My Favourite Places in Florence

So, I've recently returned from a 3-day trip to Florence. While I've enjoyed all of my adventures, Florence is very close to topping the list of my best trips. Amazing food, friendly people and lots of shopping - totally my kind of holiday.

I stayed in a lovely apartment in the Oltrano, referred to by the landlord as the "authentic Florence". There are few tourists in this part of town, but the locals are not averse to dealing with bumbling foreigners like myself. There were several inexpensive but great restaurants, art galleries and vintage shops - so, totally up my alley.

Il Santo Bevitore is a lovely restaurant in Oltrarno. The food was fantastic and my whole meal, dessert and all, cost me about £15. Granted, I didn't have any wine, but that would have only brought my total up to about £18. I highly suggested the liquorice creme brulee with coffee ice cream.

Dim lighting, romantic setting, no date.

Volume was a great live music bar in Santo Spirito, where you can catch great acts all week. The bar has a rustic style and is decorated with avant-garde art and bookshelves covered in literature. Many locals circulated the bar, most of which were very friendly and struck up lovely little conversations with me. When I was there, a fantastic duo called Grown Up were playing. So very talented - check them out.

Very chilled out bar in Santo Spirito Sq. 

Bardini Garden was a trek to get to, but it was beautiful and secluded. I'm not sure why I decided to go to Bardini instead of the more commonly-frequented Boboli Gardens, but I'm glad I did. After a long climb up a steep hill, you arrive at this beautiful oasis. What I like most about it, is that it isn't very polished. Aside from the beautiful landscaping, the sculptures and the structures were quite haggard, so you get this lovely juxtaposition of renewal and antiquity.  It overlooks all of Florence and presents you with a stunning view of the city and its surrounding hills. I had a lovely lunch and relaxed in the Garden for a few hours on my last day in the city.

The perfect way to spend my last day in the city.

So, those are the highlights of my trips, and I highly recommend visiting each of these places next time you're in Florence!

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