Life in Italy

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Casa Ronald

If Florence is your adopted home, you’ll know the importance of being surrounded by family. But no one understands the importance of family better than the children at Casa Ronald in Firenze.  Located down the street from Meyer Pediatric Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House in Florence hosts

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Foraging for asparagus in the Maremma

It’s a beautiful spring afternoon in southern Tuscany, and we are once more on a mad rush into the woods. While locals and tourists alike are preparing to stroll the streets of Florence or Rome, we’re donning our thickest boots and giving our neighbours dirty looks

THINGS TO DO

What to do with kids in Florence

The Florentine says a massive thank-you to everyone who contributed to this article, including Firenze Moms4Moms and Baby Bottega. Florence does not have the best reputation when it comes to children’s activities. Maybe it’s because of the haute culture, the myriad museums and churches, or

FOOD + WINE

How to navigate an Italian coffee bar

If you are new to Italy, whether as a visitor, student or expat, you may be uncertain how to proceed in the initial confusion, and apparent anarchy, of the local coffee bar. In your home country, you may be used to finding—and staying quietly in—a neat

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Stay healthy in Florence

Needing health care abroad can be a real pill. When living in a foreign country and an unfamiliar city where you don’t speak the language, having to set up a ...

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Italian lessons

The day has finally come to say goodbye to the last guests, fold the blankets and stack the mattresses, clean, cover and close. The last day of the season and time to say goodbye to my window view of cypress trees and green hills. Incredible, how fast six months have

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A guide to transportation in and around Florence

One of the best things about living in Florence is its size. Especially for those living in the city center, it is large enough to be bustling with activity while ...

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Make it yourself!

Let’s Work Artisans! Junior introduces children between 6 and 12 to the world of traditional artisanship while also teaching English in a fun and relaxed environment.   A project by Osservatorio dei Mestieri d’Arte (OmA), an association of artisans and artists, Let’s Work Artisans!

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5 ways to keep your bicycle safe in Florence

Get a super cool illustrated poster with these 5 ways to avoid getting your bike stolen just by sharing this article - click this button and it's all yours!     Leave your car or scooter at home: one of the best ways to get around Florence is by bike,

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Booty for bambini

As Italy’s core empties out come August, with most Italians heading to the coast or abroad, many of us expats head back to our roots. Preparing for the trip home usually entails some gift buying, and while it is fairly easy to find wonderful presents for most recipients,

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Sailing tortoises and a UFO

Your kids might find an afternoon spent at a museum as interesting as watching paint dry, but Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio holds some hidden curiosities sure to pique their interest. Who ...

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Animals & Co

What better fun family outing than a day at the zoo? Ever since Lorenzo de' Medici astounded and entertained Florentines by keeping a giraffe in his menagerie in 1486, Tuscans have kept collections of exotic animals to admire and educate. The zoo in Pistoia was founded in 1970, covers 7

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Getting unhitched

Statistics show that in Europe-and Italy, in particular-marriages between people of different nationalities are increasing. Accordingly, the number of international separations and divorces is also increasing. As you can imagine, ...

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World’s best kissers

When it comes to food, history and culture, the Italians and French are close rivals. However, Italy were recently crowned the undisputed master of passion, winning the title ‘best kissers ...

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Rolling on the river

Simone Ciabatti is a guide, a businessman and a proud Florentine who wants to share his city with others-and to do it in the most inventive way possible. For years, Simone has run his company, Accord Solutions, with an eye toward the innovative. His Segway tours, gelato tastings and

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Hot child in the summertime

There is no way to sugarcoat this: Staying in the city with bambini during the scorching summer months of July and August ain't easy. It's hot. School's out. Even summer camp goes on vacation. Your friends and neighbors are at the beach. But fear not-all it

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A family affair

I am about to give you the recipe for a perfect family Saturday afternoon in Florence. Grab the car, saddle up the motorino or hop on the number 10 bus and get yourself to the Tree Experience Parco Avventura di Vincigliata in Fiesole because this place rocks.   A mix

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Are you KIDding? A day at the park

After having spent the majority of the last decade living in the center of Florence, I became one of ‘those people' who high-tailed it to the outskirts as soon as baby came along. Amidst romantic notions of ambling through the Santo Spirito morning market and frolicking in the

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A Florentine bambino

Tuscany undoubtedly has one of the highest-quality maternal healthcare programs in Italy, possibly one of the best in the world. Hard to believe? Read on.       Once you ...

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Babbo inglese

I was in the COOP carrying a basket in one hand and steering a buggy (‘stroller’ to our American readers) with the other. Having already loaded the basket with heavy ...

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