How to Spend Time with Family and Friends When They Visit You Abroad

Is someone from home visiting the beautiful city of Florence to see you? Well, I have just the plan to make sure you check off all of the things visitors would hopefully love to do!

My family visited early into the semester, but late enough for me to be able to plan a wonderful trip for them to experience all the culture of Florence and other regions of Italy! I was lucky enough to be able to have them here for 10 days, so we were able to fit in a lot!

Caption: My Mom and I in front of Ponte Vecchio.

The first day they arrived, they were a bit jet lagged but that didn't stop their excitement to explore some of Florence. I walked them over to one of the staples of the city and most well-known parts: Ponte Vecchio. Many will be grateful to see this bridge as it is seen in many pictures when looking into Florence, so it's a must see for all! Later, we went to dinner at a favorite for many, including locals and many of my peers, called Zaza. It's a well-priced restaurant that has the feeling of fine Italian dining. The food is delicious, and your visitors will be able to experience the real Italian way of dining for dinner.

Although I had classes during some of the days they were here, it didn't affect our time together. They were able to explore the city on their own and try to get a grasp on feeling like a local. After my classes were finished, we would explore more of what the city has to offer. My mom loves her tourist activities, so she signed us up for a golf cart tour around the city. Although you may feel embarrassed traveling around your city in a golf cart, I highly recommend your visitors try this! My family thought this was the best way to get a feel of the history and views of the city while only being here for a short time. They even said it was one of their favorite things they did while being here! The tour brought us all around, including at the top of Piazza Michelangelo, a must see (and without having to climb all the stairs)!

Caption: Piazza Michelangelo during sunset.

Later, our tour guide gave us a recommendation to the best restaurant that I've been to yet! It's called Trattoria Dall'Oste and let me just say, everyone was thrilled we went. A must-try dish for your visitors is the Florentine steak! Although I'm vegetarian, I have heard countless recommendations from servers and my teachers telling everyone that can eat it should try it! We also tried the cheese plate that was shockingly fresh, as well as the ribollita, a traditional vegetable bread soup that was fantastic.

In terms of museums to visit, I recommend Uffizi. It's by far the biggest and, in my opinion, the best. You can see many great artists from Leonardo da Vinci to Botticelli. There are hundreds of paintings and sculptures to fill you with history and culture for a few hours of your day! Another key place to visit is of course, the Accademia where you will see the David of Michelangelo.

Caption: At the Uffizi Museum.

For the weekend, I suggest taking a train to one of the nearby cities in Italy. My family and I took the train down to Venice for the weekend of Valentine's Day and it was beautiful! Right when you get off the train you are engulfed in everything the city has to offer! From the flowing canals to the water taxis, to the crowded streets, and the small, but gorgeous buildings. We only spent one night there, but we got in a lot! We took a water taxi over to our first location. Did you know that there aren't any cars in Venice? The only way to get around is by foot or boat"”neat, right? Our water taxi took us to the meeting point for our next boat trip. We took a small boat that all of us could fit in as we toured the canals through the small city. It was two hours of beautiful sight seeing from the Grand Canal to the Rialto Bridge, to the Palazzo Rezzonico.

Caption: On a Gondola tour in Venice.

The next day we walked all around the shopping center. We walked around St. Mark's Square, which gave us a beautiful view of St. Mark's Basilica. If I were to visit Venice for a longer period however, I would make sure to take a visit to Burano. There are many wonderfully colored houses that will make you feel like you're in a dream world!

Caption: Venice canals.

On a day after school, my family and I decided to go on a wine tour. We had a personalized tour to go along with the timing of my class and the length we wanted to be on it for. Our tour was around five hours and took us to two lovely wineries. The first was spectacular and took us into the world of wine making. We were able to walk through the vineyards and learn about the entire process from picking the grapes, cooking them, storing them, and all the way up until they're packaged. It was a very informative and personal experience to learn about Chianti Classico and what makes it native to Tuscany. The second stop was a smaller winery, but still very lovely. We learned about their different types of wines and tasted, as well as snacked on some amazing things! I highly suggest going on a wine tour if your visitors would enjoy it because of how much you can really learn about wine and Florence in general!

Caption: The barrels wine is stored in.

Another day after school, my sister, mother, and I took a short trip down to Pisa. It's only about an hour and 20-minute train ride over there for usually no more than $11 a person! We didn't have much time to walk around and explore more of the city, but I'm very glad we were able to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa to check that off the list!

Caption: The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Last, but not least, we took another weekend getaway to the beautiful island of Capri. My family was able to extend their stay due to a holiday weekend, so we decided to venture over to Capri. We took a train from Florence to Naples, then a catamaran from Naples harbor to Capri. We began walking all throughout the small city exploring every place we were drawn to. Although it was off season when I went, it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It was quite nice that it was off season due to there not being many people visiting which means that the already narrow streets didn't make us feel even more crowded. We dined at an amazing restaurant that had a beautiful skyline of the island. From high mountains to low beaches, this island holds all kinds of beauty! If you have visitors, especially during the warmer months, I will definitely say this is a must to visit!

No matter how you spend your time with your visitors, I know it will be a lovely experience for you and them! I hope my suggestions help guide a pathway if you need help trying to think of ideas on entertaining guests! As always, have fun and keep exploring!