Florence, Italy
The dome of Florence’s Great Synagogue.
Obviously, Florence has legendary and iconic sights: Michelangelo’s Statue of David, The Uffizi Gallery, The Ponte Vecchio Bridge over the Arno River, and possibly the world’s most famous Duomo (though we loved the Duomo in the city of Siena in Tuscany as it was less crowded and perhaps just as beautiful). Not to mention the beautiful Great Synagogue, some gorgeous public fountains and the expansive Boboli Gardens. All of that said, two nights here is probably enough, unless you want to do a really deep dive (which wouldn’t be such a bad thing).
While hotels and restaurants are plentiful, it has a small-city feel and can be easily walked in a day (which is good since cars are not allowed in most of the city center!)
GT Tip: If you are driving in, look to your hotel to provide parking locations on the outskirts.
We chose to stay in the artsy, less-touristy neighborhood of Oltrarno, which is just across the Arno from most of the central sights (The Boboli Gardens are on the same side). It’s a pleasant 30-45 minute walk to most of the important spots. While we only spent one night in Florence, two would allow more time to absorb all of the art on display. The Oltrarno neighborhood has some cute artsy shops — as well as vintage and antique shops. We recommend the handmade printed paper shop Gianini’s across from the Boboli Gardens. The woman who runs it now is descended from the original Gianini. CBS Sunday Morning featured her family’s sixth generation shop in an episode about Florence. The Soprarno Suites (see my full detailed review below) was our hotel for the night. It’s a lovely and hip B&B in a historic building in Oltrarno, just a couple of minutes walk from the Arno River.
*This was part of a 15-night trip to Italy. To see our complete Italy trip itinerary click here.
The Gimlet Traveler Rundown:
All ratings are based on our experience and are on a 5-star rating system (see Site Info for more details). For mapped locations and links to the places listed here (and more) visit Google Map at bottom of page.
Gimlets: *****
We only had one night in Florence and we ended up drinking (intentionally) and eating (we decided to stay on the spur of the moment) at the Bar at the St. Regis Florence. The gimlets were perfect, and the bartenders were solicitous, attractive and knew their cocktails. So we’re giving it five stars. I know there are other cocktail venues scattered (see Manufattura Tabachi and Locale in the map at bottom) throughout the city, but we’ll visit them next time!Restaurants: ****
We were supposed to eat at Buca Lapi, a steakhouse and one of the older and more legendary restaurants in Florence (with a cool dining room), but as mentioned above, we got waylaid when we went to the St. Regis Hotel Bar for pre-dinner cocktails, had appetizers, and ended up deciding to eat dinner at the bar there. There’s also a beautiful dining room should you choose to move from the bar! There were no doubt other, finer, more genuinely “local” restaurants, but hey, sometimes you just go with the flow and we had a great evening.Sights: *****
I mean: The Statue of David, the Uffizi Gallery, the Duomo, Boboli Gardens, et.al……..Shopping: ***
Some cute design and antique stores in the Oltrarno District — very artsy. We loved the handmade, marbleized paper at Giannini’s (seen on CBS Sunday Morning) — which made for great wrapping paper, btw. We also found some interesting jewelry in the small shops on the Ponte Vecchio. There are the usual Fifth Avenue shops….Gucci, etc., but as you probably know, we usually skip those.
Review of Soprarno Suites Rating: ****
Boutique hotel with lots of character on the “other“ side of the Arno from the tourist craziness in the cool neighborhood of Oltrarno — still just a short stroll across the river to all the main attractions. Our king-bed room had high frescoed ceilings, a clawfoot tub in the room (shower in the bathroom), big windows, and eclectic mid-century furnishings. Plus a/c that worked well. Cute common areas and an ample breakfast in their storefront coffee spot downstairs rounded out the package. Good value and lots of character.
Date of stay: October 2019
Other Hotel Choice:
• The Hotel Ottantotto — charming, quiet, same neighborhood, some rooms overlook a back garden.
Below is a map of hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping and sights found during our research. We didn’t have time to visit all of them during our trip, but all were of interest. Click on the icon at top left of the map to view the legend. Or you can click on the full-screen icon at top right to expand, which will also bring up the legend.
