Florence

Introduction

Brunelleschi's Dome

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Florence is the capital of the region Tuscany in Italy and considered one of the most beautiful cities in the country. Famous for its art and architecture, this city of 400,000 inhabitants is viewed as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, home to such famous Florentines as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michaelangelo and Machiavelli. Steeped in ancient history, it's little surprise that the historic centre of Florence was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1982.

The famous Duomo (Cathedral) is an icon of the Florence skyline and a great place to get a magnificent view over the city. Other well-known sites include the Santo Spirito church, Giotto's Bell Tower and Ponte Vecchio.

Districts

There are five districts in Florence and the old area of town is divided into four sections. The city centre is the area that contains the vast majority of tourist sights. The newer areas of towns have the university and sports stadiums.

Old Town

• San Giovanni;
• Santa Croce;
• Santa Maria Novella;
• Santo Spirito Oltrarno.

Outside of the Old Town

• Campo Di Marte;
• Gavinana;
• Isolotto e Legnaia;
• Rifredi.

Sights and Activities

The city of Florence itself is an amazing sight. Just looking at and wandering around the stone buildings and narrow streets makes one wonder about the old days. But the problem is Florence has so many sights that unless you intend to spend a month there it will be difficult to see everything. Therefore this section has been broken into "Must See" and "Other Sights and Activities." And even then this is only a fraction of the sights you can see in Florence. Some of the sights are described in more detail.

The David

Statue of David

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The statue of David is one of the master-pieces by Italian artist Michelangelo. It depicts David before the fight with Golliath, which was very uncommon, as around that time David was always depicted after the fight. The statue is made out of white marble. Work of the statue has begun in 1464, but several artists failed to complete the statue. It was young Michelangelo, he was 26, who convinced the commissioners that he could complete the statue of David. in 1501 he started where the others had left it, which was basically some rude shapes, and some worked out details of the feet. He would work on the sculpture for 2 years, before it was finished. The statue was unveiled at the 8th of September 1504 and placed outside of the Palazzo della Signoria. At the place of this original sight, now stands a copy, while the original is located at the Galleria dell' Accademia. It is recommended to reserve tickets (especially during holidays) if you want to avoid a long queue. Although at the Galleria dell' Accademia the David is the only thing worth seeing, if you go about 30 minutes before closing there will be no line on most days.

Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio

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The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") is a bridge that crosses Arno River which is covered with little high end jewelry shops, art dealers and souvenir sellers, and a famous meeting place for lovers. The bridge is a Medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge and originally, butchers occupied the shops. The Ponte Vecchio's two neighbouring bridges are the Ponte Santa Trinità and the Ponte alle Grazie. The bridge spans the Arno river at its narrowest point and consists of three segmental arches: the main arch has a span of 30 metres and the two side arches each span 27 metres. No one knows why, but the Nazis did not destroy the Ponte Vecchio in World War II, even though they did destroy all the other bridges in Florence. Instead the Nazis blew up everything around the bridge so it could not be crossed.
For more information on famous bridges around the world read the article: Famous Bridges.

Must See

• Duomo Cathedral is the main cathedral in the city with a nice a view from the top.

Vasari's paintings inside the Cupola are a later addition - Brunelleschi's intention was simplicity.

• Medici Chapels - do not miss the tombs designed by Michelangelo.
• San Lorenzo is a stunning church with some nice private chapels.
• Santa Croce is a church that has the tombs of some of the most famous people from history buried in it. The perfectly proportioned Pazzi Chapel there, is a prime example of the work of Brunelleschi. Don't miss Giotto's fresco of The Life of Christ.
• Uffizi Gallery hosts some of the most famous renaissance art work in the world.
• The Vasari Corridor takes you across the Ponte Vecchio, and is packed with artworks. Connects the Uffizi with the Pitti Palace.
• Vecchio was the original government building during the Florence Republic.
• Convento San Marco - along with beautiful cloisters, each of the 'cells' contains a fresco by Fra Angelico depicting the life of Christ.

Other Sights And Activities

• Pitti Palace is a nice palace but houses lots of left over portraits from the 19th century.
• San Michelangiolo is a church on top of the hill over looking Florence. Every evening at 4:00pm the monks come out and sing.
• Strozzi Palace is a nice traditional Italian palace.
• Rucellai Palace is another traditional Italian palace.
• Piazza di Michelangelo overlooking the city is where the firework display for San Giovanni (24th June) takes place.
• The jewel-like San Miniato al Monte church stand near the top of the Viale Michelangelo, and is well worth the walk there!
• Capella dei Brancacci in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine - Massaccio's amazing fresco - look out for the first shiver depicted in the History of Art!

Events and Festivals

Weather

Florence has a Mediterranean climate with generally mild winters and warm summers, though with fairly cold winter nights and abundant rainfall throughout the year. From June to early September, daytime temperatures are mostly around the 30 °C mark, while nights are between 15 °C and 20 °C. Winters from December to early March see highs of 10-13 °C, while nights are just several degrees above zero on average. The average annual precipitation is around 900 mm, with summers being the driest time of the year and November and December the wettest months.

Getting There

By Plane

Florence Airport (FLR) is an international airport that serves most major cities in Italy and Europe, with regular public buses to the bus station.
Meridiana has most flights, with connections to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Cagliari, Catania, London-Gatwick, Madrid, Olbia and Palermo. Other airlines fly to Paris, Rome, Lyon, Vienna, Tirana, Brussels, Timisoara, Copenhagen, Elba, Geneva, Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich.

By Train

The train station is large and located in the northern part of the city. You can get trains to anywhere in Italy and most major European destinations. There are several daily trains to Venice, Milan, Rome and Pisa. Check Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), Italy's State Railways, for more information.

By Car

By Bus

The bus station in Florence is excellent for getting to towns in nearby Tuscany. There are several daily trains to the neighboring city of Siena, which was Florence's rival throughout history. Eurolines has connections to destinations throughout Europe.

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

ATAF is the main company providing public buses throughout the city.

By Foot

Although the twisting, narrow streets of Florence make for stunning beauty and great pictures, they also make it next to impossible to find almost anything. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you buy a map or a tourist map in order to help find sights. Luckily the Duomo and the Vecchio can be seen from most of the city, making them a nice reference point.

By Bike

Eat

The food in Florence is stunning! The key thing is to get off the tourist track and get into the neighborhoods around the old town. It is amazing and it only takes walking a couple of blocks away from the main tourist areas for the food to get better and cheaper.
Gelaterias away from the tourist track are also a must. Gelateria La Carraia, on the other side of the Arno by the Ponte alla Carraia, is one of the best in town (and only costs €1!).

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

• Florence University

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

Post Italiane is the national postal services of Italy and has quite an efficient network of postal offices and reliable postal services. Standard letters and postcards (up to 20 grams) cost €0.39 to send within Europe and the Mediterranean countries outside Europe and €0.41 to all other destinations throughout the country. Up to 50 grams, prices start at €0.52 for Europe, €0.62 for other areas. Packages start at €1.55 within Europe, and around €2.50 for other countries. Post office business hours in Italy are from 8:30am to 2:00pm from Monday to Friday, with closing times at Saturday and the last day of the month at 12 noon.

External Links

• Official Governmental Website
• Official Tourism Website