Florence: the back story

About Florence: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Tuscany Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Florence packs the Renaissance into a city you can cross on foot in half an hour: the cathedral and Brunelleschi’s dome, the Uffizi and the Palazzo Vecchio, the Ponte Vecchio and, across the river, the Oltrarno and the Boboli Gardens.

Centro storico

Between the Duomo and the Signoria are the great sights and the shopping streets; book the dome, the Uffizi and the Accademia ahead on their official sites.

Oltrarno

Over the river, the Palazzo Pitti and Boboli, Santo Spirito and San Frediano keep the workshops of artisans and some of the best trattorias.

The Historic Centre of Florence was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1982.

Santa Croce

East of the centre, Santa Croce, the Sant’Ambrogio market and Enoteca Pinchiorri’s three stars.

Fiesole and the hills

Up the hill, Fiesole’s Roman theatre and the villa hotels; Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato for the sunset.

Seasons

Spring and autumn are ideal; summer is hot and busy. The Maggio Musicale fills the opera house in spring.

Our advice: stay inside the old centre and leave the car at the edge: the ZTL cameras fine every unregistered car.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Florence: the back story before you go.