Buongiorno! Good morning everyone! Today, I’m excited to share the next stop during my tour of Italy. Florence was unbelievably beautiful and I’m having a hard time explaining what it felt like to visit a part of the world that I’ve only seen in movies like, Letters to Juliet. I would really love to spend an entire week in the hills of Tuscany, surrounded by olive trees and grape vines. It’s picturesque to say the least and so beautiful!
After leaving Venice, we headed to Pisa for the afternoon, then on to Tuscany where we toured this beautiful farmhouse, called Fattoria il Poggio. We had an amazing four course meal and lots of wine tasting. We also learned how extra-virgin live oil is made on the farm and had the chance to try it for ourselves at lunch.
Here’s a picture of a Tuscan farm we saw while on the highway. And that’s only half of this gorgeous property… it was spread out over the hills on the other side as well. Bellissimo!
We arrived in Florence that evening and headed off bright and early the next morning to the Accademia Gallery in Florence to see Michelangelo’s David. The tour guide we had there was unbelievable! So knowledgeable and funny! What rich history, I learned so much!
Fun Fact: I dreamed of being a history teacher when I was in college!
After our tour in the Accademia, we headed off to see the Duomo in Florence and learned about how it was built. It’s amazing to think how these buildings were created without heavy machinery.
When our morning tour was over, we decided to go shopping at a leather factory, where I bought a beautiful leather wallet in iris blue. I learned that Florence is known for their quality leather.
We shopped til we dropped (well almost), then searched for a place to have lunch and found this adorable restaurant, called Percio. We ordered eggplant pizza, a cheese platter, and bruschetta. Delizioso!
On our last night in Tuscany, our Gate 1 Travel tour guide, Johnny, took us to see the beautiful Arno River in Florence at sunset before our farewell to Tuscany dinner. It was such a lovely view as you can see!
Io amo Firenze!
Now we’re in the hills of Tuscany (where I want to buy a second home now) and wishing my husband and boys were with me. This rustic restaurant called, I Tre Pini in Firenze, was extraordinary! We were greeted with beautiful potted lemon trees and this delicious blue bubbly that was so tasty!
The appetizers were amazing! Once again, another four-course meal in Italy, that was out of this world! I’m going back for sure!
This is the rustic chandelier that hung in this farmhouse style restaurant! I love all the simple details that were added to make this space extra special for their guests. I also want to mention that we had an amazing singer serenade us with beautiful Italian love songs. Music to my ears…
Well, that’s a wrap! I hope you enjoyed my Florence travel diary, by seeing a glimpse into the time I spent in this lovely part of Italy. All I can say is, I’m in love with the food and the sweet hospitality of all the Italians I met while I was there. God bless them all for going above and beyond to help make our visit to Florence a beautiful experience!
I linked everything I wore while in Florence, including the sneakers I used to walk on the cobblestone streets. Plus, make sure to check out my My First Trip to Venice post in case you missed it. Enjoy and thank you so much for visiting me today! Arrivederci! XO, Desiree
He has made everything beautiful in it’s time. Ecclesiates 3:11
ummm, that food looks amazing!
Florence–City of faith, art, culture, style and dreams! Desiree’, Florence looks really good on you!… Love and a hug!
Florence looks beautiful. What a wonderful trip ,…..and the memories!!! I hope to be able to get there someday. So much delicious food, I’d be gaining weight like crazy.
Loved seeing your photos, it reminds me of my trip to Florence back in college. I loved history so much too! I became a high school history teacher and get to talk about history every day. I love teaching about all the wonderful places I’ve visited around the world. You are being a history and culture teacher with these posts for sure. Thank you!
You must have really enjoyed seeing all of the fashion too. Every time I travel to Europe, I always enjoy how “un-American” the locals are and their incredible flair for fashion and pairing things together that I’d never even think of!
Such beautiful pictures! Looks like you had a wonderful time in Florence. I haven’t been there since high school a long time ago! The food and wine look delicious!
Who makes the light blue floral blouse you’re wearing at the restaurant? I love it!
Thank you for sharing your travel diary to Italy! It looks amazing. Being a former Art major, Italy has always been my dream. I checked out the Gate1Travel site and they look pretty good! I have a question: Did you feel rushed through out the tour? How do they pace themselves? I know that there is allot of ground to cover, so naturally they have to go somewhat quickly. Also, do you have time to yourselves each day after the your? I’m seriously thinking of booking, so thank you so much for posting this. XOXO Jackie
Hi Desiree,
I’m really enjoying your blog. I was also on your tour with you (I was there with my sister and mom) so this is great to read what you’ve written. What a great trip that was, filled with fantastic tours and great travel companions! Looking forward to reading more.
Jenny
looks fun!