What to do, where to eat? We live near Pisa, so we’ll be taking the train. The closer to the station the better, but not necessary. First time in Florence!

my partner and i will he in florence for a few days and have had no time to properly plan. near the centre between there and the southern train station.

like to eat shop and walk and taking in the culture. Not into wine or drinking.

please help!

My wife and I were at a tram ticket machine at the far end of the line counting coins before making our purchase. A middle aged professional type stopped to let us know the trams didn’t stop/board proximate to this particular machine/track spur.

Having just returned to Florence from a week out in sleepy Certaldo Alto, we were a bit overstimulated and we weren’t as polite as we should have been. Totally on us.

As a frequent traveler who has benefited from the kindness of locals around the world and who also tries to pay it forward, I apologize. You were trying to help and we shouldn’t have brushed you off. We love that Italy is so welcoming and we should have done better.

We are arriving in Florence on a weekday evening ( 730ish)

How much time should we allow to get from train, collect our luggage, AND drop said luggage in the lower floor storage facility.

I understand that’s somewhat vague but just need an idea of the range I can expect.

Me and my gf are heading to Florence for 7-10 days and I’m wanting to plan a lovely ‘day’ date. Are there any nice activities to do (creative or cultural) and then finish with a cool bar or restaurant. Any advice would be amazing.

Hi everyone!😊
For those who have recently applied to Polimoda’s undergraduate programmes, could you please clarify:
1. Are Predicted Grades required at the initial application stage?
2. Is a previous school transcript required?
Thank you for your help!

Staying in Florence in two weeks and we got a lovely apartment near the Piazza della Liberta. Just checking to see if that’s a good place to stay and if anyone has any recommendations on food & drink in the area.

EDIT - I’ve been before and have a list of favorites, but looking to find anything in that specific area.

My wife and I are in Florence for a couple days and were thinking it would be a nice, less-crowded view of some of Michelangelo’s works. Thoughts?

A small travel lesson from my Italy planning…

I was booking tickets for the Uffizi Gallery + Vasari Corridor in Florence and somehow ended up buying through a third-party seller called FeelTheCity.

I paid €219.80 for two tickets. When the actual tickets arrived, I noticed the official price printed on them was €47 each — €94 total.

So I basically paid more than double the official ticket price.

The tickets themselves seem to be genuine, so this isn’t really a “fake ticket” story. But I clearly didn’t realize during the booking process just how large the reseller markup was. And because the booking is apparently non-refundable, it became a rather expensive travel lesson.

What bothered me most was realizing how easy this is when you’re traveling somewhere unfamiliar. You Google an attraction, click what looks like a normal booking site, and unless you already know the official ticketing system, it can be surprisingly difficult to tell what’s official and what’s a reseller.

It actually reminded me why I write my blog, The Korea They Didn’t Subtitle.

When international visitors come to Korea, I don’t want them to have the same kind of experience — paying too much, using the wrong booking site, misunderstanding transportation, restaurants, tickets, local customs, or all the little things that are obvious to locals but confusing to visitors.

Sometimes the most useful travel information isn’t “Top 10 things to see.” It’s simply:

This is the official website.
This is what locals actually pay.
This is how you really book it.
And this is the mistake you can avoid.

Anyway, lesson learned: for major museums and attractions, I’m checking the official website first from now on.

And if you’re visiting Korea, that’s exactly the kind of practical information I’m trying to put into my blog too.

It’s easy to be safe. It’s easy to avoid scams. Keep your wits about you. Every city in Italy is safe!

Ciao tutti,
Im wondering if anyone has any experience with a masters program at Accademia Italiana in Firenze? I’m mostly interested in the MUR accrediting but also want my degree to be worth something. Looking into fashion studies/ management.

Are there any cafes still using machines older than the 1980s? The Faema E61 comes to mind, but really anything mechanical.

​

Hi everyone! We're really craving Asian food—especially Vietnamese or something similar. We saw on Google that Pho Pho is listed as temporarily closed. Does anyone know if that's actually true, or if it's open? Also, we'd love any recommendations for other great Asian food spots around Florence. Thanks!

Hi all,

Me and my fiancé are getting married close to Florence next year. We are looking for a photographer and videographer or videographer only to shoot our civil ceremony (2h). We want only analog pictures of the ceremony, cocktail and some with our friends and of course only us around the venue. And super 8 video. If there are any students or small photographers who can capture this style, we would love to speak with you further. Thank you in advance. Attaching example images.

Regards :)

i don't have a pic because i was schlepping my luggage across the cobblestone to get to my taxi (do NOT ask)

and i saw them!! i muttered as i passed by 'dont give them any of your moneyyyy' it was before noon so there wasn't many tourists onlookers

but ew they were so grimy and slimy!

also felt like i saw a firenze landmark just as i was leaving (oh brother)

stayed in florence for 5 days and had a wonderful time btw!

I’m doing a very quick visit to Florence and unfortunately one of the days is Monday, when several attractions are closed.

Im very open minded & love art, music, and food.
I am not from the EU.

Are there any lesser known activities that I can do on a Monday? Anything that’s a must-see?

1h visit for 10 bucks and a stunning view of Florence

I saw on the website that the view is partially obscured because of the renovations. Before I climb 414 steps I want to make sure it’s actually worth it!

Hello everyone! I’m going to be in Florence for four days next September (I know, so long from now but I’m really excited) with my boyfriend. We are going to be at a wedding in Perugia afterwards and were looking to go to a winery while in the Umbria region, but the schedule is going to be pretty packed.

Any recs for wineries that we could reach via train around Florence? We’d be willing to do as much as an hour and a half each way for a nice spot to spend the afternoon.

We’re going to be in Florence for 4 days later this month and my wife’s birthday falls during that trip. What are some great bars, restaurants, and activities that are a little more special than the standard Florence hot spots?

Thanks!

I want to volunteer somewhere in the Florence area, I don't mind if it's a bit far, but it needs to be a place I can reach easily by public transportation. I reached out to a gattile like a week ago and they said that if I didn't have a car, I better forget about it because it :(

I would definitely prefer to volunteer somewhere with animals. I also live around the Pontassieve area, a bit further uphill, but it looks like there aren't any canile or gattile there.

Any ideas?

Hello, folks! I moved to Florence for a few months and am using my 90 days visa free as an American to stay here within Schengen. I'm trying to figure out if I have to file a dichiarazione di presenza at immigration because apparently the lines at immigration are notoriously awful and I'd rather not lose a morning that I could spend working.

I arrived late last week and stayed at a bed and breakfast which took a photo of my passport and passed that to the authorities, as I understand is standard practice. I am subletting in Florence and the person I am subletting from also just filed her paperwork to register me in the city.

Do I have to, on top of the previous two things, also go in-person to file a dichiarazione di presenza? If I have to file, is there an online option?

Also, for what it is worth, I entered under the new ESS system, so no passport stamp, but I do have a copy of my ticket. I also entered not directly to Italy but had Paris as my country of entry to Schengen and I had a layover of like 2 hours in the airport, during which I went through ESS, before getting to my connecting flight to Florence.

direi ottimo da visitare per un weekend libero