Planning trip to FLORENCE, ITALY. Any advice?

israelmom

Tue, Jun 21 2022, 3:22 pm

We are planning a 5 day trip to Florence, Italy (includes one Shabbat). Any advice from those who have travelled there?
Where to stay? Eat? Visit? Side trips?

icedcoffee

Tue, Jun 21 2022, 3:32 pm

You'll have the best time! I went 3 years ago and the only kosher restaurant was a dairy place called Ruth's but I think now they've opened up a BaGhetto which is a delicious meat restaurant. We ate at Chabad for shabbat meals - they host a lot of tourists every week (not sure if anything has changed since covid). The synagogue is gorgeous, would definitely recommend doing a tour there. If you like art, the Uffizi is amazing. To see the Statue of David, you can go to the Accademia. We spent one day at Palazzo Pitti which is a beautiful palace full of art, and then the attached Boboli Gardens. Another standout was Piazzale Michelangelo: it's a LOT of walking up stairs but you get an incredible view of the entire city. We went at nighttime and it was really beautiful.

For a side trip, we took the train to Cinque Terre. There's nothing kosher there but we packed takeaway meals from Ruth's, and snacks. It's a stunning town and we did a boat tour through enjoycinqueterre.com.

amother

Cyan

Tue, Jun 21 2022, 3:35 pm

I did a trip to Italy 3 years ago and we went to rome, Milan, Florence, and Venice. Personally, I liked Florence the least of all the places. We did take a car one day and drive out to a really nice winery where they had kosher food and it was really fun. We also went to the leaning tower of Pisa one day by train. If you can, I would suggest taking a train ride to Venice or Rome as well.

Rappel

Tue, Jun 21 2022, 3:37 pm

Florence is beautiful. Walk the streets of the old town, and bring your wallets! The markets are full of the finest things. The Beit Knesset... No words. It's stunning. And the community is warm and welcoming. Sweetest people ever

doctorima

Tue, Jun 21 2022, 3:46 pm

Five days is a long time for Florence. We took a train to nearby Pisa to see the Leaning Tower. There are also a couple of kosher wineries in the area (Tuscany) with kosher restaurants that you should look into. Or you could go to Venice, Cinque Terre, or even Rome for a couple of days.

It's been a while since we went, but we were told kashrus can be complicated in that some meat may not be glatt and some of the hashgachas and their standards may not be what you're accustomed to, so definitely don't make assumptions and do your research in advance.

amother

Maple

Tue, Jun 21 2022, 3:49 pm

israelmom wrote:

We are planning a 5 day trip to Florence, Italy (includes one Shabbat). Any advice from those who have travelled there?
Where to stay? Eat? Visit? Side trips?

Why specifically Florence? Rome, Milan or Venice are all beautiful and have bigger Jewish presence

DrMom

Tue, Jun 21 2022, 4:59 pm

Florence is lovely. It feels more like a large town than a city (although in summer it can be overrun with tourists).

If you plan to go to the Uffizi, check their website to see if you need to reserve a spot in advance.

If you gave 5 full days to spend there, a side trip to anywhere else in Tuscany can be nice. If your 5 days means you arrive late on the 1st day and leave early on the 5th day, then rethink the side trip.

tichellady

Tue, Jun 21 2022, 5:49 pm

amother [ Cyan ] wrote:

Same

amother

Burlywood

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 3:43 am

doctorima wrote:

It's been a while since we went, but we were told kashrus can be complicated in that some meat may not be glatt and some of the hashgachas and their standards may not be what you're accustomed to, so definitely don't make assumptions and do your research in advance.

How would I find out about hashgachas in a foreign land, how do I go about that?

amother

Melon

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 3:56 am

My trip was 25 years ago but from what everyone else said things haven't changed much. Then again most of it is centuries old Smile

The only thing I would add is that they had a free outdoor classical music concert at night in the large square. Find out if they still do that in the summer.

As for why Florence, it was definitely my favorite out of Rome and Venice. Milan didn't even make our itinerary. If you are into art and beauty, Florence can't be beat. And Tuscany....just wow. Ma rabu maasecha Hashem.