Ok, so you’re a tourist. It’s best you accept that you will immediately look like a straniera (“foreigner”) either by the way you are dressed or the guide books and cameras weighing you down, but this does not mean that you have to have the same run-of-the-mill experience as most tourists. Just because you are a tourist to Florence, does not mean that you can’t try to experience the city as a local.
When I first arrived five months ago, I initially stuck to the tourist routes, but quickly realised that the food I was eating was only for tourists and sold at tourist prices. The locals were somewhere else. Initially I didn’t know where, but I soon discovered that the more inconspicuous a place was, usually the better it was too. Often a small dark alley is a good place to look for a restaurant. Don’t be put off by sometimes having to sit at a table with others (it usually means it is good food), generally avoid places with picture menus or a waiter standing outside asking if you like good pizza. By going outside of the city centre or across the Arno to the south, you are guaranteed to find good food at better prices and have the chance to practise your Italian. If you’re on the south side of the Arno near the Ponte Vecchio, try Trattoria Bordino on Via Stracciatella for their 6 Euro lunch special and for some of the best and best-priced gelati in Florence, try Gelateria Carraia on the south side of Ponte alla Carraia.
One of the best ways to see Florence, and with the added benefit of exercise to work off the amount of food you have no doubt (and rightly so) consumed, is to walk aimlessly with only a camera and a little bit of money. Taking the bus is often unnecessary and usually involves an elderly Italian pushing through the bus a minute before their stop urgently yelling, “Devo scendere!” (I have to get off!). Florence is a small enough city to walk around, easy to navigate and all roads seem to lead back to the Duomo, Piazza della Repubblica or Ponte Vecchio. If you are ever lost, just head towards the Arno and you will find a landmark to help you find your way.
My advice when wandering around is very simple: look up, look down and look around. You have to be on the lookout to find some of the best things; a shop you didn’t notice before because the rolling door was closed during pausa and details on the buildings you wouldn’t see if your head was buried in a map. As there doesn’t appear to be a law in Italy that you need to pick up after your dog, look down. There are an awful lot of dog droppings on the ground throughout Florence, which makes walking tricky at times especially when you are trying not to trip on the uneven pavement. Lastly, look around. Be considerate of the locals trying to get past you and when you inevitably need to venture off the sidewalk and onto the road, be aware of the ever-present motorini. A word that will help you as you politely navigate throughout the city is “permesso” (pronounced per-MESS-oh), used when you want to get past someone or they want to get by you.
There are a lot of tourists in Florence, especially in the city centre and as the streets are quite small, it can be overwhelming sometimes, both for the tourist and the locals. Remember to have patience, things are not done in the same way or with the speed you are probably used to, but hey you didn’t come to Italy for it to be like your home country. So enjoy the differences and take it easy, you’re on vacation.
Oh, and a final tip. Grazie (“Thank you”) is pronounced grat-see-AY. They will smile with relief when you say it correctly.