After exploring the most fashionable city in Italy we took a train down south to Florence. Travelling by (high speed) train we would highly recommend as your mode of transportation in Italy. Driving a car in Italy is challenging and the traffic is insane. Plus parking spots are hard to find.
We found the perfect hotel (La Croce di Malta) for us next to the train station with a swimming pool and a cocktail bar overlooking the city.
After the colloseum in Rome and the leaning tower of Pisa, the Duomo of Florence is the most recognisable item of Italy and not to be missed on your trip to Florence.
The best way to explore a city is by getting lost in it. We found the Ponte Vecchio after dinner in our favourite Ravioli restaurant (Raviolo è Raviolo) trying to find our hotel.
You cannot leave Florence without a visit to the Uffizi Gallery where you can find the most famous renaissance masterpieces such as works by Giotto, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Raphael, Titian and Caravaggio.
This city is also known as art lover’s paradise.
After a couple of days exploring the city we felt the urge to explore more behind the cityscape into the Tuscan hills.
Tuscany, with its rolling hills, vineyards, and medieval castles and villages is one of the most picturesque regions in Italy.
Our travels at some point need to involve horses, so we booked a horseriding tour with Fun-in-Tuscany to explore the Tuscan vineyards on a horseback and ending the tour with a winetasting experience. A fabulous manner to combine both my passions for wine and horses. Needless to say, the best experience in Tuscany.
Visitors are universally spellbound when they discover San Gimignano. This ancient walled city on top of the Tuscan hills is called medieval Manhattan.
The towers of San Gimignano were not just displays of wealth, they also represented the power of the families who built them. The taller the tower, the more important the owners appeared to be.
Another reason you need to add San Gimignano to your trip, is the award winning gelato. These Italian gelato connosseurs have tried gelato throughout Italy and have to agree with this winner.
After spending these glorious days in Tuscany, the time comes to explore some more. With train tickets in my hand, we’re departing to the ancient city of Rome.
To be continued.