Buildings & Museums
THE DUOMO AND BELL TOWER: Also known as the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, this is the main church in Italy and easily one of the most spectacular churches ever. Construction started in 1296 and was completed in 1436. It’s a great center point for directions or if you’re lost because it’s so hard to miss from wherever in Florence you may be. I was lucky enough to live in an apartment literally right across the street from the Duomo and even though I walked by it every single day, I always noticed something knew. The interior decoration is less colorful and kept to a minimum but the exterior design certainly makes up for it. It takes a few minutes just to walk around the whole cathedral (believe me, my friend and I tried to race around it once and couldn’t do it in under a minute). The ornate detail is absolutely stunning up close and once you see it in person, you’ll know why everyone raves about it.
If you aren’t claustrophobic or afraid of heights, I’d definitely recommend climbing the Duomo and the Bell Tower. If you go inside the Bell Tower next to the Duomo, you can get a ticket for 15 Euros. It’s important to note that the ticket is good for two days and lets you climb the Duomo, the Bell Tower, and see inside St. John’s Baptistery. Don’t do what I did (hiking up both within an hour along side 6 of my guy friends who are all tall enough to take stairs 3 at a time). I would recommend doing the Bell Tower first because then you get the view of the Duomo and if you want you can come back and do the Duomo the next day. Thankfully the Baptistry is on the ground and doesn’t require any climbing so you can go inside that whenever. Also just for some size perspective, the golden ball at the top of the dome is big enough to fit a smart car inside of it!
ACCADEMIA GALLERY: Also known as the Galleria dell’Accademia, it has paintings by Boticelli, Portornmo and Allori to name a few but the piece responsible for drawing most of the tens of thousands of people in every year is Michelangelo’s David. Don’t get me wrong, the other artwork is phenomenal, but walking into the gallery with one of my classes on a field trip, I wasn’t expecting much to be honest. However, the second I turned the corner and walked into the hall lined with paintings with David waiting at the end, my jaw dropped. No matter how many photos or souvenirs of the David I had seen prior to going (and when you’re in Italy be prepared to see a lot), nothing could prepare me for seeing it up close. I had no clue the magnitude of the statue but for someone who probably doesn’t appreciate art as much as they should, I can definitely see why it’s one of the most famous sculptures in the world. I would highly recommend going if you can, there are ways to buy tickets online and skip the lines but the full ticket is 8 euro and a reduced ticket for 4 euros is available for EU students or those with a visa
UFFIZI GALLERY: The Uffizi Gallery is located right next to the Arno and is home to 45 different halls, including famous works of art by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raffaello and Da Vinci just to name a few. It is one of the oldest museums in the world but you can’t tell at all when walking inside. If you just walk up and get in line, the chances are you’ll be there for awhile but you can go to www.uffizi.org to book tickets online and avoid the lines. It’s important to note that the museum is closed on Monday’s, so keep that in mind when booking tickets
Treasures Across the Arno
PIAZZALE MICHELANGELO: Home to undoubtedly the best panoramic view of Florence, and a perfect place for photos. Whenever anyone tells me they’re going to Florence, the first thing I tell them is to grab a bottle of wine and hike to Piazza Michelangelo for sunset. It’s quite a hike across the river so wear comfortable shoes, but I’m not much of a hiker and I did it at least once a week…once you get up there you’ll know why! There’s also a beautiful rose garden right below it next to the stairs going up that I would highly recommend checking out! It helps to go a little before sunset to grab a seat on the steps especially if you’re with a few friends and stopping by Conad (they have nice bottles of wine for 3 euro!) or grabbing a panini on the way is a great idea *If you have mobility issues there are buses or taxis you can take that will take you up here the back way, don’t ruin your vacation trying to take the stairs!
ROSE GARDEN: Located just below and to the left of Piazzale Michelangelo is a beautiful rose garden. The best time to come is in May or June when the over 350 varieties of roses planted here are blooming. These photos below were taken in early May and already it was so bright and colorful everywhere you looked. Before 2011, this garden was only opened in May and June when the flowers were blooming, but since the addition of 12 sculptures throughout the building as well as some beautiful lemon trees, you’re welcome to walk through it year round now from 8am to 8pm daily.
PITTI PALACE: Also known as Palazzo Pitti, it was bought by the Medici Family (the royal family of Italy) during the Renaissance in the 1550’s. Later in the 18th century it was used as a home base by Napoleon, but the palace and the treasures inside were donated to the Italian people in 1919. Since then it has been transformed into the largest museum in Florence. I highly recommend getting a ticket to the museum inside, the rooms and works of art are just breathtaking. You can find the ticket window to the far right of the entrance if you’re looking at the Palace. Here you can get a 7 euro ticket that will get you in to both the Boboli and Bardini gardens as well as the costume museums, or for 11 euros you can get a ticket that will admit you to those three as well as the Palatine Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art that are inside Pitti Palace, and this ticket is good for three days so you can split it up
BOBOLI GARDENS: These famous gardens are located right behind Pitti Palace, and house sculptures dating back to the 16th century. The grounds are immaculate and as you walk through it you’ll notice that there are different layers to the garden. If you go all the way to the top up the stairs you’ll find a maze-like garden with exquisite views, as well as a building that encases the porcelain museum of Pitti Palace
Pretty Places
PONTE VECCHIO: Literally translating to “Old Bridge”, this medieval stone bridge has been suspended over the Arno River for hundreds of years, with evidence of it’s existence dating as far back as the year 966 although it has been rebuilt multiple times since. It was the only bridge in Florence not destroyed by the Germans during World War I and originally had butcher shops along the sides of the bridge. Currently, the store fronts are home to jewelers, artists and souvenir sellers. You can see the shop windows as well as Vasari’s Corridor if you look at the row of windows on the top of the bridge where the Medici family could travel back and forth from Pitti Palace to Palazzo Vecchio without being seen. The bridge can be easily recognized from afar by the three large arches in the center, as well as the brightly colored shop walls
PIAZZA DELLA REPUBLICCA: Piazza della Republicca was one of my favorite squares to just walk around in because of the carousel and there was always some kind of show going on. There are great restaurants and cafes surrounding the square and I loved the energy the children constantly running around brought to it
