Top 8 Day Trips from Florence: Empoli, Pistoia, San Gimignano, & More

Children riding bikes in a wide pedestrian street in Italy on a sunny day

Have you ever wondered what else to do in Tuscany after you’ve already seen all of Florence? You’ve got plenty of options—these day trips from Florence will help you fall in love with this beautiful region even more. If you’re running low on places to visit in Florence and you already know the Uffizi Gallery […]

Eating Alone in Florence: Tips & Restaurant Recs (UPDATED)

Close up of a person's hands cutting food on a white plate

Sharing the joys of solo travel: a contradiction? Not here; not in Italy. Eating alone in Florence doesn’t have to be lonely at all!  Traveling around Italy is not an easy task for your stomach. There’s lots of food everywhere, and everything is so delicious.   Italians will never stop bragging about our incredible food, and […]

Best Wine Bars in Florence: Our Top 5

A bartender in a white shirt and tie pouring two glasses of white wine

We’ve got to be honest: No day in Florence would be complete without a glass of wine. Wine is a tradition, a ritual, true Tuscan heritage, and probably one of the main reasons Firenze was calling your name.   You’ve most likely heard of Chianti, but there’s much more waiting for you to discover in Florence’s […]

Best Steak in Florence: 8 Essential Bistecca Spots

Overhead shot of sliced rare steak on a wooden plate garnished with herbs

If you think you’ve had excellent steak dinners in your life, just wait until you experience bistecca alla fiorentina—the best steak in Florence.  With a juicy, rare center and blackened grill marks on the exterior, bistecca is a mouth-watering must try. Finding the best steak spots in Florence can feel overwhelming, so here’s our list […]

5 Vineyards Near Florence & How to Get There

Person's hand holding a glass of red wine with a vineyard in the background

You might have heard the one thing you must do while visiting Florence is a little wine tasting. And what could be better than enjoying wine right at the source?  You don’t have to go far to find beautiful vineyards near Florence, and most of these family-run wineries are more than happy to welcome visitors […]

Perfect Italian Tiramisu Recipe

Tiramisù on a plate

Quite appropriately, “tiramisu” translates to something along the lines of “pick me up.” And that’s exactly what it is—a sweet pick-me-up that’s well worth saving space for, no matter how much carbonara or cacio e pepe you may have already eaten. Coffee-dipped ladyfinger cookies and sweet, fluffy mascarpone come together in a beautiful symphony of […]

How to Read an Italian Menu (And Order Like a Local)

Plate of carbonara pasta

One of the best parts of traveling is experiencing the culture through food, and in many cases, eating out can be the highlight of your trip.  But how are you supposed to eat like a local if you don’t understand how to order off the menu? While understanding how to read an Italian menu can […]

How Italians Do Christmas: The Foods You’ll Find on Every Table

Italian Antipasti platter

Like any other country, Italy has its own Christmas traditions. Italian Christmas foods are uniquely distinguished by their variety, richness, and seasonality. Christmas is a time for abbondanza, literally, “abundance.” Italians sit down for long – we’re talking six or seven hours – feasts of many courses, even more extreme than on Easter or other […]