The back story
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The back story
Florence: the back story
The Duomo and the Uffizi, the Oltrarno’s workshops, the gardens and the hills of Fiesole.
Region guide · Tuscany
Florence: Our Favourites
The Duomo and the Uffizi, the Ponte Vecchio and the Oltrarno, palace hotels, Enoteca Pinchiorri’s three stars and the hills of Fiesole.
What's onThis week in Tuscany
What to see and do
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Brunelleschi’s dome
Florence Cathedral, the Dome and the Baptistery
Santa Maria del Fiore, Brunelleschi’s dome, Giotto’s bell tower and the Baptistery: the heart of the UNESCO-listed historic centre.
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Michelangelo’s David
Galleria dell’Accademia
The museum of Michelangelo’s David and his unfinished Prisoners.
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The town hall on the Signoria
Palazzo Vecchio
Florence’s town hall since the Middle Ages, with the vast Salone dei Cinquecento.
Piazza della Signoria 1, 50122 FirenzeExplore View on map
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The goldsmiths’ bridge
The Ponte Vecchio
The medieval bridge of goldsmiths’ shops, crossed by the Vasari Corridor.
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Tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo
Basilica of Santa Croce
The great Franciscan basilica, burial place of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli.
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The Etruscan town above Florence
Fiesole
The hill town above Florence, with a Roman theatre and views over the city.
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Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo
Uffizi Galleries
The Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens, with the reopened Vasari Corridor.
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Renaissance sculpture
Museo Nazionale del Bargello
Florence’s museum of sculpture, in a medieval palace: Donatello, Michelangelo, Cellini.
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Florence’s exhibition palace
Palazzo Strozzi
A Renaissance palace used for major exhibitions of old and modern art.
Piazza degli Strozzi, 50123 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Twentieth-century Italian art
Museo Novecento
Italian art of the 20th century in a former hospital on Piazza Santa Maria Novella.
Piazza Santa Maria Novella 10, 50123 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Galileo’s instruments
Museo Galileo
A museum of science beside the Uffizi, with Galileo’s own instruments.
Piazza dei Giudici 1, 50122 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Opera and the Maggio festival
Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Florence’s opera house and home of the Maggio Musicale festival.
Piazza Vittorio Gui 1, 50144 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Terraces over the city
Villa e Giardino Bardini
A terraced garden above the Oltrarno with a view of the whole city.
Costa San Giorgio 2, 50125 FirenzeExplore View on map
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On foot
Oltrarno to San Miniato
From the Ponte Vecchio up through the Bardini Garden to Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato al Monte.
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On foot
Florence to Fiesole
The old road up to Fiesole through San Domenico, with the city behind you.
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Florence’s luxury street
Via de’ Tornabuoni
Florence’s street of fashion houses, from the Arno to the Piazza Antinori.
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Gold on the bridge
The Ponte Vecchio jewellers
The goldsmiths and jewellers who have traded on the Ponte Vecchio for centuries.
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A historic pharmacy
Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
The historic perfumery and pharmacy of the Dominican friars of Santa Maria Novella.
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Leather made on the spot
Scuola del Cuoio
The leather school in the former dormitory of the Santa Croce friars.
Via San Giuseppe 5r, 50122 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Florence’s food hall
Mercato Centrale
The 19th-century iron market hall of San Lorenzo, with a food hall upstairs.
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The locals’ market
Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio
Florence’s oldest market, a neighbourhood food market near Santa Croce.
Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti, 50122 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Designer outlet village
The Mall Firenze
A designer outlet village in the countryside south-east of Florence.
Eat and drink
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One MICHELIN Star
Paca
Contemporary Italian cooking with one MICHELIN star, in Carmignano.
Via delle Ginestre 45, 59015 CarmignanoExplore View on map
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One MICHELIN Star
Borgo San Jacopo
Modern cooking by the Arno at Hotel Lungarno.
Borgo San Jacopo 62r, 50125 FlorenceExplore View on map
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One MICHELIN Star
Luca's by Paulo Airaudo
Contemporary cooking with one MICHELIN star, in Florence.
Via dei Cavalieri 2/c, 50123 FlorenceExplore View on map
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One MICHELIN Star
Serrae Villa Fiesole
Contemporary Italian cooking with one MICHELIN star, in Fiesole.
Via Fra' Giovanni da Fiesole detto l'Angelico 35, 50014 FiesoleExplore View on map
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One MICHELIN Star
Atto di Vito Mollica
Vito Mollica’s restaurant in the Palazzo Portinari Salviati.
Via del Corso 6, 50122 FlorenceExplore View on map
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One MICHELIN Star
Il Palagio
Italian contemporary cooking at the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze.
Borgo Pinti 99, 50121 FlorenceExplore View on map
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Three MICHELIN Stars
Enoteca Pinchiorri
Tuscany’s only three-star restaurant, in a palazzo on Via Ghibellina near Santa Croce.
Via Ghibellina 87, 50122 FlorenceExplore View on map
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One MICHELIN Star
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura
Massimo Bottura’s osteria on the Piazza della Signoria.
Piazza della Signoria 10, 50122 FlorenceExplore View on map
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One MICHELIN Star
Saporium Firenze
Creative cooking with one MICHELIN star, in Florence.
Lungarno Benvenuto Cellini 63r, 50125 FlorenceExplore View on map
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Bib Gourmand
Trattoria Cibrèo – Il Cibrèino
Tuscan cooking at moderate prices in Florence.
Via dei Macci 122r, 50122 FlorenceExplore View on map
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Bib Gourmand
L'Ortone
Italian cooking at moderate prices in Florence.
Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti 87/R, 50122 FlorenceExplore View on map
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Bib Gourmand
Il Latini
Tuscan cooking at moderate prices in Florence.
Via dei Palchetti 6r, 50123 FlorenceExplore View on map
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Bib Gourmand
Zeb
Farm-to-table cooking at moderate prices in Florence.
Via San Miniato 2r, 50125 FlorenceExplore View on map
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Bib Gourmand
Da Burde
Tuscan cooking at moderate prices in Florence.
Via Pistoiese 154, 50145 FlorenceExplore View on map
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Chocolate on the Signoria
Rivoire
The historic café and chocolate maker on the Piazza della Signoria.
Via Vacchereccia 4r, 50122 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Truffle panini since 1885
Procacci 1885
A small wine bar on Via de’ Tornabuoni, famous for its truffle panini.
Via de’ Tornabuoni 64r, 50123 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Gelato since 1930
Vivoli
A gelateria near Santa Croce, making ice cream since 1930.
Via dell’Isola delle Stinche 7r, 50122 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Florence’s speciality coffee
Ditta Artigianale
A speciality coffee roaster and café, founded in Florence in 2013.
Via dei Neri 30r, 50122 FirenzeExplore View on map
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San Frediano’s pastry shop since 1949
Pasticceria Buonamici
A neighbourhood pastry shop in San Frediano, in the Oltrarno.
Via dell’Orto 27r, 50124 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Florence’s American bar since 1953
Harry’s Bar Firenze
The Florentine American bar and restaurant, open since 1953.
Via il Prato 40r, 50123 FirenzeExplore View on map
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A wine bar by the Ponte Vecchio
Le Volpi e l’Uva
A small wine bar on a square just over the Ponte Vecchio.
Piazza dei Rossi 1, 50125 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Drinks by the Arno
Hotel bars of the Lungarno
The bars of the Lungarno Collection hotels by the Ponte Vecchio.
Where to stay
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A palace with a private park
Four Seasons Hotel Firenze
A Renaissance palace set in a private garden, a walk from the Duomo.
Borgo Pinti 99, 50121 FirenzeExplore View on map
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On the Piazza della Repubblica
Hotel Savoy
A Rocco Forte hotel on the Piazza della Repubblica, between the Duomo and the Signoria.
Piazza della Repubblica 7, 50123 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Suites by the Ponte Vecchio
Portrait Firenze
Suites on the Lungarno, steps from the Ponte Vecchio, part of the Lungarno Collection.
Lungarno degli Acciaiuoli 4, 50123 FirenzeExplore View on map
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On the Oltrarno bank
Hotel Lungarno
A hotel on the Oltrarno bank of the Arno, home of the starred Borgo San Jacopo.
Borgo San Jacopo 62r, 50125 FirenzeExplore View on map
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A frescoed palazzo
Palazzo Portinari Salviati
A frescoed Renaissance palace on Via del Corso, home of Atto di Vito Mollica.
Via del Corso 6, 50122 FirenzeExplore View on map
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A villa and spa above Boboli
Villa Cora
A villa in its own park on the hill above the Boboli Gardens.
Viale Machiavelli 18, 50125 FirenzeExplore View on map
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A villa above the city
Il Salviatino
A historic villa on the hill towards Fiesole, with views back over Florence.
Via del Salviatino 21, 50137 FirenzeExplore View on map
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A former monastery in Fiesole
Belmond Villa San Michele
A former monastery on the hill of Fiesole, looking down over Florence.
Via Doccia 4, 50014 FiesoleExplore View on map
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On the banks of the Arno
Villa La Massa
A historic villa on the banks of the Arno, a short drive upstream from the city.
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Suites off Via Strozzi
Palazzo Vecchietti
Suites in a historic palazzo off Via de’ Tornabuoni.
Via degli Strozzi 4, 50123 FirenzeExplore View on map
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A tower by the river
Antica Torre di Via Tornabuoni Uno
Rooms in a historic tower at the end of Via de’ Tornabuoni, by the Arno.
Via Tornabuoni 1, 50122 FirenzeExplore View on map
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On a garden square
Hotel Regency
A townhouse hotel on the leafy Piazza d’Azeglio, east of the cathedral.
Piazza Massimo d’Azeglio 3, 50121 FirenzeExplore View on map
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On Santa Maria Novella
Grand Hotel Minerva
A hotel on the Piazza Santa Maria Novella, near the station.
Piazza Santa Maria Novella 16, 50123 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Steps from the Duomo
Hotel Spadai
A boutique hotel on Via de’ Martelli, between the cathedral and San Lorenzo.
Via de’ Martelli 10, 50129 FirenzeExplore View on map
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A garden near San Marco
Hotel Orto de’ Medici
A townhouse hotel with a garden, near San Marco and the Accademia.
Via San Gallo 30, 50129 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Good value in the centre
Hotel Davanzati
A family-run three-star hotel between the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio.
Via Porta Rossa 5, 50123 FirenzeExplore View on map
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A sociable hostel by the station
Ostello Bello Firenze
A hostel and bar near Santa Maria Novella station and the San Lorenzo market.
Via Faenza 56, 50123 FirenzeExplore View on map
Property
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Estate agent
Lionard Florence
A Florence-based agency for luxury homes, villas and estates across Italy.
Via de’ Tornabuoni 1, 50123 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Estate agent
Engel & Völkers Firenze
The international agency’s Florence shop on the Oltrarno bank.
Lungarno Guicciardini 25r, 50125 FirenzeExplore View on map
Getting there and around
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Florence’s main hospital
Careggi University Hospital
Florence’s main public university hospital, with an emergency department.
Largo Giovanni Alessandro Brambilla 3, 50134 FirenzeExplore View on map
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Planned
Tram T2 extension to Sesto Fiorentino
An extension of the airport line north-west to Sesto Fiorentino.
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Reopened
The Vasari Corridor
The raised corridor from the Uffizi over the Ponte Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti has reopened.
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Planned
Florence Airport development plan
The airport operator’s plan to develop Florence’s Amerigo Vespucci airport.
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Cameras at every gate
Florence’s limited-traffic zone (ZTL)
The historic centre is closed to unauthorised traffic, enforced by cameras.
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Grand Prix circuit
Mugello Circuit
The motor racing circuit in the Mugello valley, north of Florence.
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Park outside the ZTL
Parking in Florence (Firenze Parcheggi)
The city’s car-park company, with garages around the edge of the centre.
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Tram T2 to the centre
Florence Airport (FLR)
Florence’s Amerigo Vespucci airport, linked to the city by tram line T2.
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Frecciarossa and regional trains
Trenitalia
Italy’s national railway: Frecciarossa high-speed trains and the regional network.
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Lines T1 and T2
Firenze Tramvia
Florence’s two tram lines, T1 from Villa Costanza to Careggi and T2 from the airport to San Marco.
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