Three Days in Florence, Italy: Art, Food and Adventures

Three Days in Florence, Italy: Art, Food and Adventures

After four nights on Ischia, we were ready to trade the island for the energy of Florence. Our journey there turned out to be a little more complicated than expected thanks to a train strike, but after spending far too much time trying to sort out our tickets, we eventually made it to Florence and settled into our Airbnb just a few steps from Mercato Centrale.

With only three days in Florence, we knew we would have to be selective. There was so much we wanted to see, from Michelangelo’s David and the Uffizi to the Ponte Vecchio and some of the city’s famous food spots, but we also wanted to leave enough time to wander, people watch and enjoy the city without feeling like we were constantly racing to the next attraction. For our entire Italian itinerary check out this post.

As with so much of our Italy trip, food ended up playing a pretty important role.

Arriving in Florence and finding Mercato Centrale

After getting settled into our Airbnb, our first stop was Mercato Centrale, which was conveniently just around the corner. The historic market has been part of Florence since the 19th century, while the upper floor has become a lively food hall with an enormous range of food stalls and places to eat.

It was exactly what we needed after the journey from Naples. There were so many choices that it was difficult to decide what to eat, and there were plenty of opportunities to sample things as we wandered around. With everyone wanting something different, a food hall was the perfect first meal in Florence.

Our location near the market ended up being one of the best things about our accommodation. We could easily walk to many of the major sights, and having a market and plenty of restaurants nearby meant we didn’t have to plan every meal in advance.

A surprise pizza and gelato cooking class

Our first evening in Florence was one of the experiences I had been looking forward to most. We started with a walk through the city, taking in some of Florence’s beautiful streets and landmarks along the way, but the family didn’t know where we were headed.

I had booked a pizza and gelato cooking class with Mamma Mia Cooking Class, which was a bit of a gamble because this was our first cooking class while travelling together. It was something I had really wanted to do on this trip, and thankfully, it turned out to be every bit as fun as I had hoped.

Our group consisted of our family and another family from France, and we spent several hours learning how to make pizza and gelato, enjoying the food and getting to know our hosts. Drinks were included throughout the evening, which made it feel less like a formal cooking lesson and more like a fun night out.

The food was great, but what I really loved was that we were doing something together rather than simply going out for another meal. We came away with some new pizza-making skills as well, which have actually been put to use since returning home. Our homemade pizzas have definitely improved.

For anyone travelling with family or friends, this would be one of my top recommendations for Florence. It was such a fun way to spend our first evening, and I was especially happy that my trip wish turned out to be a hit with everyone.

Day two: David and the Accademia

Our first full day in Florence was focused on art, starting with the Galleria dell’Accademia. We had pre-booked our tickets and made sure to be there for opening, which I would definitely recommend.

The main reason people visit the Accademia is, of course, to see Michelangelo’s David, and seeing it in person was impressive. The first thing all of us noticed was just how large it is. Somehow, despite seeing countless photographs, none of us had really appreciated the scale until we were standing in front of it.

The museum itself isn’t particularly large, and while David is undoubtedly the star attraction, there is more to see, including a collection of sculptures and a fascinating temporary exhibition of ancient musical instruments during our visit.

We were very glad we had gone first thing. By the time we were leaving, the museum was already packed, and the experience would have been quite different with the crowds. If David is on your Florence list, I would recommend booking ahead and choosing one of the earliest entry times you can manage.

After the Accademia, we headed back to our Airbnb for a rest before going out again in the afternoon.

Wandering Florence and discovering Giunti Odeon

One of the things we enjoyed about Florence was that we didn’t have to have every minute planned. On our way towards the Uffizi, we made a few stops at places we’d heard about, including Giunti Odeon.

The Giunti Odeon is a bookstore inside the historic Odeon cinema, and it was a surprisingly beautiful place to wander through. The combination of books, the elegant old cinema and a film playing on the big screen made it feel quite different from a typical bookshop.

From there, we continued towards the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio. The bridge was as busy as we expected, but it was still worth stopping to take in the view and watch the crowds moving through the narrow space between the shops.

The Uffizi Gallery

We had booked one of the last entry times of the day for the Uffizi Gallery, hoping that going later might help us avoid some of the crowds. It was still busy, although the opportunity to see so many important works of Renaissance art in one place was certainly impressive.

Interestingly, the Uffizi wasn’t a favourite for our family. The building and collection are spectacular, but we found the experience quite different from the Vatican. The route through the gallery felt very structured, with less opportunity to wander and explore.

That isn’t to say we didn’t appreciate the Uffizi – we did – but sometimes the attractions you expect everyone to love don’t necessarily turn out to be the ones that resonate most with your family.

I would still recommend visiting if you are interested in Renaissance art, but I would make sure to book your tickets in advance and go in knowing that it is a large and very popular museum.

Pear and walnut pasta at Trattoria 4 Leoni

By the time we left the Uffizi, we were ready for dinner, so we made our way across the Ponte Vecchio to Trattoria 4 Leoni in Piazza della Passera, where we had made a reservation. We had heard about their pear and walnut pasta, which had also been recommended by Giada De Laurentiis.

It lived up to the recommendation.

We had a fantastic meal and enjoyed the atmosphere of the square, although the summer heat made eating outside a little more challenging than we had anticipated. Florence in the summer is hot, and sitting outside with very little breeze after a full day of walking was not exactly refreshing.

Still, the food was excellent, and we finished the evening with gelato at Gelateria della Passera in the same little square. It was another reminder that one of the best ways to experience Florence is to build your day around food and allow yourself plenty of time to stop along the way.

Day three: a slower day in Florence

After trying to pack so much into our second day, we intentionally kept our final full day in Florence a little slower. We woke to thunder and the first rain we’d seen during our entire trip, but it didn’t last long. By mid-morning, the sun was back and the heat returned.

We spent the day souvenir shopping, taking in the Duomo, wandering through a flea market and generally enjoying Florence without a long list of attractions to tick off.

Of course, we also had to try the famous sandwiches from All’Antico Vinaio.

The sandwiches are enormous, and the original locations on Via dei Neri are famous for their long queues. We spent about 15 minutes in line in the heat but the sandwiches were worth it.

Our All’Antico Vinaio tip

We learned that there is an All’Antico Vinaio inside Firenze Santa Maria Novella station, including a location on the lower level. We discovered it on our way out of Florence and were thrilled to find the same great sandwiches with no line and much cooler temperatures than we had experienced at the busy city locations.

We picked up sandwiches for our train journey to Venice, which turned out to be the perfect travel-day lunch.

So, if you’re heading through Florence by train, check the station before joining one of the long queues in the centre. The station location is on the lower level and is currently listed by the station as well as All’Antico Vinaio itself.

And if you do visit one of the city locations, take our advice and ask them to cut the sandwich in half so you can share it. They are huge!

A haircut, a wine window and a lucky pig

While the rest of us continued exploring, Robin managed to find what might have been the best bargain of the trip – a haircut and shave that also included a massage. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon in Florence.

We also stopped at one of the city’s famous wine windows and grabbed a spritz to enjoy while continuing our walk. These tiny openings in the walls of historic buildings are a fun part of Florence’s food and drink culture and are one of those things that make wandering the city more interesting.

We eventually made our way to the Fontana del Porcellino, the famous bronze boar in the Mercato Nuovo. The tradition says that rubbing the boar’s nose brings good luck, so naturally we had to give it a try. This was particularly fun for us because there is a replica of the same boar at Butchart Gardens back home. Seeing the original in Florence gave us a little connection to home in the middle of our Italian adventure.

And yes, we rubbed the nose and made a wish.

And then there was the gelato

We had tried a lot of gelato during our time in Florence, but before leaving we had one final stop to make at La Gelateria, which ended up being our favourite gelato of the city.

At this point in the trip, we had become pretty serious about our gelato research. It was a delicious way to finish our final day.

Three days in Florence: was it enough?

Three days gave us a good introduction to Florence, but there is no question that we could have stayed longer. The city has so much to see and do that it would be easy to fill another few days, particularly if you want to explore more museums, churches and neighbourhoods.

What I liked most about our time in Florence was that we didn’t spend all three days rushing between major attractions. The cooking class was one of my favourite experiences, and some of the smaller moments – wandering through a bookstore in an old cinema, stopping for gelato, finding a flea market or rubbing the nose of the Porcellino – ended up being just as memorable as the major sights.

The Accademia was a definite highlight, particularly because we arrived early enough to enjoy David before the crowds arrived. The Uffizi was impressive but didn’t quite connect with our family in the same way, and our food experiences were consistently among the best parts of our time in the city.

For us, three days was a great taste of Florence, but I’d happily return and spend more time simply wandering the city.

The next morning, we picked up our rental car and headed into Tuscany, trading the busy streets of Florence for the slower pace of the Tuscan countryside.

And after several weeks of trains, ferries, buses and city streets, we were more than ready for a little space.

Next stop: Tuscany.

For more on Italy, enjoy these posts.