Florence

Consistently ranked among the world's top cities to visit by magazines like Travel and Leisure, and Conde Nast Traveler, Florence is an Italian treasure to put on your list -- but spend enough time there to do it justice. These pages will show you exactly how to get the most out of an ideal visit, which is all about culture, history, art, people, shops, architecture, museums, palaces, food and fun.

It takes more than one day to fully experience Florence, so here we spread the visit out over three days, with specific itineraries for each day. Hopefully you can spend at least that much time there, but if you have more or less time, just modify these suggestions to suit your interests.

DAY ONE: Duomo, back alleys, Piazza della Signoria, Uffizi, Santa Croce, and Casa Buonaroti.

DAY TWO: Piazzale Michelangelo, Pitti Palace, Oltrarno, Ponte Vecchio, shopping, Accademia.

DAY THREE: A few more museums, shopping, wander the alleys, and perhaps a quick trip out of town.

Short video of arrival, lunch, and a parade.

Historic Background

Tuscany's capital is most famous as the birthplace of the Renaissance -- the city where art took major leaps during the 14th and 15th centuries combined with advancements in science, literature, politics and business to help pave the way to our modern civilization. By 1300, Florence was already considered Europe's largest and wealthiest city, with historic roots that reached all the way back to the ancient Romans, who founded the town and laid out many of the streets in the grid pattern still used today.

With the patronage of the Medicis, superstars of the art world like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Giotto and many more, created masterpieces here which defined new ways of seeing that still influence us with their dramatic use of perspective, color and realism. Great Florentine thinkers like Galileo, Dante, Boccaccio and Machiavelli also played important roles in their hometown. The great Medici dynasty managed to provide a stable government throughout this time, despite constant military threats from the nearby city-states of Pisa and Genoa. This confluence of talent was unique in history, with more important geniuses gathered in one small place than ever before or since.

The history created by these great people is a dramatic story that has been partly frozen in stone, displayed in the beautiful architecture now seen in the ancient buildings of the city center. Florence looks much like it did centuries ago, filled with wonderful palaces, piazzas and more art per square inch than any other city on Earth.

As a bonus to the art and history here, you also get to experience some of the best street markets, for leather goods and the usual souvenirs, or can shop up-scale in the many fancy boutiques that line the quaint narrow medieval lanes. For those more interested in shopping than art, you are in retail heaven. Florence is especially famous for its locally manufactured high-quality leather goods, and while Hawaii people do not need much in the way of leather clothing, you will still enjoy the beautiful shoes and handbags. If you are ready for serious spending, there are plenty of designer boutiques and the jewelry shops to discover. If you just want some small leather items, the numerous sidewalk stands clustered around the church of San Lorenzo have low prices on a variety of wallets, belts, lipstick holders, bags and souvenirs of all kinds.

Florence is an ideal city for walking, as the distances are short and many lanes are reserved just for pedestrians, so wear comfortable shoes and come along as we show you the sights. The main part of town is only one square mile, but densely packed with interesting things to see -- so you do need several days to catch it all. Don't let the town's 66 museums intimidate you, because we will show you how to navigate the important sights. It would be possible to squeeze this schedule into two days, but with three days you can enjoy a more leisurely approach, with time for shopping and relaxing at a cafe to digest the massive amounts of stimulation you'll get from the historic streets, monuments and museums. Because the town's small size makes it easy to get around, you could juggle our itinerary and change the order of events with little logistical difficulty if it suits your purpose, but we have done our best to lay things out for you here in an efficient, logical sequence.

DAY ONE: Duomo, back alleys, Piazza della Signoria, Uffizi, Santa Croce, and Casa Buonaroti.

Duomo

Start your first morning at Florence's most important landmark, the great Duomo Cathedral, which was the tallest building in Europe when it was finished in 1434, and is still the world's fourth largest church. You can easily find it by looking up from almost anywhere in town, for the huge dome towers 300 feet over the city. This ever-present dome is a handy landmark that will keep you oriented throughout your stay, especially since the rest of town is low-rise, filled with historic buildings about four stories high.

Back in the Middle Ages the residential buildings were actually much higher than today, with nearly 200 "skyscraper" towers that reached up to 240 feet, built for status and defense, until a more egalitarian-minded government cut them down by half in the mid-13th century. At the same time a building boom commenced, with the construction of the cathedral, Palazzo Vecchio, and Santa Croce, all designed by the same Gothic genius, Arnolfo de Cambio.

The 500 foot-long cathedral was an immense achievement of the medieval masons who invented new construction techniques as they worked, creating Europe's largest building. The vast exterior was covered with multi-colored marble, arranged in geometric patterns related to the carpets and fabrics that were created by their wool industry, the most important business in Florence. The wool guilds were the main financiers of the cathedral, eager to show off their success and create an attraction that would draw travelers from throughout Europe, to further enhance their prestige and sales.

Unfortunately, for the first hundred years of construction they could not figure out how to build a roof to cover the huge hole over the altar, until Filippo Brunelleschi came along in the early 15th century with his brilliant plan for a great dome that spanned the gap. Some historians suggest that the Renaissance began with the completion of that dome. You can climb it if you feel adventurous and can spare an hour, winding your way up a narrow staircase between the inner and outer shells, emerging at the top to a spectacular view over the city.

The Baptistery is probably the oldest standing building in Florence, built over a thousand years ago, but choose to pay for entry only if you want to see the impressive ceiling mosaic of the Last Judgment. The most famous treasures of the Baptistery are on the outer doors, especially copies of the "Gates of Paradise" by Lorenzo Ghiberti (1425-1452) on the side facing the Duomo, important for their early use of perspective. Compare these vivid scenes with the prior Gothic approach of Andrea Pisano (1333) on the south side, where figures are rigid in the typical medieval style.

The Piazza del Duomo in front of the church has another fascinating structure covered in similar multi-colored marble, Giotto's Bell Tower, which also charges admission, but you can happily appreciate it from outside for free. You could walk up the tower for an thrilling view of the cathedral, but the dome is far more exciting to climb. These buildings are so big it is hard to see or photograph them, but there are some good camera angles from the edge of the piazza on Via de' Pecori opposite the Duomo facade, which gets you far enough away so you can take it all in.

For those interested in sculpture and the history of the Duomo, walk around behind the cathedral to visit the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, which has several rooms of beautiful statues taken from the cathedral, especially Della Robia's Choir Galleries, Verrocchio's reliefs, Michelangelo's final Pieta, Ghiberti's original panels from the Baptistery doors, Arnolfo di Cambio's gothic statues -- and perhaps most interestingly of all, the actual tools used to build the great dome, with explanations of how it was done.

Back Alleys

Next, meander through the narrow back alleys heading towards Piazza della Signoria and the Ponte Vecchio. Take your time and explore these charming little pedestrian streets to gain a feeling of life in the Middle Ages, for the buildings have not changed much since then. It's easy to find your way through the regular grid of lanes named Oche, Studio, Cerchi, Presto, Magazzini and Corso -- so don't just follow the typical tourist route along Via dei Calzaiuoli, which is the main street of tourist Florence that you will inevitably spend time on anyway, checking out its many shops and eateries.

Get off the beaten track to escape the mobs and soak up the quiet atmosphere of the side streets, looking for medieval towers, tiny churches, neighborhood trattoria, corner snack shops, and locals out for a stroll. A favorite spot is the tiny Piazza Santa Elisabetta, with three surviving towers from the Middle Ages, the earliest one uniquely oval in shape and belonging now to the deluxe Hotel Brunelleschi next door.

Piazza della Signoria

After thirty minutes of wandering you will arrive at the Piazza della Signoria, the town's other major square, with its many statues, cafes, and the massive architecture of the Palazzo Vecchio looming above, the center of political power for 700 years. Looking like a giant castle with its tower reaching 95 meters, the Palazzo Vecchio is open as a museum that could be worth your time in a few days, after you have covered the most important sights. Do have a quick look in the front door to admire the grotto design of the courtyard, and a bronze replica of Verrochio's puto holding a dolphin.

There are clusters of important statues in the Piazza della Signoria, but don't be fooled by the big David, which is only a copy of Michelangelo's original masterpiece that you must see tomorrow in the Accademia. Foremost in the square are Giambologna's equestrian statue of Medici hero, Grand Duke Cosimo I, and Ammannati's Neptune Fountain, but the best treasures are in the open arcade of the Loggia dei Lanzi. Cellini's Perseus is probably the most outstanding of all the outdoor statues in Florence, cast in perfect bronze that a recent restoration has brought back to original luster. Unfortunately, the other statues are still being renovated, including Giambologna's Rape of the Sabines, so this lovely arcade is somewhat marred -- but it still makes a good place to sit on the surrounding bench and rest your weary body.

While you are in the neighborhood, have a look inside Orsanmichele, a stunning small Gothic church with a dazzling Tabernacle holding a luminous portrait of the Virgin, recently restored to its original brilliance. However if this is the lunch hour, Orsanmichele will be closed, because, like most churches and many shops, things come to a screeching halt during mid-day siesta, which generally lasts from 12-3. The outdoor markets keep going all day, and you are right next to one of the best, so take some time to shop in the colorful Straw Market, also called the New Market, although it is 500 years old, just one block from Piazza della Signoria.

By now you should be tired and ready for lunch. For a splurge you could eat right here at Cafe Rivoire, at a table on their outdoor terrace with a fabulous view of the Piazza. Or cheaper yet in this same place, but without the view, you can always stand at their coffee counter and pay a much lower price, as in all Italian cafes. However, there are two casual restaurants a block away that offer some of the best food values in town.

Piccadily Pizzaria, on Via Por S. Maria, the road leading to Ponte Vecchio, has great slices at low prices, with picnic tables in a garden setting out back. Better yet, the Hot Pot is my favorite cafeteria in town, around the corner on Via de Lamberti, across from Orsanmichele. There are half a dozen bargain cafeterias like this, where you can have a big meal for under ten dollars, especially during lunch hour when the food is very fresh.

After lunch and a little shopping, it's time to visit the church of Santa Croce, where you will see very important early renaissance paintings by Giotto, Michelangelo's tomb, and fine gothic architecture designed by Arnolfo de Cambio in the Middle Ages. Located just four blocks behind the Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Croce is an easy walk through a neighborhood filled with leather shops. There is also a nice Leather School in the back of the church with good values in locally made items.

Uffizi Gallery

Finally today, visit the Uffizi Gallery, which contains the finest collection of Italian Renaissance art, with masterpieces by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Bellini, Mantegna, Raphael, and many more geniuses, making this one of the top museums in the world. It's a must for the art lover, and a major reason why people come to Florence, but it is small enough that you can easily walk through in 90 minutes. The problem lies in getting in, because this is the number one attraction in town and there is usually a long line, with a typical wait of 1-2 hours. Here are two ways to beat the line: call 011-39-055-294883 a few weeks ahead and make reservations, or time your visit for later in the afternoon, after 3:00 p.m. See our listings for the opening hours, but keep in mind this is Italy, so schedules may change.

DAY TWO

Piazzale Michelangelo, Pitti Palace, Oltrarno, Ponte Vecchio, shopping, Accademia.

Piazzale Michelangelo

Bus ride up to Piazzale Michelangelo.

A perfect way to begin this final day is enjoying the stunning view of the city from Piazzale Michelangelo on the other side of the Arno River. This is the one of the world's great panoramas, so it is worth the effort to get here. It is too far and too steep to walk comfortably but you can easily find a taxi or better yet, catch the city bus in front of the train station for the quick, inexpensive ride across the river and up the hill. Then later you can easily walk back down to town.

Pitti Palace

Pitti Palace, the former home of the Medici ruling dynasty, was the largest residence in Europe before Versailles was built, and was the royal home of the nation's king, Vittorio Emanuele II, when Florence was capital of Italy, 1865-71. Now, it is one of the most important art museums in Italy.

Santa Maria Novella and San Lorenzo

DAY THREE

A few more museums, shopping, and a trip out of town.

Excursions

An excellent alternative for his afternoon is to take a day-trip to Siena and Pisa, described elsewhere in this website, or Fiesole, on a hill overlooking Florence, just 5 miles away.

Fiesole

The trip to Fiesole is very easy and offers many rewards. Ride public bus 7 from the train station through the suburbs, passing numerous large well-kept villas and pleasant country scenery, arriving in Fiesole 20 minutes later.

You can see there is so much to do in and around Florence that you could even stay more than three days if you want to do it all, but by all means, don't attempt to cover this city in one day.

More Videos

Touring the city, from the Hotel Cerretani, including Ponte Vecchio and Piazalle Michelangelo

Arrival, ride to Piazelle Michelangelo for the view, walk down, Piazza della Republica, Duomo

Walking tour with local guide and dinner at Porcospino

Walk with local guide Anne Barbetti to Baptistery and little lanes

You can also see this same video on a separate video page.