We recently stayed at 44 Via Gino Capponi, which is also known as Palazzo Capponi. All things pointed to a lovely apartment stay for a delightful week, or so we thought. Almost at once we realized the apartment was not cooling down in the main living space which stayed between 32C and 36C (90F to 97F). When we reached out to the property we were told they would look into it, and Booking.com kept saying they were working on a solution. 4 days later after buying fans for the apartment and being rebuffed by the property owners and unceremoniously hung up on by Booking.com, we decamped to a hotel. It is a bit galling at the lack of service all around and very frustrating that the property and Booking.com took no accountability. I hope this post may prevent others from experiencing a similar situation at this building.

My partner and I are going to Florence the last week of August and booked the Brunelleschi hotel, but I saw that Plaza Hotel Luchessi has a pool and wondering if that would be a better option. Has anyone stayed at either and which would you recommend?

Hi! We arrive next week at 6 am by night train from Germany at Campo die Marte. We will explore the city a bit, before we continue our journey to the south in the afternoon.

We would love to have a fresh shower on arrival, as we will have been travelling already for 24 hours.

Are there any public swimming pools, gym with one day entries or anything else, where we could freshen up in the early morning?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Any suggestions for a nice sunset dinner in a vineyard close to Florence with decent prices?

Hey all, we're evaluating Firenze as a relocation base alongside other cities/countries and will be spending 5-6 weeks here trying to experience the local middle-class life.

We both work in tech and I was wondering if there's a particular district of the city that's similar to Old St/Shoreditch in London in the sense of creative/tech businesses.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

Hello Florentines
I will be visiting your beautiful city on aug. 15., and would like to attend mass (preferably english mass) in Santa Maria del Fiore. Information online - particularly on the duomo website - is very limited. I can imagine this is the case in order to deter tourists (understandable case).
I've read that english-speaking mass usually happens on saturdays at 17:00, but given that it's Ferragosto and information online appears to be conflicting on the matter, I want to inquire if any of you know if it is possible to attend service at all on Ferragosto?

Anyone else love this weather during the evening. I’m personally looking forward to climbing into my bed 🥰

*photo from my terrace, lightening lit the entire sky 🥰

If you’re travelling through Florence between July 26 and 30, double-check your train before heading to the station.

A new four-day engineering closure around Campo di Marte will affect both high-speed and regional services, with timetable changes, diversions and replacement buses while railway crews continue work on the Ponte al Pino overpass.

It’s the second major rail disruption in Florence this month, so even if you travelled recently, don’t assume your usual train will run normally.

Details on which services are affected, replacement transport and what passengers should expect are here:
https://www.florencedailynews.com/2026/07/22/new-four-day-rail-shutdown-to-disrupt-train-services-in-florence/

Ciao !

J'espère que vous allez tous bien.

Moi et ma future femme allons séjourner à Florence après notre mariage.

Je voulais savoir s'il y a de bons restaurants et activités où des habitants/visiteurs sont allés ? Je vois des blogs en ligne qui recommandent des endroits, mais je sais qu’il y a des pièges à touristes . On adore tous les plats et on veut idéalement une bonne ambiance locale. J'apprécie vraiment tous les conseils !

Ciao a tutti mi piacerebbe conoscere qualcuno, 1sia maschi che femmine per bere qualcosa e fare due chiacchiere nei dintorni di Firenze 😃

I am a 23 yo female spending my summer in Florence, is there another solo female traveler aged 20-30 that would be interested in exploring Florence with me?

We're wrapping up our trip to Italy in Florence. I am looking for one recommendation for a party of 3 for a final dinner. Nice but not pretentious. Price not an issue. Dining enthusiasts but not chef sniffers. As a reference, our best meal in Rome was at Rimessa and in Venice at Ai Artisti.

What should be on my list?

Hello! In a month or so, I’m going to Florence for three weeks for a brief study abroad program. Unlike a more traditional study abroad program with formal classes, it’ll basically be an intense immersion in the city’s history and culture: we’ll be visiting museums/cultural centers/churches/monuments/etc pretty much every single day. Aside from those, are there any other hidden gems you recommend I check out? Restaurants, shops, underrated attractions?

I’ll have two free weekends during my time there (and probably a bit of downtime during the week after cultural excursions), so ample time to explore. I may plan on heading to other cities while I’m in Italy as well (Siena, Rome/Vatican, Bologna, maybe Pisa or Ancona), time permitting. I’m also a classics student, so any recs pertaining to antiquity are a bonus. Grazie mille!

In other countries starbucks is one of the options but here it obviously is not. I do not know Florence, I am here for a week and I have to work on my computer. Any suggestions for a place where I can grab my drink and study for several hours without the pressure/ crowd?

I'm currently on a cruise and will stop off at Livorno for a day.

What are some recommendations on things I can do in that time?

I will be there from 8am-8pm.

Pizza is perfect: Mister Pizza and Livio aren´t able to help!

Nothing fancy.

Thanks in advance.

I'm going to be in Florence for 4 days at the end of the month. I know Florence is quite known for the art, and I'll be seeing a decent amount of it and try to immerse myself more than I have before and enjoy it. But I feel like I'm also the kind of a person that just enjoys activity stuff a lot more. Things like a cooking class, or things where a group of people are doing something together. I'd be curious if folks have activity recommendations, thank you!

(Also specifically for cooking classes if there are recs, I'd love to know!)

I don’t know who these women are, but I liked the look of the scene.

I’ll be moving to Florence in September for a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at the European University Institute. I’m trying to get a realistic sense of monthly expenses and would be grateful for advice from people living in Florence, especially researchers.

Some context:

My main recurring costs beyond rent would be groceries, local transport, phone/data, eating out occasionally, household items, and general living expenses.

I’d like to live reasonably, cook most meals, eat out occasionally, use public transport where needed, and save what I can.

A few questions:

1. What would be a realistic monthly grocery budget for one person in Florence if I cook most meals?
2. What would be a realistic total monthly spend excluding travel outside Florence?
3. Are there supermarkets or grocery strategies you would recommend for someone living near EUI?

I’d really appreciate any practical advice.

Hi all --

I have been in Florence for three weeks and have about two weeks left.

I am looking to hire a cleaner for a one time spot clean, and would also be interested in working with a personal trainer 1-2 times.

Does anyone have any recommendations of folks they have worked with? Personal trainer must speak English and ideally is a woman.

Thanks!

Heading there for a week, any good places for socialising and mixing with other travellers/tourists?

Is nightlife safe there? Should I get Ubers and taxis everywhere day and night? Or can you walk fine in the day?