explore it yourself:
The journey and accommodations:
We arrived by train from Rome on the afternoon of July 21st and stayed until the morning of July 23rd. We arrived into and departed from Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station.
My parents and siblings joined us for this leg of our trip so, to accommodate the size of our group, short term rentals were the most affordable option. We ended up selecting an Airbnb located in the center of Florence. Our apartment was situated just steps off of Piazza della Signoria which worked out well as this was a very central point in the city, making it easy to circle back for a break from the heat whenever we needed to during our days here. The city is extremely walkable, what looked far on the map was often only a 10 minute walk. We were able to do everything including transport to and from the train station on foot.
Note: * our additions to ai itinerary and exclusions are crossed out, also see our summary at the bottom.
Day 1: florence arrival afternoon
Piazzas and Leather
- Sandwiches at
- Panetteria e Stuzzicheria De Neri* – Viral sandwich spot, the sandwiches lived up to the hype, but there is usually a long line.
- Definitely give the ‘La Golosona’ sandwich a try, it was unbelievably good!
- OR
All’Antico Vinaio– We chose the other sandwich spot because we have had this one in New York, they have expanded and have locations in several cities.
- Panetteria e Stuzzicheria De Neri* – Viral sandwich spot, the sandwiches lived up to the hype, but there is usually a long line.
- Loggia dei Lanzi – A stunning exhibition space housing amazing statues such as Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini
- This was quite literally a few steps outside of our front door and on the first evening, there was a choir performance on stage amongst the statues which was amazing to watch!
- Palazzo Vecchio – Overlooking this is Florence’s historic town hall and a fortress-palace
- It is free to walk into the lobby of the building but exploring the museum costs 18 EUR per person so we chose to skip that.
- Walk to Piazza della Signoria, see the Neptune Fountain and outdoor sculptures
- As noted above, this Piazza, which houses the other attractions already noted, was just a short walk from our front door so we spent a good amount of time in this area.
- In all of our stops across Italy so far, Piazzas have provided perfect places to find a shaded spot and take a seat. You really can’t go wrong as all the Piazzas are beautiful and adorned with numerous restaurants and cafe’s.
- As noted above, this Piazza, which houses the other attractions already noted, was just a short walk from our front door so we spent a good amount of time in this area.
- Fotoautomatica* – There are several photo booths around the city that each cost 3 EUR, makes for a cute souvenir.
- Divina Terrazza Rooftop Bar* – The views from the roof were incredible. The drinks were expensive, but it’s great for one drink.
- Note that the rooftop is small so depending on the time, it may be worth making a reservation.
- Also, to reach the rooftop bar, enter into the lobby of the Grand Hotel Cavour and let the receptionist know you are looking to visit the bar.
- Note that the rooftop is small so depending on the time, it may be worth making a reservation.
- Massimo Leather* – We had done a lot of research on this and ultimately purchased bags from here. Very sweet owners with authentic leather.
- We got 2 purses for 80 EUR each and then went next door for an engraving which was an additional 10 EUR.
- Lion’s Fountain Irish Pub – One of the oldest Irish Pub’s in Florence
- This was located right in the heart of the city so it made for a good pitstop while we explored in the surrounding neighborhood.
- Ponte Vecchio – One of the famous bridges that is filled with shops.
- This bridge is so unique, we have never seen a bridge with so many shops built right on the side overlooking the river below!
Day 2: Florence's Renaissance Heart
Piazza del duomo Complex
- Vivoli* – 9 EUR for pistachio, 6 EUR for regular.
- Expensive, but it was worth it! We went in the morning and didn’t have a long wait, but have heard that the line can get pretty crazy.
- Start early at Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo) – The main floor is free to enter so we were looking forward to seeing it, but the line wrapped around the building so we opted to admire from the outside instead.
- Piazza del Duomo* – The square around the Cathedral of Santa Maria
- There are so many cute little shops and restaurants to sit at while admiring the true beauty of this one-of-a-kind church!
- Marlu Jewelry* – Pretty and affordable jewelry.
- Piazza della Repubblica* – Famous square in the historic center of Florence
- This made for a great photo opportunity with the giant archway standing over the square, certainly worth checking out!
Wine Bars and shops
- Citees Tshirt store* – Great selection of graphic tees that were actually cool.
- Several Florence and Italy themed and the rest puns. Tees were 2 for 30 EUR.
- Brandy Melville* – Perfect for cute Florence/Italy merch.
- We got a tee shirt and a crew neck to commemorate one of our favorite cities of the whole trip.
- Wine window/bar hop:
- Wine Window Orcagna – Buchetta del vino*
- The Old Stove* – had one inside because there was good air conditioning
- Cafe Odeon*
- BABAE*
OLTRARNO
- Ponte Santa Trinita – In the evening the sun setting makes the buildings along the river pop, perfect for photos.
- Easily could have sat here for hours enjoying the view of the river while people watching, so beautiful!
- Momo Vintage* – Mostly vintage designer pieces if you are into that.
- Purse chain/charms at
- Ditta Carlo Cecchi* – We were actually intending on going to Filippini & Paoletti* which we found on TikTok, but we were having trouble finding it as it is on the second floor of a building with little signage. As we were trying to find it, the owner of Ditta Carlo Cecchi found us and told us where to go which was when we found out that he also has a chain/charm store. They were so excited when we went in and we got chains added to our purses for 30 EUR.
- Gusta Pizza* – Popular pizza spot with outdoor seating
- We asked for indoor seating for our group of 7 and were seated immediately. The pizza was fantastic, definitely try the Margherita if you get the chance!
- Palazzo Pitti* – We just walked around the exterior
- It is a nice stop if you are in the area, but we wouldn’t go out of the way to see it.
- Taxi to
Piazzale Michelangelofor the sunset- We skipped this because of the distance and size of our group.
Departure Day
Coffee & Breakfast
- Melaleuca Florence Bakery* – Known for their cinnamon rolls and iced coffee
- Unfortunately we weren’t able to go here because we didn’t have enough time but it looks really good!
- Unfortunately we weren’t able to go here because we didn’t have enough time but it looks really good!
- Ditta Artigianale* – Great flavored iced lattes, the pastries also looked really good.
- We ordered from the walk-up window on our way to the train, perfect for a quick grab-and-go coffee!
final thoughts:
Overall Rating: 50/10
Would we go again? Yes, it was the coolest city. This was our parents favorite spot on their whole Italian adventure!
Favorite moment:
Bailey’s favorite: Browsing the leather stores and getting the engraving and chain/charms was such a fun experience.
Parker’s favorite: I really enjoyed our stroll along the riverside while seeing the Ponte Vecchio at sunset.
Favorite meal:
Bailey’s favorite: The pistachio affogato from Vivoli was incredible. It was the first time I have had affogato and it was amazing.
Parker’s favorite: The sandwiches from Panetteria e Stuzzicheria De Neri were unbelievable! The sandwiches were absolutely massive for just 8 or 9 EUR each.
Any surprises? Probably how compact it was. There was so much to do and see in a small radius which was super convenient. It allowed for us to spend more time enjoying places on our itinerary and less time in transit.
Anything we missed? Piazzale Michelangelo and the Boboli Gardens.
Food spots AI recommended, but we didn’t have a chance to go: All’Antico Vinaio
Average step count per day: 15,830 steps
How did ai do?
Nailed it: We thought AI did a really nice job recommending options along a walking route that was really efficient on day 2 to visit several Piazzas and see the beautiful sights Florence has to offer. Although Florence isn’t very big, we see how it could be easy to end up wandering around aimlessly down the narrow alleyways if you don’t have a good route planned.
Needs work: In Florence, AI suggested we do some leather bag shopping at one point and some wine window hopping at another yet in both instances, never offered a specific store to shop at or window to check out. We ended up researching everything on our own in these cases while stumbling across some others on accident as well. Although we appreciated these general suggestions, a few ideas on specific places to go would have been nice.