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3 Things You Should Know When Visiting Florence

This post was created in collaboration with Brickscape.it

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How many times have you been to Florence? This was our fourth visit and I’m happy to come back here million more times. So much beauty, layers of history, the culture, the food- it’s always worth coming back for more experiences. This time we did something slightly different and so far, it had been the most authentic and enjoyable experience, even the heat wasn’t able to spoil it (but seriously though- the heat), so

1. Avoid traveling in August, unless you’re some sort of zombie that is tolerant to 40C heat

Seriously, that heat is not a joke, you can not escape it even in a shade. That's it, I warned you!

Our day started at 8 am, we arrived at  "Serafini" a coffee bar where we met Giacomo. We were the only tourists in the coffee bar (in Florence every square meter is packed with at least 5 tourists.. by the way, I made up the statistics, but you get the point) where everyone moves really fast ordering a pastry and a shot of espresso at the bar, and then within the two minutes (literally) they disaper to conquer the day- that’s how Florentine people do it. Across the street from the coffee bar is a family run small bakery business 'Antico Forno Giglio', they let us in the kitchen to show the process and how they work. Here you get only the fresh, homemade and very delicious bakery, every day.

2. Brickscape.it – to see the city from the local resident's perspective

Thanks to Brickscape.it we met Giacomo, the native Florentine to show us the city from the perspective of a local who lives and works in Florence every day all of his life! He showed us his favourite coffee bars, where to get the freshest food and the best terrace view over the city with the homemade food.

A glass of cold white and the terrace view over Duomo 

3. Lampredotto - Florentine street food serving cooked cow's stomach

You may not like the sound of it or even the look of it, but that’s their own authentic thing. Although it was our fourth visit to Florence, I've never known about this before- all thanks to Giacomo, the person who calls Florence home.

The view of the Uffizi Gallery from the Giacomo's terrace

We then walked across the city’s beautiful streets discovering some little pretty corners, and all of the sudden we appeared on the market. I thought I’ve walked every single street in Florence during my last three visits, however, this is the first time I’m visiting the Sant Ambrogio market- that’s where the locals get fresh fruits and vegetables, all kinds of meat and cheese. Giacomo was going to cook the lunch for us later on that day, so he knew exactly which ingredients he was after.

The most delicious tomatoes you will find at Sant Ambrogio market

Sant Ambrogio market sells all the seasonal goodies

We continued the walk across the most spectacular landmarks because every Florentine appreciates and admires the beauty of sculpture and rhe architecture. And then we went to Giacomo apartment for a cooking class, to prepare the food with all the ingredients we got from the market.

Thanks to organisers at Brickscape.it to make this the most authentic experience possible.

"Un cafe" - to order an espresso at the coffee bar in Italian

Piazza della Signoria

The Basilica di Santa Croce

Ponte Vecchio Bridge is the all time favourite

A cold white wine is a must on a such hot day in Florence

The four course meal and this heavenly desert prepared by Giacomo I'll remember for a long time.

A view from the Piazza Michelangelo, Florence

This post was created in collaboration with Brickscape.it