One-Day Romantic Getaway in Florence

My friend wanted to celebrate his 4th wedding anniversary with his beautiful wife and he told me to plan a romantic getaway in Florence. He is sensitive, romantic. He loves to surprise beloved people. He also asked me to find good places to eat pasta. Yes, he also like eating good food 😉

Florence is a beautiful city. Here there are many things to do and to see when you have time for. If you have only one day to visit Florence try to focus only on what you really like to do and not on what you should visit.

MORNING
Start your visit in Piazza del Duomo. Here there are wonderful attractions to admire:

• the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo) with its famous Brunelleschi’s Dome (or Cupola);
• the Baptistry of San Giovanni;
• Museum of the Works of the Cathedral (Galleria dell’Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore);
• Giotto’s Bell Tower;
• the Church and Crypt of Santa Reparata.

There is a single ticket comprising all of these attractions. It is called “Il Grande Museo del Duomo” and costs €10.

NOTE: Galleria dell’Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore will be closed for expansion and restoration until November 2015. But you can also see Ghibert’s “Doors of Paradise”, Michelangelo’s “Bandini Pietà” and Nanni di Banco’s “Door of the Almond” thanks to this ticket.

Climb to the top of Brunelleschi’s Cupola. There are more than 400 steps but the view of Florence and the surrounding countryside from the top is amazing! Get there early to avoid the crowd.

Lunch
Save your time and choose street food for lunch. I recommend:

• I 2 Fratellini. Via dei Cimatori 38r (near Piazza della Signoria) This place is like a store where you can buy freshly-made sandwiches. A sandwich costs about €2.50;
• All’Antico Vinaio. Via dei Neri 74 (near Piazza della Signoria). Here you can taste a very huge sandwich for a small price of €5. You can only cut it to share;
• Loggia del Porcellino at Mercato Nuovo. Here you will find the “lampredottai”, people who cook tripe. You can buy bread and tripe for only €3.50.

AFTERNOON
Continue by taking Via dei Calzaiuoli to reach the magnificent Piazza della Signoria. Here is Palazzo Vecchio, headquarters of the city government. Look at the beautiful Loggia dei Lanzi and admire wonderful statues, such as the Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini, the Neptune’s Fountain by Ammannati and the equestrian statue of Cosimo I by Giambologna.

NOTE: There is a very romantic place called Giardino delle rose (The Rose Garden). This is about 20 minutes from the Basilica of Santa Croce. If you want to see it you can do it from 8 to 20. Then you could choose a nice place for a romantic appetizer: Caffè La Terrazza in Piazza della Repubblica 1.

Dinner
I recommend 2 places where to eat pasta:

• Osteria Vecchio Vicolo. Via Lambertesca 16r (near Piazza Signoria and Ponte Vecchio). All type of food is tasty and the quality/ratio price is good;
• Trattoria Cesarino. Via Giovan Battista Niccolini  16 (about 15 minutes from the Duomo).

After dinner you can reach the beautiful Ponte Vecchio. Here the atmosphere is so magical, and it is perfect if you want to share this special moment with your lover. 🙂

If you decide to stay more than one day in Florence you could also love traditional towns like Montevettolini or Serravalle Pistoiese and Pistoia, a lovely town which is often off the beaten path. It takes only 45 minutes by train to get to Pistoia.

As I told you, this one-day romantic getaway focuses on sharing a day with the person beloved. If you need other suggestions please comment!