DK Eyewitness - Florence Like a Local: By the People Who Call It Home (Local Travel Guide)

SPRING

TRADITIONAL FESTIVITIES

Pulling Florence out of hibernation are joyous celebrations. Carnevale kicks off in February with colourful parades, while Easter Sunday sees locals line the streets to glimpse a rocket in the shape of a dove being zip-lined into Piazza Duomo.

WONDERFUL WOMEN

International Womens Day in March coincides with Italys very own Festa della Donna. Locals give bouquets of yellow mimosa flowers to the women in their lives, and bakeries sell themed cakes.

FLORENCE IN BLOOM

Fresh flowers sprout almost overnight in April: irises bloom at the Iris Garden, wisteria takes over the Bardini gardens and roses paint the Rose Garden, resulting in the first picnics of the year.

SUMMER

FOOTBALL FEVER

The summer heats up with the Calcio Storico in June, a historic local football match where elbowing is encouraged. Fans get to Piazza Santa Croce early to watch amateurs fight for the trophy, but most people join the revelry after, when fireworks dazzle over the city.

ALFRESCO NIGHTS

Though gelato provides some sweet relief, June and July days are almost too hot to function. Come night, however, the cooler air pulls linen-wearing locals outside, with crowds pitching up to dine on the piazza, and enjoy outdoor cinema nights and music festivals.

SLOWING DOWN

Florence falls into a slumber for the first two weeks of August, when most locals head to the seaside (Forte dei Marmi being a favourite) and many restaurants and bars close. Its all in aid of Ferragosto : a holiday on 15 August dedicated to rest.

AUTUMN

COCKTAIL OCLOCK

September sees relaxed locals return to the city, ready to share summer stories and show off their tans. Florence Cocktail Week offers the perfect chance, when the bars closed in August reopen with mixology events and late-night parties.

CULTURAL PICKINGS

Though days are still mild, film festivals, new exhibitions and the start of the opera season tempt Florentines indoors.

HARVEST TIME

With the season of dinner parties upon them, locals look forward to the harvest, when markets overflow with bounties: tomatoes in September, porcini mushrooms in November. Wine-making is also in full flow at Chianti vineyards, and many locals lend a hand picking grapes (in return for a few bottles).

WINTER

COSY TRATTORIAS

Florentines love a fireside dinner with friends to keep warm in the chillier months. Nights are spent lingering over winter dishes like ribollita soup and wild boar rag , washed down with sweet wine.

FESTIVE CHEER

The switching on of the Christmas lights in early December is always a big deal, with a life-size singing nativity scene in Piazza della Signoria. The fun extends until Epiphany on 6 January, when La Befana (often compared to Santa) fills childrens stockings with sweets.

MENS FASHION

Pitti Uomo, one of the biggest events in the mens fashion world, draws in fashionistas every January. As well as the iconic runway show, expect glamorous parties and male models strolling the streets in haute couture .