Travel Recap - Florence, Italy

The insane view from the restaurant at Verrazzano. Dress by Dolce Vita (use the Special Order function to get your size)

As you all know, my husband and I returned last week our vacation in Italy. We headed to both Florence and Rome for about five days each. Between my husband's diligent planning and all of the excellent recommendations you all provided, we had an incredible time!! I am going to do a separate post on all of my restaurant recos in case any of you are headed there soon, so today's post includes some of the broader activities about Florence specifically. 

About every day was structured the same way. A quick breakfast in the morning either at home or on the road, several hours of sightseeing, a yummy lunch, more sightseeing, back to the apartment to rest, some antipasto and wine while getting ready, a divine dinner and then a tour of the city at night. Throw in some shopping and gelato tastings and that was pretty much our time in Florence. It was such an amazing time! Here are some snaps from the Florence leg of our trip.

Wine in plastic cups- the classiest way to travel!

Ponte Vecchio at night <3.

Wine and gelato aka the perfect combo!

Our first night in Florence was "The White Night," the eve before May 1st. All of the restaurants and museums stay open really late and the city of Florence stays up even later. The streets were packed with people and music- it was such great energy!

Our first day, we jetted to Tuscany for a tour, tasting and lunch at a local vineyard, Castello di Verrazzano. As expected, Tuscany was STUNNING and the vineyard was incredible. We had a great multi-course meal that should have been a clear indication that I was in for some serious weight gain during our trip ;).

Guess who is the only one in the family to drive stick?

Mr Cool living the dream in Tuscany.

After our lunch at the vineyard, we headed back to Florence and to an incredible dinner (more on that in an upcoming post). Afterwards, we grabbed a bottle of wine and hit the streets of Florence to explore. 

The most incredible rigatoni!

The next day we headed to the Duomo and the Galleria dell'Accademia to see the David. Naturally, for breakfast, I had to sample a waffle and Nutella sandwich.

Heaven.

Being too cool for school at the Duomo.

Side view of the Duomo.

Proof that I actually went outside and wasn't just using the location for a photoshoot. 

The insane ceiling of the Duomo.

For lunch, we stopped by Mercado Central to check out the goods. So many wonderful and fresh ingredients, I wanted to sample everything! We ended up getting some spices that we had had on our pasta at Verrazzano. We are excited to put them to use now that we're back in the states :)

After the market and David, we headed to a yummy dinner that many had recommended. You sit family style and actually don't order any specific food. Instead, they just bring out plates and plates of food for you to try. Since I am a vegetarian, TC got all of the meat portions, and boy was he happy about it.

TC and his various meats.

Salty and crunchy farro salad.

Real talk - this was the complimentary bottle of wine included at the table.

On the third day, after our jug of wine (WOOF), we headed to the Uffizi Gallery. I cannot recommend enough that you buy tickets online ahead of time for all of these things. Many times, we would walk up to a museum, see people waiting two hours in line, but be able to walk right in ourselves. TOTALLY worth it!

Happy tourist with his salami sandwich to go.

 

After seeing the sights, we headed out to one of our favorite meals of the trip. More on the specifics later!

On the fourth day, at my insistence, we went on a Dan Brown Inferno/Secret Passages tour at Palazzo Vecchio. You see, we both read Inferno on our honeymoon (I know, sooooo romantic) and I really wanted to see all of the places the characters visited in the book. While it could have been totally cheesy, our guide was great and the tour was really cool.

Entering into the first of many secret passages.

Dante's mask.

The map room with a secret passage.

In the afternoon, at TC's insistence, we headed to Palazzo Michelangelo for an incredible view of the city. Also, the rain finally cleared so we were able to enjoy the weather!

The view of Florence from Palazzo Michaelangelo.

The rose garden next to Palazzo Michelangelo.

Rewarding myself after the long trek to Palazzo Michaelangelo with gelato (as if I needed an excuse).

As you can see, we had a wonderful time in Florence. Up next… ROMA!

Xo J