Hi friends! Today I am recapping our amazing trip to Florence and Tuscany highlighting all of the gluten-free details you need to know. We took this trip at the end of 2019 with our best friends. One of our friends is also gluten-free/celiac {I call her my GFF; gluten-free-friend}, so together we found a lot of GF spots in Italy. In this post I am going to share where we stayed, the places we ate and how we filled our days. For my gluten-free readers, I am happy to report no gluten-tummy aches on this trip.

At the time of our trip, COVID-19 was not yet part of our everyday lives or being reported by the media. Little did we know that our world would enter a pandemic a few months after we returned home. I am so thankful we were able to go on this trip and I am looking forward to traveling again one day. By sharing this post today, I hope you can tuck it away for your future travel plans. Be sure to check out my How to Packing Guide for Italy in December (click here) and Italy Travel Guide: Gluten Free Rome (click here).

This blog post contains affiliate links. For each purchase made through these links, I may make a small commission.

Florence

I am not sure I can fit my feelings about Florence in a single blog post (but I’ll try my best). It was one of the most beautiful and charming places I have ever been to. I really hope to visit Florence again one day. From the cobblestone streets to the food, wine, history and people we met, it was all a dream come true. I honestly could have walked around for weeks admiring the buildings, enjoying the food and soaking in the atmosphere. It is a walkable city (in comfy shoes), and the best way to experience the city, so plan your days ahead of time and see as much as you can.

Where to Stay

I highly recommend staying in a hotel along the Arno River. It was a useful central location for sightseeing and steps {or a window view} away from the scenic river and the Ponte Vecchio. For lodging during our entire trip in Florence, we stayed at the Palazzo Alfieri. This hotel has beautiful décor throughout the lobby area, main hallways and guest rooms. Our rooms were nicely decorated, spacious and clean. Our room had an awesome bathroom with a rainfall shower. There was also a room safe and fridge which also came in handy. Keep in mind not all rooms have scenic views. Speaking of views, be sure to check out the rooftop at this hotel. We brought a bottle of wine upstairs and soaked in the beauty of Florence overlooking the river. From here you can see the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio in the distance.

The staff at the front desk were helpful in planning prior to our arrival in Florence via email as well as onsite during our stay. Take advantage of the knowledge of hotel staff regardless of which hotel you are at and ask for help when planning activities, traveling to other areas or making reservations. Other helpful resources we used and recommend for planning our sightseeing spots were Rick Steve’s Florence and Tuscany travel guide (click here) and Google Translate. The Palazzo Alfieri is walking distance to the train station {keep in mind most of the walk is cobblestones}, the Ponte Vecchio and most must-see attractions. I would recommend this hotel to friends and definitely envision staying there again in the future. To get the best rate, I suggest booking directly through their website.

Where to Eat/Drink

Overall, we had a really positive food experience in Florence. Gluten-free options were fairly easy to find and most waitstaff had an understanding of gluten-free sensitivity. Senza glutine means without gluten in Italian. This phrase will come in handy when you are ordering. As far as drinks go, water is not served unless you ask for it. Everywhere we went there was a large selection of wine and we happily took advantage of it. For around $20 you can get a great quality bottle of wine to share with friends and family. To make the most of enjoying a glass of wine while in Italy, plan to stop for a drink during aperitivo; a pre-dinner custom where restaurants serve complementary snacks or light food.

Something to keep in mind (at least if you’re from the States) is that dinner is served later in the evening and is not rushed in Italy. Restaurants are not looking to “turn” tables over the way we’re use to in NY. In Italy, dinner is meant to be thoroughly enjoyed. The waitstaff doesn’t rush you along or stop-by to check on you constantly, so if you feel that they’re ignoring you, that’s probably not the case at all.

Breakfast

Our hotel stay included complementary breakfast every morning at the Foody Farm restaurant which is located at the entrance of the Palazzo Alfieri. We took advantage of this every morning for a healthy breakfast to start the day. It was a money saver and there were a lot of gluten-free options such as eggs, fruits, meats, cheese and vegetables.

Pastries & Dessert

Starbene is a MUST for gluten-free pastries. It was honestly a gluten-free foodie’s dream. They offer a huge assortment of croissants, cookies, Danishes, muffins, breads and stuffed pastries – think ham and cheese inside a warm flakey crust. I have never come across a gluten-free bakery quite like this. The quality was amazing. I am still dreaming about Starbene.

For dessert we stopped at GROM for gluten-free gelato and gluten-free cones. Everything they serve is GF which was such a wonderful treat to look forward to after dinner. You can also find GROM in other cities across Italy.

Wine & Appetizers

Tosca Nino is a great place to stop for rooftop views and wine in the heart of Florence. We stopped there after climbing to the top of the Duomo. One of our favorite places in Florence was Signorviono. It is great for wine and food right on the Arno River overlooking the Ponte Vecchio. It’s a must visit! We were lucky enough to score an outdoor table. It was a bit chilly, but definitely worth it for the views and atmosphere. They actually had blankets and small outdoor heaters which we appreciated in December. Another favorite for a glass of wine was Il Burro Tuscan Bistro. It was in close proximity to our hotel which made it a convenient stop. I wish my house had the decor vibe of Il Burro. It was beautiful and so cozy.

Lunch & Dinner

Le Botteghe Di Donatello is right in the vicinity of the Duomo. It’s a great place to stop before or after you do some sightseeing. I had a gluten-free pizza there for lunch. Although that pizza in particular was amazing, the best pizza and my most favorite meal of the whole trip was dinner at Pizzeria Lorenzo De’Medici. A friendly host greeted us at the door and made our short wait enjoyable. The gluten-free menu had so many options to chose from. I ordered pizza, pasta and tiramisu. I literally have not stopped talking about it! Hostaria Il Desco is a small, cozy restaurant with a lot of gluten-free options. This restaurant had a lot of positive reviews, so I made a reservation a few weeks in advance. We had lunch at Mattancena which for me consisted of meats, cheeses and warm gluten-free bread. This was the first place we tried pecorino fresca which is a soft pecorino romano cheese. It was delicious! We continued to look for this cheese on menus for the rest of our trips. Sadly it is not a cheese I have seen in NY.

Where to Play

I think the Duomo is on everyone’s must-see list in Florence and I can see why. We purchased our tickets online prior to our trip, including a climb to the top. The climb is definitely worth it for the amazing views. I got really nervous before our climb, but it was not as bad as I anticipated. Keep in mind it is a long, very narrow climb with a lot of steps, so this activity probably isn’t for everyone.

The Basilica of Sante Croce was personally one of my favorite churches to visit. We were able to purchase tickets on-sight and there was no line. It was fairly early in the morning, so the church was also empty. It is the resting place of many well known historical figures such as Michelangelo and Machiavelli. While we are on the topic of churches, another we visited was Church of Saints Michele. My husband is a history buff and this was on his must-see list. This church has Baroque-style architecture and is beautiful.

I found The Statue of David to be one of the most impressive sights we visited. Who knew David was so tall? Not me! It is amazing how David, along with much of Italy, is carved from marble with simple tools. For this stop, we purchased our tickets online and picked them up at the ticket office. We didn’t do a full tour; just got tickets to see David.

The Uffizi Gallery is a must for lovers and students of art-history. We purchased our tickets online and picked them up at the ticket office. Although many people advised me that a tour was necessary, we felt that for this gallery, a tour was not for us. I enjoyed walking around the gallery to see the various forms of art along with the view of the Arno River. I suggest going to the Uffizi Gallery early in the day because it does get crowded.

Michelangelo’s Piazza and the Ponte Vecchio are both walkable areas that should be on your list of must-sees. The view from the top of the Piazza is beautiful; it looks over all of Florence. The Ponte Vecchio is full of shops and connects one side of the city to the other. I HIGHLY recommend stopping at The Gold Market if you’re interested in Florentine gold jewelry. The shop is located on the Ponte Vecchio. Fadi oversees multiple locations throughout Italy and he made our experience buying jewelry so memorable. I cannot wait to go back here one day! I purchased earrings and a bracelet from their diamond cut collection, and have honestly worn both almost every day since then. You can follow them on Instagram.

Tuscany

While planning our Italy trip I really had my heart set on staying in the countryside of Tuscany. We opted for an Air BnB for this part of the trip. Our selection was based on Air BnB reviews as well as ease of travel between Florence and Rome. We settled and agreed on a small town called Castiglion Fiorentino. It is about a 1 hour train ride from Florence to Castiglion Fiorentino (and later on in our trip, about 1 hour 45 minute train ride from there to Rome.) We did not have to transfer trains for either trip. When we got to Castiglion Fiorentino I quickly realized we in the true Tuscan countryside.

Our specific Air BnB was about a 20 minute walk from the train. However, we did not know this walk would be almost entirely up hill. The walk was totally do-able for us but may not have been for everyone. We couldn’t figure out how to get a taxi, but I do think they were available. The walk definitely caused us to stop for few belly laughs along the way. It was probably comical for locals watching us trek up the hill with luggage that morning. The Air BnB was very nice and had all of the amenities we needed.

This timing of our stay in this area made our planning a bit tricky. We were traveling Christmas day through the new year, so with the way our travel plans turned out, we were in Tuscany for NYE. Unfortunately, this meant a lot of businesses were closed and restaurants booked during our visit. Although our planning definitely could have been better, I enjoyed this part of our trip. We had a couple mellow days to recharge before heading to Rome.

In Castiglion Fiorentino we had an incredible dinner at Ristorante Da Muzzicone – known for its Fiorentine steaks. We saw our steaks chopped directly off the rack and then brought to our table (raw) for us to inspect (similar to how a server will show you a bottle of wine). It was really cool to experience an authentic Tuscan steak house. The staff was friendly and did their best to accommodate language barriers. Our dinner was one for the books.

The highlight of this stay was the afternoon we spent in Cortona. It is nearby town that was only a train stop or two ride away. From the train we took a bus (thanks to some info from our Air BnB host) up a windy mountain to Cortona. The views from the top were unbeatable. Although Cortona is similar in size to Castiglion Fiorentino, there was much more to do. The town had many shops, restaurants and local street vendors. Cortona is actually where the movie Under the Tuscan Sun was filmed. I highly recommend adding Cortona to your travel plans if you will be staying or visiting in this area. If we ever visit again, I think I would prefer staying in Cortona than Castiglion Fiorentino.

Tips for Tuscany

When you travel to Tuscany, I definitely recommend doing your research and having a pretty good plan but remember to be open to suggestions from locals. An area like Castiglion Fiorentino is a bit off the beaten path which has its limitations. I would recommend being aware of holiday schedules and how this may impact your stay. It is also a good idea to make all of your reservations (dining and tours) well in advance. If you’re staying in an Air BnB, I would also recommend stocking your kitchen with food upon arrival. This will come in handy if your plans change or you’re not able to get a dinner reservation. You can find amazing meat and cheese in these small towns along with wine tasting and tours. If you visit the Cortona area they are known for their Syrah. My last tip is to be prepared for locals to speak little English if you visit a small town. You should bring a book of Italian translations or use Google Translate (planning ahead will also help).

Tips for Train Travel

If you’re traveling by train in Italy I definitely recommend packing light (My Packing Guide – click here!). The train platforms are at ground level, so you will need to quickly hoist your luggage up and down. We found it helpful to buy our tickets ahead of time. Our hotel staff helped in explaining tickets too. Some tickets must be printed and others must be validated at machine. Be sure you know what type of ticket you have before getting to your train. Once you’re on the train, familiarize yourself with the name of the stop before your destination. The trains do not wait at each station for a long time, so you may have to act quickly to gather your luggage. And my last tip is of course to bring snacks for long train rides!

Don’t miss a post on Red Rose & Honey by dropping your email in the box below. Thanks for subscribing!