Here are the top 20 best things to do in Florence while you are in Italy
Florence might not be the largest or most populous city of Italy, but it is still one of most well known of them, and just as important as Rome or Venice. The city has been called the “Athens of the Middle Ages”, and it’s without a doubt the birthplace of the Renaissance art style. The city attracts more than 10 million tourists every year thanks to its overwhelming beauty and its very long history. There are many great places to visit here, but if you are wondering what are the best, then here is a list of the top 20 best things to do in Florence.
- Piazza della Signoria
The Piazza della Signoria is one of the most known squares in Florence, and it is the focal point of the origin and of the history of the Florentine Republic. It can be considered the political hub of the city. It is named after the Palazzo della Signoria, the original name of the Palazzo Vecchio. The square is filled with wonderful statues and sculptures, including a big replica of Michaelangelo’s David. Festivals and events are often held here.
2. Palazzo Vecchio
Located at the Piazza della Signoria, the Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, and one of its most recognizable landmarks. It’s not only visited for its beautiful design, but for the inside of the building, which is just as wonderful, and has a quite a lot of historical objects and works of art.
3. Medici Hall of Maps
The Medici Hall of Maps is located inside the Palazzo Vecchio. The store room was adorned with numerous maps of Italy and the known world, portraits of all of the great minds of the era, and illustrations of exotic plants and animals from far off lands with a large (now discolored) terrestrial globe in the middle. Much more was planned for the hall, but it unfortuntately never came to pass.
4. Loggia dei Lanzi
Next to the Palazzo Vecchio is the Loggia dei Lanzi. It consists of wide arches that rest on clustered pilasters with Corinthian capitals, and the structure is open to the square. It houses several popular sculptures, and four facade trefoils dedicated to the four virtues of fortitude, temperance, justice and prudence.
5. Uffizi Gallery
The Uffizi Gallery is located at the Piazza della Signoria, and it’s one of the largest and most popular art museums in the world. It houses a large collection of priceless art, especially from the Renaissance era. Famous artists whose work is displayed here include Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Rembrandt among many others. There are countless paintings, sculptures and other works of art here available to the visitors.
6. Florence Cathedral
The Florence Cathedral, also known as the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, is probably the most iconic landmark of the city of Florence. This massive Gothic cathedral was built during the 14th century on the former site of a Roman church, and it’s now the center of religion of Florence and its region. Both religious and non-religious visitors come to this place to see this breathtaking cathedral, making it a must-see on the list of things to do in Florence.
7. Florence Baptistery
The Florence Baptistery can be considered part of the Florence Cathedral, although it’s a separate building. It is the oldest building in the city, and although the current facade dates from the 11th century, historians have dated the Baptistery back to the 5th century. It’s beautiful frescoes and religious objects are worth visiting, but it’s mainly for religious people.
8. Campanile di Giotto
The Campanile di Giotto is the bell tower of the Florence Cathedral. It was named after the architect Giotto, but it was the work of others as well. Visitors can check out the statues at its bottom or climb up the tower. It may be tiring, but the city is definitely beautiful from up there.
9. Galleria dell’Accademia
The Galleria dell’Accademia is an art gallery dedicated to Michelangelo and his works. The most famous one and the centerpiece of the gallery is the marble sculpture called David. Tourists flood the place to see this famous masterpiece, but the other Renaissance works are also worth seeing.
10. Piazzale Michelangelo
If you want to get a great view of the city in all its glory, be sure to go to the Piazzale Michelangelo, which is a square and a lookout at the same time. The bronze replica of Michelangelo’s David is a great addition to the square itself, but it would be wrong to say that that is the best feature of this square. This hill with its view would be a shame to miss, so it’s definitely up there among the things to do in Florence.
If you want to get a great view of the city in all its glory, be sure to go to the Piazzale Michelangelo, which is a square and a lookout at the same time. The bronze replica of Michelangelo’s David is a great addition to the square itself, but it would be wrong to say that that is the best feature of this square. This hill with its view would be a shame to miss, so it’s definitely up there among the things to do in Florence.
11. Palazzo Pitti
The Palazzo Pitti is a spectacular Renaissance residence and palace which once belonged to the Medici family. Not only is the palace itself wonderful, but it also has a great collection of Renaissance art, and it’s second only to the Uffizi Gallery. It has great works from artists like Raphael, Titian and Rubens.
12. Boboli Gardens
If you are not that interested in art or just want to have a break, check out the gardens of Palazzo Pitti, the Boboli Gardens. It’s beautiful in itself with its hedges, flowerbeds and trees, but it’s even better with the numerous fountains and sculptures that fill the place, all distinct and wonderful.
13. Grotta del Buontalenti
The Grotta del Buontalenti is a large grotto built in the 16th century in the Boboli gardens. The biggest of the three grottoes (the other two being the Mose Grotto and the 19th-century Adam and Eve Grotto) is not only just a cave, but a cave-like grotto filled with sculptures representing Ceres and Apollo, concretions similar to stalagmites, a tympanum displayed in the center and the Medici coat of arms, supported by two mosaic feminine figures symbolizing Peace and Justice. Two more smaller rooms can be found here with frescoes of other deities and
14. Santa Croce
The Santa Croce is a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church in Florence. It is mostly known as the burial place of such notable Italians as artist Michelangelo, scientist Galileo Galilei and political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli, among others. A museum can be found here as well, which is full of religious works of art from artists like Giotto.
15. Ponte Vecchio
The Ponte Vecchio is a famous stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River in Florence. It was used for food stalls, bakers and butchers, but has been later designated as the center for jewel and gold trade, which remains somewhat true even today. It survived many floods and even attacks during World War II, making it popular among tourists and citizens as one of the oldest bridges here.
16. Vasari Corridor
The Vasari Corridor is a long elevated and enclosed passageway connecting the Palazzo Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti. It goes through the Uffizi Gallery, the Ponte Vecchio and other districts till it reaches the Palazzo Pitti. Unfortunately, most of it is closed to the public, but some of it can still be visited, and it’s decorated with works of art. You can see a map of it here.
17. Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy
Perhaps one of the most interesting places of Florence is the Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy. It’s the oldest operating pharmacy in the world, featuring 800 year old recipes, vaulted ceilings, ornate gilding, frescoes, walnut cabinetry, glass-stoppered decanters full of colorful potions, marble floors, glass-stained windows, bronze statues, and antique apothecary scales and mortars. As a city famous for its medieval plague doctors, this is quite an interesting place to see.
18. Stibbert Museum
The Stibbert Museum is dedicated to the armory and weapons of both Eastern and Western civilizations. The museum contains dozens of perfectly preserved sets of plate armor with beautiful paintings, which themselves were chosen not for the subjects, but for the clothes they were wearing. European knight weapons and armor and Asian samurai weapons and armor can both be found here. There are around 36 thousand artifacts and objects here.
19. Porcellino
The Porcellino (Italian for “piglet”) is a bronze statue of a boar that was to be used on a fountain, but was later put somewhere else. Tradition states that Visitors to the statue put a coin into the boar’s gaping jaws, with the intent to let it fall through the hollow statue for good luck, and they rub the boar’s snout to ensure a return to Florence. The boar became even more famous throughout the year because the constant rubbing of its snout gave it a state of polished sheen while the rest of the boar’s body has discolored with age.
20. Museo Galileo
The Museo Galileo is the Museum of the History of Science of Florence. The Museo Galileo owns one of the world’s major collection of scientific instruments, but perhaps the most interesting part of the museum is Galileo’s middle finger, found in a little egg-like display. It was torn off hundreds of years ago from the skeletal remains of Galileo, but has been brought back and is now on display here. Galileo’s middle finger has since been joined by his index finger, thumb, and tooth, as they were also found later at an auction.
