Le Murate

Spending some time in beautiful Florence? This is a complete list that provides you with a handful of options: accommodation, tourist attractions, shops, bars and restaurants - you’ll need no other guide, I promise! So…have a bite and a drink alongside Arno river and take home the most impressive bespoke souvenirs. The city is walkable and it blends art and history and romantic vibes all together and pretty soon you’ll find yourself in love. 💓 Must do - trips to picturesque towns located nearby: • San Gimignano: 1h away • Siena: 1h10 away • Volterra: 1h20 away Highlights: ⚜️ Il Giglio - giglio bottonato, is mainly known from the crest of the city of Florence. In the Florentine fleurs-de-lis, the stamens are always posed between the petals. This is also the emblem of the city and you shall see it depicted all over. 🍨 Gelato “crema fiorentina” - is the specific flavor of Florence, made with a simple combination of egg yolks, milk, and sugar. It is often flavored with chestnut honey, while another common addition includes crumbled amaretti cookies or almond liqueur. It is a neutral ice cream flavor with delicate pale-yellow color. 🍧 Affogato - a delightful and simple Italian dessert or beverage that combines two beloved elements: espresso and gelato or ice cream. The word "affogato" in Italian means "drowned," and that perfectly describes the preparation of this delicious treat. The basic affogato recipe involves pouring a hot, freshly brewed espresso over a scoop of cold gelato or ice cream. The hot espresso contrasts with the cold and creamy gelato, resulting in a harmonious and satisfying flavour combination. 🥩 Bistecca alla fiorentina - Italian steak made of young steer (vitellone) or heifer (scottona) that, combined with the specific preparation, makes it one of the most popular dishes of Tuscan cuisine. 🍷 "Buchette del vino" - or wine windows, are a peculiar feature of Florence. They are foot-high, dome-shaped holes in the thick, stone palazzi of the Renaissance city that six centuries ago were used to sell wine in a fiasco (glass bottle) without having to open a shop and avoid paying taxes. These wine windows also posed a useful anti-contagion way to sell wine during the epidemic of 1630-1633. At that time, the bubonic plague hit Florence hard, killing 12% of the city's population.

I want to help you discover the lesser known places in Florence. You already know the David, the Duomo, and Ponte Vecchio. But do you know the best place to get a craft beer? Eat the best Chinese food? Join a summer beach party? I’m here to help you live like a local! I spent two years living in the beautiful Renaissance city of Florence, Italy. Spending so much time in this city allowed me to remove myself from the regular touristy spots that so many people get caught up going to when they have just a few days here. Unfortunately, Florence really does suffer from over-tourism, particularly in the summer months. This can make it difficult to feel like you're truly a part of the life of the city. Fortunately, however, there are a ton of great places around the city, less known to tourists, where you can get to know another part of the city. In this guide, I will introduce you to those spots: the lesser-known, more local hot spots to have coffee, eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, date night, live music, and drink the night away. This guide is perfect for people who want to go to hip and cool places that are off the beaten path, which can be hard to find in Florence. Maybe you're going to be in Florence for just a few days and want to be in the know right away, or maybe you're a student coming to spend a semester in Florence. This guide will help you get a head start on all the best places that your friends probably haven't told you about. I've also provided information about transportation around the city, from walking to biking to the tramvia, etc. What this guide does NOT include: All of the historical sites, art museums, and famous statues. Every blog post includes these types of things in Florence. I want to provide you with another side of Florence.

If you're traveling to Florence and want a complete guide, including where to eat like a local, avoiding tourist traps, the best rooftop bars and views, to know what museums to visit, what to do on a rainy day or a super sunny summer day, or you want to know which churches are worth a visit, what upscale or hole-in-the-wall restaurants to check out, which pasticceria has the best pastries, which panini shops you should visit, (instead of waiting in a 2 hr line for an overpriced one) and where the wine windows are- THIS is the guide for you! This guide includes 15 of my custom made Florence guides.