5 Days, 4 Nights in Florence

GETTING THERE

It took about 3 hours to get from Sorrento to Florence by train, which was a nice break from my previous trek.  It was just enough time to watch Creed, which I’d downloaded before I left for Europe. Glad I did because I haven’t been able to download any movies or tv shows since…so please, no Power, Insecure, or Game of Thrones spoilers.

WHERE TO LAY YOUR HEAD ON A PILLOW

Somewhere with an A/C.  Florence was extremely hot and I was in an Airbnb without an A/C or fan.  My host attempted to buy a fan, but the stores were sold out.  According to the locals, they’d never seen a summer so hot. So, I guess there’s a reason the fans were out of stock. It was so hot I considered getting a little propeller fan that I could attach to my phone.  But trying to use that while sleeping didn’t seem like the smartest idea.  All that to say, look at the forecast and check the amenities before you book.

GETTING AROUND FLORENCE

I was able to walk pretty much everywhere I wanted to go.  I didn’t feel like rolling my bag on the cobblestone streets when I arrived, so I hopped in a taxi. Other than that, I relied on my feet to get around. So happy a few friends convinced me to invest in some good sneakers before I embarked on this journey.

WHERE TO EAT

Since being in Italy, I’ve been searching for a good aperitivo. If you’re not familiar with the concept, it’s like happy hour 2.0.  You pay for a drink then get free food.  So my plan to save money was to find aperitivos where I could purchase a glass of wine then eat for free. Most of the aperitivos I found offered potato chips. Now I love chips, but not for dinner. After traveling in Italy for two weeks, I finally found a solid aperitivo in Florence.  Golden View Open Bar has a great view of the water and an actual aperitivo spread. They offered cheese, meat, potatoes, tomatoes, you name it. So I purchased a glass of wine and went back to the spread several times. I decided to sip slowly.  Luckily, I didn’t order a beverage with ice, so my drink didn’t get watery.

THINGS TO DO

The highlight of my trip was a cooking class. Initially I wanted to take a wine tour under the Tuscan sun. Due to last-minute planning, that wasn’t an option. Luckily, there was one spot left in a cooking class. It was pretty expensive, but it was actually worth it.  The class started with a drive to Tuscany where we met our chef for the day.  If you take this class, try to book with Chef Isak, who is both knowledgeable and entertaining. We made bruschetta, pasta from scratch, roast pork, patata al rosemarino, pizza, and tiramisu.  Plus the wine was flowing. If I return to Florence, I’ll take this class again.  Perhaps I should say “when I return” because I visited Il Porcellino and rubbed the boar’s snout, which guarantees a return to Florence.

BUDGET

Here’s a breakdown of my budget for four nights in Florence.  

*I used an exchange rate of 1 € = 1.18 USD.

I’m off to my next stop! Did you click the subscribe button so you don’t miss a moment? You can also follow me on Instagram to see more travel pics. 

Ciao for now,

Marissa

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