Imagine walking down the tiny streets of Florence, thinking about how much beauty, architecture and art that surrounds you. Picture you and your partner sipping a romantic glass of prosecco in a fancy bar in piazza della Repubblica or listening to the melancholic notes of a street artist in Santo Spirito while shopping at an antiques market chock-full with old furniture, posters, paintings and decadent vintage clothing. Now wake up because it is raining. Again. Florence has a special relationship with rain: they are basically best friends and November is the wettest month of the year. Since we can’t all stand under the same umbrella-ella-ella, here are some tips and tricks to survive in Florence when it rains.
Illustration by Leo Cardini
brolly+style
Buy a snazzy umbrella at a local artisan shop. Here in Florence umbrellas are not just accessories that people use when it starts pouring; they are a social statement. Those who never forget to pop an umbrella in their bag are well respected, since rain in Florence is sneaky, yet they are brilliantly ready for any inconvenience. There are myriad designs to choose from: the reproduction of Brunelleschi’s Cupola is a must have—Cosimo de’ Medici would have loved it.
take it easy+water tour
Stop tearing around from one tourist honeypot to another. Instead organize your entire day around the theme of water. Turn the aqueous problem into a flood of possibility. Check out Botticelli’s Birth of Venus in the newly appointed rooms at the Uffizi, the putto at the center of the Michelozzo courtyard in the Palazzo Vecchio and the many fountains all over town. A very cultural way of buttarsi sul bagnato!
wine+dine
A rainy day is a food lovers’ paradise. Florence is famous all around the world for its authentic, soul-feeding cibo. Take a cooking course to learn how to cook traditional staples like pappa al pomodoro and ribollita. Both dishes find their perfect match with a nice glass of Chianti Classico because it is raining outside and, frankly, you deserve it.
river+remember
2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the flood that devastated Florence on November 4, 1966. There are countless events and activities to remember the astonishing outpouring of help that our beloved city received from all over the world. Check out Mary Gray’s events listing to find a moment to remember our city’s past.