24 Hours in Florence

Destination weddings have been a thing for a long time. Even I had one, but that was before it had a name, so I am not sure it counts. Destination birthdays seem to be less of a thing, but I think we should rethink that. This past weekend a pal was having a birthday and decided to celebrate it in one of her favorite cities. 

My last few visits to Florence have been day trips or a quick passing through so it was fun to slow down a little bit and not have too much of a plan. Here is my advice for a relaxed 24 hours in Florence. 

11:30 Coffee at Check-in
Hotel Savoy
Piazza della Repubblica

We walked directly from the train station to the Hotel Savoy, a grand hotel in Piazza della Repubblica. We were warmly greeted and then shown the lobby where we relaxed with fresh espresso and sweet-salty pecans while our bags were whisked upstairs and the front desk took care of check-in paperwork. 

12:30 Bookstore Browsing 
Paperback Exchange
via della Oche 4R

It had been years since Mark had last been in Florence so we took a quick walk to see the Duomo and enjoy the spring-like February afternoon before lunch. We stopped in at one of my favorite places in the city, the Paperback Exchange. It will beach season soon, which for me means lots of reading time under an umbrella so I stocked up on some fun summer reads. 

1:30 Leisurely Lunch
Irene
Piazza della Repubblica

The famous Girl in Florence, Georgette organized lunch on the outside terrace at Irene. We trusted her ordering recommendations and the sommelier brought a chilled bottle of Tuscan Rosato di Bolgheri to go with our (Richard Ginori) plates of fresh tomatoes, vegetable and seafood tempura and a very modern riff on the old school vitello tonnato. The menu here is Tuscan Classic but, like the hotel, everything is all lighter and more elegant than standard trattoria fare. 

5:30 Sunset Stroll
Ponte Vecchio

We wanted to catch the sunset over the Arno so we headed towards the river and elbowed our way to the edge to catch the warm glowy show.

6:00 Birthday Cocktails
Ditta Artiginale
via della Sprone 5R

I have told you about cocktails at Ditta Artiginale before. I love this place and you will too. 

8:00 Old School Tuscan 
Ristorante Buca dell'Orafo
Via dei Girolami, 28R

This spot was a recommendation from the team at Sostanza (Which might be my favorite restaurant in Florence, but it is sadly closed on the weekend.) Simple and classic, this is my kind of place. We ordered a gorgeous bottle of Chianti and all of the traditional Tuscan antipasti hits like crostini topped with rich chicken liver pate, and unctuous lardo, a tortini ai carciofi and a plate of Tuscan salami. Mark and I split a piece of Tuscan beef and a plate of beans and my pals shared a bright and green pea pasta and slow-braised beef. 

10:30 Birthday Cocktails Part 2
Irene
Piazza della Repubblica 

We headed back to the bar at the Hotel Savoy for a nightcap. I went with the midcentury vibe and ordered an Old Fashioned, Don Draper style. Mark had a smokey Laphroaig and we toasted the birthday girl with a negroni spagliato.

8:00 am
Irene
Piazza della Repubblica

After a luxurious cup of room service coffee, we had time for the sumptuous breakfast buffet in the sunny dining room downstairs before we (reluctantly) got on the train to head back to Rome.