Only Happy When It Rains (ft. Florence) | Italy

When it rains in Florence, Botticelli Angel umbrellas create an impenetrable fortress between human and sky. Lines to enter the Il Duomo di Firenze are almost as impressive as the cathedral itself, and you can forget about seeing The Birth of Venus without an iPad hovering in the foreground. Happy couples get caricature sketches while those that argued over getting lost all day slug back carafes of Sangiovese wine and binge eat pizza instead.

It’s no secret there’s a dense collection of Renaissance art and architecture in Florence, and apparently, people are into it.  Each year, the UNESCO World Heritage city (population 370,000) welcomes 16 million tourists, and you can really, really feel it. It’s fair to say that pretty little Florence has a tourist problem.

If you imagine Florence to be like a quaint photo, you might not like the city much at all. But if you don’t mind getting off the main streets and watching the crowds from afar, you’ll find garish window displays at high-fashion retailers, quirky cocktail bars, and local markets selling plenty of divine Italian food that isn’t even pasta. Want to get beyond the top 10 and see the secrets of Florence? Here’s some street photography of crowded monuments and hidden places that capture what Florence is really like.

More details on fun things to do in Florence at the end of this post!

Street Photography from a Cloudy Day in Florence

Secret Florence

See: Local Butchers & Cheesemongers at Mercato Centrale // The Carousel on Piazza della Republica // The Street Art Series “L’Arte Sa Nuotare” // The Line at the Uffizi // The Gardens at Giardino Bardini

Shop: Secondhand at Marie Antoinette // Leather at Scuola del Cuoio

Browse: Natural Healing Products at Officina Profumo-Faramceutica di Santa Maria Novella // High End Fashion at Gucci Museo// Window Displays on Via de’ Tornabuoni // Portraits along the the Vasari Corridor

Eat + Drink: Lampredotto at Da Nerbone // Craft Cocktails at Sabor Cubano // Gelato at Perche’ No // Aperitivo at Gallery Café Art Bar

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Have you ever been? What did you think were the best kept secrets in Florence? How did you avoid the crowds of tourists?