Ambling along the banks of the Arno was one of our favourite things to do in Florence and the best way to see the city. Our apartment was steps away and perfectly positioned to take maximum advantage of the river and its views. Despite its well-deserved reputation as a tourist magnet, we found ourselves irresistibly drawn to…
After a chilled-out morning in Fiesole we decided to run with this theme in the afternoon and had more chill out time in the Boboli Gardens. One last oasis of calm before one last evening soaking up the hustle and bustle of Florence. Just as we paid the entrance fee the sky turned black and…
On our last full day in Florence we did what wealthy Florentines have done for centuries – escaped to the hills above the city. Being wowed by Fiesole on our last Florence trip I definitely wanted to revisit the one-time rural retreat of the Medicis – interesting and so beautiful, the best place to spend…
We missed out Santa Croce church on our last Florence forray – I was determined not to this time. Son wasn’t overly keen on the idea, he’d had his fill of churches and quiet places but we compromised with the promise of (more) pizza and gelato afterwards. A done deal. The church was easy to find and…
Florence is made for strolling, one afternoon we did just that – strolling from piazza to piazza, following our noses and soaking up the atmosphere and buzz of this incredible city. We found many lovely squares, after the Piazza del Duomo, the Piazza della Signoria comes a close second in my list of favourites. Having…
We climbed to the top of the Duomo on our first afternoon in Florence then beat a hasty retreat after all those steps for a well earned rest in our apartment. Next morning we hot footed it back to the Piazza Del Duomo. Our tickets for the dome climb included entrance to the Baptistery plus another climb…
Top of our agenda on arrival day in Florence was the Duomo. A vast Tuscan triumph, this iconic building with its brick red cupola dominates the Florence skyline, our goal for the afternoon was to climb to the top and take in the best views in the city. The dome is quite something and goes…
A last-minute decision to visit Florence meant a lack of accommodation options. Hotels were mostly fully booked and mostly extortionate. After much searching we stumbled upon an apartment – Apartment Francesca on HomeAway which happened to have availability for the three nights we wanted and those nights only. Serendipity, we booked it immediately. A bit of a…
Florence is a gorgeous city for walking, strolling and just taking it all in. One of its real pleasures is that everything is packed into less than a square mile. From churches to museums, from markets to artwork you can see an awful lot of stuff in a very short amount of time. We stayed for…
Husband and I visited Florence years ago B.S. (before Son). I remember a mad dash from work on a Friday to catch the flight for a long weekend in the city. We arrived promptly, the luggage did not. Cue a sweltering weekend in totally unsuitable clothing before an exciting reunion with our suitcase on the day we returned…
