Want to hear a secret?  The last time I was in Florence, I was not really impressed.  In the twenty-ish years since then, I always hear how much people love Florence and I always thought, “really?”.  While I do not like being wrong, I will admit when I am and … I was wrong about Florence!  So, what changed my mind?  That can be broken down into 4 categories:
 
  1. my Italy supplier – Arno Travel
  2. our hotel
  3. the experiences and tours we chose
  4. a  new urban design


1. Arno Travel

We don’t piece together multi-destination trips.  We partner with suppliers in each destination to curate each trip. These companies do not work directly with travelers, they partner with travel advisors to elevate their clients’ experience.
 
For Italy trips, I work with Arno Travel.  Just having Arno’s help made this Italy trip better because they have insider knowledge that I am able to relay to our clients. Their help was especially useful in Florence because that is where they are based.  Arno invited me to their offices for a visit …

and then the travel designer that helps me with each client trip, Daniela, and Arno Sales Manager, Cristina, took me out to lunch.  It was so lovely getting to know these ladies better.  You know what I always say, the travel industry is all about relationships!  And there is no better way to develop a relationship than over a hearty Italian meal 🙂

I love having friends in a destination, it naturally gives you a better feeling for a place.

2. Our Hotel

Twenty years ago, I obviously did not stay at the kind of properties where we now stay, so that definitely helps. Spending the money required to stay in the center is necessary to fully appreciate Florence. We stayed on Piazza Santa Maria Novella which is extremely close to the train station. In many places, you do not want to stay near a train station because it is often a rougher part of town. In Florence, it is in the middle of everything making your stay very manageable. I actually had clients staying in Florence on our first night near the train station so they could easily make it to their train the next morning. Upon arrival, I realized that the middle of Florence is near the train station and we were staying across the square from each other! So, of course, I had to go by and say “hi!”. 

Our stay at hotel Grand Hotel Minerva certainly was grand.  It was the perfect way to kick off our trip.  We stayed in a 1 bedroom with living space and 2 bathrooms.  

As gorgeous as our room was, our balcony was even better!


3. Our Experiences and Tour Guides

Now, this is why I use Arno. They have vetted the best tour guides and developed the best tours and experiences. They also help me create unique experiences.  A few years ago, I had parents with an appreciation for wine traveling with their kids. I had learned of Florence’s unique wine windows so I asked about combining a wine window tour with a gelato experience.  The end result was a gelato making class with the kids followed by a walking tour (fueled by sugar) that visited a couple of the wine windows while learning of their history.   I’ve booked this tour a few times. Being that Rob and I are a couple that like wine and were traveling with our kids, we needed to experience this tour for ourselves!

The next day, we went on a scavenger hunt throughout Florence that incorporated all of the major sites.  We started our day putting together a puzzle as a clue to our first stop and it went from there.  We ended at a pharmacy that has been opened since 1561.  


4. A New Design

When I visited Florence’s impressive Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore, 20 years ago, it was covered in soot because a busy road ran right in front of it.  You could barely get a view of the Duomo from the sidewalks because of the roads surrounding the area. Apparently, Florence read my mind and since then, completely redesigned the area surrounding the Duomo, making it a pedestrian area and uncovering the grey film that covered the gorgeous marble exterior. Clearly, that is not a problem anymore!!!

I was impressed that everything was so accessible by foot.  Florence had so many advantages of a big city while being very manageable to navigate.  
 
So there you have it, I now understand why everyone should visit Florence!  And I am ready to help you do just that!