Florence skyline with Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio and Fiesole hills in the background

Independent Travel Guides
Florence & Tuscany

About This Guide

Ana's Secret Guide to Italy is an independent travel publication covering Florence and Tuscany, written and edited by Ana Ka since 2023. Every guide here is based on firsthand visits — restaurants I have eaten in repeatedly, workshops I have stood inside, museums I have queued for in August — and on the questions asked every day by the 100,000 travellers in our Florence community.

We take positions. Some famous sights are not worth your time and we say which. Some trattorias are worth crossing the city for and we say why. Nothing here is written from a press release or a tourism board brief.

Start with the guides to Florence museums, lesser-known Florence, food and wine, or artisan Florence.

Florence Duomo and cathedral complex seen from above, with city rooftops and hills beyond

Florence Museums

Renaissance palazzo courtyard in Florence with stone arches and columns

Hidden Florence

Tuscan dinner table with local food and wine at a Florence restaurant Cantinetta Antinori

Food & Wine

Brunelleschi's Dome leather keychain Florence souvenir

Artisanal Florence

Start Exploring Florence

Discover our curated guides to Florence’s museums, restaurants, cafés, and hidden places — built from years of research and recommendations from our community of travellers.

Brunelleschi's Dome Florence seen from above in bright sunlight

Tickets, Dome Climb & What to Know

Florence Pool Day Passes

Florence Map

Florence, curated. The places I send friends to — trattorias, cafés, artisan workshops and the gelato I swear by.

This Florence map brings those places together — restaurants, cafés, artisan workshops, gelato shops, wine windows and hidden corners recommended by our community.

View the Maps

Curated Experiences

Medici Chapels Florence sculptures by Michelangelo interior detail

A private walk through the city with one of Florence's finest art historians — from the tomb where Michelangelo's body was smuggled in under cover of night to the chapels where his sculptures still twist in eternal unrest. The story behind the genius, told by someone who has spent two decades studying him.

Michelangelo's Florence

Podere Le Ripi winery cellar dome interior Tuscany

From Chianti Classico to Brunello di Montalcino — small-group and private wine tours to family estates where the owner still pours the wine and tells you the story behind it.

Tuscany, Uncorked

Sculptor working on marble sculpture in Florence artisan studio

Step into a working Renaissance palazzo overlooking the Arno, where marble dust, half-finished sculptures and centuries-old tools fill every corner. Touch the materials, try carving yourself, and hear the stories behind the craft from an artist who has spent decades bringing stone to life.

Inside a Sculptor's Studio

See All Experiences

Join 100,000+ Travelers in Our Florence Travel Community

Planning a trip and have questions?

Our Facebook community is a friendly place to get answers about your itinerary, share discoveries, and make friends with people who love Florence & Tuscany as much as we do. Come join our little Italian travel family.

Join the Community

Letters from Florence, Tuscany and the Rest of Italy

New guides to read, plus letters about what I've been eating, reading and finding — from artisan workshops to the winemakers behind the bottles.

Meet Ana

Ciao, I’m Ana. I created Ana’s Secret Guide to Italy to share the Florence I fell in love with — not just the famous landmarks, but the artisan workshops, family trattorias, and quiet corners that reveal the city’s true character.

Over the years I’ve spent countless months exploring Florence and meeting the artists, historians, and winemakers who keep its traditions alive. Today I curate a community of more than 100,000 travellers passionate about Italy, sharing discoveries and recommendations every day.

This guide brings together my research, local connections, and community knowledge to help you experience Florence more deeply.

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Ana founder of Ana's Secret Guide to Italy in Florence

Independent Travel Guides Florence & Tuscany