Well hello to you my reader chums! Siena is a beautiful city in Tuscany known for its hilly cobbled streets and medieval buildings. I absolutely loved Siena; it was like a larger version with Lucca with all the Italian beauty. I loved exploring it (even with the steep hills.) Siena is a charming place, full of history, pretty walkways, and the best restaurants.

If you're planning to visit Siena on your trip to Tuscany and going for a day or two, here is everything I got up to.

Day 1: Sightseeing and exploring the city

Duomo di Siena - The cathedrals in Italy are a vision of beauty and Siena's was no different. It's one of the main attractions in Siena and completely worth the visit. The cathedral is split up into sections that you can pay to get into. On my trip, I went into the main area and saw the cathedral in all its glory.

Complesso Museale Santa Maria della Scala -  This museum was once a civic hospital which cared for abandoned children, the sick, the poor and the pilgrims. Now it's a place with a rich history and some interesting exhibits to see. As I walked around the museum, I found a mixed bag of things to learn about. There were the art murals, a church, underground tunnels, chapels and so much more to see. For the Santa Maria della Scala, you can get a combined ticket with the Duomo. There are a lot of different ticket options to choose from.

Piazza del Campo - This is the main square (or oval) in Siena and a hub for restaurants, cafes, and the location where people sit down with an ice cream in hand. The square is home to Torre del Mangia, which dates back to the 1300s. It's Siena's most popular square and a vision of beauty with the medieval architecture.

Torre del Mangia - Dating back to the 1300s and located in Piazza del Campo, this tower was originally the tallest in medieval Italy. It looks over the square and you're able to climb up it for a beautiful view of the city.

Going for a walk - As I always say, the best way to see a city and find the hidden gems is by going for a walk without following Google maps. Siena is a beautiful place to roam around as you come across some tucked away restaurants, little shops, and some really pretty streets.

Day two: More exploring and a day trip to Monteriggioni

Siena isn't a huge city so you're able to see all the sights within a day that on the second day, I would recommend a day trip. Dan and I chose to visit Monteriggioni, a small walled town known for its medieval architecture. The castle walls of which hold the town, offer a 360 view of the Tuscan hills and honestly, I've never seen anything so beautiful.


Monteriggioni is located about a 20-minute bus journey from Siena. You can get the bus from Piazza Gramsci which is the main bus hub in Siena. Look out for bus 130 or 131 as they will both take you to Monterggioni - just make sure you get off at the right stop! Bus tickets can be bought at any newsagent style shop or cafe with the large T symbol outside.


On the walk up to Castello di Monteriggioni, I was presented with the most incredible views of Tuscany which got better as I walked further up. Monteriggioni is the quaintest place I've ever seen and I'm so happy we added onto our itinerary. It's not the biggest place so an afternoon there would be enough time to soak up the glory.


Museo Monteriggioni in Arme - If history is your thing, make sure to take some time to look around this museum. It offers an insight into the war of Siena and all the army wear/weapons used in medieval times. It's also a lot of fun to try on all the gear.

Church of Santa Maria - This church stands in the middle of the square of the town. The town itself is very small and there are a select few restaurants which are located by the church.

Quaint shops - Monteriggioni was home to some of the quaintest shops I've seen on my Italy travels with them full of homemade items including bags, clothes, and jewelry. They're the perfect place to pick up a souvenir and take a browse.

Monteriggioni wall's - On two sides of the castle edge, you're able to climb up and see all the Tuscan hills- it's honestly stunning. Tickets for this can be bought at the entrance on either side of the walls and are worth it - and you'll get entrance to the museum with these tickets too.

Ristorante le Torri Monteriggioni - As I previously mentioned, the town only had a select few restaurants and we dined there on our visit. The pasta here was delicious! I had a ragu and Dan, pesto - and they offered a complimentary soup starter and bread.

Where to stay

Siena is rather small that wherever you stay, you'll be able to reach the main sights on foot, however, the more central, the better. We stayed at Hotel La Perla, which was within walking distance to pretty much anything (even the train station - about half-hour away.) The hotel was pretty modern and ideal to venture around the city from.

Where to eat 

Ristorante Al Mangia - Ever since coming back from Italy, I've raved about this restaurant. It was located in a tucked-away alley from the Piazza del Campo and opened in 1937. The food here was top quality and some of the best I tried in Italy. We both ordered the bolognese style pasta and it was incredibly rich and moreish with a chocolate fondant dessert to follow. It's the type of family-run restaurant where locals visit more than tourists and I like that as you can fully immerse into its authenticity.

How to get there

Siena is very easy to get to from surrounding cities. You can either get a train from places like Florence, Lucca, etc or the bus. We took a train from Lucca and it took around 2 and a half hours. It was the longest train journey out of them all but completely worth it. You can also drive to the city but may find trouble parking near hotels in the centre.

Day trips from Siena

Florence - Florence is the heart of Tuscany and always worth another visit, even if you've been plenty of times. The train from Siena to Florence takes an hour and a half which will give you plenty of time to explore the city.

Pisa - Pisa is quite a small city that you're able to see all the main sights in an afternoon visit. From Siena, it takes around an hour and 45 minutes per train.

Lucca - Lucca is the quaintest city and small enough to soak up all the beauty within a day. It's quite a long train journey. however, at 2 and a half hours.

Monteriggioni - I've raved about this a lot in this article, but honestly, his would be top of my list for anyone visiting Siena as it's only a 20-minute journey away.

Chianti region - The Chianti region is renowned for its wine and the best vineyards to see in Tuscany. From Siena, you can easily book a tour of the vineyards which usually lasts 5 hours between 2pm-7pm. Look online or at the local travel agents whilst you're in the city to book- or even ask your hotel.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Is there anything you'd recommend to see in Siena?

Thank you for reading <3

Well hello to you my reader chums! The planet and its climate are a real issue today, which needs to be changed and reversed as soon as possible. I may sound dramatic, however, I need to be. It's crucial for us to make some big changes in order to save the planet. Although as individuals we don't have the power to do something on a large scale, we can help out on a smaller level - and that comes with living sustainably.


Travel obviously isn't the biggest way to live sustainably and it has bad effects on the environment, however, there are a few things you can do to travel sustainably. 

Try alternative methods of transport

As convenient as getting a plane is, there are alternative methods of travel. Obviously, if you're going across the world, then a plane will be your first port of call. However, if it's a shorter trip away or you want to get around a country, then consider getting a train or bus for your holiday. Train travel is so simple, especially across Europe. If you're under 26 as well, then you can buy a train youth ticket which is a lot cheaper than an adult ticket.

Pack sustainably

When it comes to packing for your trip, it's important to be aware of what you're putting in your case or backpack. Think about how you're being wasteful and what reusable things you can bring along on your trip. If you're wondering what to pack, here's my eco-friendly guide to packing.

Research the companies you're booking with 

Something a lot of people don't realise when they're booking their holiday or excursion is the company isn't very ethical. This could be for a number of reasons, but one reason is if the company book tours that harm animals whether that's elephant trekking or monkey shows. With that in mind, it's important to do an overall check of who you're booking with and their ethical stance. 

Avoid animal shows/ look into sanctuaries

This goes hand in hand with booking your holiday. When you're abroad in warmer countries, they'll often put on animal shows as a way to entertain tourists. This can be something like elephant riding, whale shows, alligator wrestling or anything bizarre and horrible you can think of. All of these shows or things you can do will harm the animals or the animals aren't being treated properly. To prevent this, don't endorse the shows and actively try to look for more ethical measures to see the animals. This can be through animal sanctuaries who rescue animals and actually look after them - again research into this as some claim to be sanctuaries and really aren't.

Eat like a local 

Eating like a local gives you the opportunity to not only taste local delicacies but also lets you help local communities and even the economy. By paying out for global chains, you're paying for the food products to be imported which are adding fuel to the fire essentially. This is because of the CO2 emissions that are caused to ship all this food over to different countries. If you eat things that are sourced locally, you're preventing the importing from happening and helping towards an overall larger movement.

Stay at greener hotels 

These days, a lot of hotels are trying their best to be more sustainable and green to help out the planet. With the greener options out there, try and choose them over a chain hotel or one that is very wasteful.

Make ethical choices

As we're travelling, we often get lost in the moment and don't really think about doing our bit for the planet. We get stuck in the idea of living our best lives and living for the moment. However, when you are venturing around, be mindful of your choices, whether that's to do with food, how you're travelling or what you're doing.

I hope you enjoyed this post. What are you doing to try to make your trip more sustainable?

Thank you for reading <3

Well hello to you my reader chums! Italy will forever have my heart; the cuisine and culture brings me so much joy - I absolutely love it. On my trip around Tuscany, I also stopped off at Lucca for a day and it's become one of my favourite places ever. Lucca to me was like the more humble and quiet Florence with the same cobbled streets and beautiful architecture.

The main city of Lucca is located in city walls which makes the location even cooler. In the walls, you'll find intertwined cobbles streets, rustic restaurants, sights to see and even nicer people to speak to. Out of all the places I visited in Tuscany, it was the least touristy and that's what gave it the authentic vibe I fell in love with.

We arrived to Lucca late morning and after checking into our hotel, had the entire day to explore. Lucca isn't huge so you can easily fit all the sights in one day and soak up the hidden gems too.

What to see and do 

Get a feel of the city - My favourite thing to do in Lucca was to explore every single corner possible. It's one of those places where every turn you make, it's all beautiful. Dan and I easily found ourselves spending hours walking around, admiring the city and chatting - it's the perfect thing to do, whoever you may be with (even if you're a solo traveller.)

Torre Guinigi - If you read through my guides to Tuscany then you may have realised we did a lot of climbing towers and up tall buildings throughout our trip to get a view of the city. This tower was on my list but we came across it as we were browsing the city. As you go up the tower, it has that traditional look and true Italian vibe of a building - and the view is even better. There's something so amazing about seeing an entire city up high.

Piazza dell'Anfiteatro - One of the most iconic squares (well circles) in Lucca was this one. The oval-shaped area is filled with restaurants, cafes, and shops - and makes for the cutest place to dine at night.

Palazzo Pfanner - I love visiting a palace and learning about the history that I couldn't miss this one in Lucca. Dating back to 1667, the palace is now converted into a museum of arts and artifacts with a beautifully manicured garden at the back. I loved this palace a lot as it wasn't over the top but grand in its own way, and hidden away that you wouldn't think it had such a significant meaning.

Chiesa di San Michele in Foro - Piazza San Michele is a beautiful square and has a cathedral in the middle of it which you're able to go in. The square has plenty of restaurants and cafes nearby to stop off and admire its beauty.

Where to stay

Lucca is quite a small city that wherever you stay, you're able to get to the main part quite easily whether that's by foot or taxi. Our hotel, La Bella Addormentata, and Prince Calaf was located out of the city walls and about a 10-15 minute walk away. It was in the ideal location as the area was residential and quiet but we were close enough to explore the main sights. Also, the breakfast here was incredible - there was literally everything you;d need in a buffet spread.

Where to eat

La Cranceria - Pizza is everything in Italy and when we were there, we had it for lunch every single day. Ths pizza shop serves up a variety of pizza flavours for as cheap as 2 Euro per slice and it's honestly so delicious! It had my favourite ever tomato sauce on a pizza and I'm certainly craving it right now as I type this post.

Matta gelato - Italy is the place where gelato is born and this was my favourite gelato place in Lucca. I had both chocolate and stracciatella and it tasted like top-quality ice cream.

Piazza dell'Anfiteatro - Even though this square is probably one of the most touristy places and the food isn't as authentic, it's a perfect spot for night time dining when all the restaurants are lit up.

How to get there 

Lucca is really easy to get to. You can either get the train from nearby cities including Florence, Pisa or Siena or drive to the city (but just make sure your hotel has parking). We went from Pisa to Lucca which only took half an hour on the train.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Are you planning to visit Lucca?

Thank you for reading <3

Well hello to you my reader chums! Vietnam was one of my favourite countries in South East Asia and I really wish I spent longer than the 10 days there. On my trip, I visited 3 different locations, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, and Hanoi and loved exploring them. If you're planning a trip to Vietnam, here is everything you need to know.

The north is different from the south

Similar to England, the culture up north is completely different from the south and people are also different. When I spoke to locals in the south, they were explaining how things are more laid back down there and the people are a lot friendlier and tend not to scam tourists as much. You'll notice the vibe in Ho Chi Minh city isn't nowhere near as wild as Hanoi.

Vietnamese cuisine is super cheap and delicious

The food in Vietnam is one of the tastiest you'll ever try and also extremely cheap. There's plenty of different street vendors, quick stop restaurants and fine dining places where you can try lots of different meals and flavours. My favourite meal in Vietnam was the Beef Pho soup. You'll find they specialize in ramen style soups which are packed with flavour.

The weather can be temperamental

South East Asia is renowned for being hot all year round, however, this doesn't mean rain never occurs. Because of the high heat, it also means there can be very heavy rainfalls, especially in Vietnam. Out of all the places in Asia, Vietnam was the only place where I found the weather to be quite temperamental. There were cloudier and rainy days that it's best to be prepared with a rain mac in your backpack. Down south, between May and October, it's best to be prepared for hot weather and rain too. However, Hanoi has four seasons ranging from hot summers to cold winters.

Visas

If you're British and staying longer than 15 days then you'll need a visa which you can easily apply for online. Or, you can buy one on arrival but that will be more time consuming and mean queuing up. For those visiting Vietnam for under 15 days, UK visitors have a free pass to enter and travel.

Currency 

Vietnamese Dong and US dollars are both widely used in Vietnam that you can get away with using both throughout your travels in the country. Dollars are used for larger purchases such as hotels, tours, and transport, whilst Dong can be used for pretty much anything.

Learn the language 

When visiting Vietnam, it's not necessary to speak fluently as a lot of people do speak English. However, it will come in handy if you know a few phases as it'll help you get around and speak to the locals easier.

Safety first 

Like in all poorer countries, it's best to be aware wherever you go and that means taking extra measures. Try to avoid having your phone out in public, keep your eyes on your valuables and try to avoid bringing expensive items out and about.

 Hotel details

Some taxi drivers in Vietnam won't speak very good English and not know the area too well. This is why it's important to bring the hotel details including the address with you so the taxi driver can be fully aware of where you are going.

Crossing the street

In Vietnam, traffic can be wild especially in the bigger cities where you'll often see a sea of motorbikes. A lot of the motorbikes in Vietnam tend to drive aimlessly and not pay attention to traffic lights as such. With this in mind, it's important to be wary when you're crossing the road. Try and join crowds of local people when crossing the road to help navigate yourself across.

Use cash only

Vietnam is quite old school when it comes to a lot of things and that goes with money too. When travelling, try and leave your cards at home. You're more than able to get around easily with only cash at hand.

I hope you enjoyed this Vietnam post. When are you planning to visit the country?

Thank you for reading <3

Well hello to you my reader chums! Pisa is ultimately renowned for its leaning tower and the monument you've got to see whilst travelling around the Tuscany region. It may be touristy, but you'll have a lot of fun getting the candid photo that every other person there will be trying to take too.

Pisa wasn't my favourite part of Tuscany as it was smaller than I expected with the square of tourist spots as the main hub. However, it's not to say I didn't like it because in Italy everywhere is beautiful. I don't think it's essential to spend a whole day in Pisa, you can see the main sights in an afternoon, but a whole day allows you to immerse into what is past the leaning tower.

My boyfriend and I stayed 4 nights in Florence previously and took the train to Pisa the next day and it took around an hour. Out of all the train journeys in Tuscany, this was the busiest!

Here's everything we got up to in Pisa:

The main sights

As I mentioned previously, Pisa is pretty small and the main hub of it is the Leaning Tower and the surrounding sights including the cathedral, baptistery, and Camposanto. This square is pretty much crowded all the time (depending on the time of year) so it's best to head down as soon as each monument opens as you have a better chance of avoiding the queues.

For all the sights you can get one ticket which will give you entrance to them and to go up the leaning tower. I believe it was around 18 Euro each and was completely worth it - especially going up the tower.

Leaning Tower of Pisa - I saw this in a million pictures prior to my trip so it was pretty cool seeing it in person and walking up to the top. It's quite a long walk up and at first, I felt a little disorientate due to the lean. Still, once we got to the top, the view was insane and you can see the whole of Pisa including all the other monuments. For your 'up the tower' ticket, you're given a set time to climb the tower.

Cathedral - I love entering cathedrals, there's something so beautiful about them and this one was no different. The cathedral was huge and had the most gorgeous detailing with lots of mosaics and gold everywhere.

Baptistery - The Baptistery was just as beautiful; it's a huge domed building with two layers and a very similar matching interior to the cathedral. You could see the square from all the windows as you walk around the dome.

Camposanto - I think this was the most interesting building to walk around. The entire building was filled with historical statues and artwork which I loved learning about. I always find it incredible how monuments can last for the centuries and still be standing today - I just love learning the history behind it.

Hub of shops and restaurants

Pisa isn't the biggest place, however, there was the main strip of restaurants and shops which I loved to stroll around. This strip was located down one of the roads by the leaning tower. This is where you'll find the best amount of buzz and some incredible restaurants to dine at and cute market stalls to buy souvenirs.

Going for a stroll

The more you walk around the city, the more you'll get a feel of Pisa and soak up the culture. There are many quaint streets and Pisa has quite a residential feel when you step away from the main tourist attractions. I liked that as you could feel at home walking around rather than being in a constant tourist trap spot. If it's sunny too, it makes for the perfect romantic walk in a place destined to be explored.

How to get there

Pisa is incredibly easy to get to from a lot of Italian cities and towns including Florence and Siena. You can get a direct train and the tickets are super cheap. I got mine on the Omio train app and managed to get them discounted by buying an under 26-year-old ticket. You can also easily arrive by car or book a tour for an afternoon or day visit.

Where to stay

On our trip, we stayed for one night at the Can San Tommaso hotel. I loved this hotel; it was located about a 5-minute walk from the tower and was near everything. The station was probably around a 20-minute walk from there. They offered the best breakfast (lots of cake) too!

Where to eat

As we were only in Pisa for a day, we only dined at one proper restaurant in the evening and that was Il Peperoncino, This restaurant was owned by the loveliest man who taught us some Italian and really got chatting to us as we dined. The food was also superb! I loved my mushroom pasta dish and our shared bruschetta starter - I'd highly recommend it.

Places to go from Pisa

Pisa is in a great location to visit other towns and cities. The best places to go either on a day trip or move onto for a few days are Florence, Lucca, Siena, Cinque Terre, Bologna, and even the Chianti Region. All of these places are accessible by train or car (besides Chianti).

I hope you enjoyed this post. Have you visited Pisa before?

Thank you for reading <3

Well hello to you my reader chums! Italy will forever be my favourite country to visit and explore. The combination of authentic and delicious cuisine, friendly people and rich history will always leave me wanting more. It's my happy place and I always feel at home strolling around the cobbled streets. I've wanted to visit Florence for the longest time after my previous trips to both Rome and Venice as I've heard so many good things and it really did live up to expectation.

As Florence is in the heart of Tuscany, I wanted to make a big trip of it and explore surrounding towns in the region (you can read all about my travel advice and what I got up to in upcoming posts.) I was in Florence for a total of 4 nights which gave my boyfriend and me three whole days to explore and the evening in which we arrived.

Florence is a city with a heart of gold, has the quaintest streets and the most impressive buildings you'll ever see. It stole my heart and I can't wait to return one day. If you're planning a trip there, here is everything I got up to on my trip.

Day 1: Exploring the city and main sights 

Duomo, Baptistery, and Giotto's Campanile - Florence is renowned for the Duomo and the picture-perfect view of terracotta buildings. The main square where the Duomo stands should be your first port of call as its the face of the city. You can get a pass for all the sights in this area including the Duomo (to go up the dome as it's free to enter the cathedral), entrance to the Baptistery, up Giotto's tower, the crypt and the Duomo museum.

As this part of the city is always the busiest, I would recommend heading over to the sights as soon as they open or in mid-afternoon. We found the line to get inside the Duomo was a lot shorter after lunchtime than in the early morning. The Duomo tends to open around 10am, the Baptistery and bell tower at 8.15 and the museum at 9am. Times can fluctuate depending on the days so make sure you check beforehand. The Duomo is huge inside and incredibly beautiful, and walking up the bell tower (414 steps to be precise) offers a stunning view of the city that I'll never forget. The pass is 18 Euro and completely worth it as you're able to get a full insight into Florence's history and take in the beauty of its buildings.

Ponte Vecchio - I never realised how pretty bridges could be until I set foot onto this one. Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge that survived the Second World War and has shops all across it in Florence. It's probably about a 15-minute walk from the Duomo and offers the prettiest views. You could easily spend an hour or so watching the day pass as you enjoy a slice of pizza on the riverfront. The shops across the bridge are lovely and make for a nice mooch. The bridge takes you from the busier side of the city to the quieter side.

Piazzas galore - Before I visited Florence, I researched the best places to see and lots of people recommended certain piazzas aka squares in the city to visit. I ended up coming across them without even realising as strolling around the city is honestly as lovely as seeing the sights. There is so much beauty wherever you look that we spend hours soaking it up and getting our bearings. The prettiest piazzas we visited were Piazza Della Republica, Piazza Della Signoria, Piazza Santa Croce and Piazza San Marco (as it made for the perfect lunch spot).

Day 2: More sightseeing and mooching around the quaint streets 

Strozzi Palace - If art is your thing, then the Strozzi Palace is the place to go. You can enter the main courtyard for free and look around but have to pay an admission fee to see the gallery. It's located really close to the Piazza Della Republica.



Leonardo Da Vinchi museum - Leonardo Da Vinchi is renowned for his art but something I didn't realise is he invented a whole host of different items. I discovered this at his museum which offered an array of his inventions and things to play with. It's not your typical museum and quite small but it was a lot of fun and about 6 Euro each.

Basilica of Santa Croce - This had to be my favourite church in Florence that I visited. It's set in the Piazza di Santa Croce which in itself is the most gorgeous square. The church itself is astonishing to look at and even more beautiful inside. The tickets are 8 Euro each and that includes entrance to the church, the grounds, the chapels, and a museum. It'll honestly be one of the best 8 Euros you ever spent. I absolutely adored walking around this church and admiring its beauty.




Galleries - Florence is renowned for its huge art scene and there are several different galleries that you can visit on your trip. I didn't go to any on my trip as we were saving our money for different things, however, I kind of wish I did. The two galleries which stand out are the Uffizi Gallery and Galleria dell' Accademia. The two galleries are around a 15-minute walk for each other and will open your eyes to the city's art.

Day 3: Exploring the other side of the city 

Florence is split into two by the Arno river and the several bridges which run across it. You have the slightly busier and touristy side and then the quieter and I suppose 'residential area'. When you pass over the Ponte Vecchio, the initial area you enter is still quite touristy but then as you stroll further, you hit the quainter spots.

Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens - This had to be one of my highlights of the trip. I love visiting a palace and also love gardens so put them together and you have a match made in heaven. The Pitti Palace is stunning in every way possible. There's vintage art that covers most of the walls, traditional furniture, and the most extravagant chandeliers. And, the gardens simply blew me away! As you enter the gardens, you're faced with a massively steep hill and when you reach the top, there is the most beautiful view of both the gardens and the palace. We spent quite a while walking around the gardens as there is so much green to see. It's definitely a place where you can sit for hours and soak up the Italian sun. I really wish we bought a picnic to enjoy there! I can't remember the exact price of the gardens and palace but I think it was around 26 Euro each, however, as we were under 26, we got the ticket for only 8 Euro each.



Piazzale Michelangelo - Florence is one of the prettiest cities I've ever seen and I was fully able to appreciate it from Piazzale Michelangelo. This area is located up a lot of steep steps but once you've arrived, the view is totally worth it. The best time to come here would be at sunset as you can watch the entire city turn from day until night.


Exploring the back roads - Florence is one of the best cities to literally spend hours walking around and soaking it all up with your other half or best pals. I never got sick of the endless yellow washed buildings or gelato shops on every corner. As this side of the city wasn't as hectic, I was able to take in the rustic elements of the city walls and the Italian music which floated along the cobbled streets.


Where to stay

When it comes to Florence, you can pretty much walk everywhere as long as you stay around the main hub. All the tourist sights are within a 20-minute walk (at most) with each other that you rarely need to get any public transport or taxis to go from place to place. We stayed in the Sani Tourist House which was located under a 5-minute walk from the Duomo and close by to everything else - it really was a prime location. Wherever you choose to stay, I would highly recommend getting the tram from the airport to the city centre as it'll save you a lot of money (only 1.5 Euro) and it is really easy to navigate around.

Where to eat 

Florence is the heart of Tuscany and offers the best selection of traditional Italians, wine bars and gelato shops you'll ever eat at. On my trip, I dined at some of the most delicious places which I'd love to revisit.

Gusto Leo Ristorante Pizzeria - Pizza is everywhere you look in Italy and some places do it better than others. I'm personally a huge fan of Italian pizza; I love the thin base and overuse of tomatoes - it thrills my taste buds. This restaurant was located super close to our hotel and pretty close to the Duomo square. The pizzas were delicious and incredibly reasonable in price.

Ruffino - I absolutely loved this restaurant. It had everything that I dream of in an Italian restaurant - super delicious food, good wine, and a rustic interior. We came across this is we were roaming the city and it was a very good find. I had the yummiest pesto with Gnocchi ( I wish I could eat that again) and Dan had handmade ravioli which was as tasty. It's located near Piazza Santa Maria Novella.



Osteria del Proconsolo - This was our final meal in Florence and the perfect way to say goodbye to the city. It has everything an Italian restaurant should have; that rustic, family vibe, chequered red table cloths, and traditional cuisine. I had the nicest lasagne there and the wine matched to the food perfection!

Shake Cafe - This little cafe was located a few minutes walks from our hotel and was a vegan paradise. There was everything from smoothies to pastries, and for a couple of mornings, we had pastries in there and their banana bread - it was insane.

Liberiacafe La Cite - Over the other side of the bridge, we came across the coolest cafe which I read about beforehand. It was like a library and cafe all in one. When we went in, quite a few people were in there studying.



Cucciolo Bar Pasticceria - Italy is known for its pastry shops and having a pastry and coffee for breakfast. This shop was right next to the Shake Cafe and it has the homemade, family vibe to it. The owner was so lovely and made us feel at home - and even gave us a free doughnut when we bought our morning pastries.

Festival del Gelato - This was definitely the nicest ice cream I had in Florence! My friend recommended it on Instagram and I can see why. They offered every single flavor under then sun and their Nutella gelato was to die for. The prices are reasonable and it was super close to our hotel.



Gelateria Della Passera - When you're over the other side of the bridge, this is the gelato place to go for. It's the smallest shop which serves the yummiest ice cream - and the scoops are only 1 Euro each. Their hazelnut ice cream was honestly so moreish!

Spending 4 nights in Florence was honestly so incredible, it's hard to even put it into words. The combination of brilliant architecture, delicious cuisine, the kindest people and quaintest streets made me fall in love with the city more than I ever would. I'd love to go back over and over again, and I know my boyfriend and I could have easily stayed there for much longer.


I hope you enjoyed this Florence guide. When are you visiting the city?

Thank you for reading <3