8 Reasons Why You’ll LOVE Visiting Florence in September
8 Reasons Why You’ll LOVE Visiting Florence in September
+ a list of Rachel's favorite wineries to visit 🍷
Note: This article was written by a previous contributor - Rachel Vermiglio Smith. Rachel graduated with a degree in Italian language and literature. After falling in love with Italian art as well, she went on for a master’s in art history with a focus on the Italian Renaissance. You can follow her on Instagram @theitalianista.
Visiting Florence has become a bit like visiting Disneyland. Summer is the most popular season, sweet treats and delicious food are plentiful, and many people come just for one day, departing before nightfall.
The result is more than a little bit of chaos that starts around May and continues heavily through August. If you’re hoping to avoid this tourist “rush,” you can come in the off season, but then you might have risky weather.
So, what can you do? Visit in September!
Want to know why I think September is the best month of the year? Read on below!
1.) The Weather
Florence in September still feels like summer, but with nights that cool down a bit and less days with the oppressive heat of May through August.
You can still fully enjoy your spritz outside and benefit from the fairly long days of sunshine without all the heat and humidity of earlier summer months.
2.) The Vendemmia
OK this isn’t strictly Florence, but it is a benefit of Tuscany (remember: Florence is IN Tuscany!). The vendemmia is the grape harvest! It’s an amazing time to go wine tasting, see the collection and processing of grapes and enjoy the jovial atmosphere of this super important time for wine production.
I highly recommend visiting podere Ema Bc because they grow historical Tuscan grapes that no one else grows or Guicciardini Strozzi because it’s run by one of the female descendents of Mona Lisa.
Another option is Fattoria Montecchio because it has a fun, cultural twist. You can visit their terracotta furnace before you have lunch and enjoy their wines made entirely in antique Roman jars called amphorae.
Finally, Castello di Verrazzano is commercial compared to my first two suggestions but it’s one of the most beautiful vineyards to visit.
3.) Beach Days
Again this isn’t Florence per se, but Tuscany has a long coastline that is absolutely packed, crowded, hot and expensive in August.
In September, though, the days are still warm enough, but the prices drop and the crowds disappear (as well as the traffic) so you can enjoy all the sparkling blue water you can soak up.
Here is a list of some of the most beautiful beaches along the Tuscan coast.
4.) Fresh Food
The summer season is plentiful for amazing fruit and vegetables. In September, you can still get tons of fresh, sun-kissed produce, while avoiding some of the high prices of earlier months.
5.) Price Drops
September is usually the start of “off season rates.” This can include anything from car rentals to hotels, and it means your trip will likely cost MUCH less overall.
6.) Sagre
If you’ve never been to one, you probably have no idea what a “sagra” even is…allow me to blow your mind. Sagre are festivals that focus on one type of food.
There are sagre for bistecca, sagre for truffles, sagre for cherries, sagre for fried frogs (not kidding) and SO MANY MORE. It’s foodie heaven and September is rich with them.
They happen all over Italy in the summer months, but September sagre boast better weather, calmer crowds and, *I think*, more interesting dishes. Take, for example, the sagra dell’uva in Impruneta (right outside Florence)!
Find a list of upcoming sagre in Florence here.
7.) Schiacciata all’uva
This delicious desert is only available during the vendemmia (grape harvest). It is a bread/dessert made with two layers of dough and dotted with lots of delicious, sweet, ready to explode canaiolo grapes, fresh from the vine. It’s pretty much exclusive to September and just writing about gives me acquolina in bocca.
Here’s a link to a recipe in Italian for schiacciata all’uva.
8.) Festa della Rificolona
This event is a procession that crosses all of Florence, ending in the Piazza Santissima Annunziata. It is marked by the homemade (or store bought) paper lanterns, each one glowing brightly and suspended on sticks held by the paraders.
The event is held each evening of September 7th to mark the birth of the Virgin Mary. It’s truly beautiful to see, glowing lanterns, in various colors, shapes and sizes, excited children and general merriment.
Read more about the history of the event in Italian here.
Have questions about these events or options? Leave a comment below!