Italy is probably the most dog friendly country we have been too. Italians love their dogs! In fact, I found the local dogs to be more well behaved and better treated than most children. Well behaved dogs are allowed almost everywhere, even in grocery stores and some museums. The first time we found out how dog tolerant grocery stores are, we saw a very well behaved German Shepard following his owner, off leash, while he shopped. The laws in Italy regarding dogs are plain and simple: unless you see a no dog sign, your dog will be allowed. This law also makes traveling with a dog so much easier when dogs are allowed on buses, trains, you name it. Just make sure your dog is well behaved before planning a trip, because badly behaved dogs are really looked down upon by the locals and are expected to wear a muzzle if they are a biter by law.
My, and Coco’s, all time favorite thing about Italy is that we could take him out to dinner with us INSIDE restaurants. I don’t think we ever went to a place in Italy that wouldn’t allow him in. The first time we took him out to dinner we sat outside in chilly weather. The server said “please come inside.” I pointed to my dog, thinking he didn’t see him, and said, “oh, we have a dog.” He said “come on in, it’s more comfortable.” Confused and excited at the same time we went inside to enjoy some of the best pizza we have ever had (I have so much to say about the food that I think I will make another post about it). This moment was a game changer!
We stayed in an Airbnb for a month a little bit outside of the tourist area, which we prefer. Since we work online we like to have a little more peace and quiet. We also find the best meals to be those that the locals eat without the high tourist prices.
The weather wasn’t scorching hot while we were there in May (Yea, I’m a bit tardy on my post), so it was very pleasant to walk around all day with the dog- I heard it gets unbearable hot in the summer months. It really was the perfect time to go, with great weather and before the summer crowds came in.
Like most people, we appreciated Florence’s beauty the first time we saw it. It was so amazing to see so much beauty in a relatively small city.
These seven foot tall bronze doors are The Gates of Paradise, the main gate of the Baptistery of Florence. These doors depict compelling portrayal scenes from the Old Testament.
The Florence Cathedral is the most impressive and beautiful building I have ever seen. Even for those who are well traveled and think they have seen everything will find visiting this cathedral an uplifting experience.
You won’t be able to bring your dog into the Cathedral but you could easily spend an hour or more walking around the building admiring the detail (I mean, the building took 170 years to build)!
The white, green, and pink Tuscan marble made buildings look so beautiful in the sun and I really love the Gothic style windows! We spent a lot of time getting lost in the streets and enjoying the multicolored buildings, terra-cotta rooftops, numerous monuments, and walking across the many bridges. The cobbled streets were always beautiful and clean -they are very proud of their city. We can’t wait to back with Coco! My boyfriend (Daniel) will be getting his Italian Citizenship soon and three years after we are married I will get it too!!
