🇮🇹 Firenze, Italy ~ October 2025

Ah Florence…😍 I thought this was gonna be my favorite city of them all but there just wasn’t enough time to determine that! And unfortunately as well, this was the stop where I realized that the scratchy throat, runny nose and overall feeling of shit, was indeed a cold and not just the result of leaving my allergy meds at home. That damn cold hung with me for the next three weeks, (jet lag + a cold = nightmare) and really limited my enjoyment of our trip, which was a huge bummer. But I pushed myself to keep going, because I couldn’t go home to be sick in my own bed or stay in bed while on the trip, so I had to make the most of it and “live my best life”! Everyday my sling bag was packed with toilet paper to blow my nose (because there wasn’t kleenex in any of the places we stayed), hand sanitizer and all the drugs I could get from the three stops at the pharmacy we made during the trip! I was able to buy packs of kleenex from there as well, but by then, it was too late for my nose. 😭

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We met our besties at the Roma Termini train station and hopped on a high speed Italo train to Florence after enjoying some pizza and wine, of course! We decided to stay both close to the train station in Florence (Santa Maria Novella) and the il Mercato Centrale Firenze area and in hindsight, the second of that choice wasn’t the best. I had followed the market on social media for awhile and was super excited that it was literally right across the street but in the end, it was just a glorified food hall, of which we have many like that here at home, so it didn’t really feel unique or authentic.

The apartment itself was really nice! Up only one flight of stairs, (if you’ve ever stayed anywhere in Italy, you’ll know that’s a big deal!) each couple had their own bedroom and bathroom and the common areas had a big kitchen, living & dining area. We also had a washing machine that we used as well (bring your own detergent or buy some at a local store, because they usually don’t supply that) and the center of the apartment was an open air patio (meaning you look up and see sky, but the apartment surrounded it) and it was a fun hang out spot for our first afternoon, with a conveniently located wine store, right across the street! 🍷

There was a great cafe around the corner as well, Antica Pasticceria Sieni, that we went to each morning, and enjoyed pastries & sandwiches and the usual cappuccinos to start our day. 🥐 However everytime we left our apartment, we had to weave our way through the vendors and crowds and that made things a little annoying to be honest. They weren’t aggressive selling, in fact, it seemed like most of them had exactly the same items, which felt strange. At night, the street out front appeared to be a popular spot for kids hanging out late into the night as well. And the vendors set up very early in the morning, so our travel partners, who had the street-facing room for that stay, had a rough couple of nights. Location wise though, it worked out very nice. I am still kicking myself that I didn’t buy myself a cute little leather handbag while in Florence, and then saw some nice options in a couple other cities, which I didn’t buy either! 😢

But there was so much to see in Florence and unfortunately because of our limited time there (and my sickness) we didn’t get to do all the things I had wanted to. We did get to see Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery (which btw- we didn’t buy tickets in advance and just walked up to the ticket window, which is across the street from the entrance and got in pretty quickly!) and enjoyed exploring the other exhibits while there.

We spent a morning walking around the Ponte Vecchio area where we found The Gold Boutique and my sweet hubby bought me a new wedding ring (technically for our 25th Anniversary) that I am in love with it! It’s a Florentine Filigree and I didn’t realize how much I would love the design of it until it was on my finger. I also got my daughter an Italian Horn pendant, (An Italian horn gold pendant is a symbol of protection, good luck, and heritage, believed to ward off the evil eye (malocchio). It also represents strength, fertility, and prosperity. The addition of gold can enhance these meanings, as gold itself is associated with wealth, power, and positive energy) which was fun as well.

We stumbled upon the sandwich place I had been wanting to try, All’Antico Vinaio while waiting to go into the Accademia and I got The Paradise (Mortadella, pistachio cream, and stracciatella cheese with chopped pistachios!) but honestly could have ordered just about anything on that menu! We did visit a couple other places that day for food, but it was a blur and for whatever reason, I don’t remember the names of those places. I blame it on the head cold. Honestly, most of the trip was a blur…I had so many ideas of things I wanted to see, pictures & videos I wanted to take. Unfortunately, most days I was just trying to stay alive and out of the hospital 😆 ok I might be being dramatic, but it truly was hard to be myself on this trip because of that stupid cold. Our itinerary didn’t help either…definitely doing it differently in the future!

The last night in Florence, to celebrate our travel partners wedding anniversary that day, we had made reservations months ago, for dinner at Ristorante La Giostra, (where Brad & Jen got engaged!) where we feasted on Florentine Bistecca and Pear Ravioli (see pics) and watched a fancy wine presentation that was pretty fun! They started every table off with a bunch of small bites, which was a fun surprise. Apparently I had so much fun that night, that I left my camera hanging on the back of my chair which resulted in a panic run the next morning to the restaurant before our train to our next destination. After dinner we walked across the street to an Irish bar and the guys had a couple of creamy pints. After that we found a little sidewalk cafe and enjoyed some espresso, aperitifs and affogatos. A perfect way to end the evening! ☕️

Overall it was a fun stop on our adventure…I read from so many people that you need to spend more than just a couple of days in a city to appreciate it and now having been and gone, I would 100% agree with that. We didn’t get to visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and climb the Duomo, or see all the amazing works of art at the Uffizi Gallery or watch the sun set over Piazzale Michelangelo so those will be on our list for the next trip! I am already harassing my husband to take me back next year! 🤩

Stay tuned for the next stop…Riomaggiore in Cinque Terre! 🩵 ~Shawn