ONE: The view from San Miniato al Monte
Let everybody else stop at Piazzale Michelangelo for the view over the city. While a very good spot for the pics, it is basically an over-crowded parking. Go uphill, Via delle Porte Sante, to San Miniato al Monte. This is the church with the most beautiful view in the world.
TWO: THE ROOFTOPS OF FLORENCE
Florence has a magical skyline to dream on to. The miraculous dome of the Duomo, the unmistakable tower of the Palazzo Vecchio, the tiled rooftops, the marbled facades and the Renaissance palazzi create an immersive feeling that becomes the city copyright. At your hotel, ask for a room at a superior floor or a penthouse. Have a late breakfast on the terrace. Dine with a view. Climb the Campanile di Giotto: I am a lazy person, but I find the Campanile worth the effort (414 stairs). The view of the Bruneleschi’s dome from the nearby tower of the campanile is a wonder of the world.
THREE: F-LIGHT
Florence’s “light festival,” held during the Christmas holiday season (from early December to early January) illuminates many of Florence’s iconic monuments, squares, and bridges, like the Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Vecchio, with artistic video mapping, projections, music and light installations.
FOUR: PIAZZA DELLA SIGNORIA
Try it off-season or at night or early morning, when it’s not that crowded. Visit the Palazzo Vecchio, the most beautiful city hall in the world – and especially the Salone dei Cinquecento and the Medici’s Hall of Maps. Spend some time in the Loggia dei Lanzi to admire the sculptures and maybe even catch a street concert in the evening.
FOUR: ORSANMICHELE
The unusual name of this unusual church comes from the Tuscan compression of “orto San Michele”, the vegetable garden of the very old (about 750) San Michele monastery. The present building was originally built as a grain market in 1337, and it was converted into a church used as the chapel of Florence’s powerful craft and trade guilds, while the floor was used for the guilds’offices.
FIVE: DUOMO & BATTISTERO
The one-of-a-kind cathedral is the very soul of Florence, the audacity of the Renaissance made manifest. Santa Maria del Fiore, with Brunelleschi’s impossible dome soaring above, remains the undisputed triumph of human ingenuity, a feat of engineering that still defies belief and melts hearts. It’s the city’s copyright and a visual magnet from all corners.
Also in Piazza del Duomo, enter the Battistero through the “Gates of Paradise” by Ghiberti. One of the most famous gates in the world, these bronze doors mark the birth of the Renaissance. Step inside for the rarely appreciated, breathtaking interior mosaics.
SIX UFFIZZI AND THE VASARI CORRIDOR
Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, masterpieces from Leonardo da Vinci, all the wonders of the world are gathered at The Uffizi Gallery, a sine qua non encounter with artistic genius. To spice things up, book the Vasari Corridor tour. You might know about it from Dan Brown’s Inferno. Built for the Medici family to move safely and discreetly between their residences at Palazzo Pitti and their workplace at Palazzo Vecchio, the Vasari Corridor is precisely the kind of privileged discovery you’ll appreciate.
SEVEN: OLTRARNO
The Oltrarno, which translates beyond the river Arno, is where the actual people live. Its heart beats loudest in the twin districts of Santo Spirito and San Frediano, seeming a world apart from the historic center’s crowds. Here, the cobbled streets are not just for snapshots, but for living – lined with workshops, traditional trattorias, and markets bustling with Florentines. It’s in the Oltrarno that you find a genuine, unpretentious vibe and a taste of authentic cucina povera.
EIGHT: FLORENCE AT NIGHT
Say buonanotte a bit later. No place on Earth is more romantic – or more awe-inspiring than Florence after dark, when it regains the sublime aura made invisible by the tourist invasion during the day.
