Florence is located in Tuscany, which with art treasures, exciting history and beautiful surroundings makes the city worth visiting on a city break. The fact that this was where the Renaissance was born just makes it even more exciting. In Florence you can eat good Italian food and walk around the cozy and winding medieval streets.
Santa Maria del Fiore and Ponte Vecchio
The city center with most sights is small and easy to find on your own. In the middle of Florence, as an excellent starting point, lies the huge cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore with its beautiful and world-famous dome. From the cathedral, the medieval streets are lined with magnificent Renaissance plazas and majestic buildings.
Piazza della Republica is the natural gathering place created for a coffee or ice cream while sitting in the sun and enjoying life. The large piazza lies between the cathedral and the river Arno, which flows slowly through the city.
A short walk from Piazza della Republica lies the old bridge of Ponte Vecchio. A peculiar medieval bridge with houses hanging over the river.
Botticelli, Dante and Machiavelli
Surrounded by small alleys and thriving piazzas, museums, churches and palaces are so close that you always encounter something new to visit just around the corner.
The buildings in Florence still reminisce with all their splendor that this is where the Renaissance was born. Here Botticelli painted “Venus”, here Machiavelli developed his political theories and Dante wrote “The Divine Comedy”. The Uffizierna Art Museum is a “must” among the major sights. Here are works by, among others, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Tizian. In the church of Santa Croce, Michelangelo’s tomb is publicly visible.
Shopping at Ponte Vecchio
The shopping trip can be concentrated to the boutiques on either side of Ponte Vecchio, which in itself is a number of long shops with jewelry stores. The local artisans have a reputation for being masters in making copies of arts and crafts.
The Tuscan food
A specialty is bistecca alla fiorentina, veal seasoned with herbs and placed in a charcoal grill. A meal at the restaurant always starts with antipasto. Tuscany’s own variety is called crostini and consists of a slice of toast with toppings such as. sun-dried tomato in oil or a piece of chicken liver.