April 12 - Palaces, Piazzas and Pizza

-

 DAY 3

Ponte Vecchio, Boboli Gardens and Piazza Michelangelo

TeeFarm
Looking across water in a canal lined with buildings to an arched bridge

We start by walking around the Ponte Vecchio.  Once you cross the river into Oltrarno (the other side), you will see the beautiful Piti Palace and Boboli Gardens.  Lastly, you will once again see a gorgeous sunset over the city of Florence at Piazza Michelangelo. Again, wear your walking shoes because it will be a long day ahead of you!

Erin Confortini
A walking path along a picturesque canal lined with historic buildings
Walking along the Arno River
The Ponte Vecchio is the famous bridge crossing the Arno River that you most likely saw in pictures of Florence.

Once here, you can spend the morning going in and out of jewelry and higher-end souvenir shops while taking photos along the Arno.  Or head right to the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens.

Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens

Once you cross the Ponte Vecchio into the Oltrarno (the other side of the river), visit the Boboli Gardens. This is an outdoor museum dating back to the 15th century. The gardens are inside the Pitti Palace, which is another set of museums in the city of Florence.  There is so much to see, and it is easy to get lost inside. You can easily spend a few hours walking around outside when the weather is nice.

Street art in Via Toscanella

Near the majestic Piazza Pitti, with its stunning Pitti Palace, there is a narrow, hidden street with beautiful murals. The name is Via Toscanella, and, for street art enthusiasts, it is a must-see in Florence.

Have Lunch at Osteria de Peccatori

For lunch, you might want to stop at the nearby Osteria de Peccatori for an Aperol spritz, Foccacia bread, and delicious Italian food.  They have an outdoor seating area in a cute piazza that usually has someone playing live music. This is definitely a favorite restaurant Florence. 

Another idea:  After the Boboli Gardens, stop at Gusta Pizza for a takeaway pizza. Get a bottle of wine wherever you can find one (don't forget the wine opener!) and move on to your next stop.

Piazzale Michelangelo

Hike up the steps to Piazzale Michelangelo for the perfect ending to your 3 days in Florence. I promise you that these views will make you want to stick around!

When you get to the top, there is a huge Piazza with street vendors, live music playing, and a big staircase that people gather on to watch the sunset. People bring food and wine to enjoy for an hour or so alongside the best view of Florence.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Recommended Restaurants in Rome

-
Image
  The restaurants listed below are all places that fit the description above – reasonably priced, authentic, and delicious. During our three days in Rome, we visited all of these places (some more than once!) and are happy to recommend them, but there are many more places that we didn’t get to visit. Below are 8 of our favorite restaurants and bars in Rome, including a brief description of the type of restaurant or cuisine. Mizio Street Food:  (North Colosseum) sandwiches PinsItaly: (Trevi Fountain area)   pizza    Bono Bottega Nostrana (Spanish steps area) panini   Bono Bottega Nostrana (St. Peter's area) panini   Vulio: (Vatican Museum area)  pasta   Bar la Licata:  (N of Colosseum)  breakfast Il Sori:  wine bar eTabli:  wine/cocktail bar & restaurant Enotecca Il Piccolo:  wine bar Obica : lunch (Mozzarella bar) Ditirambo : restaurant (great pasta) Pan e Salame:  lunch (sandwiches) Mimi e Coco:  ...
Read more

Your Cell Phone SIM/eSIM Options in Italy

-
Image
 Unlike in Spain, France and the UK, Italy requires people to register their Italian phone numbers with an Italian tax id.  Those of us who are residents for only a few days have a problem there!  I've researched many sites and am confirming this info that I find over and over again and feel is reliable. Currently,  TIM Italy, Vodafone Italy, Wind Tre & Iliad  offer eSIMs to prepaid customers. Note that the Italian mobile operators require your identification (ID for EU/EEA travelers and passport for anyone else) for eSIMs and physical SIM cards as part of  Italy's SIM card registration requirements .  I know I do not want to deal with any of that for privacy reasons.  Luckily, there is a way to avoid this registration scheme: by roaming (super expensive) or  using a  travel eSIM  (affordable AND  can  be cheaper than local SIM cards in many countries). Travel eSIM providers  Airalo ,  Holafly ,  Nomad ,...
Read more