If you ever find yourself in Florence, there are certain things I’d tell you to do that make the city and your experience come alive in your memory. Start by visiting one of the old perfumeries, like the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. Step inside and breathe in the air, rich with flowers, herbs, and polished wood. Try every scent until you find one that feels like it belongs to you. I found one called Magnolia that I adore, and every time I wear it, I’m transported back to Florence, my study abroad home base.
Go to Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset. Yes, it’s crowded, but the moment the sky turns gold and the Duomo catches the light is pure magic. Bring a small bottle of wine or buy an Aperol spritz at the top, sit on the steps, and watch the city transform from day to night. Something is humbling about standing above all that history, seeing the rooftops blush pink as the bells begin to ring. Florence seems to breathe differently in that moment, softer, slower, as if it knows it’s being admired.
Spend a morning wandering through the Uffizi Gallery. Don’t rush but allow the art unfold in front of you. Stand still in front of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus longer than you think you should. Watch the light on the canvas and the quiet reverence that fills the room. The Uffizi isn’t just a museum, it’s a meditation. You’ll start to understand why Florence has inspired so many artists for centuries.
Have breakfast like a local. Find a small café, stand at the counter, and order a cappuccino and a warm cornetto. I would go every single day to Vintage Café, it had the best panini and croissants ever. There’s something beautiful about those mornings, the way the city hums awake, the smell of pastry and espresso mingling with the sound of conversation and clinking cups. It’s such a simple thing, but somehow it becomes one of the moments you remember most.
Climb the Duomo. It’s a long, steep climb, but the view from the top will leave you breathless in more ways than one. When you reach the summit, all of Florence stretches out before you, a sea of terracotta rooftops and winding streets. The Arno glints like a ribbon of light. Touch the stone on your way up; it’s smooth from centuries of hands that have done the same. Something is grounding about it, like being connected to everyone who came before you. It is also so rewarding after climbing so many stairs!
Eat gelato every single day. My favorite was a ricotta blackberry gelato from Sbrino, but honestly, you can’t really go wrong anywhere. Sit on the steps of Santa Croce while you eat it. Watch the world pass by: children chasing pigeons, street musicians playing softly, couples laughing over their cones. The whole scene feels like a film, but it’s real, and it’s yours for that small moment.
When you need a break from the crowds, wander into the Boboli Gardens behind Palazzo Pitti. It’s quiet there, full of statues, fountains, and cypress trees that sway in the breeze. Find a shaded bench or just walk aimlessly. You’ll feel calm that’s hard to find anywhere else in the city.
And finally, listen to Florence at night. Let yourself get lost in the sound of street musicians, the murmur of conversation drifting from open windows, the soft echo of your footsteps on the stones. There’s a kind of peace in those moments, when the air cools and the lights shimmer on the Arno. That’s when Florence feels most alive, not in the grand museums or famous piazzas, but in the quiet spaces between them.
If you do all of this, you won’t just see Florence, you’ll feel it. It’s a city that seeps into you slowly, one scent, one sound, one golden moment at a time, and long after you’ve gone, it will still live somewhere inside you.