Who doesn’t love Florence? In the heart of Tuscany, which is one of my favorite places in the world (if not my favorite place), you can’t beat it. I could live here (well if I learned more Italian). Florence is much more laid back to me than the hustle and bustle of Rome or the congestion of Venice. There are plenty of museums, galleries, parks and other architecturally interesting buildings to keep you busy.

If there is not enough for you to do in Florence, it is an easy trip to Pisa, Sienna, or the Tuscan countryside with all of its vineyards. The last time I was there, we hired a driver for the day to take us to San Gimignano and Sienna. On the way back to Florence, we stopped at a vineyard. It happened to be the vineyard (Tenuta Canale) where our driver got his house wine for the small wine shop he owned in Florence. We got a private tasting from the owner who was a regularly farmer. We also got to see their cellar which wouldn’t have passed an inspection in the states, but it was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. His oak barrels must have been 75 years old. I would love to have one of those (full or empty) just to have!

Speaking of wine, wine in Italy was amazing. I especially like to get a carafe. The house wines in Italy are the equivalent of a $40 bottle in the states and they are less than $10. For those who don’t know, a carafe is usually 1 liter (a bottle is 750 ml) so you are actually getting more than a bottle for less than 10 bucks!