Christmas and New Year's Eve in Florence

Florence is amazing during winter Holidays! Streets and shops are "dressed" with colours, lights, hearts, Christmas's trees and all that lovvy doggy things :)
This year actually also the main artistic and historic sights are totally new enlightened thanks to F-Light Festival, a modern system of lights - images-colours projection on the buildings. Old Bridge, Santo Spirito Façade, ex-Court in SS Firenze are simply amazing!

In Santa Croce square the traditional Christmas Market, typical of Northern Italy and Austrian areas - excellent vin brulé, beer and nice gifts.

In Piazza del Carmine Santa Claus Village with a ice-skating facility, different games for kids and the real mail-box to send Christmas letters to Santa Claus!



Cathedrale Square  - Thanks to Firenze Repubblica.it


Museums

I haven't received any official communication yet, but I guess during festivities museums will be regularly open - except on December 24th and 31st when Uffizi, Accademia and Pitti Palace will close an hour earlier, so at 05,50 pm instead of 06,50 pm.

On December 25th and January 1st no museum will be open - except some extraordinary openings that eventually will be decided last minute, that I will update on this post straight away.

Temporary exhibition "Divine Beauty" at Palazzo Strozzi will be open daily 10,00 am to 08,00 pm - also on December 24th - 25th and January 1st

My boyfriend - David

Restaurants open on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve

Ok, it will be a bit hard to find a lot of places open on Christmas day, cause in Italy it is really strong to keep up with traditions, and so we definitely prefer to stay home with our families and cook ourselves, stay basically 4/5 hours at the table, eat like there is no tomorrow, and play with kids and games like Tombola.
Since I cannot invite you all at my house, here some names for your December 25th meal in Florence:

My personal Tripadvisor - Hotels in Florence

Tripadvisor is the most utilized way to check out Hotels and Restaurants; at least to have an idea of the type of place, where is located and see some photos. I do it myself too, and I also write feedbacks. But somehow you also have to be careful with Tripadvisor, cause not always it reflects the reality, especially when it comes to “where you are listed as position”.

So, since you often ask my opinion on where you should sleep and eat, here’s my personal list. Today we talk about Hotels, next post about Restaurants.

My favourite Hotels in Florence

For Hotels, I have to say , Tripadvisor’s list is not too bad, but these are my choices:

Luxury 5 Stars

Hotel Lungarno – if you can get a room overlooking the river it will be your dream becoming true- part of Salvatore Ferragamo chain (Lungarno Collection), classy and beautiful, totally restored in June 2017 - it is my special place of the heart

Hotel Savoy - total restyled in April 2018, this classic and beautiful Hotel part of Rocco Forte chain is centrally located in Piazza Della Repubblica. Excellent restaurant also, Irene

St. Regis – classic, faboulous, just been refurbished – a bit more out of the tourist path, in Piazza Ognissanti, which is a 15 minutes walking from Ponte Vecchio and Cathedral Square

Villa Cora – on the hills of Florence, if you want to escape from the chaos and breath the Tuscan hills air, a beautiful Villa just restored

Jk Place – in the beautiful Santa Maria Novella square, a boutique Hotel with a superb design, classy and modern at the same time

St Regis

Villa Cora

JkPlace



Portrait Firenze

4 Stars

Plenty of choice here...classic Renaissance Style, modern, cozy, big... look what’s better for you in term of location, style and of course the car – Florence is a nightmare for driving, in case you need to park your car chose a place that can take care of your car, or get out of the city centre and then move around by bus or taxi

Picasso and Spanish Modernity at Palazzo Strozzi

If you are in Florence between September 20th 2014 and January 25th 2015 and you feel like step for a second out of the "Renaissance cradle"  you should go to Palazzo Strozzi and check this exhibition out, dedicated to Pablo Picasso.

All the masterpieces, over 80, are coming all by Reina Sogia Museum in Madrid.

There is a lot of Picasso paintings, like 3 "Painter and Model", "Dora Maar" and other lovers' portraits, a really interesting settings of his preparatory drawings, engravins and etchings of Guernica.

Then Salvador Dalì faboulous "Arlequin" , Mirò, Juan Gris, Marie Blanchard.....

Open daily from 10,00 am to 08,00 pm, Thursdays until 11,00 pm

Obviously, a visit with me, maybe part of a walking tour, will be an excellent solution :)

Contact me at elisaacciai@libero.it

Enjoy it!

Pablo Picasso - neosnet.it

Guernica sketches - ilreporter.it

The painter and the model - weekendromanticotoscana.info

Dora Maar and Marie Therese - Firenze.repubblica.it

Equipe 57 and Salvador Dalì - toctocfirenze.it

Florence Bike Tour with Elaiza, me :)

Florence is a quaint city, with a pretty small city center that allows you to visit the main sights just walking from a place to another, in a short time.
But still, having a bike would be a fantastic way to enjoy the beautiful palaces, churches, Piazzas, Lungarni (the streets along the river Arno are called Lungarni)...

The best way is to rent a bike for a couple of hours or more in case you wish to go also to the hills (for example Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato al Monte Church).

Where? I wish to suggest you a couple of places:

Bici In Firenze is a service organized by the Comune di Firenze (city hall of Florence) and it is located in front of Santa Maria Novella train station or in Piazza Ghiberti.

The other one is Florence By Bike, located in Via San Zanobi

Bikes of Bici in Firenze

 

So, rent a bike of course, but call also Elaiza, which is the best way to tour around the city!
I could come to your Hotel downtown and pick you up, or we could meet somewhere - we will go to rent the bikes together and we will start a fantastic tour through the medieval streets of Florence, for the most part pedestrian.
We can lock our bikes and visit the inside of Santa Trinita Church, or Orsanmichele, or wherever you want, I'm open to discuss the itinerary with you.

on the way to Santissima Annunziata

On a bike tour with me we will certainly see:

Cathedral Square and Brunelleschi's Dome

Signoria Square

Ponte Vecchio

Repubblica Square

Strozzi Palace

Santa Trinita

Pitti Palace

Santa Maria Novella Square

Santa Croce Square

The nice weather and the Tuscan sun are coming, book a bike tour with Elaiza :)

Santa Croce

Cathedral Square

San Lorenzo

Repubblica Square

Santa Trinita

Palazzo Antinori

Palazzo Spini Feroni

Palazzo Strozzi

Lungarni

Santa Maria Novella

Trattoria da Sergio in San Lorenzo

I had a quick lunch in this super simple Trattoria right in the middle of the Market of San Lorenzo, you'll find it behind the curtains of the hundrends of colourfull stands, in the main street next to the right nave of the Church of San Lorenzo.
I know there is another Sergio, but on the other side of the river, I haven't tried it yet.

This place doesn't have a website, it is very casual, I'll put you the telephone number but I'm not sure they accept reservations...
They're quick, and even if you see it is super packed try to ask to the waiters how long you'll have to wait, they'll give you an idea.

The menu is written on a simple papershit, like the table cloth and the furniture in general, the service, everything is easygoing but the quality of the food is top high, and you have the chance to try the real tuscan trattoria.

I had a "braciola fritta con patate e pomodori" that means fried milanese cotoletta style, with tomatoes and fried potatoes - huge portion and excellent taste!

Da Sergio is open only for lunch, and it is closed on Sundays.

Trattoria da Gozzi Sergio
Since 1915 (wow!)
Piazza S. Lorenzo, 8r
055 281941
Closed every evening and Sunday at lunch

Osteria Cinghiale Bianco - White Wild Boar

Finally I'm posting one of my favourite place in town - Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco, better known among foregneirs as White Wild Boar, which is the exact translation of the italian name. Thereore, plenty of little white wild boars will be your friends during dinner, on the simple paper table cloth, the wine jug, on the walls, everywhere :)
And of course inside your dishes, since the boar is their typical and special ingredient: tagliatelle with wild boar, wild boar stewed, cold cuts made by boar..... yummi!

The menu is based on Tuscan traditions, so all the pasta you can imagine, cold cuts, "crostini" and "bruschetta" and of course meat - also vegetables and some fish, bt mostly meat: "tagliata" "bistecca" " peposo alla fornacina", all famous dishes of our tradition.

Great dessert also, especially the Tiramisu or Strawberries with Mascarpone cream.... God, I could die for it!!

The place is very cozy, small, located in an ancient medieval tower, in the beautiful Borgo San Jacopo street, in Oltrarno side, the real side of the river. Staff is the best, friendly, fun but very professional, trust them for your choices, and choose one of the many wine bottles they have.

Open just for dinners, starts serving at 06,30 pm, which is great if you have a theather show, or just leaving early next morning, since the 90% of places in town doesn't open until 07,30 pm.
During the weekends, saturdays and sundays, opens also for lunch.

Go there, and say HI to Massimo the owner or Mauro the Chef from my side, Elaiza!

Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco
Borgo San Jacopo, 43 red
Florence
+39 055 215706
www.cinghialebianco.it

Open for dinners from 06,30 to 10,30 pm
open for lunch also on Saturdays and Sundays
closed all day on Wednesdays

Bruschetta and crostini toscani

Cold cuts, pecorino cheese and burrata with truffle

Peposo cooked with Chianti


Tagliata with rosemary

Taste!

From March 12th to 14th at Stazione Leopolda it will take place the sixth edition of Taste, the place for food and wine lovers, especially for italian cuisine obviously :)

240 specialist of delightful products, it will be a divine trip into our culture, and its most known expression - the buon mangiare!

Check out the official website here - it will open to everybody from 10,30 am to 08,30 pm, 15 Euro the ticket

Enjoy it!

Santa Maria Novella Church

Today we are talking about a beautiful florentine Church, called by Michelangelo "my bride", quarterheads of Dominican Friars, who settled in this area just outside the city wall in 1220, when they came into Florence as all of the other friars orders, to help poor people who were living just outside the city and also to survey the ortodoxyof catholicism.

The huge medieval church is impressive - they used to have vibrant speaches that got together plenty of people, that had to stand also outside the church, therefore friars were choosing such big Piazzas.
This square was famous also because here a lot of public games were held, for example the Calcio in Costume (soccer similar to american rugby), or Palio dè Cocchi, a race of 4 two-horses chariots roman style, much beloved by Granduc Cosimo I.

The façade is a very important example of Renaissance - the main artist, Leon Battista Alberti, could mix the already existant medieval façade of the first level with armony and semplicity, working superbly on marble inlaids, using the roman language of columns, geometric shapes such as circles, squares, triangle etc.

Inside, you will be absorbed by a solemn calme and peace - you would admire masterpieces such as Giotto wood crucifix, or Masaccio Trinity, and of course the spectacular chapels frescoed by Ghirlandaio and Filippino Lippi, just to mention some...

Right behind, there is a place that I love in Florence, the Spanish Chapel and the Green Cloister - a pearl, hard to find in Florence, no crowds of people, colourfull and interesting frescoes, dedicated to the Dominican friars history.

Don't forget to visit in Via della Scala 16 the Officina Profumeria Farmacia Santa Maria Novella, famous all over the world for its products, creams, parfums and so on...

The beautiful façade

Spanish Chapel fresco




Green Cloister fresco by Paolo Uccello

Honeymoon in Florence

Florence is a lovely city where you can spend and enjoy an unforgettable honeymoon. Small and vibrant, charming and full of art and history, great food and better wine, shopping also is a must.

That is valid also for Florentines, who normally travel around the world ignoring the most part of the hidden and not-so-hidden treasures of my beautiful city. Most likely they go to the Louvre in Paris, but never stepped inside the Uffizi Gallery - appreciate the Guggenheim, but never saw the real David of Michelangelo inside the Accademia.

Therefore, I had the chance to guide a very nice young couple, both authentic Florentines, in their honeymoon, which was based for 3 days in Florence. They invited also some of their family members, who wanted to enjoy a guided visit to the sights and museums.
It was awesome!
For her, Ilaria, I have studied a special itinerary, including of course the main sights of Florence, but also extraordinary openings and visit of places that neither I have been.
It was really interesting and funny, seeing how Florentines show a huge passion for their city, and how their eyes sparkling hearing what was going on centuries ago.

Here's the itinerary:

Day 1 - Half day - exploring the Oltrarno area, walking around the beautiful district across the river, who retained a magic atmosphere, where actually a lot of artisans and workers still live, full of little "botteghe", antique and small groucery shops.
Palazzo Pitti - Palatine Gallery, the big "quadreria" by the Medici Family: Raphael, Titian, Giorgione, Andrea del Sarto, Rembrandt....just to mention few names.

Day 2 - Full day - the medieval Florence, and how it grows from the roman origin through the dark ages, and finally the golden years of Renaissance
Palazzo Davanzati, the museum of the typical Florentine Renaissance house, with the special opening of the second and third floors, with the beautiful kitchen, old tools and original house objects.
Orsanmichele, on Monday you can climb up to the third floor, where you enjoy an amazing and unusual view of the town

Lunch in a typical place, suggested by me

Baptistry - special visit of the "Matroneo", the upper floors used in the past by women only, who didn't have authorization to stand where men attended the service in the main floor - you can almost touch the mosaics, was really touching even for me!
Cathedral, and climb of the 463 steps of the Brunelleschi's Dome, where the view of the city is the best!

Day 3 - Full day - church and museum of Santa Croce - visit to the adjoining historical Scuola del Cuoio, the Leather school where artisan masters show you how they work, and where you can buy the best leather in Florence
Walk in the vibrant areas of Santa Croce and Bargello

After a great lunch, special and extraodinary visit of Palazzo Vecchio, the Old Palace - we could visit by ourselves the magic jem of Studiolo and Tesoretto, two hidden and rare place full of history and art - visit to the capriate roof, the timber roof, you are actually above the magnificent ceiling of 500 Room! - walk on the upper floor of the building, where in the past the soldiers were walking by to defense and check for the palace - the view here is also beautiful

So, if you are on honeymoon, or if you just wish to do part or the entire itinerary just write me!

From third floor of Orsanmichele

Magic walk into the Matroneo of Baptistry

About to touch the mosaics

On the way up to the Dome

Jump from the Dome

View from the Palazzo Vecchio top