Our Florence
Here are a few of our favorites to explore and experience during your stay.
Restaurants
Dining/Trattoria
Great for steak or chicken, get either the chicken or the Bisteca.
Sort of a modern take on Italian. Very good. We go here every trip. This is a great spot for lunch. Not pricey. Amazing wine bar connected.
This is one the best places for Bisteca, So good. This is a must. When getting steak always order the Bisteca for 2. It can either be all Italians or filled with tourists. But, it is always good.
Great Florentine steaks and service. A bit pricey and touristy, but good. It’s really popular.
Great pasta. Really touristy, but good, get the rigatoni.
Is really good and filled with locals. Not fancy but solid.
Great restaurant on top of Pizzale Michelangelo amazing view. Amazing beef tartare.
Typical tuscan, famous and touristy really cool inside.
Typical tuscan, famous and touristy, people love it.
Dining/Pizza/Drinks
Cute, little place for lunch. have a piadina. It is the super thin bread that they heat up.It's super cheap, but so good. You just eat it in the shade at the park. All the “Gusto” places are good
Super cold beers and one of our favorite pizza places. We always get the salsicca and arugula. This is on the "oltro" side of the river and just outside of Porto Romano.
For a drink and quick snacks right next to the Portrait Gallery Hotel.
For a good beer and cocktail a bit down the river. We have watched the cute couple open and expand it over the past 7 years. Food is OK. Go for the drinks.
Teeny cute winebar good for apperativo/light dinner.
Solid and cute. Live jazz and great pizza. The pizza is good and simple pastas. Great view of the Ponte Vecchio.
Casual and open late. They have great sandwiches/pizza
Delicious aperitivo and teeny panini.
One of the oldest cafes in Florence it’s perfect and the waiters are mean.
This is the best gelato place, the line goes fast.
Shopping
Clothing
Luisa Via Roma
High-end designer clothing, very fashion forward.
Eridi Chiarnini
This place is great for classic men's clothing. If you want to get a decently priced Italian suit, this would be your place.
Quercioli & Lucherini
Tiny family owned-our fave store for socks, underwear etc. A true Italian experience.
Gerard Loft
A favorite for pants and sweaters. All Italian made, but not too pricey.
Great little store for your kids!!
WP Store
Fantastic store for simple well designed clothing. They have American brands that only sell certain styles here. Think New Balance and Woolrich.
A very cool selection of sneakers and shoes.
Fashionable workwear store. Very Italian. We sell GRP sweaters that they sell here.
Gucci Osteria and the Gucci Museum
A very good fancy restaurant and great fashion museum!
Ferragamo and the Ferragamo museum
A great fashion museum and one of the original Florentine designers!
Perfume
Ortiga
Our favorite fragrance store! Sold in the Surf Shop!
Officina Profumo - Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
The world's oldest fragrence store.
Boutique e Museo Lorenzo Villoresi
A beautiful perfume store. Considered one of the best in the world.
Furniture
High-end vintage Italian furniture store.
High-end vintage Italian furniture store.
By appointment only.
Very cool brass store. Lighting, knobs and fixtures.
Culture
Peaceful gardens next to the Boboli Gardens. A perfect place to escape the noise and tourists of Florence.
Gorgeous gardens behind Palazzo Pitti
Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze
The museum that houses "David" reservations required.
The complete Florentine museum. If you like big museums, this a must.
This is a great walk from the center. It is on the top of the hill on the "Otlro" side and it has incredible views of the city and the sunset.
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
This is the Duemo and It is worth it to walk to the top as is the tower next to it while you’re at it!
Don’t forget to check out the doors
Cute piazza with a small outdoor market. This also has an old school church that is worth popping into.
Nice modern art exhibit and not super touristy.
You need a reservation for the evening. It’s the passage for the Medicis from P.Pitti to the Uffizzi that goes above the Ponte Vecchio.
Museo Galileo
Very cool museum. Not too crowded. It explores all the cool contraptions that Galileo built.