It was December 2021 and the world was still grappling with the challenges of a pandemic. I was living in Italy and faced a Christmas away from family due to international travel restrictions. I had two options; either spend Christmas alone in my apartment, or make the most of this incredibly unique situation. I took the latter option and headed on a last minute trip to Florence.
I had been dreading the prospect of Christmas all alone in a foreign country, but what made this trip so memorable for me was that at a time of great fear and uncertainty, I experienced the most profound kindness from strangers. I had a truly wonderful AirBnb host who invited me to eat with his friends for Christmas and took time to make sure I felt at home. This, in addition to some of the most spectacular scenery and architecture in the world, flipped what otherwise might have been a tragic situation completely on its head. The city was especially magical at night, the twinkling Christmas lights bringing everything in the rainy cobbled streets to life. And the crowning glory had to be the Duomo di Firenze , Florence's iconic cathedral, framed picturesquely by a lusciously adorned Christmas tree and traditional Italian presepio.
And then of course there was the food... smoked meats, grilled fish, bistecca, cantucci and Vin Santo wine were just some of the Tuscan delights I got to enjoy in my short time there. It's not somewhere I'd ever thought of spending Christmas, but now I have, I recommend everyone does it! You won't regret it!