Tuscany, Italy Guide
I don’t know if I’ll ever feel the same way about another vacation than the way I did about our time in Italy. Having been to this gorgeous country once before as a young child (before I could really remember anything), I viewed this as my first trip to the land of heavenly food, gorgeous sceneries, and wine that flowed like water. Truly, it was a form of heaven. Yes, we had a wonderful time exploring Florence, Montepulciano, and Cortona together, but the main takeaways I am leaving the trip with are not from the specific meals I ate or the views I saw, but instead the culture I felt. A pulse that is difficult to put into words. One that came so naturally to the people within these cities and never felt forced. They are living the way we all should be. Their food is not processed or manufactured or sprayed with a laundry list of ingredients, and therefore it can be enjoyed by (almost) everyone. Having a gluten intolerance and a stomach that doesn’t love dairy in the US, I began living my best life when I realized I could eat both of these things without any physical side effects. The best part about this all? Food didn’t carry the typical weight it does over me. In fact, it didn’t seem to do so for anyone. People ate what they wanted, knowing that they were consuming fresh, in-season, and whole ingredients. There was pride in the food that was being served. It was a labor of love, not efficiency.
There was no focus on dietary trends or labels, because food means more to them than that. There were no workout studios or wellness trends being thrown in your face every corner you turned, because their time was not spent focusing on that. Best of all, there were not coffee cups littering the streets, because people did the unimaginable: they actually sat down for coffee and drank it in the cafes. Plus, wine is a part of lunch. What better world could I possibly create? I left my time in Italy with a different mindset. A realization that there is more to the world than the wellness bubble I am submersed in everyday in NYC. A focus on the quality of food I am consuming, not the label. A reminder to slow down. Life doesn’t need to be as hectic as I make it. Most importantly, a memory of the best meals I’ve ever eaten in my life.
Italy, thank you. From the bottom of my very full heart and stomach. I love you.
Here are recommendations for restaurants and activities from our trip. I have also included some recommendations from all of you that we unfortunately were not able to experience on our own (hopefully next time!).
Overall, we spent two nights in Florence (on the front end and back end of the trip), and I felt this was plenty of time to experience the city. Personally, I do not enjoy city vacations since we live in New York. If this is something you look for, add more days! In the middle of the Florence legs we spent two nights in Montepulciano. Being that it is a very small town, I don’t think you need more than two nights here. We did a day trip to Cortona, but would have loved to have a full day and night there to also explore. If you are planning a trip, I’m happy to answer specific questions over email or DM as long as you promise to take me with you!
I’ll stop with the Italy love letter (for now…). Here are my recommendations.
Florence
Lodging & Travel:
Eco Urban B&B: we really loved it here. Small & quaint B&B right next to the train station in Florence with large rooms and a great breakfast spread that is included with the stay
Air B&B: this was the apartment we stayed in that was in the heart of the city and provided an easy point to get everywhere
To save money, we flew into Venice and took a direct train from Venice to Florence via ItaliaRail
We walked everywhere within the city, but took a taxi to the airport as they are readily available
Restaurants
Went to & recommend:
La Terrazza Continentale: hotel roof bar with incredible 360 views of the city
Osteria Santo Spirito: famous for the truffle gnocchi. A very heavy dish, but definitely recommend ordering for the table! We got that, the prosciutto with melon, and the special beef lasagna
All’Antico Ainaio: most delicious sandwich I will ever eat in my entire life, no joke. Famous sandwich shop with a small menu all served on incredible Tuscan focaccia bread.
La Giostra: a lot of people’s favorite restaurant in Florence that is famous for their pear ravioli. Personally, I was underwhelmed by this restaurant. It felt a little too touristy / American for me, probably because it is so highly recommended by everyone. One of the more expensive meals we had while in Tuscany.
Gusta Pizza: best pizza I’ve ever had. Small menu of personal pies that are absolutely delicious
Gelateria La Sorbettiera: favorite gelato I had while there. Will forever dream of this pistachio flavor!
Perche No!: gelato spot that people love and I also really enjoyed, specifically the coffee crunch flavor
Gelateria dei Neri: really loved this gelato spot and preferred the hazelnut flavor
Did not have the chance to visit, but came recommended:
Shopping:
Mercato Centrale Firenze: a large local indoor food market. We didn’t eat anything from there, but walked through just to explore
San Lorenzo Leather Market: large outdoor market with a ton of leather stands selling a lot of the same goods. Incredibly affordable leather items if you’re interested in shopping
Massimo Leather: a great leather shop famous for their jackets. Go go go!
Sightseeing:
Uffizi Museum
Academia Museum
Piazza San Michelangelo
Cross the Ponte Vecchio
Santa Croce
San Lorenzo Church
Climb the Duomo
Boboli Gardens
Medici Tombs
Montepulciano / Cortona
Lodging & Travel:
Air B&B: this is where we stayed while in Montepulciano. It was spacious and right outside the city limits so we were able to walk into (& up – plenty hills!) around the city for restaurants & site seeing
To get to Montepulciano from Florence, we used this car service for direct transfer, but there is also a train available through ItaliaRail
Restaurants
Went to & recommend:
La Vineria di Montepulciano: in the main strip of Montepulciano and cannot recommend enough. This is where Joe and I had our two hour lunch that I will forever dream of. They have the most insane charcuterie boards and focaccia sandwiches that we enjoyed along with a bottle (or two) of wine. Small spot that has a few tables outdoors, we walked in but they do accept reservations
Pane Vino & Zucchero: in the main strip of Montepulciano. We were given this recommendation, but did not love the restaurant. It was good, but probably the least exciting one we had.
Osteria Acquacheta: at the top of the town of Montepulciano, a uniquely delicious experience. This restaurant is known for their steaks and they are no joke! They have two seating times (7:30 and 9:30PM) and it is semi-communal tables. They are known for the T-bone steak, which is presented to you prior to cooking and priced per oz. You don’t really have a say in how much you’re getting or how it is cooked, just say yes! But go in hungry, because it will be huge. Although steak is the focus here, the pastas are also incredible. I personally loved the Pici, which is a Montepulciano classic noodle, with a special hare ragu
Sgarbi Gelato Natura: in the town of Montepulciano, delicious gelato where they will almost force you to try every flavor (aka my kind of heaven)
Gelateria Snoopy: in the heart of Cortona, delicious gelato spot
Did not have the chance to visit, but came recommended (in Montepulciano):
Other:
Winery tour: we booked a private day tour with Davide and highly recommend this activity. He took us to two wineries, Leuta and Cantina Dover, and to visit Cortona. While we enjoyed both experiences, we will never forget the second winery and the lunch we enjoyed with the owner, Fabrizio. He fed us a home-cooked meal by his mother (gnocchi with homemade meat ragu with bruschetta)