Bellissimo - Florence and Beyond - Spring 2026
With 20 issues of Bellissimo on 20 Italian regions now in our rearview mirror — plus a bonus issue on the Vatican — we’re shifting the focus of the magazine to cities, and are kicking things off with perennial favorite, Florence. Our updated format is built around an anchor destination (in this case, Florence) and three day trips in the area that are either underrated (Arezzo, Prato) or misunderstood (Pisa).
By omitting some of the “usual suspects” in a Florence special — guides to the Uffizi Gallery, say, or itineraries in Chianti towns — we aren’t meaning to suggest you should skip those things. But we don’t want to show you the same Florence and Tuscany essentials you can easily find on page 1 of your Google results.
Instead, we’ve aimed to bring you a lively snapshot of today’s Renaissance city. The longer and more immersive reads here are perfect for armchair exploration, but they sit side by side with practical tips for real-time travel, like where to:
- sleep (from cozy boltholes to best-in-class five-star stays),
- dine (from corner trattorias to beloved local bakeries),
- and day-trip by train (strictly off the pre-determined path).
New columns shine an extra spotlight on the people who give a place its soul: “Trade Show” pays tribute to Florence’s workers, makers and masters of their crafts, and “Word on the Street” challenges three residents to capture their home in impossibly concise terms.
We’ve also revamped or renamed various sections: “On the Ground” gives you skimmable rundowns of events, cuisine and people to know, while “Where to Train” offers first-person accounts of three day-trip destinations within easy, car-free reach of the main city. (Yes, we may get some side-eye from Florentines for including Pisa — the Tuscan capital’s sworn rival — but we thought Leaning Tower land deserved a closer look.)
When it comes to Florence and the surrounding area, there are always new reasons to fall in love. Whether you’ve been exploring the Tuscan capital and its neighboring towns for decades or are taking your first steps, we know you’ll find some in this issue.
Download this issue of Bellissimo with a Premium Membership, which also grants you access to all past and future issues, or purchase Florence & Beyond as a single issue and start planning your next adventure. View more issues of Bellissimo here.
