Florence is a most-dope Italian city with mad art and a remarkable history! Hell, that’s where the Renaissance era got its legs. Plus, all the ninja turtles used to paint there.
Yep, Raphael, Donatello, Michaleangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci. Can’t lie, I ain’t even know TMNT were named after Italian artists.
No doubt this city’s a must-visit spot for anyone in the Tuscan region of Italy. As an aimless joe wandering my way through the streets of Florence, I peeped my surroundings and noticed a lot of diversity for a European city.
In particular, there were a lot of black people in the city center.
But as an outsider in foreign lands, I noticed the brain sees what it wants to see.
After spending a few more days there I took note of the city’s demographics, safety, costs, entertainment options, and a couple other things regarding being black in Italy.
Taking all those into account, Florence received 4.5 out of 5 Fros on the Fro Rating Scale!
Demographics
4 Fros
Like I said before, there’s a surprising amount of diversity in the city of Florence. I arrived in Florence and immediately hit the streets to see what the city had to offer.
It’s a very walkable city so I made my way toward the center in about 20 minutes and I noticed a couple things.
First, the Italian language is the bounciest language I’ve ever heard in my life.
Italians put so much sauce on every syllable that the words are dripping.
But second, I noticed a group of black guys on the sidewalks. Looks like they’re probably of West African descent.
Black Residents
They were chilling and just minding their business while chatting on the sidewalks.
As I walked closer I noticed that they had cloths laid out on the concrete with trinkets and souvenirs neatly set on top of them.
They were selling little mementos on the corner and I remember thinking, “Nice, can’t knock the hustle!” as I bob my head to the new J. Cole track playing in my head (I’m not wearing headphones, btw).
As I passed the fellas, we proceeded with our universal black guy head nod and I kept it pushing to the city center.
But on my way to the center, I noticed another group of black guys with the same hustle. Then another, and another, and another.
And then BAM, I had a deja vu moment of my times visiting Paris over the last couple of years and I remember the exact same being black in Italy scene.
Racial Integration
I’ve seen this in a few major European cities where there are a lot of black people in the center, but since a lot of them have their street hustle going it’s obvious that they are mostly African migrants who arrived not too long ago.
As they’re grinding on the pavement, I wonder how long they’ve been doing their thing here and if there’s any path that exists for them to ever get fully integrated into society.
Y’know, a route to getting a steady job, an education, or joining an organization where they can explore their interests and passions.
Something to know about Italy is that they’ve been getting swamped with a crazy influx of migrants from African countries over the past decade.
Mostly Northern African countries (Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt), but also Western African nations (Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana).
I actually commend Italy for taking on that load as record numbers of people continue to seek asylum.
But I wonder if and how the EU will step up more to assist in the integration process of newly arrived migrants who generally need to make money as soon as they arrive to survive.
Being black in Italy obviously isn’t the same as a local and as a tourist.
It’s a tough situation to say the least.
Treatment & Safety
4 Fros
Being that there are so many black people in Italy already, no matter how integrated, there weren’t any stares of curiosity except for when I took my day trip to the hilltop medieval village San Gimignano.
Now San Gimignano is about 1.5 hours outside of Florence by bus, and it’s a gorgeous village up in the mountains of the Tuscan countryside.
Anybody visiting Florence MUST take a day trip to San Gimignano. SERIOUSLY!
But whenever I take a trip outside of the major cities in Europe and get closer to the nature scenes I’m usually the lone black person on the bus. That’s the only time being black in Italy was even a thought for me while there.
So when I get to those areas people definitely take a second look at me but they’re mostly tourists probably thinking to themselves, “Is he lost?” I’m used to this by now.
I know those eyeballs won’t stop locking onto me until we have more dark faces like mine traveling to the strangest corners of the world.
I definitely didn’t feel any ill-intent or malice by the stares here though. Just curiosity.
Restaurant Service
Service in Italy was great. The first spot I went to was a bombass Italian restaurant, Fuoco Matto, and when I walked in they told me there’s a 10 minute wait and I can sit at the bar while I wait for a table.
So I sit at the bar and a waiter hands me a glass of water and says “Have this while you’re waiting”.
Word, I ain’t even gotta ask for it. I take a sip and my eyes light up at the sparkling taste. I blurt out,
“That ain’t water, that’s prosecco!”
My mind was blown that they just gave out a free glass of wine while I waited for a table. This instantly became my new home.
Service was similar at other restaurants and establishments. I felt at ease in my own skin at all of these places.
Safety
Before going to Florence, I heard that there were some pockets of the city that you don’t want to find yourself roaming around at night.
A friend of mine told me that he was robbed for his watch there while walking back to the hotel at night with his girlfriend. But I just have a G-Shock so I was like, I’m straight.
Walking around in daylight anywhere in Florence felt extremely safe. There are people everywhere and, like most cities, the closer to the center, the safer you’ll be.
I definitely walked around at night by my lonesome to and from the center. I didn’t have any problems or feel unsafe but that doesn’t mean I shoulda done it. Don’t be like me. Take an Uber!
Scammers
The main things you have to watch out for in Florence are scammers!
The only time I felt any sense of danger was actually in broad daylight at the most heavily trafficked spot in Florence; just outside of their massive Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.
I was walking around filming random things and admiring the intricate designs on the holy structure when halfway through a step, I noticed my left foot was going to land on a piece of art that was laid out on the ground.
There was no stopping it! Time went in slo-mo and my Adidas already decided where she was gonna call home next.
I stepped on the white background of a screen print depicting the very cathedral we were standing under.
A guy was standing next to it and said “Hey man!”, gesturing at his art that now has a brand new size 9.5 imprint of my sole.
I paused for a while staring at him sympathetically and said, “I’m so sorry man! I didn’t see it there.”
He shot me a defeated look and I awkwardly apologized again while shuffling away. I was a few feet away when I paused and couldn’t help but think that I was messed up for leaving.
Maybe I should’ve bought the art or gave him something to compensate for damages.
At that moment, I felt a tap on my shoulder and there’s my victim again. He had his art rolled up in his hand and said “You have to buy now!”.
I was shocked at his insistence and then looked next to him and noticed his lanky buddy not looking at us, but definitely listening intently to our conversation.
I had a hunch at that moment that this was a scam. He said “50 Euros, you have to buy! You ruined it. I can’t sell now”.
I told him that I wasn’t going to buy it, then his friend rushed in between us and said “You better buy this! You stepped on it! Do we gotta problem? We gotta problem?” He was bouncing from side-to-side for intimidating effect.
Won’t lie, my heart picked up a few paces but I still felt pretty calm. I told him “I’m not paying for that, and you ain’t gon punk me.” He stepped close to me but wasn’t in my face yet.
I wasn’t gonna let him get a chance. I told them sorry about the art but I’m out and walked away.
The lanky dude starts following me and is like “Alright 20 bucks. You gotta pay it or we’re gonna have a problem”, still trying out the threatening method.
I keep telling him the same thing I told him before and he’s trying to get close and scare me but eventually I’m like, “Aight I’m done with you. You hungry? You hungry? Aight, let’s get lunch.”
Then I broke right and walked into a cafe daring him to take his drama into an establishment.
I bet correctly, and he just said, “Aight, I’ll see you when you come out”, and kept walking.
I won’t lie, I walked out that cafe with my gorillapod in hand ready to whack-a-mole in self-defense. But no moles present, just more gelato 🙂
Cost to Visit
4.5 Fros
Florence is a very reasonably priced city to visit. I’ve heard it’s the same in most Italian cities in general. Most meals are within 8 to 12 euros and wine is cheap.
More importantly, both are delicioso! Gelato is cheap and on every corner which is perfect on a warm day.
Correction, Italian gelato is perfect on any day.
I booked a hotel last minute at The Student Hotel which is a really dope place to stay. It’s pretty much a hotel with the vibe of a hostel.
Mostly younger visitors (if the name didn’t give it away) kicking it around the bar and lounge areas. There’s also ping pong tables and a vast outdoor area to hang out.
If that’s not enough, there are quirky swing sets illuminated by pink LEDs right in the entrance of the hotel. Since it was last minute, it was on the pricey/standard side.
About $125 a night, but if you book in advance you can get a hostel right in the city center for half of that or less!
It’s a simple city to budget for unlike a Switzerland or Finland where we gotta sell your soul for a parking spot.
Hiking
4.5 Fros
The Northern Italy region has incredible hiking options all around. I wish I could’ve spent more time exploring that side of the country but I only had the one day in San Gimignano.
The landscape of the Tuscan countryside is filled with rolling hills, mountaintop villages, valley communities, and vineyards as far as the eyes can see.
The best thing about San Gimignano is that it sits on the highest hilltop in its vicinity and it has 14 giant towers that were built in the medieval period that still stand (used to be 72 towers).
You can climb the stairs of one of the towers, Torre Grossa, and get a 360 degree view of the Tuscan landscape that’ll knock your block off.
There are so many hiking and nature options in the region to choose from. San Gimignano is one of them but you can’t go wrong out there.
Miscellaneous
Weather
The weather in Florence varies depending on the time of the year. Since it’s in Northern Italy you get a wide range of temperatures.
I was there in October when it was perfect weather. It was in the upper 60’s and sunny the whole time.
If you’re there in July it’ll be very hot and humid. If January, then it’ll get down into the 30’s at night.
So it’s not like the South of Italy where you’ll get that nice warm air from the Mediterranean sea anytime of the year.
October’s a great time to hit Florence because the weather’s nice and it ain’t tourist season!
Transportation
Florence is a very walkable city and it’s certainly not a place that you need a car in. I walked from end-to-end in a day while making stops at all of the major sites and a museum visit.
Ubers are available at good rates and public transportation is readily available.
I never took a bus or a train within the city of Florence but I did take a bus from Florence to San Gimignano.
It was a very simple process. I booked the ticket online and just had to find the bus stop which wasn’t difficult.
The only thing I didn’t know was that I had to validate my bus ticket. I’ve never done that before so when I walked on the bus I just showed the driver my ticket and kept it moving.
He turned around and was saying something in Italian to me. Obviously, I ain’t understand what he was saying so I said,
“Do you speak English?”, like the silly American I am.
He didn’t speak English so he kept repeating what he was saying and pointing at a box. I got stressed out because people were behind me trying to get by, and I’m the fool that doesn’t know how to ride a bus.
Finally, this sweet British girl (bless her heart) said “You have to validate your ticket. You just have to stick it in the box to stamp it.”
My heart rose from my gut and I shoved that ticket into that stamp box like a champ! Crisis averted. I really rose to the occasion on that one.
Another trip, another lesson learned.
Overall
4.5 Fros
Considering the city’s demographics, safety, cost to visit, service, and hiking options, Florence got an amazing 4.5 out of 5 Fros on the Fro Rating Scale!
Anybody visiting the Northern region of Italy HAS to drop into Florence and the Tuscan countryside.
If you need any more motivation to visit, peep my Florence travel video where I wander through the city hitting all the dopest spots while getting serenaded by the Italian language.
Being black in Italy or anywhere in the globe is a truly unique experience for every single person and it can’t be captured by just one person’s experience abroad.
We’re an extremely diverse group of people with distinct looks and personalities. If you’ve been to Italy then you have your own story to tell and you deserve to tell it.
What was your being black in Italy experience like? Let me know in the comments section.
Ya boi,
Zekarias
