A Winter Wedding in Florence: How to Spend Your Wedding Weekend
Tuscany in Summer is extraordinary: golden light, vineyards in full bloom, and landscapes at their most vibrant. It’s the season most people picture first when they imagine Tuscany.
Yet when it comes to planning a destination wedding in Tuscany, there’s a season just as dreamy, and often far less considered: Winter.
Florence in winter feels like an entirely different city. The pace slows, the light shifts, and the streets take on a quieter, more intimate atmosphere. We think Florence is the perfect city for a destination winter wedding, and we’ve written about why here.
If you’re planning a winter wedding in Florence, you might be wondering what there is to actually do in the city across a wedding weekend, for you and your guests.
Here’s what we recommend.
Slow Mornings at Florence’s Historic Cafés
Beyond its museums, some of Florence’s most beautiful interiors can be found in its historic cafés.
Caffè Gilli, Caffe Rivoire and Paszkowski are just a few of the names where espresso is still served beneath frescoed ceilings and gilded mirrors.
In winter, these become the perfect places for a slow morning – or a slow afternoon – over a hot chocolate thick enough to require a spoon. They turn from a quick stop into a destination of their own: warm, unhurried, and worth the time.
Our personal additions to the list? S.Forno, a bakery tucked away in the Oltrarno neighbourhood, and Caffè Cibrèo. Less grand, more intimate, and slow-paced corners of the city: the kind of places locals actually go to.
Photo Credit: @doitwithwilly (3, 4, 5, 6)
Christmas Lights & the Tree in Piazza del Duomo
Every year on December 8th, Florence lights its Christmas tree in Piazza del Duomo, a moment that marks the start of the festive season for locals.
The piazza, already one of the most striking in the city, becomes even more magical after dark, taking on an entirely different character.
From there, it’s a short walk to Via Tornabuoni, Florence’s most elegant shopping street, where boutique windows are dressed for the season.
But the lights don’t stop there: across the city palace, facades are illuminated, lights trace rooftops and bridges, and the whole center takes on a festive glow after dark.
Contemporary Art & Fashion: Palazzo Strozzi and Museo Gucci
Winter is definitely the exhibition season in Florence. Beyond iconic museums such as the Uffizi and the Galleria dell’ Accademia, the city’s temporary exhibitions – often the ones most visitors never hear about – are just as worth seeking out.
Palazzo Strozzi, Renaissance palace in the heart of the city, hosts major rotating exhibitions that bring international contemporary art into historic Florence. A deliberate contrast between centuries-old architecture and contemporary art.
A few minutes away, in Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Gucci offers something different but equally compelling: a small, immersive museum told through a sequence of contrasting spaces: Florentine art and its connection to the house, pieces from Gucci’s archive, film and interactive installations, each revealing a different side of the Maison’s identity.
For guests with an eye for fashion – like us at Olivia Sodi Studio – it’s well worth the visit.
Worth adding to the list: Museo Marini, housed in a deconsecrated church near Santa Maria Novella, dedicated to the work of sculptor Marino Marini. Intimate, unexpected, and genuinely beautiful: the kind of place that makes you feel like you’ve found something.
Christmas Markets In the City and Beyond
Every December, Christmas markets pop up not just in Florence but across the Tuscan countryside around it, their wooden stalls lined with crafts, ornaments, and food.
In the city center, one of the most charming is the market in Piazza Santa Croce: crafts and food stalls, with the Basilica di Santa Croce as a backdrop few cities could rival. It’s a little touristy, and we wouldn’t call it an authentic local experience, but for an hour of festive atmosphere with a vin brulé in hand, it earns its place on the list.
For something more curated, and with a meaningful reason to be there, we recommend NatalePerFile, a charity market held each December in the rooms of Palazzo Corsini sul Lungarno. Fashion, design, gastronomy, vintage, all set within one of the city’s most beautiful historic palaces, and every purchase supports a cause that matters.
And for something exclusive – a bit of an insider’s pick – about an hour from the city is Castelfalfi, a medieval village and luxury resort in the Tuscan countryside, which hosts its own Christmas market each year from December 6th to 8th: a quieter, more refined take on the same tradition.
Ice Skating Under the Wheel at Fortezza da Basso
Just next to Fortezza da Basso, Piazzale Oriana Fallaci transforms each winter into a small festive park: a ferris wheel with sweeping views over the city, festive lights throughout, and an ice rink beneath the wheel.
It’s a fun way to spend an afternoon and welcome your guests, especially when a wedding weekend brings together multiple generations, from grandparents to the youngest in the family.
Photo Credit Simone Olivari & @florenceonicevillage
A Season of Its Own
Every season in Florence has its own rhythm, and winter is one of our favorites to work with: the light shifts completely, indoor venues come into their own, and the whole city becomes part of the celebration.
If you’re considering a winter wedding in Florence and want to explore how to shape a weekend around it, we’d love to talk it through.
Thumbnail Credit Beatrice Moricci
