Romance in Florence — The Wanderers

It took me a while to find the right words… something special happened to me and today I am finally ready to share it with you.
Sometimes life takes some crazy turns, however what I am about to tell you is by far one of the most defining moments of my life, and it all happened in Florence, Italy.

Somehow, my other half asked me to pack my bags and told me we were leaving for a few days. With very little information in hand I did what I have been asked and kept thinking to myself: What is this all about?
The day after, we arrived at the airport and I guessed the destination by looking at the departure screen, my heart started beating real fast and I understood that the next few days could only be magical.
He had planned alone a trip to one of the most beautiful cities in the world and decided to take me there for no reason, I was completely amazed by this sweet and thoughtful surprise.

So here we are in Florence after a short 2 hour flight . The airport was very close to the city center and in less than 30 minutes we arrived at our flat, ready to take on the city. I am obsessed with Italian food and this surprise could not have been better. Great food, wine and company, I guess that’s what heaven looks like to me.
Our hosts were locals and extremely knowledgeable, they recommended way too many food places! So on our first night we went out to this cute little trattoria in Florence, we were the first to arrive but the queue behind us started growing quickly. We had one goal: to eat as much as we could! In Italy the menu is divided in 3 to 4 parts: Antipasti, primi & secondi piatti and Dolce. We went full on and got a bit of everything. The food was divine, simple and tasteful. Few glasses of red wine after, we headed back home for a well deserved night. Our little studio had a rooftop terrace overlooking the imposing Duomo (Florence cathedral’s dome), the view was spectacular especially at night and set the mood for the rest of the trip.

Let me tell you that waking up to the tower’s bells ringing was quite something, very powerful and exciting. A new day was coming and apparently another surprise was waiting for me! So we got an early start and walked to the other side of the river and arrived at the “location”. We were about to go for a 3 hour cooking class, I was beyond happy and thrilled about this new experience. We ended up making pasta (more than you can dream of) and had a 3 courses meal right after.
As we were strolling around the tiny streets I was falling in love with Florence, the city is dreamy, romantic and seems to belong to the past; it is packed with renaissance art and architecture masterpieces. The overwhelming beauty of the place will leave you speechless for a while.

We walked miles south and north of the river, we stood on the bridge multiple times in a day to admire the sky’s colors changing, enjoyed gelato in winter, endless italian coffee breaks, we listened to the tower bells setting the city pace, had hours long dinner talking about anything. This slow paced lifestyle that Italians master helped soothe our souls. What a refreshing getaway we had.
So we had one last thing planned. We wanted to treat ourselves with a fancy restaurant as a reminder that life needs to be fully enjoyed.

Life takes unexpected turns quicker than you can imagine. In a blink of an eye my life took a new direction. I was getting ready to celebrate us, and my world got turned upside down. I will let you discover how by yourself.

So as I was trying to get ready for dinner, he suddenly asked me to close my eyes and join him on the roof terrace, which I did. Little did I know that a few minutes later I would opened my eyes to a place filled with candles overlooking the cathedral and my other half in front of me ready to propose.

I said YES ! Again and again realizing that life just took an unexpected turn; an exciting one for sure. We drank and ate the night away and went back to sleep to the Tower’s bells ringing, happy and excited about this new chapter.

Florence, you will always have a special place in our hearts.

Here’s some tips and spots

The tram from the airport to the city center is very convenient (less than 25 minutes) and is located outside the arrival terminal, the ticket costs less than 2 euros.
Book the museums / monuments visits in advance as it gets sold out very quickly. Book on the official website as you can pay twice the price if you are not careful.
For healthy breakie / cosy vibes head to Ditta Artigianale
Il Pizzaiuolo osteria => Best food / good prices
El Mercato centrale => Best lunch spot, good food options made by artisans (free wifi as well) and affordable prices
We booked the cooking class through Airbnb experiences, it was about 80 euros per person
( food and wine included + the cooking class)
For a nice drink and chill atmosphere go to la Menagere

With love,

A