10 Things to do in Florence, Italy
Part 2 of our Italian road trip takes us through Bologna and Florence. If you missed part 1, check it out here!
We stayed three nights in Florence at a airBNB near the river. The only plans we had made prior were our food and bike tours. Other than that, we kept it pretty spontaneous. If you are wanting to explore the many museums, you definitely want to pre-book tickets.
WHAT TO DO WHEN VISITING FLORENCE, ITALY?
EAT THE FOOD
When in Italy, you must eat as much of their delicious food as possible! We kicked off our time in Florence with a private food tour. Our guide was the BEST! She was informative, fun, and fed us endless amounts of food and drink all day. We arrived early, so she added a coffee stop to the beginning! Not only did we have espresso, she brought us an entire platter of pastries including cannolis and baba. Baba is a rum cake that is from Napoli.
Olive oil is everywhere! According to our guide, olive oil tastes best the first month after it is pressed, but you can keep it for about 2 years. In November, she basically only eats bread and olive oil for the entire month, as this is when olive oil is produced.
Fun fact: Bread in Tuscany is not made with salt.
Some places we ate during our 3 days in Florence: Santa Felicito Pizzeria, Santa Bevitore, Trattoria Buzzino, Lo Schiacciavino, Salsamenteria de Ciompi, Le Forma Dei Ciompi, Finisterrae, Opera Caffe (the best iced coffee I’ve ever had). All of the food was fantastic! You really can’t go wrong.
To book a Florence food tour, click here.
FIND THE WINE WINDOWS
Florence has 140+ wine windows, also known as buchettes. These are tiny windows that you may notice while you are exploring the streets. Many of them have been covered up, but if you keep an open eye, you will find them. Can you guess what they used to be used for?
Yep, you guessed it! These windows were used to sell bottles of wine from the wine cellars. They were developed in the 1600s during the Bubonic Plague. This allowed merchants to still sell their wine, but without any direct contact to the ‘infected.’ Most are no longer in operation, but some temporarily reopened during the recent pandemic.
CHEER ON YOUR FAVORITE TEAM AT CALCIO STORICO FIORENTINO
We happened to be in Florence for the kickoff of this traditional Florentine game. When an opportunity like that comes up, you take it! Thankfully we knew about it from our guide and was able to score some last-minute tickets.
This sport is a combination of rugby and boxing and originated in the 16th century. It consists of 2 semi-finals and 1 final, this year played in June. The goal is to get the ball to the other side and score a point. It begins with both teams lined up in the middle of the dirt arena. A ball is thrown and then the kicking, punching, pinning, and bloody noses follow.
Four teams represent four districts of Florence. The two teams playing this first round were Santa Spirito (white) and Santa Croce (blue). The blue fans were quite intense!
The pre-show was very fun, and honestly, our favorite part. A parade of drummers and trumpeters marched their way around the arena, all wearing medieval costumes. Fans were chanting, clapping, and even letting off smoke bombs. It felt surreal to be in Florence during this historic event!
GO TO THE MARKET
On our food tour, our guide took us into the market and showed us the local specialties. Jim was mesmerized and loved it! If you have a kitchen and like to cook, this is THE place to buy your ingredients. It is also a great place to stop at to eat lunch or a snack (like we did).
ADMIRE THE DUOMU
Also known as the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
As this massive cathedral kickstarted the Renaissance architecture, it’s definitely a must see! People flock to Florence just to see this amazing structure.
As with most tourist hotspots, get there early to avoid large crowds.
EXPLORE THE TUSCAN HILLS VIA BIKE
With just a 15-minute bike ride from the city center, you can be in the gorgeous hills of Tuscany. We booked a wine and bike tour, which was a fantastic way to explore and learn more about the city, and of course, taste some wine along the way!
The Tuscan landscape was incredible! Sometimes it was hard to focus on the path ahead of us (remember, we were biking) instead of just staring at the landscape the entire time. The rolling hills were full of olive trees, vineyards, cypress trees, and every shade of green.
Cypress trees are a staple of the Italian countryside. They are believed to connect the dead to the gods by their deep roots and ‘tall to the sky’ tree tops.
When in Italy, you must do a wine tasting (or 2 or 3 or 4!). Our bike tour included a stop at a vineyard for a tasting in the cozy wine cellar. It is also included charcuterie, bread, and olive oil that they produced. The abundance of delicious olive oil in Italy was fantastic!
We couldn’t explore inside the property much due to a wedding, but our guide showed us around the vineyards. There were alternating rows of olive trees and grape vines.
Did you know that most vineyards have rose bushes at the end of each row? They act as an early warning sign if there are any diseases or issues with the soil.
To enjoy the same tour, click here!
WALK (OR RUN) THE STREETS
When in any new city, exploring the city by feet is a must. It allows you to find hidden art, like this building below with a painted fresco. Florence offers lot of shopping, especially leather! Whether it be shoes, jackets, or wallets, you can find endless options of all.
Walking across the Ponte Vecchio is a must. It is the only bridge that was not destroyed during WW2. A man saved it by cutting the bomb wires. This bridge used to be the ‘bridge of the butchers’ but now it is more of the ‘bridge of the jewelers.’ It is full of medieval stands, mostly selling jewelry. Go in the morning before the shops open and go later in the day as well. You’ll notice a big difference in crowds and ambience.
Florence is a great city to get a morning run in. I was impressed with the pedestrian paths along the river. They were (mostly) flat and I felt safe the entire time. A great thing about an early run is seeing some sights before all of the people start roaming about!
TAKE A DAY TRIP TO BOLOGNA
On our way to Florence, we took a delicious food tour tasting the traditional foods of Bologna. What we think of bolognese sauce is actually called ragu! You are missing out if you do not go to Bologna. Next visit to Italy, we would absolutely spend more time there.
Click here to book a Bologna food tour.
DISCOVER THE ENDLESS AMOUNTS OF STATUES
GAZE AT THE CITY LIGHTS
On the walk home, we admired the beauty of the city at night time. The reflection of the lights on the river felt magical. We could even hear a musician in the distance playing the accordion. It was one of those moments I want to capture and keep in my memory forever and return to.
