Again, all museum tickets should be purchased in advance to avoid long lines. One thing to note in Florence is that Michelangelo’s David is in the Galleria dell’Accademia (Accademia Gallery). A lot of tourists think it’s the David in the main square but it’s actually in a museum. I was actually astonished looking at the magnificent sculpture because the craftsmanship of the marble was just, utter perfection – it really took my breath away!
TIP #1:
Accademia Gallery Entrance Fee: €12
You can book tickets in advance here
After the gallery, we went to get panino for a light snack before our mini hike to Piazzale Michelangelo. The trick to ordering a panino is to keep it very simple – limit yourself to about three ingredients: a meat, a cheese, and spread (I usually go with crema di tartufo or plain butter). My favorite combination is actually lardo, crema di tartufo, and pecorino. There are two panino shops in Florence that are very popular and worth the line: I Due Fratellini and All’Antico Vinaio.
PANINO:
I Due Fratellini
Address: Via dei Cimatori, 38/red, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy
Order: wild boar salami + butter
Cost: €3All’Antico Vinaio
Address: Via dei Neri, 74/R, 50100 Firenze FI, Italy
Order: lardo + crema di tartufo + pecorino
Cost: €5
After our snack, we crossed over Ponte Vecchio (a bridge with stalls that sell gold items and watches) to hike up to Piazzale Michelangelo. It took us about an hour to get to the top from the bridge because we were a little confused with the directions. The hike was totally worth it – you can see the Duomo and pretty much all of Florence. I didn’t realise that Florence was a walled city so it was an interesting perspective seeing it from above.
After our hike, we decided we earned some gelato so we went to Gelateria Santa Trinita Firenze which is one of my favorite gelaterias in Florence. They make their gelato fresh every day and while their classic flavors are delicious, I loved their new inventive ones as well! I got the mascarpone and sesame nero (black sesame) and it was one of the best I’ve had so far!
My sister was also arriving to Florence from Los Angeles so we gobbled our gelato and quickly got back to our Airbnb to help her get settled in before we headed out to dinner.
TIP #2:
Airport to city centre cab fare: €20
Bags: Additional €1 per bag
We ate dinner at a restaurant called La Giostra. We ordered Florentine steak and pear ricotta ravioli but the pièce de résistance was their Tiramisu. It was almost like an inside-out tiramisu and it was heaven in my mouth. I definitely recommend the tiramisu! I would love to include a photo of the tiramisu but it’s not a photogenic dish but trust me on it and order it.
TIP #3:
Florence is known for their steaks (cow country)
alwayswanderlusting.com 