The pleasure of returning to Florence: when travel becomes a habit

There is a moment we recognise straight away at reception. A guest sets down the suitcase and looks around like someone finding a familiar place again, checking that everything is still where it was. It is not their first time in Florence, and often not their first time with us either. These are the guests who come back, and over the years we have come to see that their trip is different from any other: less of a checklist, more of a city to live in.

October is the month when this happens most often. The light grows lower and more golden, the temperatures turn gentle again, the big summer crowds thin out. It is the right moment for a Florence seen for the second, the third, the tenth time.

The first time you look, the second time you recognise

On a first visit, Florence is tackled almost at a run: the Duomo, the Uffizi, the David, Ponte Vecchio at sunset. That is how it should be, and nobody should miss it. But anyone who comes back knows that the city only really starts to speak once the urge to see everything has gone.

Returning guests have their rituals. Some always take the same coffee at the same bar, some walk past the same workshop to see whether the craftsman is still there, some climb up to San Miniato al Monte every time to look at the city from above. These are small habits, but they are what turn a trip into a return.

What to do once you have already seen Florence

To guests who come back we try to suggest something that, inevitably, was left out the first time. A few ideas to start from:

• The Vasari Corridor: closed in 2016 and fully restored, it now runs for about 750 metres from the Uffizi to the Boboli Gardens, passing over Ponte Vecchio. Booking is compulsory: check times and conditions on the Uffizi Galleries website
• San Miniato al Monte, the Romanesque basilica overlooking the city: a place that never disappoints, which we described in our article on places in Florence you shouldn't miss
• The Bardini Garden, with its view over the rooftops and its autumn colours: practical information is on the official Feel Florence portal
• The Museo Novecento in Piazza Santa Maria Novella, for anyone looking for a Florence other than the Renaissance one
• The workshops of the Oltrarno, to wander through with no particular plan, perhaps after lunch

Many of these places are also gathered in our article on Florence beyond the classic itineraries, written precisely for those who have already seen the essentials.

October, the month of returns

It is no coincidence that so many guests choose autumn to come back. The days are still long enough for walking, and the evenings invite you to linger a little longer at the table. It is the season of the freshly finished grape harvest and the new olive oil, and the countryside around the city shows its best side to anyone who fancies a day out.

Those who return to Florence are also often in less of a hurry to head out in the morning. And this is where the rhythm of the hotel becomes part of the trip: a long breakfast, an afternoon in the spa after hours of walking, an aperitivo in the garden before deciding where to have dinner.

Why people come back to the same place

We often ask ourselves this, and the answer guests give us is almost always the same: coming back means not having to start from scratch. Already knowing where your favourite room is, finding a familiar face at reception, being called by name. There is nothing extraordinary about any of this, and that is exactly the point.

With returning guests, our concierge picks up where things were left off: the favourite table in the garden, the museum that was closed last time, the trattoria that was such a success. These are details nobody sees, but they make the difference between a hotel and a place you are happy to return to.

Your return to Palazzo Castri 1874

We are in Piazza dell'Indipendenza, a quiet, tree-lined area a few minutes' walk from the Duomo and Santa Maria Novella station. For those coming back, and for those visiting for the first time with the idea of returning, we have a few fixed points:

• our rooms and suites, designed for both short and long stays
• breakfast in the room overlooking La Limonaia garden, with pastries from our own kitchen
• the spa with Finnish sauna, hammam and hydromassage pool, by appointment
• the Florentia Cafè & Restaurant, for lunch, afternoon tea or dinner with seasonal Italian cuisine

If you are thinking of coming back to Florence this autumn, take a look at our offers or write to us. We will be delighted to welcome you back, or to meet you for the first time.