Rough Guides - Pocket Rough Guide Florence (Travel Guide eBook)

If one city could be said to encapsulate the essence of Italy it might well be Florence (Firenze in Italian), the first capital of the united country. The modern Italian language evolved from Tuscan dialect, and Dantes Divina Commedia was the first great work of Italian literature to be written in the vernacular; but what makes this city pivotal to the culture not just of Italy but of all Europe is, of course, the Renaissance. The very name by which we refer to this extraordinary era was coined by a Tuscan, Giorgio Vasari, who wrote in the sixteenth century of the rebirth of the arts with the humanism of Giotto and his successors. Every eminent artistic figure from Giotto onwards Masaccio, Donatello, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo is represented here, in an unrivalled concentration of churches, galleries and museums.

Palazzo Vecchio illuminated at night

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Whats new

For tourists, the most significant changes in Florence in recent years have been the opening of a whole new floor of the Uffizi galleries and the spectacular rebuilding of the Museo dellOpera del Duomo. The citys main market, the Mercato Centrale, has also been transformed it now houses a host of late-opening places to eat and drink. Bedevilled by controversy, the citys major infrastructure project the tram network now has two complete lines, but youre not likely to use either of them.

During the fifteenth century, architects such as Brunelleschi and Alberti began to transform the cityscape of Florence, raising buildings that were to provide future generations with examples from which to take a lead. As soon as you step out of the train station the imprint of the Renaissance is visible, with the pinnacle of Brunelleschis stupendous dome visible over the rooftops, and the Renaissance emphasis on harmony is exemplified with unrivalled eloquence in Brunelleschis interiors of San Lorenzo, Santo Spirito and the Cappella dei Pazzi, and in Albertis work at Santa Maria Novella and the Palazzo Rucellai. In painting, the development of the new sensibility can be plotted stage by stage in the vast picture collection of the recently expanded Uffizi, while the Bargello, the Museo dellOpera del Duomo and the mighty guild church of Orsanmichele do the same for the story of sculpture. Equally revelatory are the fabulously decorated chapels of Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella, forerunners of such astonishing creations as Masaccios frescoes at Santa Maria del Carmine, Fra Angelicos serene paintings at San Marco, and Andrea del Sartos work at Santissima Annunziata, to name just a few. Florence is the city of Michelangelo, one of the dominant creative figures of sixteenth-century Italy, the scope of whose genius can only be appreciated after youve seen his astonishing San Lorenzos Sagrestia Nuova and the marble statuary of the Accademia home of the David. Michelangelos two great rivals, Raphael and Titian, along with dozens of other supreme painters, are on show in the enormous art gallery of the Palazzo Pitti, once the home of the citys most famous family, the Medici, whose former home the beautiful Palazzo Medici-Riccardi can also be visited.

The achievements of the Renaissance were of course underpinned by the wealth that had been accumulated in earlier decades by the Medici and Florences other plutocratic dynasties, and in every quarter of the centre youll see churches and monuments that attest to the financial might of medieval Florence: the Duomo, the Baptistery, the Palazzo Vecchio, the huge churches of Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella, and the exquisite Romanesque gem of San Miniato al Monte are among the most conspicuous demonstrations of Florences prosperity. As for the centuries that followed the heyday of the Renaissance, its often forgotten that Florence played a major role in the development of modern science this was, after all, the home of Galileo, whose name has been bestowed on the citys fascinating science museum.

The Last Supper by Domenico Ghirlandaio, Museo di San Marco

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It has to be said that nowadays it can often seem that Florence has become too popular for its own good. The city has been a magnet for tourists since the nineteenth century, when Stendhal staggered around its streets in a stupor of aesthetic delight, and nowadays, in high season, parts of the city can be almost unbearable, with immense queues for the Uffizi and pedestrian traffic at a standstill on the Ponte Vecchio. But if you time your visit carefully, dont rush around trying to see everything and make a point of eating and drinking in our recommended restaurants, cafs and bars, youll have a visit youll never forget.

When to visit

Midsummer in Florence can be less than pleasant: the heat is often stifling, and the inundation of tourists makes the major attractions a purgatorial experience. For the most enjoyable visit, arrive shortly before Easter or in October: the weather should be fine, and the balance between Florentines and outsiders restored to its rightful level. Winter is often quite rainy, but the absence of crowds makes this a good option for the big sights. If you can only travel between Easter and September, reserve your accommodation well before you arrive, as its not uncommon for every hotel in the centre to be fully booked. The worst month is August, when the majority of Italians take their holidays, with the result that many restaurants and bars are closed for the month.

Florence is known as a producer of luxury items, notably gold jewellery, high-quality leather goods, top-grade stationery and marbled paper. The whole Ponte Vecchio is crammed with goldsmiths, but the citys premier shopping thoroughfare is Via de Tornabuoni, where youll find the showrooms of Italys top fashion designers. Prada, Gucci, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana are all here, as are the countrys main outlets for three of the top Florentine fashion houses Pucci, Roberto Cavalli and Ferragamo. For cheap and cheerful stuff theres the plethora of stalls around San Lorenzo, and theres also a handful of good department stores.

OUR FAVOURITES:.

As youd expect in a major tourist city, Florence has plenty of restaurants, but unsurprisingly a large number of them are aimed squarely at outsiders, so standards are often patchy, especially around Piazza della Signoria and Piazza del Duomo. But several good-quality and good-value restaurants lie on the periphery of the city centre, notably around Santa Croce and SantAmbrogio, and across the river in Oltrarno. Simple meals are served in many Florentine bars and cafs, so if you fancy a quick bite to eat rather than a full-blown meal, take a look at our list of cafs and bars in each Places chapter of this guide.