Florencein 3 days !
Florence is so full of artistic beauties, that it is hard, if not impossible, to see so much in just one day. However, the following itinerary is a suggestion on how to take the best out of a single day tour, to make your visit an unforgettable experience.
day 1: North
Main attractions
- Academy
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- Church of Santa Maria Novella
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- Church of San Lorenzo and Medici Chapels (Cappelle Medicee)
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- San Marco
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- Santissima Annunziata
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- Ospedale degli innocenti
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- Cathedral
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- Palazzo Strozzi
Tour: from the train station go southward for just a few meters until you reach Piazza Unità d’Italia (here stands an obelisk). Take via del Melarancio. From here you get to piazza San Lorenzo, with the Church of San Lorenzo (the façade is uncompleted) and the Medici Chapels. Take the street opposite the church to access via Martelli. On the left corner stands the Medici Riccardi Palace. The church on the right is San Giovannino degli Scolopi. Turn on the left and head north until you get to Piazza San Marco, with the homonymous church, the monastery (with paintings by Beato Angelico) and the ancient library.
Cross the square keeping the church on your left, then take via Ricasoli , direction south. On the left you find the entrance of the Academy. Here is kept the original statue of David by Michelangelo as well as other sculptures by Michelangelo, the so called Prisons.
Your visit proceeds onward in via Ricasoli, in north direction. Take the first street on the right into via Battistini until the square of the Santissima Anunziata. On the left you can admire the church of Santissima Annunziata. Opposite the church stands the arcade of the old orphanage Ospedale degli Innocenti, built upon a project by Brunelleschi and with decorations by Andrea della Robbia. Leave the hospital on your left and proceed onward into via dei Servi
The backside of the Cathedral will appear in front of you. Circumnavigate the Cathedral anticlockwise until you meet the Battistero.
Turn around the Battistero and take Via Roma which leads to Piazza della Repubblica. Cross the square (on the right coming from the Cathedral). Take Via Strozzi. In the second street on the left stands Palazzo Strozzi.
Day 2: south
Main attractions
- Uffizi Gallery
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- Palazzo Vecchio
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- Ponte Vecchio
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- Palazzo Pitti
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- Bargello
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Church of Santa Croce
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Tour: from the train station go in south direction in Via dei Panzani first and then Via dei Cerretani until the Cathedral. With the Cathedral on your left and the Battistero on your right take the street in front of you. You are now in via Calzaiuoli. After two intersections you will see on the right the backside of the church Orsanmichele.
The perimeter is composed by numerous statues, while the main entrance is on the opposite side of Via Calzaiuoli. As you can see from its aspect, the church was originally a market, then it was converted into a cult place after an epidemy. In fact, during the epidemy the population used to gather inside the covered market to celebrate ceremonies and minimize the risk of contagion.
Proceeding along via dei Calzaiuoli you will get to Piazza della Signoria, where the view opens on the magnificent Palazzo Vecchio. Left of the Palace stands the beautiful Fontana del Nettuno, a fountain which the Florentines call the “Biancone”. Right of the Palace lies the Loggia dei Lanzi (also called Loggia d’Orcagna). Between Palazzo Vecchio and the Loggia is the Uffizi Gallery.
Walk through the Gallery until you reach the river Arno, crossed by Ponte Vecchio. On the opposite side of the river stands Palazzo Pitti. From here you must go back to the bridge and then straight down Via Por Santa Maria. Halfway of the street lies the Porcellino Market. Turn right and reach Piazza della Signoria. Take the street between Palazzo Vecchio and the Neptune Fountain. Go straight ahead onto Borgo dei Greci until Piazza Santa Croce. On this large square stands the church of Santa Croce , where monumental tombs and sepulchres of illustrious persons are kept.
day 3: Relax and Shopping
Recommended visits
- Boboli Garden
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- The streets of Shopping
Tour: from the train station turn into Piazza Santa Maria Novella, then take Via delle Belle Donne. Turn on the first street on the right into Via del Moro until you get to Piazza Goldoni. Take Via della Vigna Nuova, one of Florence’s most famous and luxurious streets. Proceed until the end of this street into Via Tornabuoni, where the major international brands can be found.
At the end of the street toward north, turn right into via de’ Pecori. The third street on the right is Via Roma. After Piazza della Repubblica follow via Calmala, at the end of which stands the Porcellino Market, a good place to buy leather goods.
Just behind the market stands a small bronze statue representing a wild pork. Tradition has it that caressing its forehead brings good luck .
Now follow Via Por Santa Maria, a street full of embroideries and laces shops. From here you can reach Ponte Vecchio, famous for the goldsmiths shops.
Go to Boboli Garden to have a break from shopping.
If you still have money left to spend, go back to Piazza Signoria and follow one of these two itineraries:
1- take Via Calzaiuoli until the Cathedral. Take the left street behind the Battistero into Borgo San Lorenzo, where you can find a market and various shops selling leather goods, clothes, tapestries and souvenirs.
2- with Palazzo Vecchio in front of you, take the street on the left, Borgo dei Greci, with many leather shops. Go straight until Piazza Santa Croce then turn left into Via Verdi. At the bottom of this street turn right into Via Pietrapiana. In the middle of the street stands the old flea market, surrounded by some workshops specialised in the manufacture of rushes goods.
* All itineraries start from Santa Maria Novella train station.
