After our two full days in Rome, it is time to explore Florence and Tuscany! We took the train to Florence, Italy to begin our fourth destination of our honeymoon. The train station (ItaliaRail) in Rome is quite organized and easy to navigate when/where your train is but please note the trains absolutely leave on time and if you are not on the train at time of departure, you will miss it. The trains within Italy are clean, safe and smooth. Since we traveled in August/September 2022, we were still required to wear a mask on the train (FYI) in case you are traveling soon–masks are still required.
This was my second time in Florence, Italy (we did a day-trip from Rome when I traveled with my family in May 2013. We stayed at Hotel Firenze Number Nine and it was lovely, absolutely worth the 5 stars. The hotel was very clean, safe, quiet and comfortable. My favorite accommodations from this hotel was the location (~5 min walk to the Duomo) and they use Diptyque luxury products for hair and body. I would 10/10 recommend this hotel. We had dinner at Trattoria ZaZa and we loved this restaurant (so much we ate here the following night as well). Later, we walked to the Duomo and ate gelato at Studio Gelato before heading back to the hotel for much needed rest.
The first full day in Florence, we ate breakfast at the hotel and walked to meet our tour guide for our Tuscany Vintage Vespa Tour and Italian Cuisine (booked via ViaTour). This was such an exciting and unique experience for us, we loved it and 10/10 recommend this activity. I chose to ride on the back of M’s vintage vespa but each adult is able to drive a vespa, if you prefer. (TIP: the tour company obvi has every adult that plans to drive their own vespa test-drive the vespa prior to driving it for the tour to make sure the adult understands and knows how to drive it). This tour ended with Italian cuisine at the tour guide’s private estate in Tuscany with breathtaking views. After the tour we returned to Florence (~20 min bus ride provided by tour) and had drinks by the Duomo which lead us to completing the Rick Steves free audio tour titled “Renaissance walking tour of Florence.” We ate again at Trattoria ZaZa and M had the famous “florence steak”–47oz 2.7lb rare Tbone steak. Needless to say, he was in heaven. No gelato tonight, we were pretty full from dinner haha.
Our second full day in Florence, we had breakfast and a surprise cake for M’s birthday to start the day. We toured the Statue of David (skip-the-line tickets via ViaTour). We ate lunch at Le Cappelle Medicee before our wine tasting tour. Our wine tasting tour was again booked via ViaTour (am I sponsored yet haha) and it was fun. Our tour was of Casa Emma in Chianti and Montechio winery. Both provided a lot of information and wine, but not a lot of food so we were thankful we ate before the tour. After the tour we ate dinner at Del Nelli and had gelato at Centro Storica.
Our last day in Florence, Italy consisted of breakfast at the hotel and a walk to the train station to head to our fifth destination on our honeymoon–Venice, Italy!
Important tips when visiting Florence:
- Everything is within walking distance, including the train station.
- Florence has excellent authentic leather goods to purchase at bartering rates.
- If you like steak, order the famous Florence Steak at Trattoria ZaZa (or any other restaurant if they have it on the menu).
- Must take a day-trip (at least) to Tuscany (~20 min taxi/bus/vespa ride).
- If you are a wine lover, book a Chianti wine tour.
- If you enjoy shopping, this is the place for you. Great shops.
- One or two days in Florence and one day in Tuscany is really all you need to see everything/explore. If you are looking for a relaxing getaway, I would rent a villa in Tuscany for a week to disconnect and have a slower vacation.
-Are you planning a trip to Florence or Tuscany? Have you been before, if so, what was your favorite thing about Florence/Tuscany? Comment below!
-Follow me at @thedailyallis —on instagram!
-European honeymoon adventure continues with my blog post on Venice, Italy
XO
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