The first time I ever left the country, I uprooted my very comfortable life and moved to Florence for four months. It was a bold decision for someone with little travel experience and no real idea of what to expect.
On the drive to the airport, I passed half-lit fast-food signs, coffee chain stops off the highway, and giant grocery stores. The familiar places I had taken for granted my entire life suddenly felt comforting. As my departure grew closer, I found myself worried about leaving them behind. I was intimidated by the unfamiliar – by leaving my family, my friends, and even my go-to coffee order.
And I’ll be honest: arriving in Florence with no idea where to buy groceries, find deodorant, or wash and dry my clothing wasn’t exactly the Italian dream I had imagined. At least not at first.
But what I did come to understand surprisingly quickly was that connection is at the heart of Florence. It’s woven into the culture, the economy, the traditions, and the simple rhythms of everyday life.
But you have to be open to living it, not just observing it.
When Florence started to open up
I found my footing when I stumbled upon a tiny sandwich shop along the Arno River. I had stopped in hoping for a bottle of water, but when the owner shook his head no, I assumed I was out of luck.
Instead, he told me to wait.
What followed was the most carefully crafted cocktail I’d ever seen – mixed in a plastic to-go cup, no less. He measured with instinct, but every move felt intentional. When I reached for my Euros, he refused them and told me my payment was trusting him.
That Hugo Spritz joined me for the rest of my walk… it was both delicious and addictive. More importantly, it became my introduction to saying yes to the unexpected.
But it didn’t come that easy to me.
Rather than staying tucked away in my apartment or only visiting social-media-worthy stops, though those are worth seeing too, I had to be willing to explore and take a few chances.
I just had to look a little harder to find my hole-in-the-wall spot – the place nobody else would think to wander into.
Whether it meant trying something new, leaving my comfort zone, or gaining exclusive access to a site, I never said no to an opportunity.
And what I eventually realized was that Florence reveals itself through connection.
Sometimes that connection comes through people. Sometimes it comes through places.
Where history becomes personal
The Baptistery of San Giovanni is one of those places.
What many people don’t realize is that the Baptistery, standing beside Florence’s iconic Duomo, has witnessed generations of Florentine families pass through its doors for baptisms and has stood alongside the cathedral throughout each step of its 150-year construction. As part of its 100th anniversary celebration, Tauck, a family-owned and operated company, provided a grant to help complete the restoration of the Baptistery’s Madre Terra floor mosaic – preserving a cherished piece of Florentine heritage for generations to come.
In a city where family shapes everyday life, it feels fitting that one family is helping preserve a place cherished by so many other families.
Guests on Roam by Tauck’s Florence & the Tuscan Hills journey have the rare opportunity to ascend the restoration scaffolding for an up-close look at the Baptistery’s extraordinary 13th-century mosaics – an experience not open to the public. The remarkable artwork, depicting Christ the Judge alongside angels and scenes from the Bible, has watched over Florence for ages – offering a rare glimpse into the spiritual storytelling that continues to define the city today.
Standing face-to-face with these mosaics, it’s easy to understand why places like the Baptistery remain so important. They connect generations of Florentines – and visitors like you and me – to stories, traditions, and experiences larger than ourselves.
For you, that moment may become your most meaningful memory of Florence.
Mine happened in a tiny sandwich shop.
The moment Florence felt like home
Over the following weeks, I returned again and again for his Hugo Spritzes. He remembered my name and my order and never expected a single Euro from me.
Somewhere along the way, that little sandwich shop became my version of home. My new familiar. In many ways, my new family.
And as I spent more time wandering Florence, I realized that same sense of belonging could be found throughout the city – even in the landmarks that had quietly watched over generations long before me.
A deeper sense
of home
My family in Florence grew beyond the people I arrived with. It became my Italian professor riding her bicycle through the city each morning, the vendor at my favorite weekly market, and the friends who were always ready to book a last-minute flight somewhere new.
Looking back, I realized those experiences weren’t all that different from what draws people to places like the Baptistery.
They all reveal something essential about Florence.
This is a city built on continuity. On relationships. On traditions passed from one generation to the next.
When I think about Florence, I remember the people who welcomed me, the landmarks I passed every day, and the small routines that made the city feel like home.
And while my family back home was never far from my thoughts, Florence showed me that family can grow wherever we find connection.
That connection can happen over a shared meal, an unexpected act of kindness, or standing beneath intricate artwork that has seen more than any person alive.
