Relive the Renaissance in the enchanting heart of Tuscany
Follow the footsteps of famous artists and thinkers such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Machiavelli during your visit to Florence, also known as Firenze. Florence is the ideal destination for lovers of art, history and culture. Even if you are less of a fan of museums, I thought it was a wonderfully romantic city to walk through. Florence has many attractive streets that you can wander through. Definitely a destination that won't disappoint! In addition, Florence is located in the heart of Tuscany, an ideal location to discover other places in the area.
Florence and surroundings
Some tourists will need days to discover Florence, while others will find a nice city walk sufficient. The city is full of historic buildings, museums, churches and squares that are worth a visit. We visited Florence at the end of the afternoon until the late evening hours because of the warm weather. Highly recommended to avoid a large crowd of tourists and not to walk through the city in a completely heated manner. We thought it was a wonderful city to walk through, and a few hours was enough to walk past all the highlights and have a delicious dinner on one of the most beautiful squares in the city. Because we have less interest in art and history, we decided to visit Siena on the other day, also highly recommended! Then we unfortunately left for our next destination on the rroadtrip. Below I have placed a top 10 must-sees in Florence.
10x must see in Florence
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Duomo (Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore): the most impressive and beautiful cathedral I have ever seen! With its enormous dome and beautiful colors, this cathedral is the symbol of Florence.
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Ponte Vecchio: a medieval bridge over the Arno River. On the bridge you will find nice shops, mainly jewelers and art dealers, and you can enjoy beautiful views from the Arno!
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Piazza della Signoria: One of Florence's most famous squares, surrounded by impressive buildings and statues. Here you will find a replica of David. The square is home to Palazzo Vecchio, Florence's historic town hall.
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Campanile di Giotto: a beautiful bell tower near the Duomo. The tower is known for its beautiful facade.
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Uffizi Gallery:the most visited and most famous art museums in Florence (and also very famous worldwide). The museum features masterpieces by Italian artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo, Botticelli and Caravaggio. If you can't decide which museums to visit, you certainly can't miss the Uffizi Gallery.
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Galleria dell'Accademia: in this museum you can admire Michelangelo's famous statue: David.
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Boboli Gardens: Enjoy the beautiful gardens behind the Palazzo Pitti. The gardens offer an oasis of greenery and tranquility, with beautiful fountains and beautiful statues.
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Basilica of Santa Croce: A Gothic church which is also the final resting place of the famous Florentines, such as Galileo Galilei and Machiavelli.
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Museo Galileo:Perhaps the name already reveals it, in this museum you can admire the rich history of science and technology.
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Mercato Centrale: a covered market with delicious fresh local products. Enjoy the excellent Tuscan cuisine!
Discover Tuscany
Tuscany has a lot to offer, making it easy to spend an entire holiday there. Tosance is known for its beautiful folding landscapes, historic towns and delicious wines. It is a real pleasure to drive through these landscapes by car! However, we had a limited number of days so we decided to visit Pisa, Florence and Siena. The choice for Siena was quickly made, because of the world-famous cycling race Stade Bianche that starts and ends in Siena. This made me want to admire Siena with my own eyes instead of from the couch in front of the TV. Siena is a medieval city known for the beautiful Piazza del Campo, where a famous horse race (Palio) takes place. Siena also has an impressive cathedral and cozy steep narrow streets.
Other highlights of Tuscany, besides Florence, Siena and Pisa, are:
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San Gimignano: a walled town known for the characteristic towers that rise high above the city. The old center is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. A very atmospheric and charming place with lots of medieval architecture.
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Lucca, another walled city, famous for its well-preserved city walls. You can even climb these city walls and enjoy a panoramic view of the city. Lucca once again has beautiful buildings and an attractive city center with pleasant squares.
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Val d'Orcia: a landscape typical of Tuscany with its rolling hills and picturesque towns. This beautiful area is so beautiful that it has earned a spot on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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Chianti wine region: a must for the wine lovers among us. Enjoy a tasting in the vineyards!
How to get to Florence?
From La Spezia (the base for theCinque Terre)you can reach Florence within two hours by car. Have you also decided to visit the Tower of Pisa as a stopover? Then count on more than 2.5 hours. Florence is also easily accessible by train from cities such as Rome, Pisa, Milan and Bologna.
Stay
We stayed at a beautiful campsite outside the center of Florence:Hu Firenze. From the campsite you can easily take a shuttle bus or public bus to the city center. The campsite also has many more luxurious accommodation options, such as chalets and glamping. A wonderfully quiet base!
Continue your journey
Continue your road trip through Northern Italy to the famous Venetia.
