Anyone been to Florence, Italy?

Question

We are visiting Florence for 5 days in July on our honeymoon.

What would you suggest must not be missed while we are there?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Constantly from 1984 to 1987.  

Gold shopping on the Ponte Vecchio

Uffizi Gallery

Accademia Gallery

Duomo

Piazza della Signoria

Medici Chapels

Basilica di Santa Maria Novella

Michelangelo’s House

Fountain of Neptune

Cinque Terre

San Lorenzo Outdoor Leather Market (Haggle and watch your purse!)

Be sure to eat in small restaurants and try the local wines.  Ice cream (Gelato) is outstanding!  If you get someplace outside of the city is is cheaper and nicer too.  The Arno River is about as clean as the Hudson River in NYC.  The hills have many nice places 5-10 miles from the city with easy train or bus connections.

cheap ideas:   http://www.viator.com/Florence/d519-ttd?...

Answer 2

florence is amazing!

this website should help you a lot:

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-27...

Answer 3

The Duomo- Gothic cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

The fourth largest cathedral in the world, it is the spiritual heart of Florence. The building work took around 200 years, and its green, pink and white marble fasade contributes to the chromatic harmony of the square; its imposing dome is visible for miles around. The interior houses many masterpieces including frescoes by Paolo Uccello and Andrea del Castagno rub shoulders with terracottas by Luca Della Robbia and the sarcophagus of Saint Zanobi. It is possible to climb up to the top from where there is an extraordinary view over Florence.

The Piazza della Signoria

Florence’s most famous square, it was used for centuries as a backdrop by artists, then by film-makers. The former political centre of the city, it includes some of Florence’s main historic buildings and contains the most admired sculptures in the world.

Palazzo Pitti

One of the most visited sites on the southern bank of the Arno, this palace was designed by Brunelleschi for the Pitti family, rivals of the Medicis. It's a huge and imposing building, and a treasure house of the Medici family's massive art collection including works by Raphael, Filippo Lippi, Tintoretto, Veronese and Rubens, all hung in lavishly decorated rooms.The palace also houses a gallery of modern art and a costume collection.

Ponte Vecchio

Old Bridge, has been built in 1345, this beautiful bridge, is only one who survived second word war, and it is the oldest bridge in Florence, souranded with many shops and goldsmiths. There is a secret passageway which is connected with Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace, today big touristic attraction.

The Basilica of Santa Croce

Geometrically coloured marble decorates the building's fasade, but the real treats lie inside, where many famous Florentines lie in peace. The walls are lined with tombs, and 276 tombstones pave the floor. The church's most famous inhabitants are Michelangelo, Macchiavelli, Galileo and Bardi. Its various chapels feature works of art by Giotto and della Robbia, and the serene cloisters were designed by Brunelleschi.

The church of San Lorenzo

The former parish church of the Medici family in Florentine Renaissance style, built from 1420 by Brunelleschi. Donatello, who designed the bronze pulpits, lies in one of the chapels. Passing through the cloister, you reach the Laurenziana Library, commissioned to house the family's huge collection of books and featuring a sublime staircase by Michelangelo. The Medici Chapels are sumptuously decorated with precious marble and semiprecious stones; the most powerful Medicis were buried here. The New Sacristy was designed by Michelangelo and contains his Night and Day, Dawn and Dusk sculptures.

Boboli gardens

Adjacent to the Palazzo Pitti, this garden is one of the most famous in the world. It was created from 1549 by Tribolo then by Vasari, Ammannati and Buontalenti. Its fountains, lakes, geometric flowerbeds and terraces lined with trees wonderfully represent the Renaissance style. At the top of the hill stands the Forte di Belvedere built in a star shape by Michelangelo with a magical view over Florence.

Museums & Galleries:

Galleria degli Uffizi

This former palace of the Medici houses one of the most impressive art collections in the world. It shows the evolution of Italian painting from the primitives to the 17th century. Worth seeing: Botticelli’s’ Birth of Venus, Titian’s Venus of Urbino, Michelangelo’s Holy Family or the Portrait of the Duke of Urbino by Piero della Francesca.

Museo Nazionale del Bargello

It houses sculptures by Michelangelo, Donatello, Verrocchio and various collections of enamelware, jewellery, weapons ...

Galleria dell’Accademia

19th century statues, Byzantine paintings, Russian icons, paintings by Florentine Renaissance painters, notably Botticelli’s Madonnas and above all sculptures by Michelangelo, including the original of the famous David.

Galleria Pitti

Gallery of modern art, museum of silverware and Galleria.

Museo della Casa Fiorentina Antica in Palazzo Davanzati

A museum of Florentine domestic life: furniture, fabrics, domestic objects from the 14th to 18th century.

In addition:

You can reach Piazza Michelangelo and the Basilica of San Miniato on Monte alle Croci on foot or by bus.

The Piazza itself overlooks one of the most famous and magnificent city views in the world: from here you can see the whole of Florence at a glance; there is also copy of David.

Afternoon trip to Fiesole, bus no.7 from Santa Maria Novella. Panoramic view over Florence (Via di San Francesco), Good ice-cream (Via Gramci 8).

More about Florence&Fiesole:

http://www.tuscanweb.com/towns/244/

http://www.tuscanweb.com/towns/140/

Answer 4

Yes, Florence is lovely!!

Definitely visit:

The Uffizi Gallery

The Accademia (to see Michaelangelo's David)

The Duomo (you can climb the dome if you want to)

Santa Croce

Ponte Vecchio

Vivoli Gelateria & Gelateria de Neri (delcious!!)

Try to do a wine tasting since you're in Toscana!!

Have fun!!!

Answer 5

I'm Italian and I live in a small town near to Florence.. Florence is an amazing city.. rich of history, museums, works of art.. I suggest you to visit it.. good honeymoon :-)

Answer 6

I love florence! You should go to the uffitzi, its amazing. See the birth of venus, its beautiful.

Answer 7

Florence is unbelievably beautiful and amazing. All the sites other people have posted are right on the mark, but expect huge crowds.

I suggest you take bus number 7 to the town of Fiesole. It's about 10 minutes north of the city, but you'll see breathtaking vistas of Tuscany, it costs about 2 euro per person, but you'll be able to visit a quiet, calm small Tuscan town. I recommend any family restaurant in the town because their food is all natural, locally grown and harvested. Try Florentine steak, it melts in your mouth, with a glass of local Tuscan wine.

Besides, there'll be about 5 million tourists in Florence, and about 500 people in Fiesole.