Florence, the Italian city where the Renaissance was born, known for its many museums and great Roman, Gothic and Renaissance architecture. The capital of Tuscany breathes culture and is a must visit for everyone who loves art, gelato, markets and cozy streets to get lost in. It’s one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen.
Planning your trip
You can find a lot of useful information on the following websites:
Firenze Turismo
Visit Florence
Firenze Card
Trenitalia
Getting to Florence
If you’re coming from abroad, you can take a plane to the Amerigo Vespucci Airport. Florence is also very easy to reach by train. Get off at train station Santa Maria Novella.
Getting around
Walk! All the sights are at walking distance from each other and what’s more fun than wandering through the cozy little streets and discovering cute restaurants and shops along the way?
What to see and do
The most famous and inevitable building (because it is so huge and incredibly beautiful) is the Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore. This gorgeous structure brings tears to my eyes everytime I see it.
Florence is a city by the river which means there are bridges! Who doesn’t love to cross bridges to enjoy the view from the other side? The most special bridge is the Ponte Vecchio with its lined up shops. Be prepared for the tourist chaos and enjoy the gorgeous shop windows displaying leather products and jewelry.
Florence wouldn’t be a typical Italian city if it hadn’t countless dreamy piazzas! The most renowned is the Piazza della Signoria with the Palazzo Vecchio. Here you can admire the statues at the Loggia dei Lanzi, a copy of Michelangelo’s David statue and the fountain of Neptune. The Piazza della Repubblica is another square where you can find a lot of bars and restaurants. Piazza di Santissimi Annunziata is surrounded by beautiful buildings and is named after the rather modest church that is located there. The Piazza Santa Croce and Piazza Santa Maria Novella are marked by their wonderful churches in early Renaissance style. Like many churches in Florence their façade is white, decorated with blue and pink lines.
For the best view on Florence, you should cross one of the bridges to climb to the Piazzale Michelangelo. The stunning view of the Arno valley dominated by the city with its massive gorgeous duomo is breathtaking.
If you like visiting markets you can go to the Mercato Centrale where you can buy all the traditional foods and goods. Leather goods can be found around it and at the Mercato Nuovo where you can also discover the Porcellino statue. Rubbing its nose is supposed to bring fortune. You can place a coin in the mouth of the boar after rubbing its nose. The legend says the wish will be granted if the offering tumbles through the grate whence the water flows.
A more pieceful place is the Giardino di Boboli which is a beautiful garden where you can find (of course) more statues.
Eat & drink
This is Italy, so food just can’t be bad! Good restaurants are to be found everywhere in this city! My favorite was Ristorante Vincanto. You have a wonderful view on the Piazza Santa Maria Novella, the food is delicious and the service and staff super friendly and fast.
Be sure to try Limoncello, the lemon liqueur from South Italy. If you want to try a Tuscan drink/dessert; order the Vin Santo, an Italian dessert wine, which Italians often order with Cantuccini, almond biscuits to be dunked in the wine. Oh, and don’t – ever – forget – GELATO!
Where to stay
I stayed at Hotel Rosso 23 which I thought was located perfectly to explore Florence. It is situated at the Piazza Santa Maria Novella and only 5 minutes away from the famous Duomo. You can read a full review here.
Beyond Florence
If you have the time go visit surrounding towns such as Siena or San Gimignano. More nearby is Fiesole, but besides the beautiful view on Florence there isn’t that much to see or do.
Greetings from Florence