The city on our Italy itinerary that I had the lowest expectations of was Florence. I’m not sure why? I had always heard good things from fellow travelers, and my parents love Florence. I think it was that I didn’t have a clear picture in my mind of what Florence looked like. We also didn’t have too much planned for our two days there. But I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I ended up falling in love with Florence.

The train ride from Rome through Tuscany is enough to make you excited. Speeding passed the vineyards perched on the side of the hilly terrain made me so anxious to arrive in Florence. We were staying at the Hotel Torre Guelfa, which has one of Florence’s oldest towers. At the top of the tower is where I fell in love with Florence. The panoramic views of the red tile roofs, rolling mountains and open skyline was breathtaking.

For our first day in Florence we wanted to walk around and get acquainted with the city. The Hotel Torre Guelfa has a great location, right off the Ponte Vecchio so we could easily walk to most of the main attractions. We arrived mid-afternoon so we decided to set off in search of food. We crossed the river, taking in the views of the Ponte Vecchio, and found ourselves in front of the Pitti Palace.

After a quick lunch at Caffé Bellini we crossed the plaza to the Pitti Palace. We decided to skip the Palace tour and opted for the gardens instead. You can actually purchase tickets for access to both the Boboli and the Bardini Gardens here. After a whirlwind couple of days, traveling to Rome, followed by a train ride to Florence, it felt wonderful to be lost in the gardens. The Boboli Gardens were so peaceful. It reminded me of our visit to Versailles several years ago. While the Boboli Gardens are definitely not on the scale of Versailles, they are very well maintained and had the same richness and history that you find at Versailles.

We were lucky our first day in Florence, to have such beautiful weather. The two following days were the coldest of the whole trip, so we couldn’t have asked for a better day to explore the city. Florence felt quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of Rome, which was a welcome change.

For dinner on our first night we ended up at Le Botteghe Di Donatello. The food was good, but the view of the Piazza del Duomo all lit up at night was by far the best part. It’s hard to see in photos, but the detail and colors are absolutely incredible.

After dinner, we walked back to our hotel hand-in-hand, completely in love with Florence! xo Bryn

 Suit: Mango (similar), Scarf: Vintage Hermes (great collection here), Tee: Z Supply, Bag: Cuyana, Sunglasses: Free People, Necklace: Mango