FLORENCE

After enjoying ourselves in Rome and Positano Nitin and I headed north to Florence. We didn’t do too much sightseeing in Florence but rather we spent most of our time shopping and checking out the beautiful cafes and restaurants in the city.

We’ve never stayed in an AirBNB before so we decided to give it a try. We stayed here and had a great experience; gracious host, perfect location and most importantly, super clean. One of the biggest perks about this property is that it’s down the street from a local Italian market. I was super tired when we arrived in Florence so Nitin had a great idea to head to the market in the morning and pick up groceries to make our own Italian feast for dinner. We stocked up on fresh pasta, pesto, meat, cheese, olives …the options were endless and so incredibly fresh. The market is filled with locals and while our Italian isn’t the greatest we managed to order exactly what we were looking for. After coming back from a busy day of shopping we got to unwind and cook our own little Italian meal together. This was one of the most memorable moments of our babymoon; living like true Italians!

I wore this Shein Grid Longline Coat quite a bit during our trip because it’s heavy enough for chilly days yet light enough for spring weather. I love the comfort and versatility of it and have been rocking it regularly since I got back. You can get 10% off this coat (or any Shein purchase) with discount code 3kiki10.

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What to See + Things to Know + Where to Dine

• The best Italian leather is made in Florence and I hands-down recommend checking out Scuola Del Cuoio. This prestigious leather school of Florence is home to some of the most beautiful bags I have ever seen. Needless to say, I couldn’t resist getting a few things. My favourite purchase is this bag which I got in a beautiful forest green. It was incredible to see where and how these bags are made, and I love the added touch of having my initials personalized on the strap. I also picked up some bracelets for my sister, while Nitin landed on a custom belt.

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• Florence is also home to some beautiful churches. The line-ups can be quite long to get in so we observed from the outside. If you do plan on visiting churches I recommend getting there quite early before the tour groups start arriving.

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• There is no shortage of cafes in this city, with our favourites being Cafe Cibreo (right around the corner from our Air BNB), Gilli, Paszkowski and Scudieri. These are some of the most famous cafes in Florence and offer a delicious selection of pastries, meals and coffee.

• If you’re looking for an incredible meal, the owners of Caffe Cibreo also have a hot spot called Cibreo Trattoria which offers the most delicious rabbit. One of my favourite meals in Italy was here.

• The shopping in Florence is incredible! Home to many Italian and international brands, one of the most famous shopping streets is Via de’ Tornabuoni. I surprisingly didn’t purchase much for myself here but focused on picking up timeless pieces for my little bambino, including his first baby blanket from Gucci.

• My favourite Gelato in Florence is from Perchè no! which was suggested to us by our friends.

VENICE

Nitin booked us a private car service for most of our trip, but we wanted to try out the trains in Italy so we hopped on a train from Florence to Venice. The trains are a super convenient way of getting around Italy and I do recommend splurging on first class (it’s not as much as you would think).

I don’t know what I was expecting when we arrived in Venice (maybe some streets filled with cars and traffic), but we were literally greeted by the Grand Canal from the moment we stepped out of the train station. The only way to get to your hotel is via water bus or private water taxi. In an effort to save time we took a private water taxi to our hotel which was only 5 minutes from the train station. It wasn’t cheap but there aren’t many options unless you plan to walk over the busy bridges (I don’t recommend doing this).

What to See + Things to Know + Where to Dine

• The Rialto Bridge is probably one of the busiest spots in Venice. Nitin and I walked here from our hotel and it was tourist overload for me. Considering we were visiting in off-season I was surprised how jam packed the bridge was. The best time of day to visit the bridge is early morning when there aren’t as many tourists and you can get uninterrupted views and pictures.

• If you’re looking for a spot to eat be careful of the tourist traps that line the canal. The best places to eat are the hidden gems like Osteria Campo Santa Marina, Al Covo and Trattoria Antiche Carampane.

• It’s so much fun to get lost in Venice. Nitin and I spent hours wandering the streets, admiring the bridges, canals and history. Reserve some time to walk around and soak up the culture.

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• Piazza San Marco (aka Saint Mark’s Square) is a serious tourist hub. It’s surrounded by the religious landmark Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark’s Basilica), Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace) and the Bridge of Sites. You can grab a gondola ride from this area, sit around and enjoy the view, or check out the cafes and shops in the square. I highly recommend Caffe Florian, which is the oldest cafe in the world!

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• The price of gondola rides varies on the time of day and there is no shortage of spots to grab one.

• Given that we were on our babymoon, Nitin and I (ok, more myself than Nitin) decided to do a photoshoot to capture this special time. After all, there’s only so much you can do with a tripod and asking strangers to take your picture. We made a last minute booking with Olga Mufel who was super accommodating to our schedule. We started shooting in the early morning to avoid the crowds and it was totally worth waking up early for. Not only is Olga a talented photographer but she knows Venice like the back of her hand so we had a blast being navigated around all the nooks and crannies.

Italy was a completely dream. From the culture to the history to the food it was a slice of heaven and we can’t wait to go back with our little bambino. After a few nights in Venice we took a water taxi to the airport where we departed for Paris …stay tuned for the final part of our babymoon, coming soon!

xo, Kiki