The Uffizi: What to Prioritise
The Uffizi contains one of the greatest art collections in the world and a lot of mediocre 16th-century portraiture. Rooms 10–14 hold the Botticellis — the Birth of Venus, Primavera — which are the works people travel thousands of miles to see. The Caravaggios on the ground floor are violent and extraordinary. Do not spend time in the gift shop when you could be standing in front of Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo instead.
San Lorenzo and the Central Market
The covered Mercato Centrale on Via dell’Ariento operates a traditional market on the ground floor — bread, charcuterie, cheese, tripe, wild mushrooms in season — that has served the city for over a century. The area around it is full of leather goods stalls of variable quality; the best leather artisans work in ateliers off the main streets. Ask at your accommodation for a recommendation.
The Oltrarno on Foot
The south bank of the Arno is quieter and more local than the historic centre. Walk through the Boboli Gardens in the morning, then lose yourself in the streets of the Oltrarno: restorers working in ground-floor workshops, small wine bars serving the house red, bookshops run by people who have read everything they sell. The Piazzale Michelangelo view at sunset is genuinely worth braving the crowds for.
When to Go
April and May are excellent: warm, manageable crowds, the city’s light at its best before the summer heat turns everything bleached and airless. September and October are equally good after the August evacuation. January through March is cold, the museums are nearly empty, and the trattorias are full of Florentines eating lunch. July and August are punishing: queues everywhere, 35°C, and a city that feels like it belongs to everyone except itself.
Getting There & Around
Florence’s Santa Maria Novella station sits at the centre of the city, walkable to most things worth seeing. The historic centre is entirely pedestrianised within the ZTL zone — if you’ve driven in, don’t. Trams connect the station to the western suburbs. The city is small enough that walking is the correct mode: most of the key sites sit within a 20-minute radius of each other. A day trip to Siena by bus (Tiemme/SENA), an hour and a half each way, is worth doing.
Where to Eat
The benchmarks: a bistecca alla Fiorentina — T-bone, Chianina beef, minimum 800g, served rare or not at all — at Buca Mario or Il Latini. A lampredotto sandwich, the Florentine street food of braised tripe stomach in a roll dipped in its own cooking broth, from a tripperia stand in the Mercato Centrale. Schiacciata, a flat olive-oil flatbread, eaten warm from a bakery in the Oltrarno at 9am. Wine is Chianti Classico or Morellino di Scansano; the carafe house wine in a trattoria is usually fine and always cheaper.
Practical Tips
Book the Uffizi and the Accademia (for Michelangelo’s David) weeks or months ahead — walk-in queues can reach two hours. Most major churches charge a small admission fee with specific opening hours; check the day before. The Bargello, the Palazzo Vecchio, and the Brancacci Chapel are less visited and nearly as rewarding. The city’s tabaccherie sell bus tickets, water, maps, and everything else you need; they are the most useful stop on any itinerary.
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