Florence, Italy
Of course Florence was on our list. Who wouldn’t want to live in Florence! But we hadn’t quite decided that it would be our next ‘nest’ until we had dinner with good friends. We had been telling them about our nesting abroad concept and they told us they’d like to come visit us for a few weeks at our next destination. After good dinner and an even better bottle of wine in an Italian restaurant in Northern Virginia, we all decided that Florence would be our next stop.
They had a wonderful two week vacation with us, but Florence was also a great choice for our lifestyle. It will always be a magical place for us!
What We Loved About Florence
Florence captured our hearts. You could spend a lifetime reveling in Florence’s art, architecture and history. There will be wonderful things to fill every day you are there, and there are other great towns just a short train ride away to explore. The countryside around Florence is incredible, dotted with quaint villages and magnificent vineyards to visit. You would be hard-pressed to find another place in the world that is as rich culturally as Florence – if there is one. I actually doubt it.
We were in Florence from mid-February to mid-May and the weather was beautiful. It was mild and sunny and not too hot – perfect for wandering the roads overlooking the city and enjoying the gardens. The blue, blue skies were a nice change from York! It was just beginning to get warm when we left. We understand the summers in Florence are very, very hot.
Oh my gosh. The food. The wine. Please don’t eat in tourist restaurants – there are so many amazing little family places where cooking is a true art. Top it off with a local Chianti, or for a special treat, try their Brunello. Wonderful.
While you will probably not connect with local people at a great depth, the day to day interactions are warm and pleasant. There is also a very strong, very active expat group with at least one event each week. You’ll meet fascinating people from all over the world who have made Florence their home – both temporarily and permanently.
Florence is a town of amazing pageants and fairs, often complete with costumes and music.
There are also lots of really interesting flea markets. Look for posters and you can find one nearly every weekend if you walk around enough.
No worries if you don’t speak Italian. Certainly learn some common words, phrases and numbers – this will be appreciated – but it’s not really an issue if you don’t know more than a little bit of Italian. Florence is a tourist town, and even in the residential areas, people there are motivated to learn English. Even if you meet someone who doesn’t understand you, Italians are generally happy and friendly and will laugh with you as you try to communicate. Just be friendly and respectful and you’ll get by. (Say ‘Ciao’ when you enter shops!)
The train station is right within the town and has connections to just about everywhere. There are a lot of wonderful day trips you can take from Florence by train.
Street signs. There’s an artist living in Oltrano who “redesigns” the street signs in Florence. They’re witty, surprising and great fun. Nearly every morning on our walks, we could find new ones. It made walking the city a treasure hunt.
What We Didn’t Love about Florence
Florence is one of the great tourist destinations. There are hoards of tourists on the “Italian Trifecta” – three days each in Rome, Venice and Florence. As a result, it can be very, very crowded. You will have to reserve times to go to many of the museums, and you’ll spend time in lines – even in the shoulder seasons.
Speaking of the museums; they are expensive. There are no resident passes or discounts we were eligible for for the museums.
While it isn’t really an issue, there will be a few beggars, graffiti and some street trash. We were warned about pickpockets, although we never had a problem. First impressions for the residential outskirts can be off-putting, especially just north and south of the train station, but it’s actually quite safe. You just have to be aware. Tourists are approached by trinket salesmen, people who will try to put a rose in their hand and then charge them, or try to get tourists to sign petitions for some cause and then ask for donations. Just walk purposefully and let them solicit the “trifecta” tourists. It actually gets fun to watch after a while.
Transportation within the city is cumbersome. The buses are often full and not always reliable. It’s a beautiful city to walk through though, and on the plus side, even with all the great food, I got toned and lost a few pounds skipping the buses and walking instead.