Exploring Florence, Italy

These are my travel notes for Florence, filled with sights and mostly places to eat, it's Italy.

Florence, Italy | June 2022 | Sony a6300 | 34mm f11

Florence is a breathtaking city with divine food and an expansive history. It is a city that my wife, Maria, and I have fallen in love with and have returned to a few times. The city lives and breathes the Renaissance with its grandeur, century-old buildings, and history around each corner. Here, you will be constantly immersed in Culture, Art, History, and Cuisine, a place like no other. Here are the notes I compiled for myself on Florence, and I hope that it can benefit you.

What To See

Tourist Basics

• Palazzo Vecchio

• Santa Maria Del Fiore | Florence’s Main Cathedral

  * Highly recommended to purchase tickets beforehand. You can also climb the bell tower and/or climb to the top of the Dome.

• Cappelle Medicee

  *You Can purchase tickets there.

• Piazzale Michelangelo

  *Best view of Florence.

• Mercato Centrale Firenze

• Pitti Palace

• Basilica of Santa Croce

• Uffizi Gallery and Accademia

  *Purchase Tickets ahead of time here.

• Piazza Della Signoria

Extras

• Piazza Santo Spirito

• Museo Stibbert

• Loggia dei Lanzi

• Museo Leonardo Da Vinci

• Leather Market

  *Find my advice here.

  

  

  

  Florence, Italy

Where to Eat

My approach to Restaurants and food: I am by no means a restaurant critic. For my rating, I use a 1 - 10 system; 1 - 4 range from horrible to okay but not worth returning to, and 5 - 7 are what I consider benchmark, you can get great bites, and it is worth returning, and 8 - 10, well they are divine and outstanding food, meals that you dream about. For my recommendations, I will keep to the higher end of the scale that said I was only there for a short amount of time, and there are many that I did not have the chance to try.

A few tips: When traveling to any major city, try to go to restaurants that are not on main roads or in front of tourist sites; my goal is to always get away from as many tourists as possible. I tend to notice that you find restaurants with delicious food, local eaters, and more reasonable prices. There are always exceptions, but melting into the local spots is a nearly always safe bet.

*I have not personally visited all these restaurants, but all were highly recommended and are on my list of must-go.

Restaurants

• Il Baretto | Personal Rating: 8/10 | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Ristorante Natalino | Personal Rating: 7/10 | Trip Advisor: 4.5

• Club Culinario Toscano da Osvaldo | Personal Rating: 7/10 | The Fork: 4.6/5.0

• Trattoria San Cammillo | Personal Rating: 7/10 | Yelp: 4.0/5.0

• Florence’s Signature Sandwich Shops | All’Antico Vinaio OR Pino’s Sandwiches-Salumeria Verdi OR I Fratellini | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

  *Wherever you go, make sure they are using the signature Florentine Bread.

• Osteria Giglio d’Oro | The Fork: 4.6/5.0

• Trattoria Antico Fattore | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Antica Trattoria da Tito dal 1913 | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Osteria Del Corso | Trip Advisor: 5.0/5.0

• Fermento 1889 | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Trattoria La Casalinga | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• La Giostra | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Osteria Pastella | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Vini e Vecchi Sapori | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Trattoria Sostanza | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Nello ristorante | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Il Santo Bevitore | Yelp: 4.5/5.0

• L’Ortone | The Fork: 4.7/5.0

• Cibleo | The Fork: 4.7/5.0

• Ristorante Del Fagioli | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Casa Ciabattini | The Fork: 4.8/5.0

• Tratoria Ruggero | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Nugolo | The Fork: 4.8/5.0

• CINTO Cucina in Torre | The Fork: 4.5/5.0

• Osteria Belle Donne | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Osteria Del Cinghiale Bianco | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Gastone | The Fork: 4.8/5.0

*Your time in Florence is never long enough so don’t bother going to restaurants less then a 4.0, spend the couple of minutes researching restaurants and don’t fall for the host running up to you and trying to get you to come to their restaurant.

Cafe, Bars & Dessert

• Gelateria dei Neri | Dessert | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Rex Firenze | Bar | Trip Advisor: 4.0

• Il Santino | Bar | Apple Rating: 83%

• The Lodge Club Firenze | Bar | Trip Advisor: 3.5/5.0

  *Over-priced, I did not try the food, but what a view!

• La Sorbetteria | Dessert | Trip Advisor: 4.5/5.0

• Caffe Gilli | Cafe | Apple Rating: 89%

• Vivoli Gelato | Dessert | Apple Rating: 91%

Florence, Italy | June, 2022 | iPhone 12 Pro | 52mm f2

If you have any questions or comments my email is thomasmjumper@gmail.com