A Modern Renaissance Woman’s Guide to a Day in Florence
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6am - Catch the Sunrise
This may be an ambitious recommended wake-up time, but the average modern Renaissance woman is nothing if not ambitious. Not much compares to sunrise over Florence (except maybe sunset) and if you can pull yourself out of bed early enough to catch it, I highly recommend you do.
8am - Coffee + Pastry
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In Italy, it’s important you understand the rules: no cappucinos after 11am. That’s why I suggest you head to your local bar (what Italians call cafes here) at a reasonably early hour to avoid the judgemental stares of ordering milk after a meal. Get your espresso or cafe macchiato al banco (at the bar) like a local and order a pistachio cornetto to pair.
If you’re looking for a more expansive selection of morning pastries to choose from, I recommend you check out one of these spots:
Melaleuca (best cinnamon rolls in Florence)
Ditta Artiginale (closest thing to a pain au chocolat you can find)
Wild Buns Bakery (delicious cardamom buns)
Want to be a true local? Peruse Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio where Florentines often pick up there groceries and start their day.
10am - Galleries & Museums
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If it’s your first time in Florence, visiting its many iconic museums and galleries is an absolute must. If you’ve already been to the Uffizi, Accademia Gallery, Pitti Palace and so on, check out these lesser known spots of culture:
Museo Bardini
Museo Horne
Museo Marino Marini
Museo Stibbert
Fondazione Salvatore Romano
Museo Novecento
Villa La Pietra
Casa Buonarroti
Museo del Bargello
Museo degli Innocenti
Palazzo Davanzati
Museo di San Marco
Museo Stefano Bardini
Galleria dell’Accademia (for Michelangelo beyond David)
Palazzo Medici Riccardi
12pm - Bardini Gardens and Cimitero delle Porte Sante
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Pay €10 to wander the Bardini Gardens and sip on an Aperol Spritz at the hilltop café overlooking all of Florence. If you visit in the spring, you’ll be greeted by the garden’s famous wisteria cascading along the path.
Since you’re already getting in your steps, you might as well make a trip afterwards up to Piazzale Michelangelo for one of the city’s most iconic views—but don’t stop there. Venture a little higher to explore the peaceful, beautifully ornate grounds of Cimitero delle Porte Sante.
1pm - Pick Up a Panino
Since many restaurants close between lunch and dinner, make sure you don’t miss your midday meal. And what’s a visit to Florence without a panino? Skip the tourist queues at All’Antico Vinaio (you can find that experience in NYC) and head to Ino instead. Grab a sandwich to-go and enjoy it while you stroll along the Arno.
4pm - Aperitivo
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Once 4pm arrives, it’s socially acceptable to start the most important part of your day in Italy: aperitivo. Since Florence is the birthplace of the Negroni, it’s only fair to have at least one before dinner. But if you can’t get enough of Italian wines, be sure to head to one of Florence’s many wine windows (I prefer Babae) or stop by my ultimate favorite wine bar, Il Santino. Order a bottle and a charcuterie board, then take it outside to enjoy it al fresco on the curb like a true Florentine.
7pm - Teatro del Sale
Maybe the most unique experience in Florence, Teatro del Sale, combines dinner and live performance into one perfect Florentine night. Created by the same team behind Cibrèo, this intimate theater just steps from Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio is marketed as a buffet, but feels much more like an organized feast—with four timed courses served before the show begins. A variety of Italian performers headline the stage on different nights with a performance that typically carries on until midnight, making it the best way as any to end your 24 hours in Florence.
