Florence – 6 Insider Tips

A reflective view of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.

This guest post was written by Marlane Miriello, owner of Il Campo Cucina – a unique cooking school in Radicondoli – 30 minutes south of Florence. You can Win a Food and Wine Adventure in Tuscany at Il Campo Cucina if you enter the contest before midnight PST on Sunday, August 4, 2013.

Visiting Florence, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, can be sheer magic. The birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, Florence (Firenze in Italian) is home to great art treasures, architectural wonders, enchanting gardens, and charming views, as well as delightful shopping and honest, delicious food at affordable prices.

And yet, I often hear from friends that they hated Florence—the crowds, the high prices, the heat, and the noise overwhelmed them. Whether you are going to Florence for the first time, or looking for a more authentic experience on your next visit, this list of tips will help you avoid the pitfalls of the uninformed traveler, and experience the romance and charm of my favorite Italian city.

Tip #1: Know your seasons.  Winter is the best time to go. Although the city is cold and damp from November through March, if you dress warmly, you can have a wonderful time. You will find cheap flights, book hotel rooms for a fraction of their high season cost, eat in great restaurants, and visit the Duomo and the Uffizzi Gallery without the crowds and stress of summertime. If good weather is important to you, go in the shoulder season–April and May, September and October. Arguably, April is the calmest of these months; the crowds of May, September and October can take on Disneyland proportions.

If you go in spring or fall, book your hotel, restaurants and museum visits well ahead of time to have the optimum experience. If you must go in the summer, do so in June or the first half of July. After that, the heat is intense, the streets are full of tired families with screaming children and the best shops and restaurants are closed. Plan for the heat and get a good hotel room with working air conditioning, do your touring and shopping as early as possible in the day and take side trips out into the countryside on the train.

Artisan studio in San Frediano district: Claudio Arezio, Liutaio.

Tip #2: Learn a little Italian before you go. Although it’s easy to find people who speak English in Florence, making an effort to talk with the locals in their own language will open more doors for you. Take a course, or buy a phrase book and learn some of the basics, like “grazie” (thank you) and “prego” (you’re welcome). Or subscribe to Parola del Giorno and receive a little Italian lesson in your email inbox each day.

Tip #3: Where is the bathroom? Public restrooms are marked with a “W.C.” sign and entry is around 50 cents. I prefer to invest that money in a bottle of water or a coffee in a bar, which pays my admission to their restroom (bagno, or toilette). You can also use the restrooms in large department stores.

Tip #4: Keep your purse or backpack in front of you and zipped shut, and leave your valuables the hotel safe. In the crowded center of Florence, pickpockets abound. Smart phones, wallets and passports can go missing in a matter of seconds. However, Florence is an otherwise safe city, and you can walk alone where and when you choose.

Tip #5: Take the bus or the train. Parking in Florence is expensive—3 euros an hour in the center, 1.50 on the outskirts—and driving a mind numbing nightmare at rush hour. Use public transportation—buses and trains—as much as possible and if you rent a car to drive out into the countryside, use a GPS to save yourself hours of time driving in strange circles.

Fiaschetteria di Pesce, Piazza Taddeo Gaddi 5/r.

Tip #6: Get off of the beaten tourist path and explore the backstreets. Don’t be afraid to get lost. You will find cheaper food, friendlier people, and make your own discoveries.

Some of my favorite neighborhoods are San Frediano and Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno district (across the Arno from the center of Florence), home to a great many artisans and also a treasure trove of galleries, tasting rooms and boutiques with beautiful clothes at reasonable prices. My favorite restaurant there is really not a restaurant but a fish market with counters: Fiaschetteria di Pesce, Piazza Taddeo Gaddi 5/r (no reservations—go early to get a seat).

On the other side of town, the Sant’Ambrogio area has much to offer: a daily covered fresh food market in Piazza Ghiberti, where one of the best trattorias in Florence, Trattoria Rocco, offers authentic Tuscan food at cheap prices. Outside the market is the restaurant empire of chef Fabio Picchi, including the Cibreo Teatro di Sale (a restaurant by day and a theater by night); Cibreo Trattoria; Cibreo Ristorante and Cibreo Bar, all of which offer delicious food and wonderful ambience.  Strolling from there to the center, you will find a flea market (Mercato delle Pulce), a synagogue with a Kosher restaurant, and antique restoration and artisan studios.

I hope you find these suggestions helpful.

Buon viaggio!

Marlane Agriesti Miriello, Owner/Director, Il Campo/Cucina

Photo credit: Marlane Miriello.

Cibreo Teatro del Sale in Piazza Sant’ Ambrogio.

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Tags: advice, authentic experiences, Firenze, Florence, information, Italian, Italy, neighborhoods, real experiences, restaurants, safety, shopping, tips, travel, traveling, Tuscany, when to go

Category: Italy