Florence Guide
Florence, cradle of the Renaissance, is an alfresco museum of cobbled streets and endless culture. You'll want to loosen your belt for the fine cuisine, and your wallet for the superb shopping.
The massive cupola of the marble Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Duomo, dominates the city skyline, while Michelangelo's David stands proud behind the doors of the Galleria dell'Accademia. View Botticellis and other Italian old masters on the walls of the Uffizi Gallery. Gaze at the Medici family tombs lining the New Sacristy in the Renaissance church of San Lorenzo.
The leather capital of Italy strains at the seams with gloves, belts, bags and shoes in the many artisan workshops, as well as at San Lorenzo Market. Drool over the designer boutiques that line up-market Via Tornabuoni.
For fresh air and fantastic city views, hike uphill to the regal Boboli Gardens. Soak up sun and cappuccinos, and do some quality people-watching at the historic city café Giubbe Rosse. On summer evenings head to Le Pavoniere swimming pool in the Parco delle Cascine and cool off with a swim and a cocktail.
Top venue for live music is the Teatro Comunale, hosting opera and ballet through autumn, and the symphony orchestra through winter. Enjoy chamber music recitals most weekends at the Teatro della Pergola. Through summer, several of the city's piazzas become open-air venues for jazz concerts and ethnic music, notably Piazza S. Ambrogio and Piazza S.S. Annunziata.
Strong, simple flavours infuse the cuisine of the Tuscan motherland. Satisfy carnivorous taste-buds with the hefty bistecca alla fiorentina, a 3cm-thick charcoal grilled steak. Wild boar, game and duck are popular, as are chill-beating Tuscan soups, pork sausages and beans. Tuscan olive oil comes with everything – a fruity, aromatic delight, often known as 'liquid gold'.
Enjoy a fusion of contemporary Florentine tastes in a high-fashion setting at the Fusion Bar Shozan Gallery. Or reach dizzying heights of sophistication at the Bar Continentale atop the medieval Consorti tower.
