My first Italy travel guide is finally up! This is part 1 of the three part travel guide series of Mike and I’s trip to Italy last July. If you are new, we traveled to Florence, Rome, and the Amalfi Coast (Positano) for 12 days.
Our Travel Agent:
Vics Vacations
Victoria was an amazing travel agent. She specializes in family vacations to all inclusive resorts, but she also loves doing international travel as well. She is the QUEEN of planning Disney World trips and all inclusive resorts. If you are a family looking to book any upcoming family trip, honeymoon, anniversary trip, I 100% recommend her. We looked into travel agents before we got introduced to Victoria and none of their budgets came CLOSE to her. She is hard working, always available, easy and fun to talk to, and always put you and your family’s best interest at heart. She is a travel PRO .
She was super flexible and based our schedule off of our lifestyle and preferences. She does not charge fees when booking as she has access to special rates with hotels. She had our entire stay planned out in an itinerary and we absolutely killed it with our trip! We booked this trip only a month out and it was during peak travel season in Italy! She was able to stay under our budget as well!
Hotel Alba Palace
ADDRESS:
Via della Scala, 22/38r, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
https://www.hotelalbafirenze.it/en/
We loved this hotel! Within 10 minute walking distance from everything and includes wifi and complimentary breakfast. I highly recommend Hotel Alba Palace. Some picture of Hotel Alba are below:
Breakfast:
La Menagere
ADDRESS:
Via de’ Ginori, 8/R, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
This brunch spot was recommended by a friend who studies abroad in Florence. It was one of my favorite brunches ever!
What we got: Continental Breakfast – This is a breakfast made for two people. If you are looking for a taste of everything on the menu I recommend this dish. It is under $24 and more than enough food. We got bacon, these amazing pancakes, orange juice, coffee, fruit, and a parfait. Everything is made from scratch and organic. If you are looking for a grab and go breakfast or coffee La Menagere is also a great place for that as well!
Lunch:
All’ antico Vinaio
ADDRESS:
Osteria All’antico Vinaio, Via dei Neri, 76 R, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy
All’Anitco was one of the most suggested places to eat in Florence when I reached out in my stories on Instagram. This is a grab and go kind of place and the sandwiches are only $5-7!!! They were so big I couldn’t finish mine. You can customized your sandwich with whatever you one. All ingredients are made fresh. I got the “summer sandwich” which has prosciutto, mozzarella, aruglua, basic, and balsamic vinaigrette.
We were a little confused at first because when we first got on the street ALL of the restaurants said All Antico. We came to the conclusion that this entire street is all the same thing so you can’t go wrong with any sandwich shop.
Dinner:
Gusta Pizza
ADDRESS:
Via Maggio, 46r, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy
https://m.facebook.com/GustapizzaFirenze/
Gusta Pizza is a MUST. If there is ONE place I would say you have to go, it is Gusta Pizza.Pizza is under $10 and a glass of wine is around $3. I got their margarita pizza. Can take pizza and wine to go and if you walk 100 ft down the street to a square and you can eat your pizza on the step and watch live music and dancing. I This is also the same square where Osteria Santo Spirit is on. (Next restaurant below)
Osteria Santo Spirito
ADDRESS:
Piazza Santo Spirito, 16/R, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy
http://www.osteriasantospirito.it/
Popular Dishes: Gnocchi
This restaurant is right around the corner of Gusta Pizza. If you are looking for affordable, local Italian, I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant. They are known for their baked gnocchi. It was delicious! Then even gave us fresh watermelon at the end. I highly recommend getting a reservation in advance.
La Giostra
ADDRESS:
Borgo Pinti, 10/18 Rosso, 50121 Firenze FI, Ita
The BEST food of the trip! This is a tad more pricey, but you get so much food and they are so generous! One of the most popular dishes on their menu is the pear ravioli. It is basically a taste of heaven. We also highly recommend this strawberry dessert that had a rice pudding ice cream in it. IT WAS INCREDIBLE.
https://www.ristorantelagiostra.com/
GELATO
Gelateria La Carraia
ADDRESS:
Piazza Nazario Sauro, 25/r, 50124 Firenze FI, Italy
The BEST Gelato of the trip (with the exception of one place in Rome) The line is worth it and goes fast! It is located right along the river and it is a great opportunity to eat some gelato while watching the sunset.
Fun In Tuscany Vespa Tour:
This was our top two favorite things we did on our entire Italy trip!! I HIGHLY recommend the Vespa tour. Request Daniel to be your guide and tell them that Ashley and Michael Bell sent ya! He is the best tour guide!
All of the details of this tour are in this link. We were nervous to ride a vespa before this trip and we felt 100% safe the entire time. You take a vespa from a family owned winery to an old medieval town call San Gimignano and from their you take your Vespa back to the Winery. You finish off the day with a five course homemade meal and a wine tasting. 100% worth every dollar. We started the day around 8-9 and ended around 4-5 PM. Fun in Tuscany offers a wide selection of tours if the vespa tour is not for you. Click HERE to view their site.
The Statue of David:
We did not have time to see the Statue of David unfortunately. You have to make a reservation ahead of time and the schedule filled up before we could get a spot. I would recommend scheduling ahead of time.
Piazzale Michelangelo
ADDRESS:
Piazzale Michelangelo, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy
TOP 3 SUNSETS I HAVE EVER SEEN!! Either take the stairs up to the top or get a taxi! If you are wanting a front row spot to view the sunset I would recommend grabbing some pizza, a bottle of wine, a blanket and getting up their an hour or so before the sunset. We got up there right as the sun was setting but we were able get a good spot.
The Leather Market:
This an entire street that sells goods, mostly leather. Be careful, the majority of this street is not real leather. I would check the price and look for signs of inauthentic leather. Right next to it is also a food market. It was cool to walk through and see all of the fresh product.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
This is a half a day trip.
Take a 45ish min train to Pisa and walk about 20 minutes to see the leaning tower of Pisa. There are also restaurants nearby to grab a light snack or gelato. I highly recommend this if you have the extra time! I just would not make an entire day out of it. 2 hours is only what you need.
