A plan for Florence

Politically, economically, and culturally, Florence was the most important city in Europe for around 250 years, from some time before 1300 until the early 1500s. It is now primarily a tourist site, with the much of its non-touristic economy powered by artisans who still nonetheless sell largely to tourist and foreign customers.

In the middle ages, Florentines reinvented money, in the form of the gold florin. This currency was the engine that drove Europe out of the Dark Ages, a term invented by Petrarch, a Florentine whose family had been exiled to Arezzo. They financed the development of industry all over Europe, from Britain to Bruges, Lyon and Hungary. They financed the English kings during the Hundred Years' War. They financed the papacy, including the construction of the papal palace in Avignon, and the reconstruction of St. Peter's and the Vatican when the papacy returned to Rome from the "Babylonian captivity".

Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio pioneered the use of the vernacular — the use of a locally spoken language, rather than Latin. In their case, the vernacular was Tuscan, which, because of them, became the lingua franca for the entire Italian peninsula, and eventually the basis for standard Italian following unification in 1871. Because Dante, et al., wrote in Tuscan, Geoffrey Chaucer, who spent a lot of time in Northern Italy and who used some of Boccaccio's little stories to inspire his Canterbury Tales, wrote in English. Others started writing in French and Spanish. This was the beginning of the end of Latin as a common language throughout Europe.

The Florentines, perhaps most notably Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1466) and Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472), invented Renaissance architecture. This architectural style revolutionised the way Rome, London, Paris and every other major city in Europe, from Barcelona to St. Petersburg, was built.

Learn from Stendahl and don't try to see too much. Most tourists rush to do the Uffizi, the Duomo and the Bargello. These are indeed splendid, but you may wait hours to get in, and be jostled by tour groups. Pre-book if you know you want to see them; otherwise spread out and see stuff that is equally fine but less touristy. A long weekend here could comfortably take in a sprinkling of old churches, and a couple of museums or galleries. But leave time and energy for just enjoying the ambience.

Churches: the standout is definitely the Duomo or Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. But other fine churches north of the river include San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Trinita, Santa Croce, Santo Spirito, SS Annunziata and Ognissanti. Highlights south of the river are Santa Maria del Carmine and San Miniato al Monte.

Art galleries: aim to do at least one of Uffizi, Pitti Palace, Accademia, Bargello and the Museum of the Works of the Duomo. They are filled with the brilliant creations of all the renaissance big names: Donatello, Verrochio, Desiderio da Settignano, and Michelangelo. There are also several modern galleries.

City views: the classic panorama is from Piazzale Michelangelo, on the hillside just south of the river, and from San Miniato al Monte a little higher up. But every tour bus pauses here for photos so it can get mobbed. There is also a great view from the dome of the Cathedral or Giotto's Bell Tower, and an even greater line to climb them.

Consider whether you'll benefit from buying a Firenzecard, described earlier.

Florence is featured in Assassin's Creed II; see Assassin's Creed Tour.

Great places to walk include along the Arno and across any of its bridges; through narrow, medieval back streets in the Santa Croce area; and in the Oltr'Arno, on the south side of the river, which is in many ways like Rome's Trastevere or Paris's Left Bank, but far, far smaller.

Climb the Duomo or Campanile: Traverse the winding staircases inside the Duomo or the nearby bell tower to see some of the best views of Florence. Not only can you see the Tuscan countryside in the distance and the impressive palaces and churches of Florence in the fore, but it also shows you just how large the Duomo is.

Stroll the Boboli Gardens: These extensive gardens behind the Pitti palace provide excellent views of the city of Florence and numerous sculptures in a relaxed environment. Stop in the hilltop café, grab a drink and a seat outside and enjoy the view.

Street performers strut their stuff in front of Palazzo Vecchio of an evening. Performances can range from violin duets to people dressed as sculptures. A nice place to stop while you eat your after-dinner gelato.

Enjoy the view from the Piazzale Michelangelo. It's a big square on a hill, but somewhat distant from the traditional tourist sites. It's easy to reach it even on foot using the stairs called "Rampe di San Niccolò". They are on the side of the Arno RIver just in front of the national library. Do this during the summer and during the night to admire Florence's lights.

Join a monastery: those aged 18-35 are invited to take a two-day spiritual retreat at Badia Fiorentina on Via del Proconsolo. Or just come to hear sung vespers at 18:00 and mass at 18:30 nightly in this peaceful church, filled with artwork. It's central yet virtually free of tourists.

Football: ACF Fiorentina play soccer in Serie A, Italy's top tier. Their home ground Stadio Artemio Franchi (capacity 43,000) is 2 km northeast of city centre.

Restaurants have separate prices for food that is taken away or is eaten standing up versus sit down; don't try to sit at a table after paying for food or coffee from the restaurant's take away booth. Also ask always beforehand for the price if you want to sit at a table. Otherwise you might be uncomfortably surprised. Cappuccino al banco i.e. standing up might cost €1-3, but at a table €4.

Florence's food can be as much of a treat to the palate as the art is a treat to the eye. There is good food for any price range, from fine restaurants to take out food from window stands. You will find the best price/quality ratio outside the historical centre, where locals go to eat. The worst ratio is probably in the neighbourhood of Mercato di San Lorenzo or immediately south of the Duomo where there are a lot of tourist restaurants. Conversely many of the best restaurants in the city are found in the Santa Croce district or across the river in the Oltrarno. In many trattorias requests for pizza may be met with a rebuff as not every trattoria will have a pizza oven. For local pizza look for smaller establishments in the Sant'Ambrogio district.

The best lunch places don't always turn out to be the best dinner places. Dinner in Florence really starts some time between 19:00 and 21:00. If a place looks like they're preparing to close before 20:00, it might not be the best option for an evening meal.

Typical Tuscan courses include bistecca alla fiorentina which is huge t-bone steak weighing from 500g to 1,500g. It has always price given per 100g, e.g. €3.5 etto (an etto is a "hectogram" or 100 gram-ettogrammo). crostini toscani are crostini with Tuscan liver pâté.

Tap water is safe but those who prefer bottled water will find it plentiful. Still (naturale) and sparkling (gassata) water is available for free from a fountain set into the wall of the Palazzo Vecchio.

Make sure to sample the excellent wines of the region.

Chianti is the local wine that can be ordered cheaply. Many eateries will offer carafes of various sizes of "house chianti", usually for under €4.

Bars

La Cite. A very nice and cozy cafe/bookstore. Good prices, nice atmosphere, good books. Borgo San Frediano 20r.

Enoteca Le volpi e l'Uva, ☏ +39 055 2398132. The must of the tasting wines and savory titbits. Piazza dei Rossi, 1.

Uffizi Museum The bar at this museum offers an amazing view overlooking la Piazza della Signoria, but it's only accessible through the museum, so you'll have to buy a ticket.

Irish Pub (The Fiddlers Elbow) Piazza Santa Maria Novella. This pub has plenty of seating, in addition to live music and great staff.

Bebop-great coverbands everynight and a €4 pint. Can be found north of the Duomo on the right on Via Dei Servi, before you reach Piazza d Annunziata.

Ambrosia - Found in Piazza de Ambrosia. This is primarily a wine bar, and you can sample some great wines at a low cost provided you come with friends and share the price of whole bottles.

Rivoire Piazza della Signoria. Founded in 1872 this terrace facing the Palazzo Vecchio is a Florentine institution.

Paszkowski or Gilli. On the Piazza Republica, next to the hotel Savoy. The terraces on the other side of the piazza are equally pricey.

Été, Via Faenza 63. A lovely little café with warm service and good local beer and wine. €3 draft beer.

On foot

Most of the major tourist sights in Florence are within easy walking distance of each other. It is possible to walk from one end of the historic center of Florence to the other - north-south or east-west - in a half hour. Walking is not only an easy way to get around, it also offers the chance to 'take in' much more of the city life. Be warned though, that electric motor scooters are small enough to fit where cars cannot. They are relatively quiet but quick and in the summer they often travel into the plazas. Some of the streets in central Florence are closed to traffic. Many more are simply too narrow for buses to get through. Therefore, bus and car tours are not recommended. This is a very small, compact city that really needs to be seen on foot.

By bicycle

There is a bike rental service organized by the city. Bikes can be hired at several points in the city (and returned to the same place). One of the most convenient for tourists is at the SMN Station. There are other locations at many railway stations, but often with restricted opening hours. In addition, some hotels provide their guests with free bicycles. Bike shops also often rent bikes and some of them organize guided bike tours in the countryside.

While there are hills north and south of the center of town, almost all of the historic center of Florence is easy for bikers, because it is flat. But there is a problem: traffic is terrible, with buses, trucks, cars, motorcycles, motorbikes, bicycles, and pedestrians fighting for almost no space. However, a network of cycle paths make it often much faster to circumvent the city centre than to cycle directly through historic streets, even if the destination is in an area such as Santa Croce or Santa Maria Novella.

Florence is generally safe and healthy, but beware the inevitable purse-snatchers and pickpockets. They thrive in crowds, particularly around SMN railway station and on the buses, sometimes working with a decoy such as an insistent beggar. If you have a bag with a classy, noiseless zipper, it will be opened.

Also beware at night around tourist spots such as Ponte Vecchio where pickpocketers may approach you pretending to be drunk and friendly, and then snatch your belongings when your guard is down.