Growing up in a big Italian family, I always enjoyed Sunday afternoons filled with bowls of spaghetti and meatballs cooked by my nana. Winters meant my dad would grind meat in the basement to make soppressata, or “soupy.”
Throughout middle school, high school, and college, I took six years of Italian, attempting to grasp a handle on the beautiful language while researching and admiring photographs of the Italian cities I dreamed of one day visiting.
When my younger sister studied abroad in Florence this past semester, I finally had an opportunity to visit the country for the first time. For 10 days, I immersed myself in Italian history, culture, and — of course — the most amazing food.
Thanks to a perfect itinerary (and a few spots we found along the way), the trip was just as sweet as I’d hoped.
A pasta and tiramisu-making class was the highlight of our trip
After months of scrolling TikTok to find the best experiences, my sister and I discovered a pasta and tiramisu-making class.
The class was nestled in the back of Ristorante Rosso Crudo, where we found wooden tables set up with mounds of flour and bowls of eggs.
The instructor walked us through how to make pappardelle and ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach. Not only was it fun to learn how to make pasta from scratch, but we were able to eat the pasta we made ourselves — and, of course, we scraped our plates completely clean.
We ended the class by taking turns mixing the mascarpone cheese, sugar, and egg yolks to make tiramisu, the sweetest finish.
We found the best handmade souvenir shops
As one of Florence’s most famous goods, leather purses were an essential purchase.
La Covelli Leather Factory, located about a five-minute walk from the Duomo, had shelves with everything from black leather backpacks to shiny red cross-body purses. A staff member engraved our purses with a stamp of our initials, which was fascinating to watch.
Across the Arno River, Giuliano Ricchi Jewelry was the cutest jewelry store and workshop, where we designed our own custom charm bracelets. There were hundreds of charms to choose from, including Italian landmarks like the Statue of David and the Ponte Vecchio, as well as classics like red hearts and butterflies.
One of my other favorites was a needlework shop called Ricami Veronica, where staff members embroidered names onto items like aprons, pot holders, and bath towels. I bought a maroon potholder with a bottle of red wine and grapes stitched onto it — a perfect souvenir.
Our trip included lots of pasta, pizza, and sandwiches
Everyone knows Italy for its mouthwatering homemade pasta, fresh pizza, and focaccia sandwiches. During this trip, our diet consisted of just that — along with healthy amounts of gelato and prosciutto.
Rather than booking dinner reservations in advance, we mostly walked around and found great spots as we explored. Our absolute favorite was Da Que’ Ganzi, where we started with fried pizza dough, prosciutto, and stracchino cheese, followed by paccheri with meat sauce.
Other dinner highlights of the trip included pasta tossed in a cheese wheel with freshly shaved truffle at Osteria Pastella and Florentine steak served with fingerling potatoes at Osteria San Fiorenzo.
Most of the city’s biggest attractions lived up to the hype
Although I’m sometimes wary of doing more “touristy” activities on trips to new places, I knew my first trip to Italy would be incomplete without spending some time in the Piazza del Duomo and the iconic Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.
Although we didn’t get a chance to go inside the Duomo — the line to get in wrapped around the building every day — we loved walking around the building and taking in its beauty from every angle.
We frequently enjoyed aperitivo at a café along the outskirts of the Duomo, sipping Aperol Spritzes while munching on complimentary snacks. At one point, a guitarist in the square playing “Time to Say Goodbye” by Andrea Bocelli brought tears to my eyes; the moment made me feel like I was in a movie.
We also walked along the Ponte Vecchio across the Arno River — stopping for many photo opportunities — and visited the Uffizi Gallery, where we enjoyed countless pieces of Renaissance art, including Sandro Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus.”
I’m already looking forward to heading back on a future trip — and, hopefully, getting the chance to hunt for more wine windows and visit the Boboli Gardens.
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