A week in Florence with the boys and some intel for your next trip to this special place.

Plus, a bit of This & That.

A week in Florence

Last week, we finally took our first family trip since we arrived in Italy and headed to Florence for five days with the kids. In Torino, at the Porta Nuova station, we hopped on an early morning high speed Frecciarossa train and arrived in beautiful Florence in a little over three hours. It was our first train experience with the boys, and I'm happy to report, it was so easy. We had our own section with big, comfy chairs and tables. The kids got snack boxes filled with cookies and coloring books, and they loved staring out the window at the world flying by. It's a much easier option than flying, especially with Bruno. Taking the train in Italy, with or without kids, is highly recommended; it's generally a fast, efficient, and affordable way to move throughout the country.

We stayed in a charming apartment we found on Booking.com in front of Palazzo Pitti, and it was perfect for our family of five. Finding affordable accommodations that will allow more than four people has been challenging, especially at hotels, as the maximum number of occupants per room tends to be three, so we were thrilled to discover this spot. The apartment was spacious and clean, with updated bathrooms, a full kitchen, and a small rooftop terrace. The only drawback was that it was on the third floor with no lift, so trekking up the stairs with our luggage and strollers was a bit exhausting, but at least we got a workout in after the insane amount of food we ate each day!

Florence is a special city with stunning architecture, excellent shops, fantastic restaurants, and a vibrant, rich history that can be felt all around. While traveling with a two-year-old is not easy, I'm happy we can put in the effort to make short trips like this; after all, showing the boys a bigger world was a primary reason for us moving in the first place, especially all the food that is out there to experience! You can't even imagine our joy when they were willing to try (and then devour) braised rabbit and butter chicken from two of our favorite restaurants in Italy!