I’m just back from a terrific culinary tour of Tuscany. Before and after the tour, we managed to sneak in a couple of very brief stays in Florence. This was our first visit and we loved it. We look forward to returning…
Narrow streets and falling tourists
The David
The Duomo
Uffizi Gallery
Dining
During our trip we also ate lunch at Trattoria Sostanza and Caffè Cibreo. Both were terrific.
Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
The Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella began as a pharmacy run by Dominican monks in 1221. Now it’s a museum quality cosmetic store designed to part you with your money. We somehow escaped for under 100 Euros, but don’t expect to be so lucky. It’s worth a stop just to see the store and read its history.
Lodging
Our tour began and ended at the Florence train station, so we picked hotels close by. Before our tour, I stayed at the quirky Casa Howard (practically next door to the Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, above). Afterwards, we took advantage of an amazing Upside deal (details here) to stay at the awesome Palazzo Castri 1874.