Florence Christmas Markets
I have wanted to go to the Christmas Markets at Florence for a few years now and this year, or rather, earlier this year I decided to go.
I went on 20 December and had an overnight stay in the most wonderful and historic, 500 year old hotel in the Piazza SS Annunziata in Florence.
The Loggia dei Serviti is a wonderfully refined place to stay with helpful yet unobtrusive staff. I was even upgraded to a superior room because I'd asked for a view of the piazza. The room was large with a velvet chesterfield sofa and matching bed cushions. It was all colour co-ordinated. A relaxing duck egg blue.
The weather was absolutely atrocious with heavy, soaking rain so I was rather underwhelmed by the Florence Christmas markets. It took me a long time to find. Even though they were in the Piazza Santa Croce, there were no signs. I used my gps which took me right around Florence and back again before I decided to go under my own steam and sure enough, I found the markets.
There were a number of stalls but I had expected more. Even though the markets are described as the German Markets in Florence, there weren't many German stalls. There was English food, Scottish fayre and some Italian artisan chocolate and food stalls. The German element was a sausage stall.
Although there were tables set up for outdoor eating, it was too wet. If it had been a dry evening eating food bought at the Christmas market, outside would have been wonderful.
Instead, I found a quiet restaurant off the beaten track and had a tasty risotto for dinner before going back to the welcoming Loggia dei Serviti to sleep.
The next morning before catching the train home from Santa Maria Novella station in Florence, I visited the artisan markets in Florence. Not all of the stalls were set up despite me arriving an hour after opening time.
There was a strong wind so some of the stall holders were in difficulty. That said there were some lovely jewellery stalls as well as interesting antiques and expensive olive wood chopping boards.
Next year I'm already thinking of visiting another famous Christmas market, who knows, Colmar looks good.
Watch this space!
I went on 20 December and had an overnight stay in the most wonderful and historic, 500 year old hotel in the Piazza SS Annunziata in Florence.
The Loggia dei Serviti is a wonderfully refined place to stay with helpful yet unobtrusive staff. I was even upgraded to a superior room because I'd asked for a view of the piazza. The room was large with a velvet chesterfield sofa and matching bed cushions. It was all colour co-ordinated. A relaxing duck egg blue.
The weather was absolutely atrocious with heavy, soaking rain so I was rather underwhelmed by the Florence Christmas markets. It took me a long time to find. Even though they were in the Piazza Santa Croce, there were no signs. I used my gps which took me right around Florence and back again before I decided to go under my own steam and sure enough, I found the markets.
There were a number of stalls but I had expected more. Even though the markets are described as the German Markets in Florence, there weren't many German stalls. There was English food, Scottish fayre and some Italian artisan chocolate and food stalls. The German element was a sausage stall.
Although there were tables set up for outdoor eating, it was too wet. If it had been a dry evening eating food bought at the Christmas market, outside would have been wonderful.
Instead, I found a quiet restaurant off the beaten track and had a tasty risotto for dinner before going back to the welcoming Loggia dei Serviti to sleep.
The next morning before catching the train home from Santa Maria Novella station in Florence, I visited the artisan markets in Florence. Not all of the stalls were set up despite me arriving an hour after opening time.
There was a strong wind so some of the stall holders were in difficulty. That said there were some lovely jewellery stalls as well as interesting antiques and expensive olive wood chopping boards.
Next year I'm already thinking of visiting another famous Christmas market, who knows, Colmar looks good.
Watch this space!
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