italy

An Itinerary for a Quick Stopover in Milan, Italy!

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Milan is a really popular Italian airport for international flights, and unfortunately many people fly in or out of Milan without leaving any time to see the city itself.  They travel in from Lake Como or Florence (on the fast train) the day of their flight.  While this is convenient and allows time to see more bucket-list sites in Italy more touristy destinations, I think most tourists should spend at least 24 hours in Milan.  That way, getting to/getting off your flight is not as stressful, and Milan is a pretty fabulous Italian city that is completely different from any other! 

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Not New York modern, but certainly more modern that most Italian cities!

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My Favorite Florence Eats!

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Being one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and one of Italy’s favorite cities, Florence is never short on delicious and new restaurants.  The “best restaurant” lists change frequently and Florentines each have their own favorite spots!  To cut through all the lists and endless research on Florence eats, here are my favorites based on a recent visit!

Best Coffee – News Cafe

In a city (and country) filled with outstanding coffee, my favorite Florence coffee shop for tourists is hands down the News Cafe.  Located in the Santa Maria de Novella neighborhood, News Cafe not only makes delicious coffee, but does amazing coffee art at no extra charge!  I am sure coffee aficionados will disagree with me, but for tourists, the Florence -inspired coffee art really takes the cake!

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Yes, I visited Florence in (off-season) November, and it was amazing!!

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I traveled to San Miniato, Florence, Venice and Milan with Dan, my mother, Dan’s aunt, our friend, Pryor, and her mother in November and our second stop was Florence (or Firenze in Italian!) for three days and three nights!  Dan and I had been to Florence once before (eight years ago in the Summer) but it was most of the group’s first time in Florence, so we focused on Florence’s main tourist sites!  Plus, Florence’s main sites are pretty amazing and warrant a new visit at least every 8 years!

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First glimpse of the Duomo!

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An Itinerary for San Miniato, Italy – A Hidden Tuscan Treasure!

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As I mentioned in my previous post, Going All The Way To Italy For San Miniato’s White Truffle Festival, San Miniato is a tiny hill town in Northern Tuscany. While most famous for its namesake white truffle festival held every November, San Miniato makes an interesting and easy stop any time of the year, especially since its between Florence and Pisa!  And, its ridiculously gorgeous and mostly devoid of foreign tourists.

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Fall in stunning San Miniato.

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Flying All The Way To Italy For San Miniato’s White Truffle Festival!

wareontheglobe 5 Comments

San Miniato is a tiny hill town in northern Tuscany, located right between Florence and Pisa, and you probably have never heard of it! While certainly not as popular as other Tuscan hill towns, such as San Gimignano, Assisi, and Orvieto, San Miniato retains a distinctly Italian charm and is almost devoid of foreign tourists (especially American tourists).  To draw in some tourists , San Miniato boasts lots of history (what Italian town doesn’t?) a ruined castle, a handful of churches, and its most well-known draw, the White Truffle Festival!  And yes, I traveled all the way to San Miniato just for its fabulous white truffle festival in November 2016!  In my defense, I have always wanted to go to a real Italian truffle festival AND we were going to Italy anyway!  So why not?!  And, San Miniato is totally gorgeous….

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Overview of San Miniato.

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