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I have been to Italy many times in the summer and early fall, but my husband and I are taking a trip over Thanksgiving to Florence for a week. We may do a couple of short day trips, but don't really want to be tied down to an itinerary so...
what were your favorite things about Florence in the winter? I know that there will be less tourists, no museum lines, and maybe rainy weather, but what did you like best about it?
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Florence in winter - what were your favorites?
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Sitting in Rivoire for 3 hours over a cup of pudding-thick hot chocolate--with whipped cream, of course.
Less tourists.
Standing in deserted Piazza Sta Croce, licking a Vivoli cone and enjoying the church through the fog.
Visiting David on a whim at 5PM--20 people in the entire galleria.
Pappardelle alle cingiale.
No tourists.
Stopping in any church we felt like. . .
Hot chocolate or coffee at any cafe.
Aside from the hot chocolate, these are the things I like about Florence at any time of year.
Went there last Christmas. Climbed the duomo and the view of the whole city covered in snow is incredible.
Not needing reservations for restaurants (although I made them as a sign of respect to the owners)
Game foods (boar,hare)
Deserted churches and museums (still be sure to reserve Uffizi and Accademia, though)
Shoppkeepers and service people who have the time to talk (aka, talking to locals)
The view of the whole city covered in fog from up at Piazzale Michelangelo was like a fairytale. It is one of my best Florence memories, in fall, winter, spring, or summer.
.
gelato that doesn't melt is nice, too
Hi italylover2004 ~
There are so many things, but the first one that came to mind when I read your question was the fact that you feel more like you live there vs. being a tourist. It transcends you through time.
I have been to Italy in May and more recently in late Jan, and we would go back in a second in winter. If you would like to read more, click here for our Florence/Venice trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34758287
The atmosphere is very mystical, don't worry about the rain, it adds to the experience.
In fact during my first trip there (Rome-Florence) a rainy day in May became my favorite day and I shot my best photography. Standing at the top of the Spanish Steps, looking down and only seeing umbrella tops. Perfect!
I love Florence in winter. It's calm and quiet and you can meet florentine people. The best for me will be have a morning in Duomo and Santa Croce Church, have a delicious lunch to Anita Restaurant, and during the afternoon go to the Oltrarno area...Piazza del Carmine and the church are to see. You can take a cup of chocolate to
Hemingway
Piazza Piattellina 9/r - 50124 Firenze (FI)
tel: 055 284781. For the Hotel I would like to suggest my favorite one: http://www.florenceby.com/orafi/index.html with the enchanting view directly on the Ponte Vecchio
Of course, I have only been to Florence in February, but my favorite thing was also that the waiters, shop keepers, etc., were extremely friendly. I have a feeling that is especially because they were not rushed. And being able to take your time in any museum. And the soup and the wine - yum!
It did not snow on us and only rained a little bit, but it was chilly especially in the evenings. I think I am spoiled and will hesitate to travel there in the summer.
One of our trip highlights was the Accidental Tourist cooking class, which I have mentioned several times on this forum. It was quite a cold day in Florence, so perfect for sitting around the kitchen table in a lovely 12th century farmhouse eating the pasta we had made ourselves and drinking Chianti. If you would like to check out my trip report, here is the link:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34763995
Florence is towards the end.
I think that Thanksgiving in Florence would be perfect!
Linda
Although there are fewer tourists, that doesn't mean there are none. I was there right before Thanksgiving and was glad for my reservation at the Ufizi. The Academia on the other hand had no line at all.
I should have never opened this thread..now I want to go to Florence for Thanksgiving!
Maybe the only downside is that some of the shops aren't open in the winter, until Easter. So some side streets aren't as welcoming as they are in the Spring, because in the winter they have locked metal gates on the closed shops.
bkm