My quick guide to Florence – I’ve been 2x and am by no means an expert but found the city really charming! Although worth stating the obvious – yes, it is overrun by Americans on study abroad (the most American English I’ve ever heard in an international city), it nonetheless is a stunning place to visit. Alex found the city to be “what he imagined Italy to be like” and “walking around in a video game” – it’s immersive, stunning, and busy!

We stayed at the most stunning Airbnb which I cannot recommend highly enough – the rooms had frescoes on the ceiling! It was perfectly located just outside of the city center but near the train station and light rail so that you could catch a reprieve from city life, but are still close enough to go anywhere.

In general – we found the food to be uneven in Florence – while we loved the gelato (underrated category) and found a few gems for pasta and pizza, it didn’t quite live up to the hype.

Eats

Truffle Hunting – this might have been our favorite part of the trip! Another truffle hunting excursion I had booked months in advance on Airbnb had cancelled late the night before and sent mespiraling because this was supposed to be Alex’s birthday present activity. Lucikly – I was able to rebook this one with Your Vino and we had an amazing time! The truffle dog Aki found 2 large truffles for us to eat over a generous lunch, and the vineyard and San Gimignano tour were lovely. Think it’s really worth your time to get out of city and see what other parts of Tuscany have to offer.

La Carraia Gelato – Legendary and deservedly so. Save yourself the wait and go to the Santa Croce location. Yes, this is not the original location – but it’s so much faster and we preferred the flavors at the Santa Croce shop. We easily had 2 gelatos a day.

Sbrino – Amazing unique gelato flavors. I had a mulberry gelato (first time ever?) which was so impressive and delicious. While the gelato does skew sweet, it’s so worth a stop in here.

Osteria Pastella – honestly, the only pasta place that we thought lived up to what we thought pasta in Italy would be! We found this because it was across the street from our Airbnb, and saw the pasta being made in the window as well as lines forming outside. Make a reservation online to save yourself the wait – we had a gluttonous meal of truffle pasta, roast duck – and because the first two were so good – raw shrimp and roe pasta which were all outstanding.

Atto di Vitto Mollica – 1 Michelin star. I honestly had booked this place just to dine in the beautiful courtyard here inside the Palazzo Portinari Salviati Hotel (which is also a beautiful, swanky place to stay), but it really lived up to far more than that. One of the highlights was the absurdly large breadsticks in creative presentation that they bring (and refill generously for you).

Giotto Pizza – Unassuming pizza spot near the train station that is the real deal. Simply delicious without hype.

Skips

Borgo San Jacopo – we went here as a birthday splurge as a one Michelin star and found it underwhelming. Several dishes were far too salty, and service was a bit awkward and overly formal.

Trattoria Zaza – we were warned that this spot was “like the Cheesecake Factory” although we couldn’t quite understand how until we got there! Hoards of American study abroad students in massive lines, humungous menu, and gigantic portions (that may surpass that of the Cheesecake Factory?!?!?). The food was not bad, but just nothing special and if you’re up for a campy experience this could be it. Just not what we expected for Florence

Trattoria Antico Fattore – probably a very hot take but Florentine steak just isn’t it? This is largely recommended as one of the best spots for it and still – it was fine and not the best meal we’ve had.

Museums

Making reservations is a must, otherwise you will not get in or will have to wait in crazy lines.

L’Accademia where the statue of David is is probably the smallest museum where a reservation is more critical.

Uffizi is stunning, overwhelming, and we found more interesting than L’Academia.

Boboli is the real gem – amazing house / museum with fewer crowds, lush garden, and really a place to stroll and enjoy. Probably the easiest museum to walk-in to as well.

Brunelleschi’s dome and Giotto’s belltower are interesting to visit – would go early morning to beat the crowd and have the place to yourself.