HOW TO PASS 2 DAYS IN FLORENCE

How? Extremely easily.

You could while an entire hour away just enjoying a view like this:

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I've already shared day 1 of our long weekend. Now, I'll take you through days 2 and 3, suggesting some fantastic places I believe are worth enjoying.

Day 2 began with a quick trip to the Cavalli cafe. I love this place! Stand at the bar (in 'I've got things to do so let's make this quick' fashion) or take your time and sit down - either way, enjoy an espresso macchiato with an extra dash of liquid chocolate (the way they do all their coffees in the Cavalli cafe).

There's also a fantastic array of naughty treats for the sweet tooth:

I skipped the truffles (this time) and instead opted for a gelato from the best ice cream place in Florence (in my opinion), Festival del Gelato.

LOOK at the richness of that chocolate! The thickness of the scoops. You could hold that upside down and it wouldn't budge.

We headed across the bridge, over the Arno, enjoying ridiculously picturesque views:

We met my bestie (who took the train up from Rome) down on the south side of the Arno for some aperol before hunting down the next rooftop bar at the Westin Excelsior.

Then some quick "friends catching up" snaps before aperitivo hour:

You know the deal with aperitivo, right? If not, it's devastatingly simple (and awesome) - from anywhere between 4pm and 9pm (depending on the establishment), you may order a drink for around 10 Euros, and eat as much free food laid out in the buffet as you desire.

We parted ways with my beloved Gio at around 9pm, after having eaten our fill of 'free' dinner.

Jarv and I bought some meat, fruit and breakfast in a supermarket, headed back to the apartment for an hour or two and decided on a midnight stroll around the Duomo (situated a mere 52m away from us, you may recall me mentioning last time).

We explored the beautiful architecture of the city at night, and returned home at around 1am.

Day 3. We had a leisurely breakfast, cooked at the flat and checked out of the apartment by 11:30am, leaving our bags in a locker at the station. Then, a slow walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo for magnificent panoramic views of the city.

That wall on the left there is one of the old city walls, by the way.

Having worked up an appetite, we wandered over to our favourite wine bar only to find a huge queue (where on the way up we'd seen many empty tables), so skipped the waiting around and decided to walk a little further down the street to this fantastic gastronomic spot, Zeb.

More picci was consumed, as well as this very interesting, fresh dish of ravioli stuffed with ricotta and pear.

By the time we were done, the crowds at Fuori Porta had dissipated and we grabbed a free table in the corner for a glass of wine and a bruschetta.

We strolled around the city's piazzas and narrow streets for another two hours before walking back to the station to collect our bags, grab a quick pizza dinner and board our train back to Bologna for our flight home.

Thus concluded our weekend in Florence, as exciting, romantic, satisfying and beautiful as every other time.