Boboli & San Miniato al Monte
If you start to suffer museum overload (a common occurrence in this culturally resplendent city), you may decide that it’s important to stretch your legs and see some sky. If so, the tier of palaces, villas and gardens ascending to the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte, one of the city’s oldest and most beautiful churches, will fit the bill perfectly.
The Sights in a Day
MDevote the morning to the galleries and garden of the monumental Palazzo Pitti, home at various times to members of the powerful Medici, Lorraine and Savoy families. End in the magnificent Giardino di Boboli, not missing the romantic view of quintessential Tuscany that pops into view from the terrace by the Museo delle Porcellane.
REnjoy the green stroll to Giardino Bardini. Visit its garden and enjoy lunch with a view at La Leggenda dei Frati, reserve a table in advance. Afterwards, walk through village-like San Niccolò: shop for bespoke perfume at Lorenzo Villoresi; get acquainted with street artist Clet; scale Torre San Niccolò for beautiful city views. Then hike uphill to Romanesque gem, Basilica di San Miniato al Monte.
NWatch the sun set over Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo, then meander downhill for an aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) at ZEB or Le Volpi e l’Uva. From here, the perennially popular restaurants, lounge bars and fashionable cocktail bars of the Oltrarno are a short walk away.
Top Sight
Getting There
2 Walk From Piazza della Stazione walk southeast along Via de’ Panzani and Via de’ Cerretani to the Duomo. Head down Via Roma, cross Ponte Vecchio and continue south along Via Guicciardini to Palazzo Pitti.
g Bus Bus 13 runs to Piazzale Michelangelo.
Top SightsPalazzo Pitti
Wealthy banker Luca Pitti commissioned this palace in 1458, but once completed, waning family fortunes forced it to be sold to arch-rivals, the Medici. It subsequently became home to the dukes of Lorraine and, when Florence was made capital of the nascent Kingdom of Italy in 1865, the Savoy (who gave it to the state in 1919).
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
www.uffizi.it/palazzo-pitti; Piazza dei Pitti; 
h8.15am-6.50pm Tue-Sun
Tesoro dei Granduchi
Exquisite amber carvings, ivory miniatures, glittering tiaras and headpieces, silver pillboxes and various other gems and jewels are displayed in the elaborately frescoed Grand Dukes' Treasury, on the ground floor of Palazzo Pitti. Notable (but not always open) is the Sala di Giovanni da San Giovanni, which sports lavish head-to-toe frescoes (1635–42) celebrating the life of Lorenzo Il Magnifico – spot Michelangelo giving Lorenzo a statue. 'Talk little, be brief and witty' is the curt motto above the painted staircase in the next room, the public audience chamber, where the grand duke received visitors in the presence of his court.
Galleria d’Arte Moderna
By 'modern', the Pitti’s powers-that-be mean 18th and 19th century. So forget about Marini, Mertz or Clemente – the collection of this 2nd-floor gallery is dominated by late-19th-century works by artists of the Florentine Macchiaioli school (the local equivalent of impressionism), including Telemaco Signorini (1835–1901) and Giovanni Fattori (1825–1908).
Museo della Moda e del Costume
Pitti's Fashion and Costume Museum features an absolutely fascinating, if somewhat macabre, display of the semidecomposed burial clothes of Cosimo I, his wife Eleonora di Toledo and their son Don Garzia. Considering the fact that they were buried for centuries, Eleonora’s gown and silk stockings are remarkably preserved, as are Cosimo’s satin doublet and wool breeches and Garzia’s doublet, beret and short cape.
Appartamenti Reali
Accessed through the Galleria Palatina, these Royal Apartments are presented as they were c 1880–91 when the palace was occupied by members of the House of Savoy. The style and division of tasks assigned to each space is reminiscent of Spanish royal palaces, and all are heavily bedecked with drapes, silk and chandeliers.
Galleria Palatina
Raphaels and Rubens vie for centre stage in the enviable collection of 16th- to 18th-century art amassed by the Medici and Lorraine dukes in this art gallery, reached by several flights of stairs from the palace's central courtyard. This gallery has retained the original display arrangement of paintings (squeezed in, often on top of each other), so can be visually overwhelming – go slow and focus on the works one by one.
UnderstandThe Palatina Art Collection
The gallery’s highlights are found in a series of reception chambers dating from the Napoleonic period and decorated in the neoclassical style.
In the Sala di Prometeo is Fra’ Filippo Lippi’s Madonna and Child with Stories from the Life of St Anne (aka the Tondo Bartolini; 1452–53), one of the artist’s major works. In the same room, admire the sombre Madonna with Child and a Young St John the Baptist (c 1490–95) by Botticelli. Its subject and execution stand in stark contrast to his earlier, often hedonistic, works – probably because it was painted after the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Botticelli’s great patron, and during the ascendancy of the fire-and-brimstone preacher, Savonarola.
Madonna of the Window, named for the cloth-covered window in its background, is a charming work by Raphael, painted in 1513–14 towards the end of his glittering artistic career. Track the painting down in the Sala di Ulisse, once the bedroom of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany.
The gallery’s sentimental favourite is undoubtedly Caravaggio’s Sleeping Cupid, painted in 1608 in Malta, where the painter had fled after killing a man in a brawl and being exiled from Rome as a consequence. Find it in the Sala dell’Educazione di Giove.
The handsome Sala dell’Iliade showcases Raphael's Portrait of a Woman (aka La Gravida; c 1505–06) and the Sala di Saturno is home to his Madonna with Child and St John the Baptist (aka The Madonna of the Chair; 1511). Raphael’s Lady with a Veil (aka La Velata; c 1516) holds court in the Sala di Giove.
The Venetian painter Titian (c 1490–1576) was a master of the portrait, and his painting of an unknown man (Ritratto Virile; c 1540–45) is one of his best. Known as Portrait of a Man, the subject displays a particularly piercing gaze. It’s one of a number of Titians in the Sala di Apollo.
Giardino di Boboli
Behind Palazzo Pitti, the Boboli Gardens were laid out in the mid-16th century to a design by architect Niccolò Pericoli. At the upper, southern limit, beyond the box-hedged rose garden, beautiful views over the Florentine countryside unfold. In spring 2017, much to the joy of many a local Florentine who can be found promenading in Boboli on a Sunday afternoon, Florence's homegrown fashion house Gucci pledged €2 million to restore the gardens and their treasure trove of statues and fountains to their former pristine glory.
Museo delle Porcellane
Inside the 18th-century Palazzina del Cavaliere in the Boboli Gardens, this small museum houses an exquisite collection of European porcelain. Many pieces were brought to Florence from historic palaces in Parma, Piacenza and Sala Baganza in the late 19th century to decorate the Savoy family's Florentine residences.
Grotta del Buontalenti
Within the lower reaches of the gardens, don't miss this fantastical shell- and gem-encrusted grotta, a decorative grotto built by Bernardo Buontalenti between 1583 and 1593 for Francesco I de' Medici.
1Top Sights
1Sights
Sights
1Villa e Giardino BardiniVILLA, GARDENS
This 17th-century villa and garden was named after 19th-century antiquarian art collector Stefano Bardini (1836–1922), who bought it in 1913 and restored its ornamental medieval garden. It has all the features of a quintessential Tuscan garden, including artificial grottoes, orangery, marble statues and fountains. The villa houses two small museums: Museo Pietro Annigoni, with works by Italian painter Pietro Annigoni (1910–88), and Museo Roberto Capucci, showcasing Capucci-designed haute couture. End with city views from the romantic roof terrace.
(
%055 263 85 99; www.bardinipeyron.it; Costa San Giorgio 2, Via de’ Bardi 1r; adult/reduced €8/6; h10am-7pm Tue-Sun)
1Basilica di San Miniato al MonteCHURCH
Five minutes' walk uphill from Piazzale Michelangelo is this wonderful Romanesque church, dedicated to St Minius, an early-Christian martyr in Florence said to have flown to this spot after his death down in the town (or, if you want to believe an alternative version, walked up the hill with his head tucked underneath his arm). The church dates from the early 11th century, although its typical Tuscan multicoloured marble facade was tacked on a couple of centuries later.
(%055 234 27 31; www.sanminiatoalmonte.it; Via Monte alle Croci; h9.30am-1pm & 3-8pm summer, to 7pm winter)
1Torre San NiccolòCITY GATE
Built in 1324, the best preserved of the city’s medieval gates stands sentinel on the banks of the Arno. In summer, with a guide you can scale the steep stairs inside the tower to enjoy blockbuster river and city views. Visits are limited to 15 people at a time (no children under eight years), making advance reservations essential; book online, by email or by phone. Tours are cancelled when it rains.
(%055 276 82 24; http://musefirenze.it; Piazza Giuseppe Poggi; 30min guided visit €4; h5-8pm daily 24 Jun-Sep)
1Forte di BelvedereFORTRESS
Forte di Belvedere is a rambling fort designed by Bernardo Buontalenti for Grand Duke Ferdinando I at the end of the 16th century. From the massive bulwark, soldiers kept watch on four fronts – as much for internal security as to protect the Palazzo Pitti against foreign attack. Today the fort hosts seasonal art exhibitions, which are well worth a peek if only to revel in the sweeping city panorama that can be had from the fort. Outside of exhibition times, the fort is closed.
(www.museicivicifiorentini.comune.fi.it; Via di San Leonardo 1; hhours vary)
1Chiesa di Santa FelicitàCHURCH
Possibly founded by Syrian merchants as early as the 2nd century, the current church is largely a Renaissance construction. Its most extraordinary feature is Brunelleschi’s small Cappella Barbadori, which is adorned with frescoes by Jacopo Pontormo (1494–1557) of the Annunciation and a Deposition from the Cross, in garish reds, pinks and oranges. Note also that the Corridoio Vasariano passes right across the facade so the Medici could hear Mass like any good Christians, but without having to mix with the common folk.
(Piazza di Santa Felicità; h9.30am-noon & 3.30-5.30pm Mon-Sat)
Local LifePiazzale Michelangelo
Turn your back on the bevy of ticky-tacky souvenir stalls flogging David statues and boxer shorts and take in the spectacular city panorama from this vast square (
GOOGLE MAP
; Piazzale Michelangelo; g13), pierced by one of Florence's two David copies. Sunset here is particularly dramatic. It's a 10-minute uphill walk along the serpentine road, paths and steps that scale the hillside from the Arno and Piazza Giuseppe Poggi; from Piazza San Niccolò walk uphill and bear left up the long flight of steps signposted Viale Michelangelo. Or take bus 13 from Stazione di Santa Maria Novella.
Eating
5La Leggenda dei FratiTUSCAN€€€
Summertime's hottest address. At home in the grounds of historic Villa Bardini, Michelin-starred Legend of Friars enjoys the most romantic terrace with a view in Florence. Veggies are plucked fresh from the vegetable patch, tucked between waterfalls and ornamental beds in Giardino Bardini, and contemporary art jazzes up the classically chic interior. Cuisine is Tuscan, gastronomic and well worth the vital advance reservation.
(%055 068 05 45; www.laleggendadeifrati.it; Villa Bardini, Costa di San Giorgio 6a; menus €60 & €75, meals €70; h12.30-2pm & 7.30-10pm Tue-Sun; 
W)
5La Bottega del Buon CaffèTUSCAN€€€
Farm to table is the philosophy of this Michelin-starred restaurant where head chef Antonello Sardi mesmerises diners from the stunning open kitchen. Veg and herbs arrive from the restaurant's own farm, Borgo Santo Pietro, in the Sienese hills. Breads and focaccia (the nut version is heavenly) are homemade and the olive oil used (special production from Vinci) is clearly only the best.
(%055 553 56 77; www.borgointhecity.com; Lungarno Benvenuto Cellini 69r; meals from €55; h12.30-3pm Tue-Sat, 7.30-10.30pm Mon-Sat)
5San Niccolò 39SEAFOOD€€
With a street terrace at the front and hidden summer garden out the back, this contemporary address in quaint San Niccolò is a gem. Fish – both raw and cooked – is the house speciality, with chef Vanni cooking up a storm with his creative salted-cod burgers, swordfish steak with radicchio, and famous linguine (fat spaghetti) with squid ink and Cetara anchovy oil.
(%055 200 13 97; www.sanniccolo39.com; Via di San Niccolò 39; meals €40; h7.30pm-11pm Mon-Sat; W)
5ZEBTUSCAN€€
Local gastronomes adore this modern, minimalist address with five-star wine list at the foot of the hill leading up to Piazzale Michelangelo, in village-like San Niccolò. Post-panorama, sit around the deli-style counter and indulge in a delicious choice of cold cuts and creative Tuscan dishes prepared by passionate chef Alberto Navari and his mamma Giuseppina.
(%055 234 28 64; www.zebgastronomia.com; Via San Miniato 2r; meals €35; h12.30-3pm & 7.30-10.30pm Thu-Tue, closed Mon-Wed winter)
5Da RuggeroTUSCAN€€
A 10-minute stroll through Boboli Gardens (or along the street from Porta Romana) uncovers this trattoria, run by the gracious Corsi family since 1981 and much-loved for its pure, unadulterated Florentine tradition. Cuisine is Tuscan simple and hearty – zuppa di ortiche (nettle soup), spaghetti alla carrettiera (spaghetti in a chilli-fired tomato sauce) and, of course, the iconic bistecca (T-bone steak).
(%055 22 05 42; Via Senese 89r; meals €25; hnoon-2.30pm & 7-10.30pm Thu-Mon, closed mid-Jul–mid-Aug)
Local LifeSummer Hang-out
The enormous car-free, paved terrace fronting Palazzo Pitti is the hot spot in warm weather to lounge on the ground and chill with friends; sunset colours the entire vast facade of Palazzo Pitti a dazzling pink.
Top TipSummer Clubbing
The hottest and hippest place to be seen in the city on hot sultry summer nights is Flò, a truly ab fab seasonal lounge bar that pops up each May or June on Piazzale Michelangelo. There are different themed lounge areas, a dance floor and a VIP area (where you have no chance of reserving a table unless you're in the Florentine in-crowd).
UnderstandClet
Should you notice something gone awry with street signs in Oltrarno – on a No Entry sign, a tiny black figure stealthily sneaking away with the white bar for example – you can be sure it is the work of French-born Clet Abraham, one of Florence’s most popular street artists. In his Oltrarno studio (
GOOGLE MAP
; %339 2203607, 347 3387760; www.facebook.com/CLET-108974755823172; Via dell'Olmo 8r; hhours vary) you can buy stickers and postcards featuring his hacked traffic signs and, if you’re lucky, catch a glimpse of the rebellious artist at work.
In 2011 Clet created quite a stir in his adopted city by installing, in the black of night, a life-sized figurine entitled Uomo Comune (Common Man) on Ponte alle Grazie (to which the city authorities turned a blind eye for a week before removing it). Should you fall completely and utterly head over heels in love with Clet’s work, you can either order a reproduction street sign directly from his workshop (from €500) or purchase an original (numbered and signed, from €2500) limited edition from Mio Concept – Clet produces only 13 of each design.
Drinking
6Le Volpi e l'UvaWINE BAR
This unassuming wine bar, hidden away by Chiesa di Santa Felicità, remains as appealing as the day it opened over a decade ago. Its food and wine pairings are first class – taste and buy boutique wines by small producers from all over Italy, matched perfectly with cheeses, cold meats and the best crostini in town. Wine-tasting classes too.
(%055 239 81 32; www.levolpieluva.com; Piazza dei Rossi 1; h11am-9pm Mon-Sat)
6La LoggiaCAFE, RISTORANTE
With one of Florence's finest terraces overlooking the city from its hilltop perch, this historic cafe is predictably prime real estate. At home in an elegant 19th-century lodge once intended to house the sculptures of local lad Michelangelo, La Loggia serves drinks and light snacks beneath its vintage stone arches and classic Tuscan cuisine in its upmarket restaurant (meals €50).
(%055 234 28 32; http://ristorantelaloggia.it; Piazzale Michelangelo 1; h11am-11pm; W)
6Surf VenturaCOCKTAIL BAR
If half a scooped-out papaya filled with alcohol is your cup of tea or you have an urge for a 100% bespoke cocktail made especially for you, hit this underground cocktail club. You'll need to fill in a membership form to get in, but one sip of a wacky cocktail dreamt up by the expert mixologists here and you won't regret it.
(%055 68 85 89; Via Ser Ventura Monachi 21r; h9.30pm-2am Wed-Mon)
6ZoéBAR
This savvy Oltrarno bar knows exactly what its hip punters want – a relaxed, faintly industrial space to hang out in all hours (well, almost). Be it breakfast, lunch, cocktails or after-dinner party, Zoé is your gal. Come springtime's warmth, the scene spills out onto a wooden decked street terrace out the front. Watch for DJs spinning tunes and parties; check its Facebook page.
(%055 24 31 11; www.facebook.com/zoebarfirenze; Via dei Renai 13r; h8.30am-3am; W)
Shopping
7Lorenzo VilloresiPERFUME
Artisan perfumes, bodycare products, scented candles and stones, essential oils and room fragrances crafted by Florentine perfumer Lorenzo Villoresi meld distinctively Tuscan elements such as laurel, olive, cypress and iris with essential oils and essences from around the world. His bespoke fragrances are highly sought after and visiting his elegant boutique, at home in his family's 15th-century palazzo, is quite an experience.
(%055 234 11 87; www.lorenzovilloresi.it; Via de' Bardi 14; h10am-7pm Mon-Sat)
7Antica Bottega Degli OrafiJEWELLERY
Duck into this old-fashioned atelier to watch revered Florentine goldsmith Marco Baroni at work. Using all types of gold as well as iron, he crafts exquisite rings, bracelets, pendants and earrings embedded with rare, precious and semi-precious gems and stones. His attention to detail – all his pieces feature intricate engraving – is remarkable.
(%055 246 90 32; www.marcobaronifirenze.com; Via dei Renai 3; h9.30am-1pm & 3.30-7pm)
7Legatoria Il TorchioARTS & CRAFTS
Peek into Erin Ciulla’s cosy workshop for an insight into her contemporary approach to the traditional Florentine art of bookbinding. Inside you’ll find a treasure trove of gifts, including hand-sewn leather books, marbled-paper photo frames and journals in the shape of musical instruments. Order in advance of your visit and she’ll make a personalised item to your specifications.
(%05 5234 2862; www.legatoriailtorchio.com; Via de' Bardi 17; h10am-1.30pm & 2.30-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat)