Florence Bucket List
The city where the Renaissance was born has never settled for mediocrity. Brunelleschi's dome remains one of history's most astonishing architectural feats, while the masterpieces of the Uffizi still leave you breathless centuries later. And nearby, you can sample one of the most jaw-dropping experiences in a city that doesn't do things by halves: a two-pound steak, charred on the outside and vividly red within, grilled over an oak-wood fire and brought sizzling to your table.
Why Florence belongs on your bucket list
The Medici family footed the bill for the Renaissance, and Florence’s got the receipts to prove it. Botticelli, Lenny, Caravaggio – they’re all up in the Uffizi Gallery like, “Whatevs.” Cathedral with a dome that Brunelleschi built without using a single bit of scaffolding because whatevs? Michelangelo’s David, which he sculpted from a single piece of marble that two other sculptors had already given up on. But what really polishes tourists’ knickers is that Florence isn’t just a city-museum. You cross the Ponte Vecchio to the Oltrarno, and it’s artisans’ workshops, neighborhood trattorias with paper tablecloths, and a guy’s cellar where he ladles you mouthfuls of wine and lectures you on the virtues of the wine you’ve been drinking. Half an hour by bus, and you’ve got the Tuscan countryside.
When to go
The optimal moment to travel to Tuscany is April through June or September and October when weather conditions are pleasant and the area is not too busy with visitors. The most inexpensive time is November to March. The weather may not be great but some areas of Tuscany are very lively and you are more likely to score some great accommodation and flight deals.
Must-visit places in Florence
Uffizi Gallery
This structure once housed the government, but it is now the greatest gallery of Renaissance art in the world. Mention the top three works - say, Birth of Venus, Primavera by Botticelli, and Leonardo's Annunciation. Add the Medusa by Caravaggio (a woman so terrified that her blood crystallized in her veins - perhaps the first proper output of Medusa in art that focuses more on the fear of rape and the poor suffering of the woman than anything else), the Venus by Titian (almost as good as the Venus by Botticelli) and then plug in everything else. Half of the remaining masterpieces you will see by no more than the fingers in your hand or the eyeballs on your face. To see the other half, you would need a time machine and a Colombian peace settlement. You must reserve a time-ticket and if you don't, you can queue around this building for hours. So book early book deep in the morning or late in the day if you want to be flooded into the grapes in most grapes, then have a miraculous coffee and mouths grayscale of the Duomo all alone, you have access with your entrance ticket. If you just want to look at a hundred people swallowed by a turnstile drinking, be careful not to get their tips wet.
Florence Cathedral & Brunelleschi's Dome
Brunelleschi built the dome between 1420 and 1436. There was no scaffolding. No one knew how he did it for centuries afterwards. It's still the biggest masonry dome in the world. Climbing 463 steps squeezed between the inner and outer shells is more than a little claustrophobic and sweaty, but more than a little worth it, as you whisk past Vasari's Last Judgment frescoes (so close you can see the brushwork) and then hit the tip-top and gawp at a view that will at least for a moment take your mind off your burning legs.
Galleria dell'Accademia (David)
Here's the thing about the David. He's not subtle. Not like those Frenchmen, all nuance and understatement. No, the David is too much. Too strong. Too handsome. Too good at killing giants. Too everything. And if you're not careful, if you're not ready, well. You might just walk in there with your Yankee shorts and your American Express card thinking you're getting just another dose of culture to take home with you. And you walk out a believer. A devout believer. And good God, in that perfect cool chapel built just to house him with light pouring down from high above that vaguely cell-phone-resembling thing towering in the center, you can't miss it, the rock and roll of it all. No subtlety here. Just too much.
Ponte Vecchio
Stores have stretched along this bridge from the 1300s. They used to occupy family gossip selling and tanning hides, however, because the scent was disturbing their morning drive, the Medici had them removed. Put jewelers and goldsmiths on the bridge, and that's who's still here. Truth be told, this is the main bridge in all of Florence that wasn't blown up by the Nazis in 1944 as they came up short on Italy. This was because, the story goes, even Hitler thought it was excessively excellent. Over the shops, runs a secret passageway, the Vasari Corridor. The Medici had it constructed so they could stroll from their palace to their office while never blending in with the rabble. Great Medici, huh? The light on the Arno River is best at dusk, so everything top adopts a golden hue. Appreciate!
Piazzale Michelangelo
This is the view of the sun setting over the city of Flowers. It’s free too, and the Naked David is there as well. Unfortunately, so too are all the homeless people, but try to ignore them while you soak up the view.
Oltrarno
On the other bank of the river, there are fewer tourists. Oltrarno is a residential area where someone can buy shoes from a man a few feet away from where he makes them, where leather workshops and gilding workshops exist, where a man creates marbled paper just like his grandfather did. There is a market in the square of Santo Spirito every day, and by 6 o'clock, people are already starting to take their aperitivo (drink wine on the steps of the church). Eat at Trattoria Sabatino or Il Latini, where you won't even think about the price. This is the real Florence. This is where the Florentines are. And my friend, this is the best part about it all.
Mercato Centrale
You should also read this description in Wilson's voice. I'm telling you it’s funny. This food market has two floors. And those floors might as well be in two different buildings in two different cities. Ground floor, you might as well be in San Francisco. First floor, you might as well be in Fresno. Go upstairs and get the real Florentine street food at a corner stall: lampredotto. It’s a sandwich made out of cow stomach and it is the business. Wash it down with a good espresso. Take time to wander around in the sun with your coffee, because you’re about to spend the next hour applying eye-drops to your taste buds. Oh, and every once in a while, the guy who runs the best butcher shop in the world shows up and hands out free samples of his beautiful naked cow while reciting Dante. No joke.
Boboli Gardens
The Medici family was in possession of so many palaces that they could hardly keep up with maintaining the gardens that surrounded them. And so the palace gardens were designed for comfort, beauty, grandeur, secret liaisons, and entertainment. Boboli Gardens are no different. They were strategically located directly behind the Pitti Palace (which we enjoyed the tour of) giving the Medici family a private and luxuriant space to stroll, entertain guests or merely find some peace from the turmoil of ruling over people they hoped didn't hate them too much. The gardens were designed to showcase wealth (all of those sculptures are an expensive display of status), tease the eyes with optical illusions, and provide the illusion that this paradise was much larger than it actually was.
Basilica di Santa Croce
This cemetery for famous Italians was desecrated by a flood of international tourists and metal-hungry Fiats and Vespas 800 years ago. It's about time it enjoyed an influx of cash. Where else would you find the remains of such masterflossers as Michelangelo and Galileo, trapped in stultifyingly conservative marble and gold? The bone yard directly in front of the church is quieter and free.
Mercato di San Ambrogio
This is the kind of place where the people of Florence do their shopping. They don't put on a show for tourists. You can find fruits, meats, cheeses, etc. here. The surrounding booths have varying goods for sale from socks to houseware items. However, the real reason to visit the market is to eat at Trattoria da Rocco, hidden within. Enjoy a full meal of delicious Tuscan food plus a glass of wine for a price you'll think is a mistake. The customers are all locals, the food is excellent, and no one will ever walk over to your table to try to sell you an English menu. That's when you know you've found somewhere good.
Florence insider tips
- Museum Reservations: It is strongly recommended to purchase your Uffizi or Accademia tickets at least two weeks in advance - we are not kidding, the queues are horrendous if you don't. The Firenze Card provides free access to all museums, and after visiting three or four, you've already got your money's worth (if you're after the "art tourist" experience that is).
- Walking city: You can reach the old part of Florence in just a 30-minute walk. A car isn’t necessary in this town. In fact, never drive your rental car into Florence. They’ve got a ZTL for that (Zone Traffic Limited), you drive inside and a camera outside takes a photo of your license plate and 6 months later your rental company takes it out of your credit card as a nice, fat fine. Rejoice in the folly of others.
- Bistecca alla fiorentina: The T-bone steak is like a religion in Florence. First, it must be Chianina beef. Second, it must weigh a minimum of 1.2kg. Third, it must be chargrilled over oak wood. And fourth, it must be served pretty bloody. Request ‘well done’ and your waiter will likely think you’re a moron. Buca Mario, Perseus and Trattoria Sostanza are some of the best places to sample the dish. Note: order one to share between you and a mate – they're massive.
- Gelato quality: If you see the gelato mounded over in bright, fluffy, day-glo waves--keep walking. It should be kept in a metal container with the cover on, so that it remains at the perfect temperature, the colors should be natural and almost pastel. No gummy bear flavor. Vivoli, La Sorbettiera, and Gelateria della Passera are the top spots.
- Aperitivo: Between 6 and 8 PM, if you order a drink at a bar you get free snacks, which is frequently a full buffet. The Negroni cocktail was actually invented in Florence. This is where you order one of those. Find a bar with a view of the Arno River and watch the sun set over a bitter orange concoction. It's practically compulsory.
- Day Trips: Siena is located at a 1.5 hour drive, but I assure you the trip is worth it. San Gimignano is an hour away. The Chianti wine region is a half-hour away, but if you plan to hop between vineyards in Chianti, a rental car is recommended. The bus is easier for vineyard-visiting hilt-towns — and provides free entertainment as a plus.
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