Now onto some of our favorite food finds in Florence!
We were on a mission to find (in Summer’s words) “life changing pizza”. And that we did! We spotted a tiny restaurant buzzing with locals with a large wood burning oven and a small menu with just 2 options: Marinera and Margherita. Sold!
I think the pizza chefs had a crush on us- they made our pizzas in the shape of a heart! This restaurant is called Cucina Toscana Vini and is located at Via dell Isola delle Stinche 19. Bonus- the incredible gelato shop Vivoli is just a few doors down!
Another favorite was Osteria Belle Donne located at Via delle Belle Donne 16. This was a place I found on my first trip to Florence and have made sure to return on each visit since then! Small hidden restaurant, hand written menu, friendly service, amazing food and really reasonable prices- my kind of place!
We also loved a small meat and cheese shop I had heard about called Il Santino. We had a glass of wine and tried a number of different cheeses, salamis and prosciuttos. Everything was so amazing and it was fun to try so many different things! It is located at Via Santo Spirito 60.
A few doors down is their restaurant Il Santo Bevitore located at Via Santo Spirito 66. We didn’t get a chance to go there but I have heard amazing things so check it out and let me know what you think!
If you have any other restaurant recommendations to share I would love to hear them!
The first stop on my trip was Florence. This was my third time visiting Florence- I love this city! It is large enough to have a lot to explore, but not so big that it feels overwhelming.
We were in Florence because my travel partner Summer Watkins of Grey Likes Weddings was asked to style the wedding for Dale and Meredith Benfield. Here are some pictures of the gorgeous reception taken by Becker. See more of his amazing images here.
And the glowing newlyweds! Thank you Dale and Meredith for allowing me to be a part of your special day!
And back to Florence. We stayed at The Four Seasons which was just unbelievable. It is a converted 16th century convent with expansive beautiful gardens. It was a real treat to get to stay at such a fabulous hotel! I would absolutely recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Florence.
Our room and our bathroom. Everything felt so grand!
The Four Seasons is slightly outside of the main area of Florence, but still just a short walk to everything. The street the hotel is on has many small restaurants and shops. This area had a much different feeling than the areas directly surrounding the tourist attractions which I really enjoyed.
The view of the gardens from our room
Next I will be posting some of our favorite food finds in Florence!
I am back from an absolutely incredible vacation! I will be posting about each destination and hotels, as well as some advice for couples that will be celebrating their honeymoons in these destinations.
In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip.
The duomo peeking out in Florence.
The inside of the Colosseum in Rome.
Small, quiet little streets in Rome.
The unbelievable view from our room at the gorgeous hotel
La Minervetta in Sorrento.
The beautiful coastline on the drive from Sorrento to Positano. Look at that blue water!
Loved the town of Positano!
And a stroll through Hyde Park on a perfect spring day in London.
More to come soon!
I am so excited to say that I am off to Italy for 2 weeks! I am going to be staying at some incredible hotels that my clients have loved. Plus I will be checking out places to recommend to my clients that choose to celebrate their honeymoon in Italy. I am so looking forward to the Italian architecture, espresso, pasta, boutiques, wine bars, and of course the gelato!
I will be starting with a few nights in Florence at The Four Seasons.
Then I will be staying in Rome at The Fortyseven Hotel.
After that I will head down to the Amalfi Coast where I will be staying in Sorrento at La Minervetta.
Can we pause for this view?!?! WOW.
Followed by Eden Roc Suites Hotel in Positano.
Then I am ending my stay with a couple nights in London at The Arch Hotel.
I will not be responding to any new honeymoon inquiries during my time away. I will be following up on all new inquiries upon my return in early April.
I look forward to sharing more details about these wonderful destinations and hotels!
I picked up the most recent Martha Stewart Weddings issue the other day just to check out their Honeymoons section. I loved that the theme was unforgettable honeymoons that included places to stay that are anything but ordinary. From treehouses to glamping to taking a train trip, all of the picks from the issue were simply amazing. Here are a few of my favorites for each of their categories:
Harads, Sweden
Ever wonder what it’d be like to stay in a tree house? Well here’s your opportunity to. The Tree Hotel in Sweden offers you the chance to say in these amazing works of art that stand elevated anywhere from 12 to 20 feet off the ground and look over some gorgeous Scandinavian landscape. The notion of staying up all night to see if the midnight sun ever really sets would make for a pretty romantic night. If you are into architecture and design, just being in these tree houses would be enough, I’d say.
Goleta, California
Who knew that a place like this existed in California? I know I’m not one for straight up camping, but I could go with glamorous camping, aka “Glamping”. El Capitan Canyon, slightly north of Santa Barbara, offers Safari Tents- a spacious canvas tent raised on a wooden deck with screened windows. And right outside, you get your own private picnic table with a grill and a fire pit. Cozy on up with your loved one or bike on over to the ocean which is close by.
Gulf of Gokova, Turkey
How nice would it be to have your own private cruise? Well, that’s exactly what Odysseus Cruising is. Sail around the Gulf of Gokova known as the Turkish Riviera. Your own private cruise will be just you two, the captain, a chef, and a pair of stewards on a 75-foot gulet for eight days. Jump in for a swim anytime, relax on the deck, or ask to go ashore anytime you choose. Really, does it get any better than that?
Cape Town-Pretoria-Victoria Falls, Africa
Love the idea of traveling in an Edwardian era style carriage through Africa? Escape for 6 days and savor the world’s most breathtaking views of Victoria Falls with Rovos Rail. Each room has their own shower which is typically unheard of in in train travel. The train ride also includes a night’s stay in Pretoria and day trips to the historic diamond town of Kimberley where De Beers still has an operating mine. However, I do believe it’s the mile-long water curtain of Victoria Falls that’s for the win.
So what do you think? Which would you like to go on?
