Florence / Renaissance City

Florence is not one but two cities, divided by the river Arno. An acquaintance,  belonging to an old Florentine family, even claimed that there are people who will spend their entire lives without crossing the river, as they see no point going to “the other side”. Inspired by this idea of a city divided in two by a river, this guide is also divided into two parts, one outlining the centre of the city, one focusing on the other side of Arno, simply referred to as “Oltrarno”. 

Beginning on the side of the city centre, Firenze Santa Maria Novella is the city’s main train station and serves as a gate into and out of the city. The building, completed in 1934, is considered an excellent example of Italian modernism, influenced by Adolf Loos and Josef Hoffman. What makes the station architecturally outstanding is the perfect balance between the sharp modernist lines and the soft colour of the “pietra forte”, a type of sandstone with a light tone, which links the station to the Tuscan tradition of painting house facades in ochre. 

Only a few minutes walk from the station, you’ll find Trattoria Sostanza Il Troia (Via Del Porcellana, 25/r), which many consider a mandatory culinary stop. In business for more than 150 years, this unassuming trattoria is famous for its traditional Tuscan peasant food, served in a small (only six tables) and charming restaurant.

A Scented City

Around the corner from the station is one of the city’s most historical landmarks, and one of the world’s most original brands. Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is a Florentine institution, a perfumery and herbalist shop, dating back to 1612.

An iconic product is the perfume Acqua della Regina, a fragrance specially designed for Catherine de Medici, Queen of France. This is the oldest perfume still in production at the pharmacy. Ingredients are still locally sourced and produced in an artisanal and authentic manner.

The church – Santa Maria Novella – is of course also well worth a visit. 

In recent years, several new perfume brands have emerged in Florence. One of the most successful is Acquaflor, just a few steps from Piazza Santa Croce.

With their own laboratory and shop in an ancient Tuscan palace, many come here simply to enjoy the beauty of the space; tranquil, quiet and with more than 1,500 different essences to choose from. 

City Sights

When it comes to historical sites (of which there is one at practically every corner in Florence), there are a few specific places that visitors tend to gravitate towards. If you simply relax and follow the crowds, this is probably where you will end up. One is the Florence Cathedral, formally the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Flore, often referred to simply as Duomo di Firenze. It doesn’t matter how many times you see it; the building continues to amaze.

Construction began in 1296 and was completed in 1436. The façade of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in shades of green and pink, bordered by white. The cathedral complex includes the Baptistery and Giotto’s Campanile, and all three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed. 

Florence is a small city (or a large town, depending on point of view), and most places are within walking distance from one another. This is good as the city promotes walking rather than traffic. In the downtown area, many streets are closed to cars. From Duomo, it’s only a few minutes’ walk to Piazza della Signoria. The piazza is the main origin of the Florentine republic, and still maintains its reputation as the political focus of the city. 

Palazzo Vecchio (formerly Palazzo della Signoria) was built in 1299, on the ruins of a former palazzo, and planned by the same architect who designed both the Duomo and the Santa Croce church. In the 15th century, the symbols of the Florentine lily were added, as well as a repeated series of nine painted coated arms of the Florentine republic. Its name was decided by Cosimo I de’ Medici, after he moved to Palazzo Pitti (in Italian, Palazzo Vecchio literally means “Old Palace”). 

The square is also the gateway to the Uffizi Gallery, one of the world’s most famous art museums (and the most visited art museum in Italy). The museum, once the offices of the Medici family when they ruled the city, has so many invaluable artworks that one day would not be enough for a thorough visit.

From the museum terrace, where you can take a well-deserved break while enjoying a cup of coffee or lighter meal, you will have unmatched views of the city, including seeing Duomo from the above.  

If you prefer less crowded art museums, we suggest you visit Museo Marino Marini. Marini was one of Italy’s most popular 20th century sculptors, appreciated for his archaic shapes and understated silhouettes.

The museum is in a former church, San Pancrazio, dating back to 931. 

Florence Fashion

Though Florence is a treasure-trove when it comes to art, it is also a very fashionable town, in large part due to the fact that this is where fashion was once invented. The number of skilled craftsmen working here, in combination with suddenly accumulated wealth (an effect of the Plague), created a desire for continuously updated clothes. In the early 14th century, the Florentine people created a need for new trends to communicate and display one’s good fortune.This was the foundation of today’s international fashion industry. 

The main shopping street is Via de’ Tornabuoni, where all the world’s luxury brands are gathered. At the end of the street, you will find the jewel of Florentine fashion, Salvatore Ferragamo, which even has a museum dedicated to their history in the cellar beneath the palazzo. 

 Another fashion house intimately associated with Florence is Gucci. Their flagship store is of course located on Via de’ Tornabuoni, but they also have an interesting museum, in a corner of Piazza della Signoria. Together with the museum, you will find a small restaurant, Gucci Osteria, as well as a shop that sells more unique pieces. 

For those looking for something more avantgarde, Luisa Via Roma (obviously located on Via Roma) is a shop with both womenswear and men’s wear from top fashion designers, in two stories, including a restaurant with secluded terrace, designed by Patricia Urquioia. 

Florence is a town of rooftop bars. For an aperitivo, many prefer to visit a hotel and take an elevator to its roof, enjoying a drink while the sun sets over the Arno. One of the cosiest ones is found on top of Hotel Cellai, a personal boutique hotel decorated with antiques, where all rooms have different design.

The rooftop bar is in different levels, creating several intimate places to sit. It’s very close to the San Lorenzo Market, offering local food and wine specialities, as well as the Galleria dell’Accademia with its famous David by Michelangelo.

The neighbourhood between Hotel Cellai and Duomo are particularly nice, with many small restaurants and ancient shops. This is also where you’ll find two of our favourite natural wine bars, Vineria Sonora – focusing on regional winemakers with low intervention wine production – and Casa del Vino (Via dell'Ariento, 16r), a traditional wine bar (with marble countertops and walnut woodwork) but with a great selection of low intervention wine along with Tuscan classics.

If in the mood for something more traditional, try the bars of Hotel Helvetia e Bristol and the Savoy are both great options. For dinner, Il Baretto is a true classic (but be sure to book in advance).

For those preferring a more rustic dining experience, try Trattoria Antico Fatto or Trattoria Marione al Trebbio for an authentic Tuscan cuisine. A very informal place, perfect as a pitstop for a glass of wine, is Enoteca Bellini (Via della Spada, 52).

Our favourite hotel in the city: Palazzo di Camugliano

For centuries, Florence has been the home to some of Tuscany’s wealthiest and most influential families, as evidenced in the number of lavish private palaces and extravagant mansions. Palazzo Niccolini Bourbon’s history can be traced back to the 15th century, when several medieval buildings were joined together. In 1863, it was purchased by Lorenzo Niccolini di Camugliano, whose marble bust is still on display at the palazzo’s main entrance. The hotel is owned and managed by his descendants, Lorenzo and Alessandra.

The palazzo does not feel like a generic hotel. The reason is that it’s not. Most of the furniture and artworks that you will see was acquired for the palazzo when it was a private home. There are family portraits on the walls. For breakfast, you will eat on the family’s silver collection. The palazzo is also home to the family archive.

The Niccolinis were ambassadors for the Medici family, and this archive contains letters between the two families, as well as several other priceless documents outlining the history of Florence during the Renaissance period. With only twelve rooms, all different from one another, the atmosphere is informal and personal (without being intrusive). “Baldacchino rosso” is the name of the guestroom that once was the palazzo’s ballroom. “Affreschi” was the private salotto of the Marchesa, and “Stelle” was the family’s private chapel. The ceilings are almost six metres high.

What really sets the hotel apart from many others is the private roof garden. Elevated above street level, this is a place to recharge. Florence is not a green town, and the access to a private park is exceptional. So is the location of the hotel, right in the centre of town, only a couple of minutes from the sights but on a quiet street, away from the crowds.

A Porcelain Legacy: Ginori 1735

Having china that you enjoy using is an easy way to make everyday tasks – like setting a table – more enjoyable, not just for you but for the people around you. Eating is a social event and should be treated as such. The reason it’s called “china” is not so strange, as this country was where Marco Polo first encountered the material. Becoming mesmerised with the smooth surface of porcelain, he first compared it to Mother of Pearl.

The Dutch East India Company went on to introduce porcelain objects to several European courts, leading to the trend of porcelain in the chinoiserie style in the 16th century. In Europe, the porcelain production in Meissen, initiated in 1710 by the Elector of Saxony, Augustus II, is often noted as the starting point of the European porcelain industry. Twenty-five years later, Marquis Carlo Andrea Ignazio Ginori opened the Manifattura di Doccia, just outside Florence. This was the first Italian production of hard paste porcelain. Before deciding on building his factory in Doccia, Ginori gathered more than 3,000 samples of Tuscan clay, looking for the place that had the very best quality. He wanted to produce long-lasting products, with value not only for the moment but for generations to come.

He settled on the town of Doccia because this was the home of kaolin, the white, soft clay that is an essential ingredient in the manufacturing of china and porcelain. Named after a hill in China (Kao-ling), samples had been sent to Europe a few decades prior by a French Jesuit missionary. This way, Europeans learnt to understand the basics of porcelain-manufacturing. Inspired by the Medici family’s methods of using wax as a way for casting bronze, Ginori began producing figurines and small porcelain statues.

After Ginori’s passing, the eldest son Lorenzo continued running productions, making the factory a popular destination among aristocrats who wanted to see how their china was made. The Ginori factory developed with its time, their products mirroring changes in style and taste. In 1896, Swiss-born Giulio Richard acquired the company. Richard modernised the company, while building houses, schools, and canteens for the workers.

In 1923, Gio Ponti was named artistic director. One of his most iconic productions was the Oriente Italiano, launched in 1946. Soon, this dinner collection became a prominent part of the aristocratic and bourgeois homes of Italy. Since 2014, it’s available in ten different colours – azalea, iris, purple, periwinkle, cipria, vermilion, citrine, barium, malachite, and albus – the stylized floral motifs are created using a special airbrushing technique.

One year prior, Ginori 1735 had become incorporated into the Kering group, and Gucci’s then-creative leader Alessandro Michele had given Oriente Italiano a careful modernisation, which included the new colour palette. Using pieces from the Orientale Italiano-collection today lets you be part of a proud European heritage, built around high quality-ingredients and skilled craftsmanship, but updated to suit contemporary wants and needs.

The Bridges of Florence

Connecting the two sides of Florence are several bridges. The most famous is Ponte Vecchio, the only bridge spared from destruction during the Second World War. Local merchants set up shop here, to capitalise on the traffic of people crossing the bridge. If unable to pay their debts, they had their tables broken, to stop them from selling any more goods. Thus, the merchant was declared “banca rotta”.

Above the bridge runs the Vasari Corridor, designed so the Medici family go between the Uffizi and the Pitti Palace without being seen (thus mitigating the risk of assassination). 

Oltrarno

On “the other side of Arno”, the atmosphere is completely different, almost as if being in another town altogether. Palazzo Pitti, once not only home to the Medici family but also briefly to Napoleon, is a stately mansion with an impressive art collection and one of the world’s best fashion museums, but what people really come here for is the park, Giardino Boboli, directly behind the castle. 

The layout for Giardino Boboli was planned by the Medici family and served as an example for several other parks around Europe in the following centuries. 

It is adorned with ancient and Renaissance statues, several grottos as well as large fountains, the most famous being the Fountain of Neptune and the Fountain of the Ocean. 

The garden’s focal point is the Amphitheatre, built already in 1550 for Eleonora di Toledo, as a way of transforming the quarry used to supply the material for the construction of Palazzo Pitti. In the summertime, this is a perfect place to come and relax, as the Tuscan heat can make downtown Florence almost unbearable. 

This part of town is decidedly more relaxed, which you will notice if you walk along Arno towards the San Niccolò district. This used to be Florence’s artistic neighbourhood. Don’t miss the small linen shop Busatti. This family-run business has produced linen for hundreds of years, and once they even made the famous blue uniforms worn by Napoleon’s soldiers.

The unassuming Osteria Antica Mescita San Niccolò is a great stop for food in this area. If you are still looking for a scented souvenir, master perfumer Sileno Cheloni’s shop on Via di San Niccolò, 72R, (currently by appointment only) could do the trick. Cheloni, a self-proclaimed alchemist, finds inspiration all over the world, and then combines them in ways that create new and unusual perfumes and scents. 

The most frequented part of this slower side of Florence is however the Santo Spirito. It has a slight hipster-vibe, but don’t let that deter you. Via Santo Spirito has some great shops, On this street, you’ll find the welcomingIl Santino, a perfect place for an aperitivo, and nearby is Enoteca Spontanea (Via Maggio, 61r,), with a focus on homemade food and local wine. The rooftop bar ofHotel Palazzo Guadagni, housed in an antique loggia, is considered one of the nicest in the city.

While it is nice to see the sights and visit the luxury shops in the downtown area, this district is closer to the authentic, laidback Florence, with fewer tourists and away from the crowds.

A Countryside Escape: Hotel Torre di Bellosguardo

Florence is a small town with a big reputation. This means however that it tends to be overcrowded with tourists, especially in the summer months. The best way to enjoy the town’s attractions is to choose a hotel that is slightly outside of the city walls, like Hotel Torre di Bellosguardo (just ten minutes from the heart of Florence). An avenue lined with century-old cypresses leads up to the castle, and above the main entrance is a statue (called Charity) by famous sculptor Pietro Francavilla. This way, you can visit Florence as much as you want, but you will also have respite from the crowds.

Instead of a traditional reception area, the visitor will enter into a 15th century ballroom, adorned with frescoes by Bernardino Poccetti. The many halls are adorned with stone carved fireplaces. With only 16 guestrooms and a large garden (which includes a swimming pool overlooking Florence), the hotel never feels crowded. The most beautiful space is perhaps the winter garden, decorated in a relaxed and bohemian style, perfect for an aperitivo, solving a crossword on a sunny afternoon, or taking a discreet afternoon nap when everyone else is away, visiting museums or shopping.

The hotel includes a farm that provides organic fresh fruits and vegetables for breakfast. It also has a pet collection of farm animals (three donkeys, a pony, ducks, and hens). If you continue walking past the farm, you will reach Porta Romana, one of the ancient gates in and out of the city. If you prefer not to walk into town, the hotel offers a transfer service.

Small pets are welcome.

Florence offers some of the best hotels in Italy, and it’s not always easy to decide where to stay. What makes Torre di Bellosguardo so attractive is the combination of a slightly secluded location (making it popular with celebrities looking to unwind in private), beautiful architecture and large, comfortable guestrooms.

It was built in the 1200s as a hunting lodge and expanded to a mansion in 1500. In the 1920s and ‘30s, the Baroness Marion von Hornstein-Franchetti turned it into a salon for royal and aristocratic guests, prominent politicians, and lauded artists, who came here from all over Europe.

To Stay

Palazzo di Camugliano – Family-owned hotel in gorgeous palazzo near the central station. 

Hotel Cellai – Small and charming, with great rooftop bar. 

Hotel Helvetia & Bristol – Centrally located classic. 

Hotel Savoy – Subdued elegance in city centre. 

Hotel Torre di Bellosguardo – Our favourite Florentine hotel, just outside the city centre.

To Eat and Drink

Il Barretto – Elegant and discreet. Reservation advised. 

Trattoria Sostanza Il Troia (Via Del Porcellana, 25/r) – In business for more than 150 years, this unassuming trattoria is famous for its traditional Tuscan peasant food.

Trattoria Antico Fattore – Traditional and rustic.

Trattoria Marione al Trebbio – A favourite among many Florence connoisseurs. 

Loggia Roof Bar, Hotel Palazzo Guadagni – Best rooftop bar Oltrarno. The hotel isn’t bad, either! 

Gucci Osteria – Fashion as food.

San Lorenzo Market – Eat like a local at the food market. 

Vineria Sonora – Stop for a glass from regional winemakers. 

Casa del Vino (Via dell'Ariento, 16r) – Traditional wine bar with marble countertops and walnut woodwork, with a great selection of low intervention wine along with Tuscan classics. 

Enoteca Bellini (Via della Spada, 52) – Unpretentious place, perfect for a refreshing glass of wine. 

Osteria Antica Mescita San Niccolò – Great food in former artist neighbourhood.

Il Santino – For a late afternoon aperitivo.

Enoteca Spontanea (Via Maggio 61r) – Homemade food and local wine. 

To Shop

Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella – Great scents, soaps, and traditional medicine. 

Aqua Flor – “it” brand in the world of Florentine scents, worth a visit for the interiors alone. 

Sileno Cheloni – Create your own perfume. By appointment only.

Gucci – Florence is Gucci’s hometown, and their flagship store here is one of their finest. The shop Gucci Garden,Piazza della Signoria, 10, sells items only found here. 

Luisa Via Roma – Contemporary fashion and art. 

Busatti – Wonderful linen from the company that produced uniforms for Napoleon’s army.

To Visit

Santa Maria Novella – Beautiful church around the corner from Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. Catch two birds with one stone when in the area. 

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Flore – No visit to Florence is complete without a visit to Duomo di Firenze. 

Uffizi Galleries – One of world’s most spectacular art museums.

Museo Marino Marini – Wonderful museum dedicated to the great modernist master.

Museo Salvatore Ferragamo – Learn about local fashion history by visiting the Ferragamo museum.

Palazzo Pitti – Enjoy fine art in sumptuous surroundings. 

Giardino Boboli – The greatest garden in Florence.

Vasari Corridor – Ancient passage over Ponte Vecchio.