u/nk27012

Ciao!

I'll be spending a day in Arezzo during my trip to Tuscany. Since the city is known for its goldsmith tradition, I'd love to visit a reputable local jeweler or artisan workshop rather than tourist-oriented shops. Does anyone have recommendations for places they've personally visited?

Grazie :)

Hey everyone! After my succesful trip to Emilia-Romagna (felll in love with it), I am planning my second trip to Italy, and this time it is Tuscany!

My home base will be Florence. As you can see, I like staying busy and walking fast, I realize is overly planned with no room for spontaneity, but I liked this pace in my previous trip. Please let me know if I am missing anything else, thanks :)

(I created the schedule with all its details, took me several weeks, but used AI to summarize it for this post since it was way bigger, sorry MODs.)

Travel Date: First Week of September.

• Day 1- Florence: Tram from Airport to hotel near San Lorenzo → Rose pistachio gelato at My Sugar → Tour San Lorenzo Basilica & Orsanmichele → Quick walk through Piazza della Signoria & Ponte Vecchio →Pegna dal 1860→ Evening pasta-making course at Cucciolo.
• Day 2 - Florence: Accademia → Quick looks at San Marco & Museo degli Innocenti → Hit the Medici Chapels & Bargello → Quick panini at Qui Panini e Vino → Palazzo Vecchio Hall of Maps → Marbling workshop at Il Papiro → Uffizi Gallery → Dinner at Amorini → Evening walking tour.
• Day 3 - Florence: Breakfast at Sant'Ambrogio market → climb Brunelleschi’s Dome + Duomo complex (Baptistery/Opera museum) → Lunch at Il Vivandiere → Santa Croce → Badia Fiorentina & Buonomini → Santa Maria Novella church + historic pharmacy → Ognissanti, Villoresi, Signum, and Aquaflor → Evening opera at Santa Maria Vergine della Croce → Dinner at Il Pizzaiuolo → Fig & ricotta gelato at De' Medici.
• Day 4 - Florence: Breakfast at Mò Sì → Palazzo Pitti + Boboli & Bardini Gardens → Schiacciata lunch at Lo Schiacciavino → La Specola & Palazzo Davanzati → Santo Spirito → 3-hour wooden inlay artisan workshop → Dinner at Bella Italia.
• Day 5 - Florence: Quick pastry at Vecchio Forno → Opificio delle Pietre Dure → Food tour through Mercato Centrale (Buy from Savini truffles) → Brancacci Chapel video & tour → Lunch at Il Ricettario → Casa Buonarroti → Climb Arnolfo Tower at Palazzo Vecchio → Shop for leather at Scuola del Cuoio → Arancini & cannoli dinner at Arà: è Sicilia → Spend the evening jumping between piazzas (Felicita, Signoria, San Giovanni, SS Annunziata) for the Festa della Rificolona (Festival of the Lanterns).
• Day 6 - Florence: Breakfast at Nab → Cloister of the Scalzo → Museo di San Marco → Cenacolo di Sant'Apollonia → Quick visit to SS. Annunziata → Artisan hopping: Scarpelli Mosaici, Medici Riccardi Palace, Cecilia Falciai, Mosaici di Lastrucci → Lampredotto lunch at Il Cernacchio → Afternoon artisan/leather run south of the river: Madova, L'ippogrifo, Castorina, Autentiqua, Bronzetto, Romanelli studio, Bottega del Chianti, TACS, Alberto Cozzi → Tuscan rose gelato at Perche No → Evening climb up the Giotto Bell Tower → dinner at Osteria Cipolla Rossa. Planning to cut some stores to squeeze in Galileo Musuem.
• Day 7 - Pisa & Lucca: Early train to Pisa for breakfast at Al Dolcemente → See Leaning Tower/Cathedral (outside) + Baptistery & Camposanto → Train to Lucca → Walk the Renaissance walls → Duomo di San Martino & Santi Giovanni excavations → Lunch at Ciacco → Climb Guinigi Tower → Momo Gelati → Explore Anfiteatro & San Frediano → Train back to Florence → Dinner at Cinghiale Bianco (wild boar ragu) → Gelato at Della Passera.
• Day 8 - San Gimignano: Bus to Poggibonsi then San Gimignano → Breakfast at Il Criollo → Sant'Agostino → Truffle hunting at the local food market → Torre Grossa & Duomo → Wine tour & lunch at Tenuta Guardastelle → Gelato at Dondoli → Bus back to Florence → Pasta-making course at Locanda Ariosto.
• Day 9 - Siena: Early bus to Siena → Pastries at Panifici Sclavi → San Domenico → Climb Torre del Mangia & see Lorenzetti frescoes at Palazzo Pubblico → Tour Duomo complex (Cathedral, Piccolomini, Facciatone view) → Lunch at Il Bocconcino → Relax in Piazza del Campo → Santa Maria della Scala → Bus back to Florence → Pizza at Lucia Rustica & gelato at La Sorbettiera.
• Day 10 - Pistoia & Fiesole: Train to Pistoia (Cathedral, Baptistery, Piazza della Sala, Ospedale del Ceppo) → Train back, then Bus 7 up to Fiesole → Roman Theatre & lunch at Il Giglio → Hike to Convent of San Francesco terrace → Bus down, then hike up to San Miniato al Monte for Gregorian chant → Sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo → Charcuterie at La Prosciutteria & granita at Carabè.
• Day 11 - Arezzo: Early train to Arezzo → Cathedral → Breakfast at Bar Stefano → Explore the monthly Antique Fair around Piazza Grande → Roman Amphitheatre, San Domenico, and San Francesco → Lunch at Antica Osteria l'Agania → Catch the Bishop's blessing at the Cathedral → Watch the Giostra del Saracino (Joust of the Saracen) → Train back to Florence for late pizza at MIRÓ. Still looking for a place to buy gold jewerly here.

Ciao!
Does anyone have any recommendations on where to buy gold jewelry in Arezzo? Not looking for a store with tourist prices. I was not able to find much information online excluding Google Maps.
Grazie!

Hello Everyone!

I'm planning to buy the Brunelleschi Pass (Florence) and would like to visit all the sites it includes, including Giotto’s Bell Tower, which says on its website that “The Bell Tower can only be accessed through a time‑slot.”

Since the Brunelleschi Pass only lets you reserve a time for the Dome climb, how do I reserve a time slot for Giotto’s Bell Tower?

Thank you!