Florence stories
51 stories from florencecitybreaks.com, newest first.
Florence's Santissima Annunziata quarter on foot
Fra Angelico's painted cells, an Etruscan chimera and a rooftop coffee with Brunelleschi's dome in view, all a few streets from the one Renaissance square Florence planned on purpose.
Walking Boboli and Porta Romana in Florence
The Medici terraces, five museums inside one palace, and the Via Romana tables behind them: in 2026 the closures decide what order you see them in.
Florence's San Marco quarter, from David to the botanic garden
Hours, prices and tables in the Florence quarter where Michelangelo's David is kept, plus three more monuments that cost nothing to enter.
Florence in November, Planned Around a 4:45 Sunset
In Florence the light is gone by a quarter to five, which is why the day runs in a particular order: Boboli at the early gate, the galleries that stay open until eight, and the chant at San Miniato.
Where to Spend a Slow Sunday in Florence
Sunday is the easiest day to move around Florence: the gardens are open, lunch runs long, and the doors that matter open at one.
An Unhurried Anniversary in Florence
A Florence anniversary trip built on two fixed points a day and one long dinner, with the rest of the hours left open for the city itself.
Crossing Florence by Tram and Bus on a €2 Ticket
The flat €2.00 fare covers the tram, the city buses, the night network and the urban trains — here is how to use all four without wasting an afternoon working it out.
When Florence Actually Fills Up and How to Book Around It
Florence's crowds and room rates peak in the mild months, not the hot ones, and three tickets plus three fixed dates decide whether the trip works.
Six Days in Florence Without the Famous Sights
Six days is enough to spend a morning buying artichokes, an afternoon in a garden nobody queues for and a whole day in Chianti. Here is how the week fits together.
Florence in October Without Losing a Day to Queues
The centre fills up, but some hours, some days and some rooms still work. Prices, opening times and what you actually have to book for an October trip.
Taking Florence Slowly on a First Visit
The afternoon tickets, the lifts, the bus up the hill and the flat museums that let you see Florence properly without walking yourself into the ground.
Florence at 40C and Where to Hide From It
Florence in July turns hostile by eleven. An hour-by-hour plan for the day, the rooms that are genuinely cold, and where the city goes when the centre becomes unbearable.
Planning Florence Around the Tickets That Won't Move
Only three Florence sights run on a fixed clock. Here is how to book those, what the passes are actually worth, and how to spend the hours in between rather than a morning in a queue.
Three Days in Florence Without the Scramble
One timed ticket, a four o'clock museum slot and a monastery that shuts at lunch: how to see the essential Florence in three days at a walking pace.
Florence in September Without the Two-Hour Queues
Almost every major sight in Florence now sells a timed slot, so whether your morning works comes down to a booking made weeks before you fly.
Florence's Gelato Trail: A Walk Through Frozen Craft
A tour through Florence's oldest and newest gelaterie, from the birthplace of Buontalenti to stone-milled Sicilian pistachio, for readers who want to taste the difference between dessert and craft.
Brunelleschi's Dome: The Engineering Puzzle Over Florence
Six hundred years on, nobody fully agrees how Brunelleschi held up 45 metres of open brick with no scaffolding underneath it — here's where to see the evidence for yourself.
The Vasari Corridor: Florence's Secret Elevated Walkway and the Medici's Private Commute
Reopened in December 2024 after eight years shut, the kilometre of raised passage that let the Medici walk home without touching the street is open again — on a timed, guided ticket only, and with its famous self-portrait wall now bare.
The Oltrarno Botteghe: Where Florence's Renaissance Never Ended
A working guide to Florence's surviving craft workshops — which take groups, which reward a couple, and how to book so the door actually opens.