Our Quick Italy Vacation : Florence

Ready for another day in Italy? Today, I share a brief summary of the time we spent in Florence. Florence is a city I will never tire of. Unfortunately, we only had two days there this trip. Click through to see our charming hotels, favorite food stops, and how we celebrated our anniversary with a little shopping.

As soon as we arrived in Florence, we immediately left our bags at Hotel Pendini (image below). This charming historic hotel is filled with antiques, old photos, and its location is second to none. This hotel overlooks Piazza della Repubblica and is very central, making it an ideal location for sightseeing and exploring the city.

Our first business problem? The much anticipated lunch… we walked in line for sandwiches at All’ Antico Vinaoio. This place has certainly gained popularity over the years with over 30 thousand five star reviews. It’s just a small panini shop, and the food line is a mile long… but it runs out fast. Know what you’re getting before you get to the counter because it’s a bit of a mess! We took our giant sandwiches to go and have lunch with a view overlooking the city.

Next we walked over to my old apartment to see how things had changed, which oddly wasn’t. It was great to reminisce and share my old daily walks and my favorite places with Emmett. We then crossed the Arno to get my favorite gelato in town, from Gelataria La Carraia. He (and still) best gelato I’ve ever had. We returned several times during our two day stay in Florence…

After that, it’s on to leather shopping. Emmett had long wanted a good leather jacket. I decided for our anniversary I will give him a present. Florence is known for their leather market. We appear in Ben Heart (very cool and reputable company) and he soon found the one he liked.

After a leisurely stroll and another spritz, we headed back to the hotel to clean up for dinner. We celebrated our anniversary dinner at Irene, which was amazing! We’re friends with another American couple sitting next to us? (also celebrating their anniversary)enjoyed a delicious tiramisu, gelato and cocktails, then headed back to our hotel… right across from the piazza.

Our next day in beautiful Florence started with breakfast at our hotel, immediately followed by hours exploring one of my favorite art galleries in the world, the Uffizzi. The building itself is stunning, but the artwork inside is amazing. You can see the works of all the great people of the Renaissance. I used to spend hours here sketching and studying.

I played the gallery guide for Emmett, then we headed to our favorite lunch spot…. Conquinarius. The pear ravioli, pictured below, is not to be missed! After some local roses, lots of good food, and nice conversation, we went out for some shopping.

We walked into one of my favorite paper & stationery shops in Florence, Il Papiro. We bought some pretty art to take home, which I recently installed in our kitchen.

Next, Emmett surprised me with my own skin birthday gift (our unintentional theme this year I guess). We headed to Cellerini, where I could customize or pick a local handbag. I’m not a fashion person, but bags are my weakness. It’s a fun experience! It’s sort of a well-kept secret in Florence…once arriving at the two unmarked doors we were rung to the entrance and taken to the second floor. I know exactly what bag I want (this is the black one in the lower left corner)! It’s practical, timeless, incredibly high quality, handcrafted by local artisans, and one I’ll keep, carry, and cherish forever.

After that, it’s time for some more gelato, a peek at Santa Croce, and some more spritz… when in Italy, you’ve got to eat & drink while you’re around town!

We ended our time in Florence with dinner, drinks & gelato while listening to a live orchestra (I like the city at night)ready to hit the Amalfi coast… the post is coming tomorrow!

Have a nice day! I hope you enjoy this little travel series. It would have been nice to sort through our photos and relive our anniversary trip.

Sarah

Founder & Creative Director