Our European adventure continued as we drove from Rome through the stunning Tuscany region. Our next destination was Florence, Italy and we were excited to discover how different and amazing it was.
The drive from Rome to Florence was about a little less than 3 hours and the fields of flowers and stunning acres of vineyards made the drive fly by even quicker (p.s. The “resting areas” in Italy are amazing! We discovered that locals like to stop in for a few minutes and drink a mini cappuccino before they continue on their way, it’s the cutest thing ever!).
Now back to Florence, this city was one of our favorite cities in Italy and we didn’t expect to love it as much as we did. The city of Florence is so old, and the buildings are very traditional/medieval. When you find yourself strolling through the evening it feels as if the king and his knights on horses are about to ride through the town. It’s the coolest feeling ever and we have never seen anything like Florence before. This city has such a romantic vibe with so much history around every corner. We defiantly will be coming back to Florence.
Where we stayed: Relais Santa Croce, Florence
Gosh I loved this boutique-y hotel! We give this hotel a 5/5 star rating for service, quality and cleanliness. Upon check in, we told the staff that it was our anniversary trip and just like in Rome they upgraded us to an amazing suite and left us a gift in our room. We absolutely recommend this hotel if your visiting the Tuscany region, its located in the heart of the city of Florence with walking distance to anything you could think of! Ask the concierge for a recommendation on dining; we had dinner at this one little restaurant where the tortellini was made from scratch per request. It was the best meal we had from the entire trip.
What/Where we ate: Finding a place to eat in Florence was not an issue at all. The streets are filled with cafes and restaurants and it’s difficult to narrow it to just one. Also, the gelato is amazing! Splurge on food and dessert when you’re in Italy because you wont find it anywhere else in the world.
Another brilliant thing about Florence is the street shopping. I think Florence was my favorite place in Italy to purchase souvenirs or really neat keepsakes. The street are filled with vendors offering spices, leather goods, jewelry, wooden creations, toys, dinnerware – you name it they have it. I wanted to buy everything in Florence.
How we got around: While exploring Florence we walked everywhere because the city is fairly small. It’s very convenient to have your hotel close to everything so it worked out perfectly. The streets are sooo narrow that it may be impossible to drive through the heart of the city.
For those who are looking to add Florence to their future trip, 2-3 days is a great amount of time to cover everything you will want to see.
Next stop: Venice.. Stay Tuned.
xo,
Victoria