Your main options are to either stay in the centre of Florence (in a hotel/Air BnB,) or to venture into the countryside which surrounds Florence and stay in a small town or village, such as Fiesole.

Staying in Florence

Staying in the centre of Florence comes with the added bonus of having lots to see, eat and drink on your doorstep (have a look at some of my dad's recommendations if your're considering staying in Florence). It is a gorgeous city with interesting history. If you have not been before, you might fancy having a couple of days to explore the city's streets and restaurants so this could be a good option! Just note that it can be very hot in Florence during July so you might not want to plan too much for one day.

Staying in Florence also means it will be easy arranging transport to the wedding (via your hotel or the numbers provided) as there are lots of landmarks for taxi's to easily find. Additionaly, transport has been arranged for you back into the centre of Florence after the wedding. It's a pretty small city so between the two drop off locations, you should be able to walk to your bed! The downside of staying in Florence (in my opinion) is that if you are planning on staying longer than a couple of days, it is likely to be very busy and you may find this frustrating (it really just depends on the kind of trip you're after). July is a popular time for tourists so staying in Florence means having to put up with crowds of people wandering around. Staying in the centre means its unlikely that you will have a swimming pool so if you fancy sunbathing, it could be also be a no-no.For a list of recommended Florence hotels just drop me an email at fdammone@gmail.com.

So, staying in Florence is great for:

- a long weekend/short city break

- things to see and do

-places to drink and eat

-stress free travel to and from the wedding

-lots of choice for those on a budget

Not great if:

-you want a really quiet, relaxing, lounging around break

Staying Outside of Florence

There are lots of beautiful villas and hotels on the outskirts of the city, for those guest that prefer a more quiet and relaxing trip to Italy. The nearest town to the wedding venue is Fiesole, which is a short drive to the castle. Fieslole is really lovely, it is a small town which has some great restaurants and a few things to see and do. The advantages of staying somewhere like Fiesole are that you are surrounded by the gorgeous Florentine countryside and if you are lucky, close enough to have amazing views of Florence from above. Fiesole is short drive from the centre of Florence and is well connected by bus, you can hop on the bus from Fiesole (around every 20 mins) and be wandering the streets of Florence in about half an hour.

Staying outside of Florence means that you are much more likely to have a swimming pool (always a plus) and if there is a big group of you, you are much more likely to find accommodation to fit everybody in.

If you are staying outside of Florence, especially if you are planning on staying further away from Fiesole, it might be a good idea to rent a car. Ed and I stayed in Fiesole without a car no problem and used the bus and taxi's to get around. Again, it is totally dependant on the type of trip that you want!