I like to pull a single chair into the corner, closest to the giant.
The lights of the city pop to life, yellow in contrast with the velvety sky. Sound rises up from Via dei Calzaiuoli below as Florentines and tourists take pre-dinner promenades. I can smell an earthiness in my glass, a dark cherry scent weaves through decaying leaves, but the tannins of a forest floor pull the fruit down, insistent.
The last sun warmth goes and the night shifts blue. When spotlights flood the tiled dome, I glow with it.
I sip a little more and think, “I will go soon.”
Fall in Florence is glorious. While this city is never NOT busy, the sweltering heat breaks and crowds recede. The one-day-wonder cruise people head to the Caribbean and leave Italy alone. I’ve been here at Christmas and full-on summer, but the fall — such perfect weather for sitting outside and people watching.
I have a fine little apartment a few steps from the Cathedral, and I know the pleasure of unlocking a building and disappearing into a private place here. To go shopping for everyday items, as though being here was an everyday thing, to have an someone stop you in the street and ask directions in Italian — these are the gifts of going deep in a city. Your brain shifts in ways that make you never the same.
My friends have loaned me the key to their big apartment with the party-sized terrace and The View. I can come and sit and write as often as I like.
Tonight, I have bought a bottle of the best Brunello, and I feel rich.
To Touch the Dome
On my second trip to Florence, I am twenty-five.
“I have just the apartment for you,” says the owner-barista as he makes my cappuccino.
This man with the big, dark eyes draws a heart in the foam and I think it is charming and he is charming and all of Italy is charming. He has been listening to me tell George about Brunelleschi.
“Signorina, — right next to Santa Maria del Fiore. You will see.” And he rattles off a very big number in Italian. “It is for you. You appreciate.”
“Too expensive, but grazie, signore,” I say.
“But you, you feel like you – – – – to touch the dome!” He reaches out his arm and pats the wall behind the La Marzocco espresso machine.
“We have a hotel already. Grazie mille. Maybe next visit,” and I take his card.
Later, I bring cones of gelato out to my boyfriend, and the cobbles next to the cathedral radiate heat and we sweat and shade our eyes and look up.
“Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a room this close?”
“Yes.” George looks down at me and smiles. “Hey, maybe we would could get him to come down on the price. I think the guy likes you.”
Gelato streams down my wrist as I wait to climb the dome.
On my fourth trip to Florence, I am forty-eight, and it is just before Christmas.
I have scored an apartment and rooftop patio so close to the Dome I can almost stretch out my hand and rest it one of the occuli, the enormous round windows, the eyes of the Cathedral.
Both the twenty-five year old me and the almost fifty year old me are very happy. And while it is very cold, too cold to sit out on the terrace, I fall asleep on the sofa next to the giant most evenings (you can read about that trip in My Room with a View).
We all have touchstones, and the the Duomo happens to be one of mine. I return to Florence time and again, and probably will for the rest of my life. There is something enormously comforting about Brunelleschi’s Dome for me. When I see it from one of the narrow streets of the old city, I know where I am going. And somehow, I can even see it when I am all the way back in my home, a long way away, in Texas.
The breeze ruffles my hair a little, and I look down into my empty wine glass. I have sat for too long and feel stiff.
I will go soon.
But first, perhaps, another glass of wine.
Fall Weather in Florence
While Florence has a temperate climate, the summer days are hot. The city lies in a valley with the Arno river; it can be humid and still, and midday in July and August often seem much hotter than the 90° mark on the thermometer. Add summer crowds, mix well, and you’ve got a recipe for Not Happy. No wonder the summer months are not my favorite time to visit.
In September and October, temperatures drop, but you still have lots of sunshine. Added bonus? It’s time for “vendemmia” — grape harvest in Tuscany. Whether you want to day-trip into the Chianti region, or combine time in Florence with days in the countryside at different vineyards, then this is the perfect time to visit.
Fall temperatures are great for sitting outside at cafes all over Florence. Whether it’s watching the light on the Palazzo Vecchio turn golden warm at sunset, or catching an apperitif at Gilli in the Piazza della Repubblica, September and October are great months for this.
I have also loved visiting Florence at Christmas, but the days are short, and it is cold — so the outdoor cafe and terrace activity really doesn’t appeal in the same way. Seeing the city decorated for Christmas does make up for the temperature in many ways 🙂 .
View the graphs below to get a sense of average monthly temperatures and monthly rainfall for Florence.
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Where to stay in Florence?
I’ve visited Florence four times in the last few years, and these are the apartments where I spend my time.
Find my friends Paolo and Sonia Fiorentini, and you’ll immediately have four different apartment options. Two are theirs, the small Divina, which was my apartment on this visit, and the grand Milord, where I sat and watched my Dome.
Then there are also the Belvedere Duomo 1 and Belvedere Duomo 2 — both managed by Paolo. Belvedere 1 is my first apartment in Florence, expensive, amazing — and an 88 step climb you must make to earn that view. You are so close to the Dome that it takes a wide angle lens to photograph it properly.
With any of these apartments, you get the amazing management and concierge services from Paolo and Sonia. He lived in North Carolina for five years — and understands Americans 🙂 — and both of them speak English perfectly. Whether you are wanting to hire a driver, take cooking lessons, arrange private day trips to Siena, San Gimignano, or tour wineries in the Chianti region, the Brunello region, or the Bolgheri region — these two can arrange it for you.
Divina Apartment in Florence
Divina: small one bedroom, one block from the cathedral. It has no view, but is modern, beautifully designed, and very comfortable. You can find Divina on VRBO here to see more photographs, look at rates, and check availability.
It is amazingly affordable – so much less expensive that most hotels close to the Duomo — AND you get a kitchen and washing machine. Also, there is something so special about shopping and cooking in your own place in Florence.
Milord Apartment in Florence
I only photographed the view from terrace, but this is such a lovely apartment for families or groups of friends. You can find the Milord apartment on VRBO here to view all of the pictures and check prices and availability. Here are a couple of Paolo’s photos, along with my sunset pic, to give you idea of size of the patio. AND — there is an elevator!
Belvedere Duomo Apartment in Florence
This was my first “Room with a View,” and it’s amazing. It’s the price of an expensive hotel room, and you will trek up 88 steps to get there (no, there isn’t an elevator). But Paolo will lend a hand, and in return — your will feel “like you — to touch the dome.” You’ll find both here on VRBO Belvedere 1 (smaller, with view) and Belvedere 2 (larger, no view — but can be combined with Belvedere 1 for larger groups) to peruse at your leisure.
That’s all for now! I leave you with one of the Medici Lions in the Piazza della Signoria. Do you think he’s about to eat those tourists? Well, probably not 🙂 . If you have any questions about my experiences at any of these apartments, feel free to use my contact form to ask questions. Ciao!
Disclosure: I always pay to stay in these apartments, but I did get a reduced rate at Divina last fall. Also, I have an affiliate relationship with VRBO, and if you book through my blog site, I will get a small commission at no cost to you, my reader.
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[…] Fall in Florence […]
One of my last trips with my mother was a week in central Florence. She would sleep until 11, and I would work online for one of the many beautiful outdoor cafes. Thank you, Ann, for capturing the aura of this amazing city.
Paula, I am so happy you had that time in Florence with you Mom. My trips with my family — Mom, late husband, sister, daughter. Well. They live in my memory forever.
I’ve been to Florence once – on one of those sweltering summer days you mentioned. Hot as hell but such a gorgeous city! I can’t wait to go back one day. Since Fall is my favorite season, perhaps I’ll try going during that time 🙂
I love returning to a city and staying off the beaten path. How fortunate to have returned to Florence at different times of the year and to stay in apartments where you can imagine being a local. I did so in Rome and Budapest. The experience was so much deeper.
Elaine, I want to hear about your apartment in Budapest!
I have been to Florence 3 times, 2 times in the fall and absolutely love it at that time of the year. In fact fall in Italy will make anyone want to move there à la Under the Tuscan Sun! I’ve only stayed in hotels before, even though my stays have been 7+ days but I’ve started staying in apartments and prefer this style of “living” while on the road, especially in Florence which is such a walkable city.
I really like the apartment experience anytime I can get it. But it takes staying a week to make sense — because there is always a cleaning fee, and when that is divided out over seven or more days, it’s a bargain.
I love your stories of your different visits to Florence! I visited Florence once, when I was twenty and studying abroad in Rome. We didn’t get to do a lot of things, including seeing the David — we were there for a short time — but your post makes me want to return. We went in the summer, and the heat and crowds were just awful. I’d never considered visiting Italy in the fall, but that sounds like a great idea. Who knows — perhaps I’ll do it in 10-20 years, too!
Well, I know when you get back to Florence, you’ll love it. There were gaps of many, many years between some of my visits.
I am a Mediterranean medieval historian, weird I know, and so the city of Florence has always been a big deal to me. The art and culture is phenomenal and visiting would be unreal. Your story about being 25 and 48 warmed my heart, I am so glad you could be some places close enough to touch the dome…so inspiring
The city of Florence is a big deal to anyone who loves history. It’s plays such a pivotal role in western civilization, and while that may seem dry to say — anyone who knows it knows — it was dramatic. And I’m so glad you liked the story.
I have never been to Italy, but I think Florence will definitely be the first city I will visit in the country. The view from that Milord apartment is stunning! The elevator is a must-have for us because we always overpack 😛
The elevator is pretty wonderful. But I will say . . . that first apartment so close to the dome that I could feel vibrations off of it. Well, let’s just say the 88 step climb is worth it.
Wow! Your writing is WONDERFUL!!! I was sucked in by the romanticism of it all, it made me want to stay in exactly the same apartment, drinking exactly the same wine that you did! The room was just as beautiful as the view & truly made me miss Florence and feel like I should give it another chance. The last time I was there was when I was a child, so guess I need to go and create some better memories.
Thanks, Janiel — then I’ve done my job. I love being in Florence — a deep feeling at my absolute core. And if I’ve managed to share that. Well — I’m a happy woman.
We were so tempted to go to Florence with you. That region of Italy has such amazing bike ride, we are going to have to go sometime. Fall would be a great time to visit, while the weather holds, crowds thin, and harvest and food festivals start to kick up. I love the romance you view the world with.
Well, unfortunately that last trip didn’t happen. But yes, you will have an amazing time when you get to Florence, and spring would be a great time as well.
Your writing in the opening segment is beautiful, Ann. Congratulations because that is a piece you should be proud of! I was really drawn into your perspective and felt your yearning as a 25 year old, and contentment as a 50 year old. Just beautiful!
Sarah, thank you. I think my time on task at the Book Passage travel writing conference may be responsible.
I haven’t been to Florence (only Rome), but fall would definitely be the time I would want to visit. Not only for the reasons you suggest of it not being so hot and crowded, but because I just love the way cities all over the world look in the fall. I dream of sitting out in cafes in Florence and like you, I have those places that are touchstones for me. I like this term. Spain and Peru are where mine are. However, I would love for Florence to become one. I would definitely like to stay in the Milord Apartment!
We all have them, don’t we. And I think that’s the best outcome of traveling — to commune with a place enough to find our touchstones. — and yes the Milord Apartment is perfect 🙂 .
I absolutely love your opening writing piece here. You can tell that Florence inhabits a part of your soul. I loved the reflection on being there at 25 and again at 48. I think you’re right — you will keep making your way to Florence. Lucky you! And lucky us — you’ve put together the essentials facts we all need to follow you there and fall in love with Florence ourselves.
Thank you — it’s always my goal. To help make the reader feel “that” feeling, whatever it may be with a given experience. And yes, will always be going back to Florence.
[…] Fall in Florence Come sit with me on an amazing terrace in Florence and watch night fall around Brunelleschi’s Dome. Where to stay in Florence: four great apartments. […]