degree heat did not sound fun. Luckily, we had already done this in the cool fall weather, so we were very content admiring the gothic cathedral from the outside.
Our only plan for the first day was to tour the Uffizi Gallery late in the afternoon. Until then, we kept wandering around the city reminiscing about our last visit and discovering new hidden gems. One little spot we stumbled upon was an urban garden where we refueled with antipasti and a spritz before our expedition into the museum. Way better than suffering in the line for the Duomo, and we discovered yet another amazing way to eat beef – Bresaola carpaccio with soft cheese, nuts, and arugula. Yum!!
The Uffizi Gallery is one of the world’s top art museums and houses some of the most important works of the Renaissance. Visiting this museum is an amazing tour through the history of art starting with the Medieval Age with Giotto and then continuing into the Renaissance with Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, and Michelangelo and finishing with the leading figure of the Venetian school: Titian. This was our second visit to the gallery, and we were still very impressed with the collection. Here is Michelangelo’s Holy Family, his only recorded panel painting:
And Titian’s Venus:
We were extremely fortunate that, although we booked last minute, we found the perfect boutique hotel for a quick overnight stay in Florence called Hotel Davanzati. This family-owned spot helped us to reserve last-minute tickets to the museums and a top restaurant for dinner. Before heading to dinner, we were able to enjoy the complimentary happy hour of bruschetta and prosecco with the other guests. The friendliness of the family that ran the hotel really made us want to stay longer!!
The restaurant that we selected for dinner was called Ristorante Dino, and being our first nice dinner in Tuscany, we wanted to go all-out with all four traditional Italian courses: antipasti, primi, secondi, and dolce. We started the meal with tasty deep-fried meatballs.
The pasta course was a delicious ricotta and spinach ravioli in pesto
Because we skipped it last time we were in Florence, we had to go with the famous Bistecca alla Fiorentina – a giant T-bone steak drizzled in olive oil for our main course. We have had steak served in butter at one of our favorite US restaurants, but olive oil was a new steak condiment for us. We loved that our server even recommended that we dip it in even more olive oil. We paired this with a lovely Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
And to finish we had their upside-down cheesecake.
We closed our first day with an evening stroll through Piazza della Signoria, a nightcap along the river, and Florence welcoming us with some fireworks.
The next morning we went to the Galleria dell’Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David. This is probably our favorite museum in Italy. Admiring the four unfinished Prisoners in contrast to the polished perfection of the David truly puts the brilliance of Michelangelo into perspective. The museum is small, but each time we visit we end up spending more time there than we expect.
Of course, after every museum comes the gelato reward. This time we stopped at another highly rated spot called Carapina and enjoyed a few more unique flavors – eggnog with Marsala wine, almond, and hazelnut. Gelato tends to melt quickly in the summer heat, so you gotta make sure to get every last precious drop.
Before heading back to Siena, we spent the afternoon at the Palazzo Pitti. The palace was bought by the Medici family in 1549 and became the chief residence of the ruling families. It grew as a great treasure house as later generations amassed paintings, plates, jewelry and luxurious possessions. The rooms were really impressive, but the amount of art was a bit overwhelming. The garden of the palace (Boboli Garden) was really the highlight. Enjoying the views of the city from the hill was a great ending to our trip to Florence.
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