While we were in Tuscany, when we stayed at the stunning Villa Le Capanne from Bookings For You, we drove over to Florence. It was just over 1.5 hours away from our wonderful villa and somewhere we’d wanted to spend a day exploring. Some of us had visited before and others hadn’t but we were all keen to discover more of this beautiful city. We had two tours organised with LivItaly, the first was a private food tour and gelato making class. The other (to be covered in another post) a walking tour of the city which included a visit to the David.
Although the weather wasn’t on our side that day, and it pretty much lashed down all day, Florence is just as magnificent as I remember it. The Tuscan capital is most recognised for sights such as the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria and Galleria degli Uffizi. Not forgetting, of course, the renowned Accademia Gallery which houses Michaelangelo’s David. But there’s plenty on offer for families too whether it be the gelato making class, a Uffizi treasure hunt or for older kids white water rafting along the River Arno.
LivItaly Tours is a family-owned business that offers private or group tours. Their philosophy is based on providing visitors to Florence and Tuscany, Rome, Venice and other Italian destinations, the opportunity to better understand the culture and history of a place. We know from our family holidays how valuable local knowledge although we’ve typically sought this independently rather than joining an organised tour.
Having parked at Garage del Bargello on Via Ghibellina, we headed to Piazza della Signoria which is around ten minutes walk away. We met our LivItaly guide Raffaela in front of the Café’ Rivoire. As there were 13 of us on the tour, we were issued with headsets although these wouldn’t normally be worn as groups are much smaller. It was an easy way for Raffaela to communicate with us and useful given there was much to photograph along the way. Our first stop was Ponte Vecchio which was the oldest bridge in Florence until the River Arno burst its banks. Rebuilt in 1345, Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge along this river that was not destroyed in WWII. Raffaela was hugely knowledgeable and told us the bridge remained intact in 1966 when the River Arno again burst its banks. Being central, Ponte Vecchio was busy but the crowds dispersed as we headed to the farmers market. There was much to see along the way including pretty streets, colourful mopeds and beautiful doors.
Exploring a Tuscan food market
The farmers market we were due to visit was closed but LivItaly had quickly found an alternative on the other side of the river in advance of us arriving in Florence. We always enjoy visiting food markets while we’re abroad as there’s always interesting produce on offer, even our 7-year-old daughter finds them fascinating. The atmosphere at the farmer’s market was more relaxed with locals buying their fruit and veg, Raffaela introducing us to people as we passed by. She was hugely knowledgeable about the history and tradition but passionate too which is a great combination for a tour guide. It was great exploring the stalls at the market and seeing all the food on offer. We could have spent a while there but we opted to grab a cappuccino (normally at the beginning of the tour) and escape the heavy rain before heading to our gelato making class.
Making gelato at the Perchè No! Academy
It’s fair to say we were all very excited about the gelato making class. We popped into artisan gelato shop Perchè No! first as its one of the oldest gelaterias in Florence, established way back in 1939. The Perchè No! Gelato Academy, where our class was being held, is just a couple of minutes walk away. We were hosted by Ciro Cammilli who is the owner of Perchè No! and has years of experience making gelato. They make fresh gelato in an array of flavours every single day. Ciro showed us how they used to make gelato, using what looked like a wooden urn, and how they made the transition to glass cases. He explained there are no eggs in gelato and it’s churned much slower than ice-cream resulting in it being much thicker. Some of the group then got to try their hands at making banana gelato, a simpler process than you might think. I can just see my daughter POD getting stuck in and really loving this class which is suitable for children aged five an up.
We then got to try the banana gelato with chocolate and it was just delicious closely followed by pistachio and strawberry. I’d never think to put the latter together but the combination was superb, it was my first time trying pistachio. While all the gelato we tasted was delectable, my favourite was a complete surprise. A gelato bruschetta! Consisting of tomato sorbet, fresh basil and drizzled with olive oil, it was so unbelievably good. So much so we had to make some more to satisfy those taste buds while enjoying a little prosecco! What an amazing experience it was. The LivItaly private food market tour and gelato making class lasted 3 hours in total. We’d highly recommend doing it too, it was such good fun.
Disclaimer: We received a free tour in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are as always our own.
