What to visit in Florence

Florence

Florence it is an unforgettable, cultural and artistic city. Although many people stay two or three days, visit the most obvious and leave, my advice is that if you can stay longer because only then will she remain in your memory forever and in the best way.

I stayed five days. Its alot? Maybe, but I like to live the cities calmly, with my pauses and discovering the times of those streets that open up unknown to me. The tourism almost It's not my thing, so here I leave you my Guide of what you have to visit and do in Florence.

Florence, Firenze

Bike rental in Florence

It is just over two hours from Rome and from the capital you arrive on a high speed train which departs regularly from Termini. It is not necessary to buy tickets in advance, unless you visit Italy it is very high season and you like to have everything organized. I went in October and I had no problems getting to the station with my suitcases, buying the ticket and getting on the train. In less than two hours he was leaving for Tuscany.

Florence Station

Santa Maria Novella station is the terminal of Florence. If you arrive early and miss to check in there is a luggage store on the last platform. As the station is very close to the old town, you can walk back and forth. When you leave the station you have the church of the same name and there the little streets that go into the oldest part of the city.

Buses in Florence

To move around it you have taxis and buses, but my advice is to walk and then rent a bike. For between seven or eight euros you have twelve hours a bike at your disposal and it will allow you to go further, walk, get from one point to another quickly, cross the Arno to visit the Palazzo Pitti or go up to the Church of San Miniato al Monte, for example. Renting a car is not recommended as the city has many areas closed to vehicular traffic.

Florence is a city of churches, squares, palaces and museums.

Florence museums

Galilei Museum

If you like art and architecture, Florence is the best destination in Italy. It has the Uffizi Gallery, the Accademia Gallery, the Leonardo Da Vinci Museum, the Barghello Museum and the Galileo Museum, for example.

  • Uffizi Gallery: is one of most visited museums in Italy so buy tickets in advance and be willing to wait to enter. You will see inside the Birth of Venus and Spring, by Botticelli, the Venus of Urbino, works by Giotto, by Caravaggio, Rembrandt and Michelangelo. Works in a letter-shaped building U that Cosimo de Medici had built for his magistrates. The Vasari corridor it is its pearl, a corridor - bridge that connects the Palazzo Vecchio and the Gallery with the Pitti Palace on the other side of the Arno river (1 kilometer long, built in the XNUMXth century).
  • Barghello Museum: for Renaissance sculptures there is this museum. There are masterpieces of Cellini Michelangelo and Donatello, tapestries, furniture, textiles, ivories, stamps, bronzes, majolica and medals. The heraldic decorated front door is spectacular. It is located on the Vía del Proconsolo and the entrance costs 4 euros. It opens from 8:15 a.m. to 5:XNUMX p.m. Monday through Sunday.

The David

  • Leonardo Da Vinci Museum: it is a small private museum lost in the streets of the city. There are reproductions of his famous and curious machines. You enter through a bookstore that is on Calle de Servi, a narrow street that connects Piazza Annunziata with the Cathedral Square. Admission costs 7 euros and is open from November to March every day from 10 am to 6 pm and between April and October until 7 pm.
  • Academy Gallery: It is a very popular museum because it has the David, by Michelangelo. My advice is to go after 5:30 pm because they close the doors at 6 and there are much less people, both in the gallery and in the store. You will also see the Rape of the Sabine Women and the Madonna and Child or the Madonna del Mar, both by Botticelli. The entrance costs 8 euros.
  • Museo galileo: a beauty. It faces the river and there are many tools and instruments designed or made by Galileo. There are scientific collections, many centuries-old telescopes, Galileo finger same, old maps and much more. Each floor is a treasure chest.

Palaces of Florence

Palazzo Vecchio

At the same time, some of the palaces in Florence are museums but I prefer to catalog them that way, separately. In this section we can include the Palazzo Davanzati, the Palazzo Pitti and the Palazzo Vecchio.

  • Palace Davanzati: what is surprising is the ticket price: 2 euros! It is worth visiting this old florentine mansion Because it is a window to the past, you will discover how a family of certain economic comfort lived in medieval Florence. It is also recommended to go with children. You walk through the different floors of this house, discover how the cistern works, how the servants communicated between floors, you will see rooms and even internal bathrooms. It is on Via Porta Rossa, 13 and closes on the second and fourth Sunday of each month, the first, third and fifth Monday.
  • Palazzo Vecchio: the history of the palazzo dates back to the Romans but today it is a mixture of Roman foundations, medieval fortress and Renaissance decorations. The most impressive hall is the Salone dei Cinquecento with an 18 meter high ceiling beautifully decorated with gold moldings and frescoes. There is a public part and a private part, studios and chapels. It is also convenient to climb to the top of everything to contemplate the city and sit and enjoy the view for a while.

Palazzo Davanzatti

  • Palazzo Pitti: the family built it in the mid-1549th century under the design of Filippo Brunelleschi. The Medici bought it in XNUMX and behind the palace complex is the Boboli Gardens. Inside there are several recommended museums: the Palatina Gallery, Royal Apartments, Silver Museum, Modern Art Gallery, Porcelain Museum, Dress Gallery with fashion of three centuries. A beauty. Separate entry is paid for each one: for the Art Gallery 8, 50 euros, for the Silver Museum 7 euros, for the Porcelain 7 euros, for the Dress 8.50 euros, for the Palatina Gallery and the Royal Apartments , XNUMX euros.
  • Boboli Gardens: They make up the largest green space in Florence and date back to the second half of the XNUMXth century. They have a beautiful amphitheater, a Grotto designed by Buontalenti, an Egyptian obelisk, a fish pond, and a network of pretty walking trails that take you to the best views of Florence.

Boboli Gardens

Churches of Florence

View from the Bell Tower of Florence

Like every Italian city in Florence there are many churches. Some you can enter at any time of the day, they are all old and they all seem beautiful, but without a doubt one cannot leave the city without visiting the Cathedral, the Baptistery and the Bell Tower. The same ticket for all three that lasts 24 hours. The Cathedral is very simple and there is not much to see, except the crypt for which you have to pay extra. There is a museum there.

View from the bell tower

For climb to the dome It is necessary to pay again but it is what you cannot miss. It's an adventure! You climb through narrow passageways, climb stone stairs and after a long distance you reach the top of everything and the views are the best. The same when you finish climbing the Bell Tower. You have to walk a lot, it is true, it is not for people with problems or very old people, but if it is not your case I think It is one of the best sightseeing tours in Florence.

Piazza Michelangelo

Among these visits I will include the Medici Chapels, the family mausoleum, with all its works of art. If you like the painting of the Last Supper, there are several hidden in churches and convents: that of San Salvi, made by Andrea del Sarto, the one in the Convitto della Calza, an old hospital, and that of the Church of Santa Croce, made by Taddeo Gaddi.

Finally, with the bike or by bus you can go up to Michelangello square, where there is a reproduction of the David. The views are very beautiful at sunset and if you go up a little more you will reach the Church San Miniato al Monte where the monks still sing Gregorian chants. There is a cemetery, a grove and a lot of peace.

Church San Miniato al Monte

The point is that, as I said at the beginning, if you stay many days you can always do more things. For example, visit the Stilbert Museum with its beautiful old armor or take a walk in the countryside and visit a vineyard.


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