Spotter since 2015
About me
I was born and raised in this town and, after spending an almost-two-year-long spell working in Bratislava, I settled back in my hometown, working first as a business consultant and then as an administrative in a large company.
I am book-addicted, so I spend a lot of my free time reading. I also love to watch and play (but mainly watch) football, supporting the local team: Fiorentina.
Why Florence?
Florence, even more than other old towns, is a two-faced town: one face (nicely displayed) is for tourists, while the other one (often well hidden) is for locals and involves things that travellers almost never get to see or do. Because of linguistic barriers and "tourist-fare" prices Florence can show itself quite hostile toward tourists, if they bump into the wrong places.
That’s why, as a local "Sherpa", I’ll try to make myself useful by writing down some tips, starting from here: for example, did you know that Florence has a special house numbering system? Black numbers are residential, while red numbers are businesses, resulting in two distinct series for every street. Therefore, street numbers of businesses are denoted in writing by the addition of the letter "r", which stands for "rosso" (red), e.g. Via Masaccio 28/r.
"Cantina Pacini": a wine and oil shop (est. 1935) in Florence I like to visit. If you're lucky, you'll be visiting when they have fresh oil from the mill.
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"Libreria XXVII Aprile" Florence isn't fancy, and you're not going to find any new releases in this book shop. But if you're a true bookworm, buckle up...
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"Bar Pasticceria Cucciolo" is the solution to the problem "where do I get good snacks in the centre of Florence?" Just try their bomboloni. you're welcome.
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"Cenacolo di Ognissanti" is just the place for you if you're in Florence and love art. This is a masterpiece that most tourists (or locals!) don't see...
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"Un Caffè" is a small bar in Florence run by some funny Sardinians. Everything's relaxed and nothing is fancy, but it's really friendly and easy-going...
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"Todo Modo" is an independent bookshop in Florence. It's possible to find both new & second-hand books there, and they also have a great café! Recommended.
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"Birreria Il Bovaro" is the only bar/brewery in Florence where they make their own beer and sell it on tap, so it holds a special place in my heart...
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Write about everything you 🤍 but skip touristic highlights