Florence is better when you slow down

Florence is one of those cities where it’s very easy to get the trip wrong.

Not because there isn’t enough to see — but because there’s too much.

The Duomo. David. The Uffizi. Ponte Vecchio. Palazzo Pitti. Santa Croce. Every church, museum and piazza seems to come with a list of things you’re supposed to see.

And before you know it, you’ve turned Florence into a race.

I think Florence is much better when you do the opposite.

See a few extraordinary things. Then give yourself enough time to actually enjoy being there.

Don't spend half a day in the Uffizi

The Uffizi is extraordinary, but unless Renaissance art is the primary reason you're visiting Florence, you don't need to see every room.

For many travelers, I think about two hours is perfect.

Book a timed entry in advance and go in knowing what you really want to see.

Spend your time with Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera. See Leonardo's early work. Michelangelo's Doni Tondo. Raphael. Titian. Caravaggio's Medusa.

Then leave.

Seriously.

Don't feel guilty because you didn't see everything.

Walk back outside, grab a coffee or a glass of wine and remember that Florence itself is part of the museum.

That's one of the things I often tell clients: sometimes the best way to experience a great museum is to know when you've seen enough.

Cross the river

A lot of first-time visitors spend almost all their time around the Duomo, Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio.

Cross the Arno.

Walk into Oltrarno, particularly around Santo Spirito. You'll find artisan workshops, neighborhood restaurants, wine bars and a Florence that feels a little less like everyone is following the same itinerary.

This is the Florence I love wandering through without much of a plan.

Have an aperitivo. Sit outside. Order another glass of wine.

You don't always need somewhere else to be.

Make bistecca an evening, not just dinner

If you're going to have bistecca alla Fiorentina, make it an experience.

This isn't a little individual steak arriving neatly on your plate.

A traditional bistecca is a very thick T-bone or porterhouse, usually from Chianina cattle, cooked over high heat and served very rare. It's generally ordered by weight and meant to be shared.

And here's an important Florence tip:

Don't order it well done.

In a traditional Florentine restaurant, asking for bistecca well done is somewhere between unusual and mildly sacrilegious. 😂

Start with aperitivo, then make bistecca the centerpiece of the evening. You can even build a Florentine food experience around it — exploring a neighborhood with a local guide, tasting a few specialties along the way and finishing with a traditional bistecca dinner.

Or keep it simple: find a good traditional trattoria, share the bistecca with some Tuscan sides and a bottle of Chianti Classico or Brunello.

Then walk home through Florence afterward.

That's a travel experience. Not just a dinner reservation.

Eat something standing up

One of my favorite things about Florence has absolutely nothing to do with fine dining.

Lampredotto.

It's classic Florentine street food — slow-cooked beef stomach served on a crusty roll, usually with salsa verde.

Yes, I know what I just said.

Try it anyway.

I had mine from a little street stand, and it's exactly the kind of experience I want people to have in Italy: quick, inexpensive, local and something you'll probably remember longer than a much fancier lunch.

And don't schedule every hour

Some of my favorite Florence memories aren't attractions at all.

Walking across Ponte Vecchio early enough that it isn't completely packed.

Stopping at Sant'Ambrogio Market.

Finding a tiny wine bar.

Watching the city from Piazzale Michelangelo as the light changes.

Or simply sitting in a piazza with nowhere you need to be for the next hour.

Don't try to see everything when you haven't seen anything.

Florence rewards a little restraint.

I'd rather help someone experience five things they'll remember than rush them through fifteen things simply because they're on a list.

Want more of my Florence favorites?

I've put together a much deeper Florence guide with places to stay, restaurants and wine bars I like, things worth seeing, my abbreviated Uffizi route and some of the little details that can make a Florence trip better.

→ SEE MY FLORENCE GUIDE

And if Florence is part of a larger Italy trip you're thinking about, I can help put the pieces together — hotels, neighborhoods, experiences, Tuscany, transportation and the pacing of the trip itself.

Thinking About Your Own Trip to Italy?

If Italy is on your list, tell me a little about how you like to travel and what you're imagining. I'll help you start putting the pieces together.

Complete a short intake form so I can learn about your trip and follow up with you.

Buon Viaggio, 🇮🇹

Dan
Nomad With Dan

Experience Italy. Don’t just see it.

P.S. Have a question about Italy? Just reply to this email—it comes directly to me. I’m always happy to talk Italy. 🇮🇹