I’m honoured to be here today to share some of the best things to do in Florence, Italy. I am guessing that you are a FOODIE like me!!
Like you, I am a big fan of Italy.
My family and I have spent years travelling throughout the country. We have visited all the major cities including Venice, Verona, Milan and Rome.
We have explored the ruins of Pompeii and taken our teenagers to the North and South, East and West.
Not the most flattering of photos, but still, here I am with my two teenagers at a WONDERFUL street side café just outside Florence
We even spent six weeks housesitting in Florence (something I highly recommend if you want to know what Italy is really like).
I tell you all this so that you know you are getting advice from someone who has actually spent a great deal of time in Italy (as opposed to some AI bot that hasn’t).
Later in the post, I will also share a little secret of mine so you can discover Florence off the beaten track. This means you will get to experience the best of what this gorgeous Italian city offers but without the crowds.
And the flag holders.
Perfect.
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Visiting Florence
Florence (Firenze) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany and is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
If you’ve never been to this part of Italy before, then you are in for a treat.
It is the perfect European city for families with young kids, couples looking for romance or a hideaway to get away by yourself and soak up this special piece of Italy.
Florence holds in its arms many masterpieces of both architecture and Renaissance art, along with world-class restaurants and fabulous romantic sunsets.
No wonder it is often voted as one of the most beautiful places in the world to visit.
But, to see this city as it deserves to be seen you need to be adventurous and do things differently.
Oozing charm, and with almost every street you turn down making you feel as though you have been transported on to the set of a Merchant Ivory Production .
But Florence also has plenty of unique experiences to offer those who are willing to look.
(And one of those secrets is what I will share with you later in the post).
3 Best Things To Do in Florence, Italy
1: Pasta & Tiramisu Cooking Class (with Unlimited Wine!)
If, like me, you love pasta, chocolate and wine then THIS has to be one of the best things to do in Florence, Italy!
Get ready to roll up your sleeves and learn how to make fresh pasta and the perfect tiramisu in a cooking class in a beautiful Florence restaurant.
Learn some tips and tricks on how to make these two classic Italian dishes, and once you are finished, sample what you have made! Yum!
Enjoy your meal with local wine while you marvel at the attractive decor in the quaint Italian restaurant. Get a quick overview from your instructor about what you will make.
Follow their instructions and begin making your fresh pasta. Next, learn the secret to making a real tiramisu.
After you have finished, sit down to enjoy what you have made! Sip on 3 glasses of wine (or more if you are like me and love wine!).
As you eat the food, chat with your fellow group members, and talk to your instructor about Italian food or Florence in general!
End the meal with a coffee or a limoncello.
Perfetto!
Get more details of this fabulous tour HERE.
2: From Florence: Wine Tasting Tour to Tuscany
Are you Ready to taste Tuscany’s wines and olive oils on a small group tour from Florence? Of course, you are!
Drive through the rolling hills and marvel at the countryside’s olive groves and cypress trees before visiting two wineries where you will sample wine paired with local produce.
Here’s what you can expect from this wonderful wine tour:
Depart Florence and journey to the historic Chianti Classico wine region by an air-conditioned minibus while your English-speaking driver explains the stunning landscape where the most famous wines from Italy are produced.
Visit two wine estates with wine and food pairings.
Sample three of the first wine estate’s wines, along with some of the fresh olive oil they produce.
Learn more about the unique techniques used to produce wine and get a better appreciation of the local viniculture on a tour of the wine cellars.
Continue towards the second wine estate to tour the cellars and compare and contrast their techniques with the first winery.
Taste different wines and olive oils produced on the farm, paired with local specialities from Tuscany, such as cheese, salami, cold cuts, and bruschetta. YUM!!
Get more details of this fabulous tour HERE.
Would you love to travel Italy more for a lot less? Then let me show you how! Join my FREE newsletter, and I will send you a complimentary copy of my ebook “Travel More, Travel Better, Pay Less”. I look forward to getting to know you better!
3: Italian Food Market Tour & Cooking Experience
Best things to do in Florence, Italy. Perfect for foodies and wine lovers
Calling all foodies! How would you like to learn how to cook a Tuscan feast during this cooking class in Florence?!
This superb experience allows you to live locally! Visit the central market and learn how to shop Italian-style.
Here, you will use the products you buy from the market to create a delicious Tuscan feast.
Once you have created your amazing meal, sit down with a glass of Chianti and taste your own creation (you will also receive your Graduation Certificate from the Food & Wine Academy of Florence).
Enjoy this lovely and relaxed day with local famous chefs, and learn the art of the 2 things Italians do best — cooking and shopping.
The day begins with a trip to the local market to gather the ingredients for the Tuscan feast you will learn to prepare.
With your chefs as your guides you will meet the butchers, the bakers, and the farmers selling vegetables from their gardens.
Under their expert guidance, you will taste the local food and wines and learn how to distinguish the highest quality ingredients.
After this enjoyable experience, you will go to the charming home-style professional kitchen, where you will learn to create an amazing Tuscan meal.
You will learn how to prepare fresh Tuscan-style bruschetta, fresh homemade pasta, and a seasonal main course, all accompanied by a selection of Chianti wines.
After you have finished cooking, you can enjoy eating the meal you have just created!
I can’t think of a more unique experience for those who LOVE everything about Italian food.
Get more details of this fabulous tour HERE.
If you love Italy, why not check out the Italy podcast episodes that I recorded while in Italy with my husband?! You’ll LOVE it!
Italy. Were we WRONG about you??
Couchsurfing in Florence Italy, when it’s a bit weird and freaky (me and my 17 year old son)
Visiting Florence? You’ll Thank Me for This.
Florence: Uffizi Gallery Timed Entrance Ticket
Some things are worth every cent…Is there anything more beautiful than the Uffizi Gallery?
There is nothing worse than spending your vacation time standing around in line and that’s why I’m sharing this little tip with you.
For not much more than $20 each, you will enjoy priority entry to Italy’s greatest art treasures with a reserved entrance ticket to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
See masterpieces by Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Giotto, and spend as much time as you like gazing at Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus.”
See masterpieces by Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Giotto, and spend as much time as you like gazing at Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus.”
Some things are worth paying for and this pass is one of them!
Escape the hassle and hurry of organized group tours and explore at your own pace. (And just so you know, you can stay inside the museum for as long as you like.)
Get your fast pass here.
Florence off the Beaten Track. One Secret That You’ll Love
Everyone wants a dream vacation in Italy, which is possible – even on a tight budget.
Read these 35 tips on what to expect in Italy and prepare for the time of your life in Italy.
Like many beautiful European cities, Florence is a popular tourist destination.
If you insist on only heading to the places listed in your guidebooks or on travel blogs, you will find yourself competing for some space to breathe.
And that’s not what Florence is all about.
In order to see Florence off the beaten path, you must think slightly differently.
An Alternative to Piazzale Michelangelo
Ask people where to go to get the best view of Florence, and you will most certainly be pointed toward the ever-popular Piazzale Michelangelo.
And up you will go, with every other tourist in Florence.
And yes, you will find a wonderful view, but you will also find very little shade and nowhere to stand for a selfie without other people invading your space.
Piazzale Michelangelo is crowded, no matter what time of day you visit.
We visited Florence after spending a few days in Pompeii and, like everyone else, thought that the only way to view the city was by following the crowds and heading to PM.
We are currently travelling the world with our two teenagers, aged 17 and 14, and to convince them to get up early and walk up a steep hill was not easy.
But up we climbed. Twice, in fact.
Once in the early morning and again on a beautiful evening.
And both times it was crowded and full of tourists and their cameras. So we decided to investigate other ways to see Florence. As the locals would see it.
Florence off the beaten path.
Housesitting In Florence, Italy
Just ten minutes further up the hill and you will reach the best view in Florence. Particularly beautiful in the early morning and at dusk
A host told us about this secret gem while we were housesitting in Florence.
That’s why I love housesitting so much. Not only do you get to stay in idyllic Italian properties for free, but you also get priceless inside information.
If you have never dabbled in the world of housesitting, then I urge you to check out my post, Trusted Housesitters review. It will tell you everything you need to know about Housesitting in Italy.
give it a go and use my exclusive discount code to save yourself 25% by Clicking here.
We saved almost ten thousand dollars in the summer of last year when we were housesitting throughout Europe. Housesitting is how we afford to travel the world .
Don’t go thinking that housesitting is for seasoned travellers – it is so not. It is a way to see the world at your own pace without spending a penny.
Here is a screenshot of the regular emails I receive, letting me know of housesits in Italy.
Check out the Italian house sits here – the house we looked after in Florence was divine.
Ok. Back to the secret place that I’m going to share with you (you will thank me for this tip, I promise!).
I accept wine through the post.
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And The Best View Of Florence can Be seen From…
The Church of San Miniato al Monte!
Ten minutes further up the hill from Piazzale Michelangelo, where the throng of tourists are snapping away with their cameras and selfie sticks, sits the beautiful Church of San Miniato al Monte and its adjoining cemetery Cimitero Della Porte Sante – meaning cemetery of the holy doors.
Only ten minutes away from the throngs of tourists sits this beautiful church and cemetery offering the best views in Florence.
Construction on this majestic Tuscan church started in 1015 and is said to be one of the most scenic churches in Italy.
The ancient building is perched atop one of the highest points in Florence meaning those who make the effort to make the further ten-minute climb will be rewarded with the most stunning views of Florence.
Driving to the Best View in Florence (& Parking)
If you are driving in Florence and want to visit the Cimitero Delle Porte Sante, then use the map above or download the Google Maps App.
That way, you won’t get lost. It’s very simple to find.
There are a handful of FREE parking spaces outside of the cemetery. Just a handful, mind. To ensure that you snag one of them, do as we did and arrive before 9 am.
If you have kids then it won’t be easy, but persevere. Use bribery if necessary. Only by getting up early will you see the city view in all of its morning splendour (and grab yourself a free parking space).
Know that there is also no time limit on the parking spaces, so if you wish to park here and walk down to the city for the day, saving you a fortune on parking meters.
Taking A Tour To The Church Of San Miniato al Monte
If you aren’t driving in Florence and would like a guide to take you to this fabulous viewpoint, I suggest this tour of Florence.
They will walk with you to the church and fill you in on all the local history along the way, which is always lovely when you hear it from a local.
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Enjoy The Tranquility of The Cemetery & The Church in Florence.
Once you have marvelled at the outstanding view and the fact that you don’t have to pay for parking, make sure you take your time to wander around the gorgeous cemetery and church.
Be aware that when you visit sacred places in Italy, you must cover your bare skin up.
Check out my post on what to wear in Italy, and you will be all good to go.
Amongst the many ornate and hugely expensive headstones and family tombs, you will find the grave of the famous Pinocchio author Carlo Collodi.
There is a small gift shop where you can buy some memorabilia if you are a fan of the little wooden puppet.
Enjoy The Smell and Tranquility of Florence
If you happen to be visiting in May, as we were, you will be treated to the divine smell of jasmine flowers as you wander around the grounds.
The Church will leave you breathless. Literally. It is so beautiful.
The old stone floors and the Romanesque elements create a sense of time standing still.
No words that I write here will do this exquisite church justice. You must witness the vastness, the mosaics and the marble inlay that runs along the floor of the central pavement that feels cold to your feet, the echoes -even when you whisper, the history of what has gone before, for yourself.
Seeing is believing in this church. There are not many places that move the way this place will.
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Summing Up Florence off The Beaten Track
So there you have it.
My secret is shared. How to see Florence off the beaten track.
By doing it this way, you will capture the best view and experience the splendour of one of the most beautiful churches and cemeteries in Italy, but you will also save yourself money on parking and give your thighs an extra ten-minute workout.
And that’s no bad thing!
Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of Florence.
Have you discovered an off-the-beaten-track gem in Italy?
Would you love to travel Italy more for a lot less? Then let me show you how! Join my FREE newsletter, and I will send you a complimentary copy of my ebook “Travel More, Travel Better, Pay Less”. I look forward to getting to know you better!
