Third stop // Florence

I was taken with Firenze the minute I saw all the chic ladies biking all over the city, as if couture & heels were made to be riding on two wheels. We booked our stay at Hotel l’Orologio but their air conditioning was broke so they put us up in their sister hotel, Hotel Santa Maria Novella. If you have ever been to Florence in the summer, then you know I was not complaining. Florence is hot as hell! I would have slept in a car, if that was the only place the AC was running. Which brings me to a TIP! Keep drinking water in your room & while you’re out sightseeing! Most Italians drink frizzante (sparkling water) so you will need to purchase and order still or naturale water. Also, drinking water is not free at restaurants, so drink it up or take it with!

Hotel Santa Maria Novella turned out to be great! It was the best breakfast on the trip, the water temperature & pressure in the shower were set to hell, which is jussssst right, and it was literally down the street from Piazza Duomo. And, for bonus points, the rooftop terrace overlooked Piazza di Santa Maria Novella. The view looked like a painting.

We were in Florence for the shortest amount of time, but we hit the ground running and saw a lot of the highlights and some of the best doors in Italy! If you’re into art, Florence has several, prominent museums that are home to pieces like David & the Birth of Venus, and house works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael. We skipped the museums because we were short on time and waits during the summer can get up to 5 hours. Oh, and did I mention it was hot as hell?

We even stopped at the famous Gusta Pizza !

I felt at home in Florence and would love to go back and live like a local.