Florence

Spending one day in Florence may not be enough to discover the city. Florence is a place you have to see once in your lifetime. It is the city of cities for tourists.

Every year millions of people visit Florence.

At the moment, due to the impact of the coronavirus, many visitors stay away… unfortunately.

Fantastic and fun things to do

The city has many great things to offer, such as museums, Renaissance art, churches, wine bars, restaurants and some other well known highlights.

If you only have one day, make sure not to miss the Piazza della Signoria and Michelangelo’s David in the Galleria dell’Academia. The greatest masterpiece of the Renaissance.

Visit the Galleria degli Uffizi. Admire the goddess of beauty and love “Venus”. The Birth of Venus is painted by Botticelli.

Definitely a food lover’s paradise in the centre of Florence is The Mercato Centrale. An unmissable destination for fantastic food and a glass of wine.

Walk over the bridge Ponte Vecchio!

Piazzale Michelangelo sits on a hill. Enjoy the panoramic view.

For special exhibitions* go to The Palazzo Strozzi.
*In 2017 I have visited the exhibition dedicated to the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. 

And not to forget The Palazzo Pitti. The Pitti Palace is Medici’s residence and it houses important collections of Renaissance paintings and sculptures.

Just to mention a few things what to do in Florence…

The capital city of Tuscany

Florence or Firenze is the capital city of the region Tuscany. For me it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is the birthplace of the Renaissance.

As I am interested in Renaissance art, Florence is a city where I could return to again and again without ever getting bored.

Florence has incredible restaurants, gelaterias, cafes and osteria’s. Caffè Gilli is the oldest café in Florence. It is a cocktail bar with sofas and chairs in a nice chill-out “space”.

From here you have a beautiful view on the square Piazza della Republica, the largest piazza in Florence.

Visiting Florence during Covid-19

This February I have visited Florence. Tuscany was low risk “zona gialla”.

The Italian Dpcm rules related to the yellow zones: all shops and museums are open. Bars and restaurants are allowed to stay open from 5 AM until 6 PM.

The number of Covid-19 cases in Italy is still increasing. Tuscany has been classified as a red, orange and yellow zone.

The anti-Covid regulations are stricter for the red and orange zones. Museums are closed. Hairdressers are closed. Horeca can offer food delivery and takeaway. Traveling is prohibited unless absolutely necessary.

At present Tuscany is a orange zone.

Museum Le Gallerie degli Uffizi

In 2008 I have visited the Galleria degli Uffizi when I backpacked through Italy. I stayed at Camping Michelangelo for a few nights. I remember waiting there outside for hours to get in the museum.

The Uffizi Gallery is the most important and popular museum in Italy, together with the Vatican Museums in Rome. Two top destinations not to be missed.

Despite having few tourists at the moment, there was a queue to enter the Uffizi. These people were mostly Italian and school children.

Book your ticket online

Through the website of the Galleria degli Uffizi you can book your visit on a date and time of your choice. The price for the online entrance ticket is Euro 16,00 per person. With this ticket you avoid long lines.

Upon booking you will receive a confirmation email. You show your e-ticket to the ticket office where it will be exchanged for an entrance ticket.

Audio guide

To learn more about the museum’s most popular objects an audio guide provides interesting information on the things you see.

The audio guide is available in 4 languages (Italian, English, Spanish and German) and can be rented at the service desk, but only with your own valid ID card.

Important art works at the Uffizi Galleries

The works in the gallery are shown in the chronological order in which they were painted.

Many art collections belonged to the Medici family. The Gallery’s collection includes masterpieces of Filippo Lippi (Madonna col Bambino e due Angeli), Botticelli (Spring and The Birth of Venus), Michelangelo, Raffaelo and Leonardo da Vinci.

The Galleria degli Uffizi houses art works from Dutch, German and Flemish painters as well.

My favourite restaurant in Florence

Trattoria la Casalinga is situated only a stone’s throw away from the Palazzo Pitti. The location is a bit off the tourist path. This trattoria offers the best Tuscan meals!

I had lunch with Thomas, a friend of mine who works in the same businesses. He organizes wine tours and tastings in Tuscany.

We discussed various topics. Hopefully we can start a wine project together in the nearby future. Who knows! We feel the absence of (American) tourists. Wine tours and tastings are completely disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thomas enjoys wine and he knows a lot about it. He’s an expert. For our lunch he choose the wine Carmignano DOCG from the winery il Sassolo. This wine is made from 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a full bodied red wine, good pairing with local Tuscan food.

Our lunch menu

We started with chicken liver paté served on crostini and Lardo di Colonnato. As a main course we ordered the Fegato alla Toscana (pork liver). A deeply flavored piece of meat. Liver tastes really good. I like it.

Many people don’t eat organ meats. I can imagine that. Some people don’t even want to think of eating it. Luckily I eat almost anything. Liver is healthy, but you shouldn’t eat it too often.

Our lunch was top notch! Good food, excellent wine and nice ambiance. Great and fast service in Trattoria la Casalinga.

Shopping in Florence

Besides being the cradle of the Renaissance period, Florence is also the ultimate shopping destination in Italy. It is one of the “Made in Italy” fashion capitals, together with Milano. I enjoy shopping in Florence.

February is the period of sales. You find the best sales and discount on fashion clothing.

In the centre’s shopping areas people need to wear face masks. Also in shops face coverings are mandatory.

Before you go into a shop you must clean your hands with hand sanitizer gel.

My shopping addresses

In Florence I have my favourite shopping addresses. I am a regular customer at Intimissimi. I have a card for extra benefits. The service at Intimissimi is good and friendly.

At this moment my preferred clothing store is GUESS. GUESS is an American clothing brand. You’ll find a variety of styles. GUESS is fashionable for men and women. Hip and stylish!

Address: Via degli Speziali 9R, Firenze

Desigual is on one side of the Ponte Vecchio. Another clothing shop in Florence where I often check the latest trends.

Getting to Florence by public transport

There are several ways to get to Florence.

I always go to Florence by train from Chiusi-Chianciano Terme. From here it takes 1h 45 m on average to Firenze S.M.N.

You can buy your train ticket through the website Trenitalia or at the train station. A one way train ticket Chiusi – Firenze costs Euro 14,00 (regional train).

The top sights in the historical centre are easily to explore by foot. In Florence trams and busses are widely used.

From Florence you can make day trips by train. Cities such as Siena, Pisa and Arezzo are within easy reach.

Getting to Florence by car

Along the A1 highway is the Villa Costanza Car Park (Scandicci). You can access it both coming from the North or the South. Villa Costanza is the first Drive and Tramway car park in Italy.

Villa Costanza is an ideal alternative to avoid traffic jams in the centre of Florence. The T1 line brings you to the centre.

A single way costs Euro 1,50 and is valid for 90 minutes. Every tram stop has a ticket machine. You’re not able to buy tickets on board.

Running in Florence

Florence is a city where I have left literally many footprints. I ran the Firenze Marathon in 2016.

And before that, I’ve participated in many smaller runs. This was the period in which we headed off to Florence almost every week. Even just for a training with Fulvio Massini.

We miss our races in Italy!

Florence in a day.. enjoy this YouTube video!

I’ve made this video this February to let you experience Florence from a distance.

Ciao e arrivederci!