Two Birds Travel Diary: Florence
Florence in a Day: Art, Architecture & the Rise of the Renaissance Bankers
After a few dreamy days gliding through the canals of Venice, we bid the floating city farewell with one last espresso macchiato and a smooth private transfer to the train station. By late morning, we were comfortably settled into business class seats aboard Italy’s high-speed rail, watching the northern countryside roll by like an ever-changing fresco.
Arrival in Florence: A Stylish Welcome
Our arrival at Santa Maria Novella station was nothing short of seamless. We were met by a local assistant and porter. A short drive later, we were checking into the Hotel Continentale, a sleek 4-star boutique stay perched beside the Arno River with views of the Ponte Vecchio that felt straight out of a painting. The rest of the afternoon was left blissfully open—an intentional pause to sip espresso, wander cobbled streets, and ease into the magic of Firenze.
A Deep Dive into Florence’s Heartbeat
Florence isn’t just a city—it’s a living museum. And our full-day private tour was designed to trace both its legendary landmarks and the powerful families that shaped them.
Our morning began in grand style with a visit to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, more commonly known as Il Duomo. Towering over the city skyline with its iconic red-tiled dome, this cathedral is the spiritual and visual anchor of Florence. Seeing Brunelleschi’s Dome up close—an engineering marvel that has stood for over 500 years—was an awe-inspiring reminder of Renaissance brilliance. From there, we admired the geometric beauty of Giotto’s Bell Tower and the golden doors of the Baptistery of San Giovanni, one of Florence’s oldest religious buildings.
After working up an appetite with all those steps and stories, we took a leisurely break for lunch at a local trattoria (our guide had excellent recommendations for authentic Tuscan fare—no tourist traps here!).Our wonderful guided set us up with her favorite waiter and everything we tried was mouthwatering.
Florence: The Original Wall Street?
The afternoon revealed a different side of Florence—not just as an artistic capital but as a powerhouse of wealth and innovation. We followed the footsteps of the Bardi and Peruzzi families, early banking dynasties who laid the foundations for modern finance. Their legacies—along with their cautionary bankruptcies—set the stage for the meteoric rise of the Medici. Our guide even shared all of the historical gossip and salacious scandals of the day.
At Palazzo Medici Riccardi, we stepped into the opulent world of Renaissance elites. Fresco-covered ceilings, grand salons, and a facade so iconic it inspired the Federal Reserve in New York—it’s no wonder the Medici transformed their name into a brand long before social media existed. Think the Kardashians of their time.
Our guide masterfully wove together stories of guilds, notaries, and merchant powerhouses as we explored Orsanmichele, the former church of Florence’s commercial guilds. Every corner of the city whispered of deals made, fortunes lost, and the shaping of a world where art and money danced hand in hand. The legacy of weaving in Florence absolutely fascinated me and I made note to make sure to put that on my Mom’s itinerary - an avid weaver for most of my life!
We returned to the hotel full of inspiration and more than a little exhausted. We grabbed a quick dinner near the hotel and enjoyed the evening sitting outside. Florence dazzled us not only with her beauty but with her brains—an elegant balance of form and function, history and hustle.
If Venice is a dream, Florence is a legacy—and we were lucky to walk, taste, and learn our way through its story.
