If you're spending any real time in Florence, you're pretty likely to cross the Ponte Vecchio,…read morewhich spans the Arno and more or less connects Palazzo Pitti to the Duomo. You'd walk it even if it were just any old bridge, but it is in fact The Old Bridge: a medieval stone arch bridge, and the only bridge in Florence to survive World War II. We never made a point of visiting Ponte Vecchio, but we walked across it several times during our two days in town. It's a lovely bridge, with shops built onto both sides--I guess this was a common thing in medieval times. The shops give the bridge an interesting building block look from the outside, and form a vibrant commercial corridor within. No car traffic, but plenty of pedestrians at all times. Most of the shops on Ponte Vecchio seem to sell gold jewelry. I recognized a few chain jewelers, but I think those were in the minority. I doubt Ponte Vecchio is the place to get a good deal on gold jewelry, but if you want a gold souvenir from Florence, it's probably worth a browse. We didn't shop on Ponte Vecchio, but we enjoyed the bridge as a bridge, a practical monument full of beauty and history. It offers prime views of the city and is, of course, a marvel in itself. We enjoyed seeing the shops open, but the bridge was even prettier at night, when they were closed. The storefronts all had these wood shutters that made them look like treasure chests. So charming. We were in Florence in mid-November and saw the Christmas lights go up over Ponte Vecchio but didn't stay long enough to see them turn on. I'll bet this bridge is magical during Christmas, but it's not like it isn't special all year round. It's one of the places that makes Florence Florence.

If you came to Ponte Vecchio without any context, it's pretty underwhelming. However, upon further…read moreAI deep dive, you'll learn it's the oldest bridge in Florence (1345) that survived WWII and once had butchers and fishmongers along the bridge, but were later replaced by goldsmiths and jewelers. While the original medieval vendors no longer exist, the bridge is still lined with goldsmiths and jewelry shops today. For the best experience, don't just walk across the bridge, take it in from different angles. My favorite view is from the riverbanks, but many prefer seeing it from a distance at Ponte Santa Trinita.

Okay, I will admit some of our restaurant stops in Italy have been tacking down those seen in the…read moreStanley Tucci's Finding Italy, and I will admit his reaction was over the top for some. This was a tasty treat that gives more bang for the buck. My husband and I were both surprised this sandwich wasn't as moist as it appeared on the show, particularly since the meat is soaked in juices. Suffice to say it was still a tasty but crazy simple sandwich. The pork tripe made to taste this good is phenomenal. When was approached the window, we didn't know which sandwich to order, so we asked the safe question about which one Tucci tasted, and of course the man knew which one. This food truck is a popular one or obvious reasons, as I'm sure we aren't the only ones to visit because of Tucci. In fact we showed up at about 4 PM on a Saturday and the man had already closed shop for the day because he ran out of food. Fortunately, we made it the next day, and were able to enjoy it then.

Apparently cow stomach sandwiches are a thing you "must try" in Florence. This is one of the most…read morefamous places for it. The texture was ok at first but then I got to a bite that didnt agree with my palate. It really went sideways when a pigeon flew into my head. I let him have the rest of my tummy sammy.

Piazza Santa Croce is spacious, beautiful, and full of character. The basilica is breathtaking, and…read morethe piazza feels lively without being overwhelming. Perfect for people-watching, a coffee stop, or soaking in Florence's atmosphere--especially lovely in the evening.

Named after the fameous churce at the end of the piazza, the Basilica of Santa Croce, this is a fun…read moreopen air area in Florence. The piazza is all paved, however, there is usually a famers market (mostly prepared goods vs produce), and the people watching can be pretty spectacular. It was a easy 15 second walk from my apartment, and the adjacent Taxi stand made getting to the airport a breeze. There are no services or greenery, but the steps of the church can be used as a nice place to sit. It is dotted by a large number of restaurants, leather shops, and gelato places. Its a cool place to simply stop and take a breather and the church is worth a visit as it houses the remains of many famous Italian's and the interior is quite nice as well

We had a great time on our tour with Roberto from We Drive You Tuscany! We did the 8 hour San…read moreGimignano and Chianti Classico as well as the Pienza, Val d'Orcia, Montalcino wine and Pecorino cheese private tours with Roberto. This was my first trip to Italy, we enjoyed a comfortable ride throughout the countryside in the clean, air conditioned van! Roberto was so knowledgeable and made sure we knew all the best places to visit along with the history of the beautiful Tuscan countryside! He even gave us recommendations for our second leg of the trip to Rome. We will definitely use this service again!!

We had the pleasure of touring Tuscany with We Drive You Tuscany. Roberto was our driver and we…read morehad a beautiful Mercedes van that was new and comfortable. Bottled water was provided and he even stopped to get Fresh pizza for us. By the time we finished touring with Roberto for two days we felt that we knew so much about the area, history and culture of the region. Roberto's knowledge or art, history, food and culture was so impressive. The tour we did with Roberto was much more than him driving us from place to place. Each place we went was so carefully planned and curated. We visited wineries, vineyards and a sheep farm that makes cheese. With his help, we were able to visit every place we wanted to see as well as some smaller unknown, hidden gems. We saw so many beautiful landscapes and Roberto stopped frequently for us to take in the views! I cannot say enough wonderful things about Roberto. We hope to go back soon to tour Umbria and Florence with Roberto.

If you like to shop, then this is your street. Here you will find every high-end designer in the…read moreworld represented; such as Gucci, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Enrico Coveri, Roberto Cavalli, Emilio Pucci and others; plus the jewelry stores of Damiani, Bulgari and Buccellati. It was so much fun to walk down the street and gaze into the windows of these fine shops.

We went to Sasso del Dante three times during our last stay in Florence: twice for dinner and once…read morefor lunch. We only tried pastas and soups. They were all excellent. For dinner, we had ravioli with truffle sauce and tagliatelle with porcini once, and ravioli bolognese and lasagna the second time. For lunch we had two Florentine classics: ribollita and pappa pomodoro. The ravioli and the ribollita were particularly outstanding. We also tried several of their wines, which were all very good. We only tried to order dessert once: biscotti with vinsanto, but they were out of vinsanto. The atmosphere and service were also good. Service was attentive and friendly. The location is great: in a quiet side street, but just steps away from Santa Maria dei Fiori. This is a very good place if you are visiting the Duomo, or staying in that area.