Day 3: Florence

After an early breakfast we head off to Florence. Our walking tour starts in Piazza del Duomo, where we can admire three marvellous buildings: the Baptistery, the Cathedral, dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore, Brunelleschi’s Dome and Giotto’s Bell Tower.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is worth a visit. It was started by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1296 and completed by Brunelleschi and Giotto in the following centuries. Its famous white, green and pink Gothic façade has three bronze portals with mosaic decorations and statues.
Inside the cathedral you can admire frescoes by Vasari and works of art by Giotto and Luca della Robbia.

Outside the cathedral you can see Brunelleschi’s Dome, Giotto’s Bell Tower, which is a wonderful example of Florentine Gothic style, and the Baptistery, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, famous for Ghiberti’s Porta del Paradiso and its mosaics.

From Piazza del Duomo it is easy to reach Via dei Calzaioli, which is one of the most famous streets in Florence, lined with ancient buildings, exclusive shops, cafés, hotels and restaurants.

Our tour continues towards Piazza della Signoria , where you can admire the magnificent Palazzo Vecchio, also known as Palazzo della Signoria. This square, which has been the political centre of the city since the Middle Ages, is one of the most spectacular squares in Italy. Here you can also admire the lovely Loggia dei Lanzi, a late Gothic structure, which contains Giambologna’s The Rape of the Sabine Women Cellini’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa, and beautiful sculptures such as a copy of Michelangelo’s David , the equestrian statue of Cosimo I of the Medici Family and the Fountain of Neptune.

 

 

 

Palazzo Vecchio is Florence Town Hall and was designed by the great architect, Arnolfo di Cambio, in the 13th century. As soon as we enter this beautiful palace we can admire a nice courtyard frescoed by Vasari.

Near the courtyard, there are two flights of stairs leading to the lovely Salone dei Cinquecento decorated by a team of painters chosen by Vasari. A door leads to the amazing Salone dei Duecento, the State Apartments and the Hall of the Lilies, so called because it is decorated with golden “fleurs de lis” on a blue field. In the adjacent clock-room there is the famous Map of the World.

Our walking tour continues towards Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence. Here you can get a splendid view of the River Arno. Nowadays the bridge is lined with expensive shops, goldsmiths, jewellers and silversmiths’ workshops.

From here it is easy to reach Boboli Gardens and Pitti Palace. The spectacular Boboli Gardens are the largest monumental green area in Florence. It dates back to the 16th century. Here you can walk along the alleys and admire works of art such as Neptune’s Pond with a bronze statue of Neptune, the charming Buontalenti Grotto, and the Oceanus Fountain located in the centre of a small lake called Piazzale dell’Isolotto.

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After the visit to Boboli Gardens we enter Pitti Palace, one of the most imposing Renaissance palaces in Florence. The palace dates back to the 15th century and was bought by the Medici Family in the 16th century. Cosimo I and his wife Eleonora di Toledo lived here and commissioned Vasari to build the famous Vasari Corridor, a corridor which connects Palazzo Vecchio, their old palace and the seat of Government, with Pitti Palace running through the Uffizi Gallery and above Ponte Vecchio. Inside the palace there are several art galleries such as the Palatine Gallery, the Silverware Museum, the Porcelain Museum and the Modern Art Gallery, containing works of art by Macchiaioli painters and 19th- and 20th-century painters.

We recommend you have lunch at the lovely All’Antico Vinaio , a typical Tuscan restaurant located in the city centre. There you can taste a large selection of ham, “salumi” (cold cuts) and cheese, “focaccia” and Chianti wine.

A trip to Florence has to include a visit to the Uffizi Gallery, which is the oldest art gallery in the world and one of the greatest in Europe. The Uffizi Gallery was designed by Vasari for Cosimo I of the Medici Family  in the 16th century. The gallery has 45 rooms and houses very beautiful works of art by Italian and foreign artists such as Giotto, Cimabue, Masaccio, Raffaello, Rubens, Rembrandt, Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci.

 

 

 

Here we can also admire paintings from the 13th to the 18th centuries such as Botticelli’s Allegory of Spring and The Birth of Venus, Duccio di Buoninsegna’s  Maestà, and Giotto’s Madonna in Glory. We visit Rooms 10-14, Botticelli’s Rooms, which were re-opened in 2016. Here you can admire two famous 15th-century masterpieces by Botticelli: The Birth of Venuand       The Allegory of Spring, which are two of the most famous works of art in the world.

 

 

 

During our tour we can have an ice-cream at Gelateria Venchi, which is the best ice-cream shop in Florence.From here it is easy to reach the main shopping streets in Florence, such as Via Roma, Via dei Calziaioli and Via dei Tornabuoni. These streets are lined with Renaissance buildings, cafés, expensive designers’ shops such as “Tiffany & Co.”, “Gucci”, “Ferragamo”, “Prada”, “Guess” and “Liu Jo” and chain shops such as “Coin”, “Zara”, “H&M” and “La Rinascente”.

Late in the afternoon we head for  Piazzale Michelangelo, an enormous panoramic terrace situated on the hills in the southern part of the city where you can get a breath-taking view of Florence.

We suggest you have dinner at the famous Florence Central Market  ,where you can tasty  Tuscan delicacies.

After dinner you can wander through the cobbled streets of the city, sit in a café in Piazza del Duomo or Piazza Della Repubblica, which is home to the historical “Caffé Gilli”, “Caffé Paskoski” and “Caffé delle Giubbe Rosse”, which were meeting places for famous artists and writers in the first decade of the 20th century.

 

 

You can also attend one of the main events organized in the city centre in summer. Florence offers a large variety of events in summer such as  Calcio Storico Fiorentino, St. John’s the Baptist Fireworks,  Renaissance Night, Florence Dance Festival and Fiesole Summer Festival.

 

These events attract thousands of tourists who love staying outside after sunset and enjoying the starlit Tuscan sky.

 

 

Overnight stay at the hostel in San Miniato.