The second part of our Italian adventure a few weeks back was three days in Florence - a city I have wanted to visit for so long! It was pretty much love at first sight - Florence is such a beautiful city and after having been there for only a few hours, we realised also has SO much to do and so many different parts to it. I had many, many great recommendations from you lovely lot too so that was super helpful in planning what we were going to do whilst there.
On the first day we headed straight to the hotel to drop off our bags as we arrived too early for check in. We stayed at C-hotels Joy and it was right next to the train station in such a good location for walking into the city centre too. It had a similar vibe to The Hoxton hotels and was cool/ modern inside - perfect for a long weekend stay. We popped out to have a wander and get our bearings initially, having a lovely walk along the river which was super close to the hotel, before going back to check in and get changed for the afternoon/ evening. We then visited the Gucci Garden which is right in the main square and it was such a great experience and one I would definitely recommend doing if you're in the area! It's basically a museum of past and present Gucci pieces and so immersive. I loved all of the vintage trunks and there's also a restaurant too which we didn't try but looked amazing. Whether you're a Gucci superfan or not, it's well worth the eight euro entry and there's a shop on the way out if you're feeling spendy!
We also saw the Piazza Del Duomo - one of the greatest cathedrals in the world - and it was absolutely spectacular to be quite honest. We just stood looking up in awe for ages and Brett was in his photo snapping element!
On the second day we stumbled upon the beautiful Boboli Gardens which are an absolute must i'd say - the view over the city when you get to the top is insane! It's a huge park with so many different parts to see as you walk around, including an old Roman amphitheatre and many historical statues too. It's ten euro's per person entry but again, worth every penny in my opinion and we spent a fair few hours wandering round. Sadly I didn't get much time to check out any vintage shops in Florence which I had planned to, so hopefully next time!
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Food wise we ate at some amazing places so I'll link all of my favourites below:
- S.forno Panificio: a lovely cafe great for breakfast/ brunch/ coffee and sweet treats
- Mercato Centrale: I had so many reccies from you guys on this and omg it did not disappoint! It's a huge food market with literally something for everyone and a must visit. I think we may have left about three stone heavier since we wanted to try everything! The most delicious pizza, pasta and fried goods.
- 4 Leoni: Possibly one of the best places we ate whilst in Italy! The most delicious burrata, Pasta, bruschetta and more, as well as lovely service - 10/10.
- La Buchetta: A renowned steak restaurant in Firenze, we ate here on our last night and the pasta and cheesecake were definite highlights!
All over the city they have Fotoautomatica's too and I love love love a Photo Booth (especially in the middle of the street!) so this is just another reason why I fell in love with Florence! We had a lovely little trip and it's definitely somewhere I want to return to in the future :)
Rachael
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P.s. I promise the vlog is coming this week too!