Florence Travel Guide
Travel guide to Florence, Italy with comprehensive information about events, shopping, and major Florence sporting events to help you enjoy your visit more.
Florence Overview
Florence was pretty much the centre of the world during the renaissance era, and to this day is a place whose name is synonymous with art and high culture. Florence is one of Europe's truly great cities, a place where around a third of the paintings by the grand masters of art such as Michelangelo reside.
Florence is both spiritually, and aesthetically dominated by the famous Duomo - Brunelleshi's beautiful domed cathedral, and its symbol to most the marble statue of David by Michelangelo. The city is filled to bursting point with culture, and beautiful architecture. The city is the regional capital of Tuscany, and a short drive out of the city will leave you in the middle of beautiful rolling countryside where there are olive groves that date back hundreds of years and many vineyards producing famous wines including Chianti.
On account of all it has to offer, Florence is extremely popular with fans of culture and cuisine as a short break destination throughout the year, and if you visit, Florence will provide you with memories that will last a lifetime.
Top Florence Attractions
For any art lover, a trip to Florence is akin to a pilgrimage. Here in this Tuscan city, you will find around three quarters of the works by the acknowledged masters of the Renaissance. In the collections of art on display within Florence you will find pieces of work so precious and beautiful, that you will be astounded.
Make sure you visit the famous Uffizi gallery, the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, and the Medici Chapel - designed by Michelangelo and described as one of the most beautiful buildings on earth.
Shopping in Florence
With its reputation for quality in both art and cuisine, Florence is a great place to stock up on the finer things in life - although don't expect things to come cheap, after all, in Florence, you get the quality.
You can find copies of almost any work of art in the city at the museum shops, while in the centre of the city; some of Europe's top jewellers produce fine gold and silver jewellery to order.
The best-known shop in Florence is the venerable Officino Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novello an old fashioned chemist in a convent that supplies hand made cosmetics and bathing products.
The main area to go for designer clothes in Florence is on Via della Vigna Nuova, where all the top brand boutiques are located within easy walking distance of each other.
As the main city of Tuscany, Florence is the perfect place to pick out the specialities of the region so you can cook in local style at home. Wines include the Chianti and Barolo varieties, and there are as many varieties of Olive oil as there are pasta to drizzle it over.
Florence Sporting Events
Florence is not the most sporting of Italy's grand cities, although it does boast a Serie A side in Fiorentina. La Viola play at the mighty Artemio Franchi Stadium just outside the city centre and are rabidly supported across Tuscany. Although the side are currently not amongst the elite of Italy, supporters claim that a renaissance for the side is not far away.
