Destinations > Europe > Italy > Florence

Destination:

Florence

Oltrarno

topSights

Palazzo Pitti & Boboli Gardens

Piazza Pitti, Florence

The massive Pitti Palace was built to outdo the Medici palaces in grandness. Today it houses four important museums.

Galleria Palentina & Royal Apartments

+39 055 238 8614
Tue-Sun 8:15am-6:50pm
Closed Mon
Closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25
Royal Apartments closed every year in Jan

The Palentine Gallery contains Baroque and Renaissance works from the Medici collection as important as those in the Uffizi.

Galleria d'Arte Moderna

+39 055 238 8601
Tue-Sun 8:15am-6:50pm
Closed Mon
Closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25

More than 30 rooms make up this gallery, filled with art spanning from 1784 to 1924.

Galleria del Costume

+39 055 87 13
Jun, Aug 8:15am-7:30pm daily;
Apr, May, Sep, Oct 8:15am-6:30pm daily;
Mar 8:15am-5:30pm;
Nov-Feb 8:15am-4:30pm
Closed 1st & last Mon of the month
Closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25

The collection shows how fashions changed at the court of the Grand Dukes in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Museo degli Argenti

+39 055 238 87 09
Jun, Aug 8:15am-7:30pm daily;
Apr, May, Sep, Oct 8:15am-6:30pm daily;
Mar 8:15am-5:30pm;
Nov-Feb 8:15am-4:30pm
Closed 1st & last Mon of the month
Closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25

Displays include objects made of silver, gold, semi-precious stones and glassware, some in dubious taste.

Boboli Gardens

+39 055 265 1838
Jun-Aug 8:15am-7:30pm daily;
Apr, May, Sept 8:15am-6:30pm daily;
Mar, Oct 8:15am-5:30pm;
Nov, Feb 8:15am-4:30pm
Closed 1st & last Mon of month

A superb example of Renaissance gardening, this refreshing green space features an Amphitheatre (site of the first-ever opera performance), the Viottolone (an avenue of cypresses), L'Isolotto (the centerpiece of the moated garden), and La Grotta Grande (a Mannerist folly). A Rococo-style Kaffeehouse is open in summer and offers beautiful views.

Museo delle Porcellane

+39 055 238 8605
Same hours as the gardens
Enter through Boboli Gardens

The Porcelain Museum features table porcelain used by Tuscany's royal families (Medici, Lorena and Savoy).

Santa Maria del Carmine & Cappella Brancacci

Piazza del Carmine, Florence
+39 055 238 2195
Mon, Wed-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 1-5pm
Closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25

This church is best known for the splendid frescoes of The Life of St Peter in the Brancacci Chapel. Begun by Masolino and Masaccio in 1425 and finished by Filippino Lippi 50 years later. The frescoes show a mastery of perspective and shading that profoundly influenced 15th century painters like Michelangelo.

Santo Spirito

Piazza di Santo Spirito, Florence
+39 055 210 030
Mon-Fri 10am-12pm, 4-5:30pm (only am on Wed)
4-5:30pm Sat & Sun

Simple in design, Santo Spirito was Brunelleschi's last church. The old refectory displays medieval and Renaissance sculpture.

Piazzale Michelangelo

This piazzale offers a glorious panoramic view of the Duomo and the hills surrounding Florence. Crowded by day, it's much quieter at night, and features a restaurant and several bars.

San Miniato al Monte

Via Monte alle Croce, Florence
+39 055 234 2731
Apr-Oct 8:15am-6:30pm daily; Nov-Mar 8am-12:30pm, 2:30-7pm daily
Closed during services

A hillside jewel that’s one of the most unspoiled Romanesque churches in Tuscany. It features a marble façade, a floor inlaid with zodiac themes, and lovely mosaics, as well as a Benedictine shop selling honey and herbal potions.

topHotels

Hotel Lungarno

Borgo San Jacopo 14, Florence
Tel: +39 055 27 261 Fax: +39 055 268 437
Reservations: +39 055 2726 4000
lungarno@lungarnohotels.com
Reservations: bookings@lungarnohotels.com

Directly on the embankment on the Oltrarno side of the river. Great views.

topRestaurants

Ristorante Alfredo sull' Arno

Via de'Bardi, 46/r Florence
+39 055 283 808
Close to Ponte Vecchio.

Beccofino

Piazza degli Scarlatti 1/r Florence
Lungaro Guicciadini
+39 055 290 076
Between Ponte Alla Carraia and Ponte S. Trinita.

Borgo San Jacopo

Borgo San Jacopo, 62/r, Florence
+39 055 281661
Wed-Mon 730-10:30pm
Closed on Tue
Fabulous restaurant in the Hotel Lungamo overlooking the Arno river.

Cammillo

Borgo San Jacopo 57/r, Florence
Tel: +39 55 21 2427
Closed Tues and Wed
Advance reservations needed
Spectacular meals.

Mamma Gina

Borgo S. Jacopo, 37/r (Via Toscanella), Florence
+39 055 239 6009
Daily Mon-Sat, lunch and dinner
Closed Sun
Elegant trattoria set in 15th century palazzo.

Trattoria 4 Leoni

Via dei Vellutini, 1/r
Piazza della Passera, Florence
+39 055 21 8562 Daily 12pm-12am
Recommended by our tour guides as a place they go with their families

topShopping

Another shopping trident formed by Borgo Sat’ Jacopo, Via de’ Guicciardini (across from the Pitti Palace and Via Maggio Officina, offers everything from antiques, to silver, to paper, and fashion. A few that we visited:

Peruzzi

Silvershop

Borgo Sat' Jacopo

Pitti

Cashmere

Via dello Sprone, 13/r Florence
+39 055 283 516