Florence in 48 Hours

In a city with so much history, 48 hours seems nearly impossible, but when in Rome, I mean, Florence, you'll make time for the important things.

Without the intellectual minds of Florentines like Machiavelli and Alighieri, politics, amongst other things, would not be what we know to be. Firenze is rich with culture, history and art, but unlike empires such as Rome, Florence is/was much smaller, so the city is much more doable in a shorter amount of time.

Whether you are driving into town or out, you cannot miss the view from Piazzale Michelangelo. It's probably the one attraction not attainable by foot, but the scenes of the town are indescribable. You won't regret the short car ride to the top.

Food is important. I know. But truth be told, there's not a lot of places you could go wrong. The general rule of thumb is to avoid places close to popular/historical landmarks, but if you enjoy a nice afternoon appertivo while people-watching, the closer bars are actually better! Ditta Artigianale is a great coffee stop.

My absolute favorite lunch stop in Florence is Gustapizza, which, as you can imagine, has amazing pizza but also wonderful, inexpensive bottles of wine. The line to Gusta is often very long, but I can assure you the traditional Italian pizza is worth it.

For dinner, you can't go wrong with Trattoria Za-Za. It's important that you experience the culture as well, so don't forget to order the wine, the bruschetta, the cheese and the pasta. Again, the line will be fairly long here, but it's still well-worth the wait.

During my last stay in Florence, I stayed in an AirBnb close to the Ponte Vecchio, which also helped in making everything in walking-distance. It was charming and inexpensive; to view the listing, click here.

There's truly so much to do, but a visit to Florence is not complete without walking across the Ponte Vecchio, climbing up the campanile (Giotto's bell tower) at the Catedrale di Santa Maria di Fiore, visiting the Uffizi Gallery, strolling through the leather market and rubbing the bronze boar's snout.

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God created such a beautiful world, it would be a shame not to explore, preserve + appreciate it.

Explore: the Catedrale di Santa Maria di Fiore. With the Cupola di Brunelleschi at the front and Giotto's bell tower to the side, this cathedral has brought together some of Italy's most famous artists, and there's a lot to explore.

Preserve: the Ponte Vecchio. The bridge often gets flooded with waste as tourists flock across, but this bridge was the only Florentine bridge NOT destroyed by the Germans during WWII, it deserves to be preserved.

Appreciate: the breath-taking views from the Piazzale Michelangelo.

Have you been to Florence? Share your experiences below!