As is our custom here at DailyCandy, the week between Christmas and New Year’s will be dedicated to the greatest hits of 2004. Hey, don’t even think about calling us slackers. We’re wooooorking here.

Have a great holiday, and thank you for being such smart, opinionated, and excellent readers.

FLORENCE

Nest
Get a room with a view! The Continentale (Vicolo dell’Oro, 6; +39 055-27262) and Gallery (Vicolo dell’Oro, 5; +39 055-27263) are cool, modern, and right on the Arno. (The Gallery’s Fusion Bar is one of Italy’s best. You can make a meal of the free snacks.) J.K. Place (Piazza Santa Maria Novella 7; +39 055-264-5181), on just-renovated Piazza Santa Maria Novella, is Florence’s hippest newcomer.

Ingest
This being the capital of Tuscany, they take their food pretty seriously. Enoteca Pinchiorri (Via Ghibellina, 87; +39 055-242-7777) ranks among Italy’s top ten. Slowly Cafe (Via Porta Rossa, 63; +39 055-264-5354) is the trendy spot. Vivoli (Isola delle Stinche 7; +39 055-292-334) makes the ultimate gelato. But if we lived in Florence, we’d never leave Teatro del Sale (Via dei Maci, 111; +39 055-200-1492), the latest from Florentine star chef Fabio Picchi. Open all day, you eat whatever they’re serving, sit wherever you want, and meet whoever’s there. Every night at 9, there’s a music or theater performance. Membership required, but it’s only five euros. (And the meals are incredible deals.)

Invest
You’ll feel like royalty just browsing at Santa Maria Novella (Via della Scala 16; +39 055-216-276). Pick up the potpourri and bring Italy home with you. Stock up on linens and baby gifts at Loretta Caponi (Via delle Belle Donne 28; +39 055-211-074). Florentine hipsters shop at Lizard (Via del Melarancio 17; +39 055-210-859). Across the river in Oltr’Arno, pretend you’re decorating for the Medicis in the antique stores along Via Maggio off Ponte Santa Trinita. Rejoin the 21st century at housewares haven Samples (Via de Bardi 23; +39 055-247-8872).

VENICE

Nest
Hotel Cipriani (Giudecca, 10; +39 041-520-7744) is often described as heaven on earth — all the more so since opening the Casanova Spa. But the more intimate Il Palazzo (San Marco, 1413; +39 041-520-7022), in all its seventeenth-century grandeur, could snatch that claim away. Two great budget options (relatively speaking) in San Marco: Ca’Morosini (San Marco, 3457; +39 041-523-4754) and Hotel Flora (San Marco, 2283; +39 041-520-5844). Prefer to steer clear of the crowds? Clever you. DD724 (Dorsoduro, 724; +39 041-277-0262), near the Accademia, is small and sleek. The Dei Dogi (Madonna dell’Orto, 3500; +39 041-220-81-11), across town in Cannaregio, is housed in a former French ambassador’s residence and is pretty grand.

Ingest
Venice is, duh, a seafood town. Two ground rules: Make reservations. And show up on time. Taste as much as you can at L’Osteria di Santa Marina (Campo Santa Marina, 5911; +39 041-528-5239), but don’t miss the squid with white polenta and go crazy with the desserts. Have whatever fish they’re grilling at Alle Testiere (Calle del Mondo Novo, Castello, 5801; +39 041-522-7220). Eat under the vaulted ceiling upstairs or al fresco on the canal at Banco Giro (Campo San Giacometto, San Polo, 122; +39 041-523-2061), which is excellent, cute, and new. Late-night noshing: Centrale (San Marco, 1659; +39 041-296-0664) and Bacaro (San Marco, 1345; +39 041-296-0687).

Invest
Look: Shopping in Venice really isn’t the point. The basics are all here (Gucci, Versace, Etro), but everything is overpriced and touristy. You’ll find great shops in Dorsoduro as you wander from the Accademia to Ca’ Rezzonico. Better choice: Blow the shopping budget on a gondola ride after midnight.

Want even more? Revisit DailyCandy Goes to Italy: The Countryside and DailyCandy Goes to Italy: Rome and Milan.