I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if not for the pandemic Rome (and many parts of Italy) would be crowded with tourists by now, but so far I’ve only spotted the stray French, German, or Spanish visitor (Americans are now allowed to enter Italy for tourism but I’ve yet to come across any). While I very much hope that the industry picks back up soon — for the sake of the economy and my tour guide friends — I will say that seeing the most popular sites in the country a little freer is a breath of fresh air.

…which brings me to Florence! So: I had visited Firenze a handful of times before in both typically low and high seasons, consistently finding it to be crowded, tourist-y, and a bit overwhelming (indeed, a quick google search informed me that pre-Covid, Florence welcomed 16 million tourists per year). Therefore I decided to take advantage of this rare calm and spend a weekend in one of Italy’s most popular cities, excited to see the Uffizi, visit the Duomo, and (as always) eat well. Read on!

GALLERIA DEGLI UFFIZI

One of the largest and best known galleries in the world, The Uffizi Gallery contains countless priceless works of art, many of them from the Italian Renaissance. The gallery is a product of Florence’s ruling Medici family, whose art collections were gifted to the city of Florence by their last heiress, Anna Maria Luisa. In 1765 it was officially opened to the public, and formally became museum in 1865.

So! We went for a private tour of the gallery (group tours are currently not available due to covid restrictions) and were taken around by the lovely and extremely knowledgeable Alessia, who I highly recommend (you can find her information here). Unless you prep beforehand, or really know your art history, I would recommend doing a guided tour of the Uffizi to really get the most out of it (indeed, without Alessia I would’ve probably deemed the works beautiful, but not gotten the real context, story, or history behind them). A few of my favorites pieces, described below (and pictured in the same order):

— La Primavera by Sandro Botticelli, perhaps my favorite piece we saw, painted in the 1470s and depicting a group of figures from classical mythology (interpretations of this painting vary);
— Scudo con testa di Medusa, by Caravaggio (the “Quentin Tarantino” of the art world, according to Alessia);
— Giuditta che decapita Oloferne, by Artemisia Gentileschi, a rare female painter in what was an art form dominated by males;
— Bacco adoloscente, by Caravaggio, who here depicts the God of wine in a sort of satirical way, according to Alessia (note the dirt under the subject’s fingernails, as well as the bruised and slightly rotten fruit in the basket);
— Il Tondo Doni, Michelangelo’s first and only painting (he considered himself more of a sculptor) that portrays the Holy Family in a relaxed, approachable, and more realistic manner — unusual for the time;
— La nascita di Venere by Sandro Botticelli, or the Birth of Venus, which portrayed the ideal of feminine beauty at the time;
— L’Adorazione dei Magi by Leonardo da Vinci, or rather da Vinci’s first ever painting which also shows that he was more than just an artist, but also a botanist and biologist as well — Alessia explained that it actually portrays many of the flowers and plants growing in Florence at that time, and that the wings on the angel’s back are those of a bird he had most likely studied. Renaissance man indeed!

….and some more beauties!

WHAT WE ATE!

L’ORTONE
Address: Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti, 87
https://www.lortone.it/en/
Our first stop in Florence, L’Ortone, boasted a menu of cucina toscana rivisitata, or Tuscan cuisine, shaken up a little — my traveling companion ordered beef tartare and beef cheek with beefsteak tomatoes and green sauce, while I opted for ravioli filled with ricotta and zucchini flowers on a saffron and stracchino cream. Off to a good start!

MERCATO CENTRALE FIRENZE
Address: Via Generale dalla Chiesa 13
https://www.mercatocentrale.it/firenze/
Part food market, part fancy food court Florence’s Mercato Centrale sells fresh bread, produce, fruit, meat, and cheese, while also offering a variety of classic Florentine dishes like crostini col fegato or crostini with liver, stracotto or slow cooked beef, and lampredotto, or a sandwich made with tripe (cow’s stomach) that has been boiled in broth and seasoned. This last one is, as you can imagine, an either love-it-or-hate-it kind of dish (I can’t say that I’m a fan).

PROCACCI 1885
Address: Via de' Tornabuoni 64
http://www.procacci1885.it/en/florence
We were told to go to to Procacci for a glass of wine (I’m no wine connoisseur but was told by a trusted source that the selection is excellent) and a panini al tartufo, or truffle sandwich, which was about as rich and special as it sounds. The sandwiches were small and could be eaten in a few bites — Procacci also offers smoked salmon, butter and anchovy, and a few others, if truffle isn’t your thing — and a few of them made for a perfect light lunch with a glass of wine.

ALL’ANTICO VINAIO
Address: Via dei Neri 65
https://www.allanticovinaio.com/firenze/
Besides the statue of David itself, there is perhaps no more popular site in Florence than All’'Antico Vinaio, a shop serving up generous, larger than life panini. What started as a small operation on Via dei Neri is now a series of Antico Vinaio shops that occupy the street (to better handle the crowds of people who gather at all hours of the day for a sandwich). The whole thing works like a well-oiled machine, complete with neon-yellow vested officers to direct the sandwich traffic (see photo below). The wait for our sandwiches was not nearly as long we we would’ve thought, and we were rewarded with a mortadella sandwich with savory pistachio cream as well as one with sbriciolata, artichoke cream, and pecorino, both served on schiacciata, or Tuscan flat bread.

LE VOLPI E L’'UVA
Address: Piazza dei Rossi, 1R
https://www.levolpieluva.com/
We stopped at enoteca Le Volpi e l’uva for a tagliere (meat and cheese plate) and a glass of wine or two, and it was lovely (the service was also wonderful — they squeezed us in for a pre-dinner drink even when they appeared to be fully booked). Highly recommended and again, I’m not wine expert, but the selection here was quite good, I was told.

TRATTORIA ZÀ ZÀ
Address: Piazza del Mercato Centrale 26r
https://www.trattoriazaza.it/
We couldn’t leave Florence without ordering a bistecca alla fiorentina, the city’s most beloved and classic dish, essentially a (giant) Flintstone’s size steak meant to be shared by two (or even three) people. A few facts: your steak should always be cooked from room temperature (never from the fridge). A high temperature is required for cooking as the bistecca requires just 3–5 minutes per each side; it should only be turned once. The outside of the steak should be almost charred, with distinct grill marks, and the inside should be rare. No condiments needed here — just a bit of sea salt over the top and you’re good to go. We got our fix at Trattoria Za’ Za’ — which was packed, make sure you reserve! — and enjoyed our juicy, perfectly cooked steak with a side of roasted rosemary potatoes.

CATTEDRALE DI SANTA MARIA DEL FIORE & IL DUOMO

The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore is one of Florence’s most famous sites; its construction began in 1296 it was structurally completed by 1436 (talk about perseverance). It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Italy's largest churches. The cathedral’s exterior contains marble panels in various shades of green and pink, bordered by white, making your wait in line to enter pretty magical, as you get an up close view of this masterpiece.. The real stunner inside the cathedral is the dome (il duomo itself, designed by Brunelleschi) whose ceiling is painted with a representation of the Last Judgement, as commissioned by Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici. The work — composed of 3,600 metres² (38 750 ft²) of painted surface — was started in 1568 by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari and was completed in 1579. You can climb the 463 stairs up the dome’s cupola for view of the city too, if you’d like (tickets are required). A few notes: Entrance to the cathedral (sans cupola visit) is free. Women need to have your shoulders and legs covered to enter, even if you’re wearing baggy, comfortable, not at all super short shorts (I learned this the hard way and had to run to buy myself a pair of light pants in order to enter; men can enter with shorts).

BASILICA DI SANTA CROCE

Located right on Piazza della Santa Croce — where our highly recommended bnb was, conveniently enough! — Basilica di Santa Croce is the burial place of some of Italy’s most famous icons, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, the poet Ugo Foscolo, and the composer Rossini. The Basilica is the largest Franciscan church in the world, and contains sixteen chapels (!) many of which are decorated with frescoes by none other than Giotto himself.
A note: In this case as well, women need to have shoulders and legs covered to enter — if you are not appropriate dressed, guards can also provide you with a cheap robe-like covering that will do the trick (as was my case in the photo below).

MUSEO NAZIONALE DEL BARGELLO

The Museo Nazionale del Bargello is home to the largest Italian collection of gothic and Renaissance sculptures (14–17th century). It houses masterpieces by Michelangelo, not to mention Donatello's David, his first ever sculpture (see the fourth picture below!) My favorite: Bartolomeo Ammannati’s fountain (first photo below) otherwise known as la Fontana della Sala Grande commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici. Fun fact: Bargello was formerly Florence’s police barracks and prison, eventually being transformed into an art museum in 1865.

PIAZZALE MICHELANGELO

As the name suggests, this square is dedicated to Michelangelo (in fact, it has bronze copies of some of his most famous works). There is a small trek involved to get to the piazza and its viewpoint - sneakers are best, don’t be like me and wear flats! - but the view is well worth it, giving a look at everything from the above-mentioned Santa Croce to the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, and the hills of Settignano and Fiesole, among many other things. A visit to the piazzale is definitely the best way to close your visit, and extra points if you can catch it at sunset on a clearer day than we did!

….which ends our weekend in Florence! Noticeably absent: a glimpse at the Statue of David by Michelangelo (located in the Galleria dell’Accademia) as we waited too long to book and the tickets were sold out. No matter: a return trip to Florence has already been planned to visit friends next month, so I’ll catch him (and a few other sites that I didn’t get to!) then! Leaving you with a few more other photos of this dreamy city — enjoy.