Insiders Guide to Florence

Florence, the capital of Italy's Tuscany region... what's not to love? The fresh pasta, delicious red wines and architecture and art that will easily bring a tear to your eye. One of my favorite things about Florence is that it's not completely land locked, The Arno River flows through Florence where the Ponte Vecchio spans across. Cafe's are all along the river so you can sit outside and have a nice cheese plate and wine or a gelato. It's a city with beautiful views that oozes romance. I also found the people to be really friendly here. We hopped around Italy for 2 weeks and spent about 2-4 days in each place. We had plenty of time for both sight seeing and relaxing being in Florence for 3 days. I highly recommend a walking tour to get the full experience. We did one through Sieren Tours Italy which included a tour of Galleria dell'Accademia where Michelangelo's David is located. Not only does this gallery house David, there are also unfinished Michelangelo pieces that are breathtaking and full of detail. There are amazing hotels all along The Arno, we stayed at The Grand Hotel Villa Medici which was very close to everything in the city. Make sure you bring comfortable walking shoes! I also recommend going to Aqua Al 2 for their Balsamic steak. I didn't get a photo of it because it was dimly lit and late at night, but trust me- it is heavenly. My friend Clenet recommended it to me when he saw I was in Florence. It is tucked away on a tiny street and I never would have seen it or probably heard about it if it weren't for him, so thanks again Clenet! This doesn't take a genius to figure out... but don't skimp on the pasta- especially the Cacio e pepe. It's Rome's signature pasta dish but Florence does a pretty damn good job with it as well.