Bobboli & Oltrarno

First entry of the day, before anyone else arrives — genuinely magical in the early morning light. One of Italy's great Renaissance gardens, terraced up the hill behind Palazzo Pitti with fountains, grottos, sculptures, and extraordinary views over Florence's rooftops.

Go early. The difference between 8:30 AM and 10:00 AM is significant — at 8:30 you'll have entire terraces to yourselves. By mid-morning the tour groups arrive and it changes completely. On a Saturday this matters even more, but the garden is vast and absorbs the crowds far better than any museum would.

Walk directly in when you're done with Bobboli — it's the same complex, and your pass already covers it from yesterday. The Palatine Gallery is the highlight: Raphael, Titian, Rubens, Caravaggio displayed in stunning gilded rooms exactly as the Medici and their successors lived with them. Not in white-walled museum cases — on the walls, floor to ceiling, as they were meant to be seen.

Significantly less overwhelming than the Uffizi — more intimate, more manageable, and often more impressive for that reason. Don't miss the Sala di Saturno (the Raphael room) or the Sala dell'Iliade.

Wine bar and small plates — excellent and affordable. Sibling spot to the celebrated Il Santo Bevitore around the corner. The kind of place where you mean to have one glass of wine and end up staying for two hours. Excellent natural wines, beautiful small plates, genuinely attentive service without being precious about it.

Neighborhood spot with a local crowd and very reasonable prices. Classic Florentine cooking — ribollita, pappa al pomodoro, solid pastas — in a comfortable, unpretentious setting. Exactly the kind of trattoria you hope to stumble into in Florence.

The spine of the Oltrarno — antiques, design, small galleries, leather goods, and paper shops. Via Maggio in particular is lined with antique dealers and design boutiques. Even if you're not buying, the windows are extraordinary. Don't miss the small paper and bookbinding shops tucked into side streets.

Touristy — yes. Essential — also yes. The 14th-century bridge lined with goldsmiths' shops is the most photographed thing in Florence for a reason. Walk across it, look down at the Arno, and stand on it at the right moment when the light is good. Do it once. The shops are overpriced but the experience of the bridge itself is worth it.

Both are classic Oltrarno aperitivo spots with good spritz and outdoor seating. Low-key, local, the kind of place where the neighborhood actually goes for a pre-dinner drink. Perfect for the end of a long day in the south bank.

If you didn't make it last night, tonight's the night. Florence's oldest trattoria, founded 1886. Bistecca alla Fiorentina, ribollita, simple Tuscan pastas. Completely unfussy and very good at what it does.

One of Florence's oldest and most beloved restaurants — the famous burro e salvia pasta (pasta tossed in brown butter) and the bistecca are the reasons to come. Incredibly unpretentious, white tablecloths in the old style, and a room that hasn't changed much since it opened in 1869. If the butter pasta hasn't happened on this trip yet, it needs to happen here.