FLORENCE

Four days in Florence

Paradise for true connoisseurs of art and food.

When I ask my friends what's their favourite place in Italy, most of the time I see their faces brightening up when they firmly reply: Florence!

Florence is an ode to beauty.

Everything the city offered to the world is pushed to the limits of greatness.

Writers? They have Dante Alighieri. Geniuses? They have Leonardo da Vinci. Museums? Look at the Uffizi. Maybe then food? Hmm, sample a Fiorentina steak and let us know.

The city was wealthy and dynamic, perfect for merchants to thrive. This richness affected the local artists, helping them produce masterpieces of every type, but also impacted the industrious common people, as they still are very proud of their heritage.

Florence is the home of culture and fine arts, jokes and proverbs in the most hilarious Italian dialect, voluptuous traditional food, intrigues, noble families constantly overthrowing each other and much more.

You’ll certainly find a thing or two of your interest along the banks of the Arno river.

RECAP & ITINERARY

When? End of June. How long? 4 days. Temperature? 25°C during the day and never lower than 16°C at night. Budget? 450-550€ per person all inclusive. Planning needed? Moderate. Accommodation? Luxury apartment in the city centre. What to book in advance? Time slot at the Uffizi, single ticket for Cathedral + Duomo. Ticket for Calcio Storico at the box office.

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• Day 1 // Land in Florence // Explore the city centre // Dinner at Stracotto

• Day 2 // Uffizi // Lunch at Antico Trippaio // Calcio Storico

• Day 3 // Lunch at Enoteca Fuori Porta // Walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo // Basilica di San Miniato

• Day 4 // Cathedral + Duomo + Baptistery // Lunch at Mercato Centrale // Evening flight to London

CONTENT

PIAZZA DEL DUOMO: TOP LANDMARKS

UFFIZI GALLERY: UNMISSABLE ARTWORKS

SANTA CROCE: VISITING THE CHURCH

PIAZZALE MICHALENGELO: A SCENIC WALK UP

PIAZZALE MICHELANGELO: THE BEST VIEW

FIORENTINA STEAK & LAMPREDOTTO

OUR HIGHLIGHTS

PIAZZA DEL DUOMO: TOP LANDMARKS

The best place to start exploring Florence is Piazza del Duomo, a bustling open-air museum in the very hearth of the city.

The highlights of the square are Florence Cathedral (with its crypts and the Duomo), the Baptistery, Giotto's Bell Tower and Museo dell'Opera.

You can purchase a unique ticket for 18€ pp (Grande Museo del Duomo) that will grant you access to all of the above landmarks.

Guided tours are also an option.

We started our visit early in the morning at 8.30am starting from Florence Cathedral, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (5th biggest in Europe), climbing up the Duomo built in 1436 by Filippo Brunelleschi, the father of Renaissance architecture.

We recommend going before 9am, as there’s significantly less tourists at that time and you can enjoy the place in relative peace.

No words can describe the beauty of the view from the top balcony of the dome and the fun you have by climbing up to the top through this intricate maze of narrow staircases and dark tunnels. This is an absolute must-do!

After the descent from the dome, you have to get out and queue again to properly visit the Cathedral (silly, we know).

The Cathedral is simple and really beautiful, but we skipped it and went straight to the Baptistery of San Giovanni as the queue was shorter and the site is really interesting, one of Dante's favourite landmarks of Florence.

It takes around 15 minutes to see the whole of the Baptistery, but it's a place that will definitely make you stay longer if you are into religious art.

We then moved to the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, next door the Cathedral.

This museum is the container of the original works made for the Cathedral.

The collection is oriented towards sculpture and massive artifact (altars, doors), and we personally fell in love with "The Deposition", a pietà sculpted by Michelangelo which he initially intended for his own tomb.

The interiors of this place are a piece of art by themselves.

The lighting of the main gallery is stunning (perfect for black & white photography), and the room dedicated to the construction of the dome is really interesting, displaying the tools used to build it, models and a film.

UFFIZI GALLERY: UNMISSABLE ARTWORKS

The Uffizi gallery is the most shining gem of Italian museums, a world-class art centre with the world’s greatest collection of Renaissance art.

The best way to explore the Uffizi is to dedicate a full morning to it (2-3 hours at least), by booking an entry time-slot for 20€ pp at least a month in advance.

There's a ludicrous amount of paintings and sculptures to see, but what most tourists want to admire are Botticelli's masterpieces ("Primavera", "The Birth of Venus"), "The Annunciation" by Leonardo Da Vinci and the "Doni Tondo" by Michelangelo.

Of course, there's so much more than that, and we can't imagine someone getting bored in the museum.

To avoid roaming around aimlessly, getting “drunk of art” (yes, it’s a thing) check online what artworks trigger your interest and start your visit with a battle plan.

The Squeeze tip! Check the panoramic terrace and the cafe on the 2nd floor for a prodigious close-up of Palazzo Vecchio. You won’t regret it.

SANTA CROCE: VISITING THE CHURCH

There are plenty of churches to discover in Florence, so if you spend a weekend in the city you should pick at least one and visit it.

We opted for the beautiful Basilica of Santa Croce (1385).

The entrance costs 8€ (buy tickets here) and will grant you access to the Basilica, the Pazzi Chapel, the Refectory and three cloisters. Ask for multi-language guided tours at the ticket hall, they are free and last one hour, leaving you free to roam around at the end.

The church is famous for being the burial place of many illustrious Italian figures (Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo), to the point that it has been nicknamed the "Temple of the Italian Glories".

There is a museum in the cloister that hosts the famous Crucifix by Cimabue, damaged by the terrible flood that hit Florence in 1966 (video here). The plaques on the walls show how high the muddy water was in the church.

While in the Basilica, try to spot the statue "Libertà della Poesia" (in English “Freedom of the Poetry”), the work that inspired the architects of the Statue of Liberty.

Surely you can see a remarkable resemblance right there...

PIAZZALE MICHELANGELO: A SCENIC WALK UP

Piazzale Michelangelo is unanimously considered Florence finest viewpoint.

The most scenic path to reach it is to climb the Costa of San Giorgio from the bridge Ponte delle Grazie, on the east side of town.

It’s a 3km slightly-uphill road, about an hour of walk, including the time for a few photo-stops of course.

From the bridge, carry on walking south in the Oltrarno district through Piazza de’ Mozzi and when the road ends, turn right on the Via de’ Bardi. Walk for a couple of minutes and then turn left on Costa Scarpetta and then left again on Costa San Giorgio street.

The best part of your walk starts here. 

In a few hundred metres you can appreciate all the history of the Costa San Giorgio – for the locals, the word costa means “slope street”.

You’ll walk by the house of Galileo Galilei, flanking the lush garden of Villa Bardini (ticket costs 10€, barge in if you can) and reaching the Porta San Giorgio (one of the old medieval gates of the city).

Look back to appreciate a great panoramic view of the other side of Florence, the more modern northwest part of town.

At the gate you can admire the Belvedere fortress, built in the 15th century and now hosting exhibitions – it’s a good panoramic spot and the entrance is only 5€.

From there, carry on the Via di Belvedere, flanking the ancient and imposing defensive walls of Florence.

The road is steep and dotted with olive trees, but so isolated and quiet that its countryside feeling will be worth the effort of walking there.

Right at the end of the Via di Belvedere you’ll come across the Porta San Miniato, another old city gate.

Now it’s the perfect time for a break, you’ve earned yourself a nice traditional lunch at the Enoteca Fuori Porta (here). It literally translates as “winery outside the gate”.

Start with some local cold antipasti (go for fagioli, beans are quite a thing here) and crunchy crostoni con pecorino e lardo di colonnata – grilled local bread with pecorino cheese and incredibly delicate thin slices of lard.

Then make your way to the mains by getting some superb pasta (pappardelle or gnocchi) or the famous pappa al pomodoro (dense, thick bread & tomato soup).

Wash everything down with a great Chianti, or check out the wine list as their canteen is well furnished.

Finish with a dessert, coffee and an ammazzacaffè, literally a “coffee killer”, like an amaro or a local grappa.

End of your happy moment.

What now, do you need a walk to digest your lunch? Sounds fair, check the next paragraph and reach the summit.

PIAZZALE MICHELANGELO: THE BEST VIEW

Start your way up on Via Monte alle Croci. 

There’s a nice shop selling beautiful, original watercolours called Junko Mukai where you can buy nice souvenirs at a fair price.

Carry on the main road uphill until you reach the Scale del Monte alle Croci, a scenic stairway with 14 wooden crosses reminding the different stations of the Via Crucis in Jerusalem. 

At the end of the stairway, turn left and... mission accomplished! Enjoy the stunning view of the city from Piazzale Michelangelo.

The view encompasses almost every landmark of Florence, from the best bridges over the Arno to the Fiesole hills surrounding the city. 

A giant copy of the David by Michelangelo stands behind you but the panorama will probably make this muscular stone giant go unnoticed.

The square is crowded at any time of the day but, fear not, there’s space for everyone to enjoy the view. 

Now catch your breath and move south, walking a few steps on Viale Galileo until you arrive to the imposing Basilica di San Miniato al Monte.

This is probably our favourite religious building of the city, and one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in the world

For whoever wasn't paying attention to art lessons in school, this style is notable for round arches, extra-thick walls, groin vaults and geometrical patterns.

It’s one of those structures so well built and decorated that you don’t need an Instagram filter to make it look beautiful. 

The basilica is free to enter and we highly recommend to spend a few minutes inside, the nave is quite dark but cool, a good place to rest for a moment, especially in summer.

The stairway leading to the basilica is a paradise for photographers, so cross your fingers to avoid the usual hordes of tourists with selfie sticks.

The neo-gothic cemetery around the Basilica is home to the grave of Carlo Collodi, the writer of the “Adventures of Pinocchio”. 

FIORENTIAN STEAK & LAMPREDOTTO

Florence could be the best city in the world if you are a meat lover.

This might seem a bold statement but the meat-cooking tradition in Tuscany is at its highest level since the Renaissance.

In the city slang it’s called ciccia… and the most famous ciccia dish is the Bistecca Fiorentina (or “Florentine Steak”).

This is a marvellous T-shape steak weighing between 700 and 1.2 kg and at least 3 fingers thick. The breed of cattle used for this meat is the Chianina, the largest breed in the world. The steak is masterfully cut from the loin and the best (and only) way of eating it it’s rare – don’t even bother ordering it if you are not a fan of rare meat.

Our favourite place for the Fiorentina is the fantastic family-run restaurant Stracotto (here), in the heart of the city, right behind the Basilica of San Lorenzo.

We went for dinner and ordered this delicious triplette: traditional bread crostoni with liver pate to start, 1.5kg of Fiorentina for two, with roasted potatoes on the side, and a glass of red Brunello di Montalcino.

For dessert, you can’t miss the mattonella di gelato ai pinoli e cioccolato (literally meaning "a tile of ice cream with pine nuts and chocolate"). It’s a local type of semifreddo with a texture so dramatically halfway between melted and crunchy. The average price for a dinner like this is around 50€ pp.

Totally worth it!

The other great meat dish of the city is the lampredotto.

This is the street food uncontested king and you can find it in tiny stalls in virtually every corner of the city.

The lampredotto has been a working class food for years, but now it’s loved by tourists and locals of every lineage - long queues don’t lie!

This delicacy is made from the fourth stomach of a cow, it’s slow-cooked in a powerful broth of tomato, onion and celery and it’s then served on a crunchy regional bread called semelle (dipped in the broth for additional taste). Final touch, the sandwich is topped with a spicy or green sauce.

We tried two city institutions selling the lampredotto, the Antico Trippaio and the Porcellino, both located in the heart of the city - you won’t regret any of these two.

The price is just 5€ pp, we think ridiculously low for a dish like this, perfect for lunch for travellers on a budget.

TRAVEL TIPS

Flights to Florence airport do not normally come cheap. If you want to travel on a budget, fly Ryanair to Pisa or Bologna, then it’s one-hour bus or train ride to reach Florence city centre (you can buy train tickets in advance with Trenitalia). 

Florence is a city to explore on foot, and definitely a city where driving can be very stressful. So, unless you want to drive to the beautiful countryside, forget about renting a car.

The train station is just a 5-minute walk from Piazza del Duomo, while Florence main airport is a 15-minute drive from the city centre and you can easily book a taxi for it. 

Florence is beautiful all year round. But, if you want to avoid peak season and the hottest or coldest months of the year, then you should consider planning your trip for May/June or September/October.

Days are still quite long, temperatures are mild (20-25°C during the day and 15-20°C in the evening), and it’s just a pleasure to walk around the city, day and night!

If you’re thinking of June, then our top tip is to make your trip happen around June 24th, the day when Florence celebrates the feast day for its patron saint, St. John the Baptist. It’s an exciting day, full of happenings: a beautiful medieval parade through the historical centre, the final match for Calcio Storico Fiorentino, and a magnificent fireworks display by the river Arno.

We stayed in a luxurious apartment we can’t stop recommending!

The place is marvellous, just two minutes walking from the Duomo and with a bedroom that will wake up the sleepy aristocrat in you (picture below). The owner is cool and he gave us many useful tips to explore the city.

Enjoy the Italian breakfast of your dreams by heading to the Caffe Gilli, a city institution since 1773. The bar is classy and elegant, offering exceptional pastries and sweets to detonate your morning.

The Squeeze recommends: cappuccino, cornetto con la crema ("cream croissant") and ciambella (a local donut, fragrant and delicately sweet). Maybe order an orange juice to balance out the Vitamin C.

For a quick lunch on a budget, pay a visit to Maledetti Toscani, a cool joint near Piazza dei Cimatori making outstanding sandwiches for about 5€. You can create your own sandwich and chat with the funny staff, and of course talk trash about Juventus (big rival of their beloved Fiorentina).

Our favourite panino was a crunchy white baton with finocchiona salami, thin slices of pecorino and a delicious artichoke relish.

For a messier but truly interesting vibe head to the Mercato Centrale (8am to midnight) where the two floors are an ode to Tuscan products. For truffle lovers there’s Il Tartufo, a great deli on the second floor selling tagliatelle and other delicacies based on this gassy mushroom.

Many movies have been shot in Florence but the one that best represent the city and the sense of humour of its people is Amici Miei (1970, “My Friends”). There are other movies shot in the city worth mentioning: Tea with Mussolini (1999), The Portrait of a Lady (1996) and A Room With a View (1985).