Florence

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Florence Cathedral is faced with white, green and pink marble, with Giotto's Campanile standing beside it, Italy

Lorenzo Ghiberti's gilded bronze doors for the Baptistery became known as the Gates of Paradise, Florence, Italy

Palazzo Vecchio has been the seat of Florence's government since the Middle Ages, Italy

The Uffizi was designed by Giorgio Vasari in the sixteenth century as offices for the Medici administration, Florence, Italy

About Florence

Florence, the capital of Tuscany, was the cradle of the Italian Renaissance, and its compact historic center along the Arno River still reflects the wealth and patronage of the Medici era. Red-tiled roofs, stone palazzi and church facades in green and white marble fill a center small enough to cross on foot, and the city's art collections rank among the most important in the world.

Most days begin near Florence Cathedral, where Brunelleschi's dome can be climbed for views over the rooftops, with Giotto's Campanile and the Baptistery beside it and original sculptures in the Museo dell'Opera. Piazza della Signoria, with the fortress-like Palazzo Vecchio, leads to the Uffizi Gallery and its Botticellis, while Michelangelo's David stands in the Galleria dell'Accademia. San Lorenzo holds the Medici Chapels, and the nearby Mercato Centrale is a good lunch stop. Santa Croce contains the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo. Crossing the Ponte Vecchio leads to the Oltrarno, home to Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens.

The Oltrarno, particularly around Santo Spirito, has a more local, workshop-filled feel and is pleasant for evenings. Art lovers should reserve museum entry in advance, as lines can be long from spring through fall. Florence is also an easy base for day trips to Siena, Pisa, Lucca and the Chianti wine country.

Best seasonApril, May, September and October offer comfortable walking weather and fewer crowds than summer.

Ideal stayThree to four days covers the main museums and churches with time for the Oltrarno.

ArrivingFlorence's Santa Maria Novella station has fast rail links; the city also has a small airport, with Pisa nearby.

WiserMap travel guideFlorence Italy Duomo Climb David and Tuscan FoodA practical Florence guide: the Duomo and dome climb, Uffizi, David, Ponte Vecchio, Oltrarno, Tuscan food, where to stay, best seasons and a three-day plan.Read the guide

Why People Love Florence: 12 Things to Discover

Churches 3

Florence Cathedral and Brunelleschi's dome

Santa Maria del Fiore took nearly 150 years to complete, and its crowning glory is the brick dome Filippo Brunelleschi engineered...

Giotto's Campanile, the Baptistery and the Museo dell'Opera

Beside the cathedral stand two monuments that are just as remarkable. The octagonal Baptistery of San Giovanni, one of the city's...

Basilica of Santa Croce

The largest Franciscan church in Italy doubles as a pantheon of famous Italians: Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli and the compos...

Landmarks 2

Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio

Florence's political heart has been this L-shaped square since the Middle Ages, dominated by the fortress-like Palazzo Vecchio and...

Ponte Vecchio

Spanning the Arno at its narrowest point, this medieval bridge rebuilt in 1345 is famous for the shops that hang off its sides. Bu...

Museums 4

The Uffizi Gallery

Built by Giorgio Vasari as offices for the Medici administration, the Uffizi now holds one of the world's greatest collections of...

Galleria dell'Accademia

Most visitors come here for a single sculpture, and Michelangelo's David does not disappoint: carved from one block of marble betw...

Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens

Begun for the banker Luca Pitti and later bought by the Medici, this massive rusticated palace became the main residence of the gr...

Bargello National Museum

This severe medieval building served as a seat of government, a prison and a police headquarters before becoming Italy's foremost...

Markets 1

San Lorenzo, the Medici Chapels and the Mercato Centrale

The Medici treated San Lorenzo as their family church, and Brunelleschi's harmonious interior is one of the earliest Renaissance c...

Neighborhoods 1

Santo Spirito and the artisan streets

Across the river in the Oltrarno, the plain unfinished facade of Santo Spirito hides one of Brunelleschi's most beautiful interior...

Viewpoints 1

Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato al Monte

Laid out in the 1860s when Florence was briefly Italy's capital, this broad terrace on the south bank offers the best-known panora...

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