Hello everyone, 

I'm back with a new city guide, and this one is about Florence in Italy.
I fell in love with this city and their people. I've never been there before, and I heard so many good things about that city. I went there in July 2019 for almost a week but it wasn't enough. I was staying in a charming hotel in the district 1 (old city), called Hotel Croce di Malta. It's a former convent with a lovely inner garden and swimming pool. There is also a rooftop which offers a beautiful view on the city. The rooms are nice and the breakfast is delicious. You have a lot of choice. You can visit the city by walk because everything is next to the hotel. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have more time to visit, but for sure next time, I will spend more time and I'd like to discover the vineyards outside the city. I think summer is not the right time to go there because every place was crowded and the weather was quite warm. You need to favor the spring time. I went in the old city of Florence, to discover every corner. I was surprised by people there, because most of them are speaking French and Italian. It's very rare to find someone speaking english. I have some notions and I'm able to understand some sentences in Italian, 'cause it's very close to the French language. I met a woman who told me that during her school years, she had the choice between French and English as second language after Italian, and Italians prefer to choose French. 

DAY 1

PIAZZA DELLA REPUBBLICA 
It was my first day and I was exhausted but I really wanted to discover some places in Florence. My hotel was next to the Piazza della Repubblica. This is a square which houses many restaurants and caffès. 
THE DUOMO 
It's located in the old town of Florence. The cathedral, very huge and magnificient, was named in honor of Santa Maria del Fiore. The Renaissance-styled dome was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to visit it because you must buy your tickets online and the queue is very long from the morning to the end of the day. It was during summer and I couldn't stand all day. 

DAY 2

GUCCI GARDEN 
If you love fashion, you have to visit this museum. To be honest, I'm not really fan of Gucci as a brand but this visit was really interesting in terms of experience and creativity. 

DAY 3 

VILLA BARDINI 
It's definitely my favourite place in Florence. I love beautiful gardens with beautiful views on the city. And this one is amazing. If you have the chance to go to this garden, you will meet their cat named "Principessa", which means "Princess" in italian. 

BOBOLI GARDENS
Next to the Villa Bardini, you have a largest park called Boboli Gardens. You will find in it a botanical garden, a museum, many fountains, and even a vineyard. 

DAY 4 

SALVATORE FERRAGAMO MUSEUM 
I didn't know very well the Italian brand Salvatore Ferragamo. There was an exhibition about their sustainability policies and the efforts they make to use innovative materials in their collections. It makes them one of the avant-garde brand among the luxury brands that have embraced transparency and ethics. 

DAY 5 

We discovered their cafés and a department store LUISAVIAROMA. For me, I thought that Luisaviaroma was only a pureplayer and finally it's not... If you are interested in digital experience, customer experience, retail, etc....You will be impressed by the customer experience and digital in-store. 

At the end of January, I went back to Milan for a weekend. The last time, I went there for Christmas Holidays in 2015 and the weather wasn't good at all. 

This time, the weather was fine for two days and it was very pleasant. We've completely forgotten the cold temperatures. 

Mi piace molto Milano. Milan is MY favorite city in Italy, especially for its atmosphere, its restaurants, its people, its streets, and its stores. Some of my friends have always told me that Milan is the equivalent of Paris and that's the reason why I love the city. 

Usually, we're landing at Linate Airport. But for this time, we arrived at Milan-Malpensa Airport. It's the second airport in Italy and the biggest airport in Milan which is located around 55km from the old town. I'm gonna give you some PRECIOUS advice. Don't take a taxi because it costs 95 euros. Actually, it was our first time at this airport and we didn't know the area very well. You can take the Malpensa Express. It costs 13 euros per person, and it's a train linking the airport (terminals 1 & 2) to the Central Train Station of Milan.  

Once we arrived at the hotel, we've been upgraded (again). We booked a room at NH Touring Milano, near the metro station Turati. This hotel is very nice, very contemporary and the staff is always attentive to their clients.   

WHAT CAN YOU DO IN MILAN IN 2 DAYS? 

• Porta Garibaldi-Porta Nuova District: It's a new district and the modern side of Milan: the central business district.  There, you'll find a mall with restaurants, stores, gym). Then, when you're going to Corso Como, you have many young designers stores, restaurants, and the famous concept store: 10 Corso Como. It's an Italian version of Colette Paris (who doesn't longer exists). It was founded by Carla Sozzani, sister of Franca Sozzani, the former editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia.  On the Piazza XXV Aprile, there is also another concept store for furniture and decoration  : Cargo HighTech.  Go further on Corso Garibaldi, you will enjoy the view on a Gucci Art Wall,  you can go to the Moleskine Café, a womenswear brand Midinette which offers a collection of vintage and glamorous inspired-clothes. Concerning Brera, it's the artistic district of Milan. If I could define Brera, I'd say it's the equivalent of Saint Germain des Prés in Paris: bohemian chic known as "BOBO" (bourgeois bohème). You can find there a lot of art galleries, design stores, little restaurants, cafés. 

SUMMARY OF MY BEST ADDRESSES IN MILAN 

Where to sleep? 
I had been staying in a four-stars hotel in the city center, located around 20 minutes from the Central Train Station by walk. I had booked on Booking.com. 

Where to eat? 

• Nui City Jungle Café, Via Principe Amedeo. It's a restaurant which is very crowded for lunchtime because people working around there (Embassy, luxury brands HQ, Radio Monte Carlo, Banks) are eating there. The Milanese Veal is absolutely delicious.
• Biancolatte, Via Turati. It's both a store and a restaurant. It's very cute and perfect for tea time/snack time.  
• California Bakery, Via Corso Como: sincerely, I'm not a huge fan. It's very small but if you want an American burger, you can go there. 
• Granaio Caffè e Cucina, next to Galerie Vittorio Emanuele II. I went there for tea time and when I checked the menu, I discovered that you can eat a slice of Sacher Torte. It's a typical pastry from Austria. I was so surprised to find it in Milan. 
• 10 Corso Como Café: for the amazing place. 

What can you visit? 

• Brera District : for design and vintage stores lovers. 
• Quadrilatero della moda (Luxury Fashion District) :for luxury and premium stores. 
• Museo del Novecento
• Il Duomo Di Milano
• La Scala
• Parco Sempione
• Gallerie d'Italia
• Fondazione Prada