What to do in Florence, Italy
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Florence guidebooks
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Florence and Tuscany (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Price: $8.98
List Price: $25.00 |
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Cafe Life Florence: A Guidebook to The Cafes & Bars Of The Renaissance Treasure
Price: $12.31
List Price: $20.00 |
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The Food Lover's Guide to Florence: With Culinary Excursions in Tuscany
Price: $8.81
List Price: $14.95 |
Links about Florence
- Florence - Wikipedia
Wikipedia is always a great source of unbiased information. - Italian Renaissance - Wikipedia
This was an exciting time, and Florence was at the heart of it. - Michelangelo - Olga's Gallery
One of the most famous Renaissance artists, you can see his masterful works in Florence. - Michelangelo Buonarroti
Biographical info about this artistic genius.
Florence DVD's
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Global Treasures FLORENCE Firenze Tuscany, Italy
Price: $14.95
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Smart Travels Europe with Rudy Maxa Florence Italian Hilltowns
Price: $24.95
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Inside The Tuscan Hills Inside The Tuscan Hills
Price: $21.99
List Price: $24.95 |
Other related hubs
- Touring Italy - Florence # 1: The Uffizi
The most famous museum in Florence, this is a world-class gallery. - San Miniato di Firenze
San Miniato is worth visiting for the church, the history, and the views. - Tuscany Italy
Florence is the leading city in the Tuscany region, and makes a great base for exploring.
More related topics
Florence, Italy -- "Firenze" in Italian -- was the center of the Italian Renaissance, and home to many famous artists, including Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Today it's brimming with art and culture, and is a fascinating city to visit!
Here are my top places to go and things to do in Florence.
- Florence is simply steeped in history. It's truly amazing how such a concentration of the world's great thinkers collected in this small city in the 14th century, and the Renaissance that started here spread throughout Europe. Art, science, literature, and politics -- revolutionary advances in all these fields were happening, and Florence was the center of this thinker's hotbed.
- The Ponte Vecchio (Italian for "old bridge"), does indeed live up to its name, and more. Spanning the Arno River, this this medieval bridge has rows of shops hanging off the side of the bridge. In the old days, these were butchers and fishmongers. Now they house premiere goldsmiths and jewelers, with merchandise worth ogling.
- The Uffizi Museum is a must for art-lovers -- arguably the finest collection of Italian Renaissance art in the world. You'll find a large collection with paintings by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Giotto, Cimabue, Michelangelo, Masaccio, and many more.
- The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (commonly referred to as "The Duomo") is the cathedral of Florence, and its dome towers over the rest of the Florentine skyline. The exterior has clean, elegant patterns of white, pink and green marble. Engineering such an enormous dome was a feat unknown elsewhere at that time -- another development in science from the Renaissance days.
- Michelangelo's David is one of his greatest works of art, and one of the best-known statues in the world. "The David" is a powerful marble sculpture of the young David from the biblical conflict with Goliath. It is now viewed as a symbol of youthful human beauty and strength.
- Shopping, anyone? Florence has a wealth of shops selling top-quality (and some not-so-top quality, so beware) goods. You'll find designer fashions with well-known names like Gucci, Prada, and Roberto Cavalli. The city is home to the famous Salvatore Ferragamo. You'll find fabulous Italian shoes, elegant leather goods, colorful silks, and amazing jewelry.
- If you're blowing your wad on the trip itself, not the designer duds once you get here, Florence is also a great city for buying souvenirs, and gifts for the folks back home. Check out the street markets, where you could find a bargain. With colorful stalls displaying a huge variety of products, you'll want your camera with you, too.
- When you have shopped 'till you're ready to drop, where better to take the weight off your feet than just across the Ponte Vecchio, in the area known as Oltrarno. You'll find numerous restaurants and wine bars in this back street area of the city. It's not quite the normal tourist path, and there's a feeling of authenticity here.
- After returning to your hotel for a quick freshen-up, why not take in Florence by night? You could have dinner at a trattoria, then check out one of the city's clubs or live music venues. As an alternative, you could do what the Italians do -- go from bar to bar, enjoying a drink and some snacks at each. Keep your eyes open for posters in public areas about what events are taking place while you're here.
- Florence is the primary city of Tuscany, a region of Italy famous for beautiful scenery, medieval hill towns, and Chianti wine. If you've got the time, it well worth doing a little exploring. Check out Siena (Florence's arch-rival city during the Renaissance), or Pisa (home of the famous leaning tower). Both are easy to do by train from Florence as a day trip.
Latest goings-on from Florence, Italy
- Florence Under Construction
Since there is so much art and architecture in this city it is likely that something is always under repair or re-construction. At the moment, both the David and Hercules statues in front of the Palazzo Vecchio are under scaffolding.... - 4 days ago
- McRae books to close soon
There is a war of attrition going in Florence on Via dei Neri. McRae books is going to close their doors sometime in October. This follows a decades old, high end women's clothing shop, a small bakery, the Latteria (really... - 5 weeks ago
- Piazza Sant'Ambrogio
It looks like the road work in Piazza Sant'Ambrogio is done. This is good news, as this area can be very crowded - and getting a bike through there the last few months was a real issue. The piazza has... - 6 weeks ago
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Comments?
Hi Sligobay - About the new Florence tram lines, it does seem like one of those cases where there's no good solution. Surely the traffic roaring past the Duomo now already causes a lot of vibration, and a lot more corrosive pollution, too. However, I'm not sure why they have to run it right by the Duomo instead of a couple of blocks away. Knowing the streets in that area, perhaps there aren't many that are straight & wide enough for the trams? Thanks for the comments! - Deanna.
what to do in florence? romance of course
Hi tinyteddy -
Good thought! For those who are lucky in love (at least temporarily!), Florence is definitely an ideal place to enjoy that romance. (-:
Thanks! - Deanna.
A great hub on Florence. I think the city is also associated with the Medici's and Machiavelli. I'am not very sure, but certainly you can probably throw some light on this
Hi Ram_m -
You're absolutely right -- Florence is indeed associated with the Medici's and Machiavelli. The Medici family were very powerful and wealthy, and they were a major factor in how Florence became the birthplace of the Italian renaissance.
Thanks for your comment! - Deanna.
Great job! I have fond memories of when I and my sculpture class visited l'Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze, where the David" is located among others of Michelangelo's pieces and we all burst out in tears! What a moving experience! Thanks for reminding me of a truely awesome time 20 years ago!
Hi Paulie -
Thanks for the note! "The David" really is awesome, and must have been especially inspiring to a sculpture class! I loved Michelangelo's concept of revealing the sculpture from within the block of marble. Nobody's ever done it quite like him!





sligobay says:
8 months ago
Hello Happy Explorer, Gioto's bronze doors are another artistic sight to behold. In addition to Michaelangelo's 'David', the city is a warehouse of marble sculptures chiseled by him. It is truly the sculptor's Mecca. Wresting an historic city into modern transport schemes inevitably detracts from the past but global warming demands energy saving solutions or there will be no need for history.Cheers, sligobay