Things To Do In Florence

The city of Florence used to be one of the wealthiest cities during the Renaissance period and is home to some of the most ancient structures that have beautiful architecture, art from the Renaissance era as well as the modern period and scenic landscapes that tell us how magnificent the city really is. Some of Italy’s best museums and cathedrals have been established in this beautiful capital of Tuscany. Whether you stroll around quaint streets, ride a bicycle on cobbled roads or buy gold on the Old Bridge, the things to do in Florence are too many in number.

Let’s have a look at some of them, so that you can plan your trip better.

A fantastic way to spend your time in Florence is to go on a hike on the many great nature walks in and around the city. You can visit the picturesque hills of Montececeri, which take about one and a half hours on foot to enjoy a serene experience of the mountains. Florence is packed with some of the most beautiful trails like the Cinque Terre that will give you a glimpse of the spectacular Italian coastline. The paths in the Renaissance Ring or the the Anello del Rinascimento are not very touch to hike on and will take you through quant medieval towns, churches, castles and beautiful hills. A perfect day hike can be taken from Calenzano to Vaglia, which is 12.5 miles long and is a gentle upward climb with views of marvelous Italian landscapes.

Wine tours in Florence are very popular among tourists who visit and one must purchase tickets in advance. A tour from Florence to San Gimignano which is home to Tuscany’s best white wine is a famous wine tour to go for. During this tour, you can witness the making of wine from scratch, be a part of the process and moreover indulge in wine tasting. Throughout the tour you can expect to see lovely sceneries and have glasses of Vernaccia, rosés, Chiantis, and Super Tuscans, which will definitely awaken the wine connoisseur in you. Other wine tours include Chianti wine and Food Safari and a half day wine tour in the in the Chianti Classico region.

It is possible to admire this beautiful city from various places in Florence, given the position it is established in, right in the middle of the hills. One of the most famous places to admire the view from is Piazza del Duomo, for which you have to climb 130 m of Santa Maria del Fiore and then reach the top. Once you reach the top, you can witness a panoramic view of the city, every inch of which is absolutely meant to be photographed. Another point is the tower of Palazzo Vecchio from which you can get a 360° of the entire city. Other significant places to enjoy the view of the city are the Piazzale Michelangelo and the Pagliazza Tower.  

The only bridge across Arno until 1218 is the Ponte Vecchio, also known as the Old Bridge. This bridge is iconic and stands as a symbol of strength for Florence. From the 13th century the bridge was filled with different kinds of shops, but now it is transformed and only goldsmiths and jewellers are allowed to set up shop on the bridge. You can even see the bust of Benvenuto Cellini, a 16th century goldsmith. The bridge is brimming with shops that have shiny gold jewellery on display during the daytime and during the night, the wooden shutters of the shops look like wooden chests and suitcases. A walk across this bridge is definitely a must do when you visit Florence.

In the late 15th century, there was an emergence of beautiful gardens around beautiful Villas of Rome and Florence. The Italian Renaissance Gardens were of a new style and were inspired by traditional ideals of order and beauty. These were made for the purpose of admiration for the rich families who lived in the villas during that time. In the recent past these gardens have been opened up to the public and is definitely a must visit. These gardens are filed with fountains, water organs, statues and other characteristics meant to please the eyes of the people living in the villas and for the guests they would invite over to amuse. Some examples of flawless Renaissance Gardens are Giardino all’italiana, the Boboli Gardens and Villa Medici amongst many others.

One of the best gardens to visit in Florence is the Giardino di Boboli, hidden behind the Pallazo Pitti. The hedges cut in a box shape around the Casina del Cavaliere, jumbled olive groves giving the place a green Hue, the statue of a muscular Neptune pointing towards the pond below and a huge red dome of Santa Maria Novella are some of the few things amongst many others that you can see while in Boboli Gardens. Florentine rulers in the past have left their marks on this garden and have made it one of the most beautiful Renaissance gardens in Florence.

Italian art form, especially from Florence is highly revered and gives a glimpse of the beautiful Renaissance era that it was born in, educating tourists and art enthusiasts about the bygone era in Florence. According to UNESCO, Florence is known as the capital of arts and owing to this fact, most of the famous paintings and artifacts were born in this beautiful city. Painting made by Dante and Michelangelo are some of the most unique ones and absolutely worth admiring and attracts people to Florence from various different countries. The Uffizi Gallery in Piazzale Degli, the Galleria dell’Accademia and the Gallery of Modern art amongst many others are some of the most famous museums and art galleries in Florence and definitely worth checking out.