Best Things To Do In Florence

Do you have that too? That feeling you get when you just got back from a trip and are so excited to already plan your next adventure abroad? I have that, a lot. Travel for me is one of the things I enjoy doing the most. I still have so many places I want to visit. On top of my list right now are San Francisco, Paris, Oxford and Bordeaux. I'm more into the southern kind of lifestyles and countries. And you know, the thing about travel is, is that you never come back the same. All the new experiences and situations you experience while traveling are something to treasure for a lifetime. The first two weeks of June I went on a two-week language trip to Florence, the city of music arts and so much more! There were street artists, opera singers, people playing the violin in front of the Duomo and just music at almost every corner. Florence is quite a small city, I like that more. You can find your way around the city fast and feel faster at home too. I've listed some of the best things you can do in Florence. Get comfy and read further now! 

 

Academia Galleria 

This is definitely a must when you're planning a trip to Florence. It's a beautiful art gallery situated in the city center with the famous statue of David Michelangelo. It's one of the best museums in Florence. It was almost unreal to see the statue, it's much bigger than you think. When you walk into the entrance the first thing you see is a big group of people surrounding the statue with a camera. It's just out of the movies! The best thing you can do is to buy all your tickets for the museums online, you can get skip the line this way. Especially during summer the waiting lines can get as long as 4 hours. 

Amorino Gelateria 

This ice cream shop is close to the Duomo. There are many Gelateria's, but at this shop you can get an ice cream in the shape of a flower and with a macaron on top. It's perfect for an Instagram shot and it tastes even better! I choose strawberry, lemon and raspberry, with a strawberry macaron on top. The ice cream tastes really good, because it's made from 100% natural ingredients. You can find them as well in Milan, New York and Paris. They have the best ice creams!

Academia Europea di Firenze

During my stay, I choose to study Italian at a language school here in Florence. The school is called Academia Europea and lots of musicians from all over the world come here to take music lessons, study abroad, and in combination take Italian classes. It's not just a language school, but also a sort of academy for arts and music. It's cool that you can even take piano lessons free of charge on the side. The teachers are really nice too, you get a lot of personal attention and feedback and the lessons are usually in small groups. I was in a group of just three students. The academy also has fun activities, like going to a museum, having dinner with all the students and teachers or going to a concert together. If you're looking for a language school than I do recommend it! The location is also good, it's situated in the center close to shops and bars. 

Shopping 

Shopping in Florence is not very difficult. There are so many different shops, from designer boutiques to the more small vintage ones. You can of course shop at a Zara, H&M, Mango or Coin, the Italian department store. I did shop at Zara because I love the brand! But I also went to the smaller clothing shops with Italian brands, brands that you can't find back home. If you love jewellery, than you have to go to the famous bridge, the Ponte Vecchio. There are jewellery shops all in gold left and right. I bought a ring with a small red stone as a memory of my trip. At Via di Tornabuoni you can find all the designer shops, like Dolce & Gabbana, Bvulgari, Prada and Gucci. 

Pitti Palace

Another museum that's definitely worth visiting is the Pitti Palace. The Palace was home to Luca Pitti, a banker from one of the richest families of Italy for over 300 years. It's really nice to see, especially the king and queen's bedroom. The palace is beautiful, the ceilings, balcony's everything is made with lots of color and detail. I haven't had a chance to visit the gardens yet, next time! 

Tips And Other Fun things:

-For a beautiful view of the city of Florence you have to go to Piazzale Michelangelo. 

-The closer you are to the Duomo, the more expensive restaurants and shops will be. If you walk a little bit further you can find good restaurants for less, and maybe even better. 

-If you want to be around less tourists, than you can cross the Ponte Vecchio. 

-If you love art, than Florence has lots of art exhibitions you can go to. 

-There also is a science experiment in Palazzo Strozzi. It's an experiment combining arts and science to see how humans reacts to plants and the other way around. 

Have you ever been to Florence?

Have a lovely day,

Isabella❤