A cultural guide to Florence

Everyone warns you that Florence is crowded—but frankly, it deserves to be. Filippo Brunelleschi’s iconic Renaissance dome (the Duomo) rises above elegant piazzas, vast palazzos and narrow medieval streets, making the city itself an artistic masterpiece. You’ll never forget crossing the River Arno via Ponte Vecchio, Florence’s most iconic bridge, lined with vendors today just as it was in medieval times; back then it was farmers, butchers and leather-tanners, today it’s art dealers, souvenir sellers and jewelers. Nothing better evokes Florence’s glorious past as a creative and financial powerhouse.

Art & architecture

Great Italian artists such as Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci all left their mark on Florence. Michelangelo’s towering 16-foot David basks under a skylight in the Accademia Gallery, while the former home to the formidable Medici family, Palazzo Pitti, is crammed with Caravaggios, Titians and Raphaels; and the Uffizi Gallery is home to the world’s greatest collection of Italian Renaissance art (see “Hot ticket” below for more). But art is not stuck indoors in Florence: The fountains, statues and ramparts (built by Michelangelo) in the formal Boboli Gardens are a literal breath of fresh air. Convents and churches are where you’ll find some of Florence’s greatest treasures, such as the dreamlike paintings of Fra Angelico in the convent of San Marco and Botticelli’s nativity scene in the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella.  

Wine, too, is a major draw to the city, with the most popular varieties being Chianti and Chianti Classico. Atmospheric wine bars abound in artsy San Niccolò and foodie Sant’Ambrogio. Near Ponte Vecchio, queue for a table at the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it wine bar, Le Volpi e l’Uva, for a Chianti Classico alongside cured meats and lardo-topped crostini. 

Shopping

Rome and Milan may also claim to be Italy’s original fashion capital, but in the Middle Ages, craftsmanship in Florence was superlative, under the patronage of the wildly wealthy Medici family. During the 20th century, Florence was the epicenter of Italian fashion throughout the 1950s and ’60s (in the 1970s and ’80s focus shifted to Milan) and powerhouse brands Gucci, Pucci, Ferragamo, and Cavalli all originated in Florence. You’ll find all of these along Via dè Tornabuoni, but label-lovers in search of a bargain should venture to luxury outlet The Mall for bargains from the last-season’s collections.  

Hot ticket

Occupying the enormous U-shaped Palazzo degli Uffizi, built in 1560 as government offices, the Uffizi Gallery is now one of the world’s most-visited museums. Bequeathed to the city by the Medici family in 1743 on condition that it never leave Florence, its collection includes a room full of Botticelli masterpieces and Caravaggio’s Medusa. Unmissable as it is, the Uffizi requires some navigating. Wednesdays and Fridays tend to be less busy, but it’s still essential to reserve tickets in advance. If you don’t want to make a full day of it, focus on the second floor; here you’ll also find a “quick exit” to escape the crowds.