Florence Things to Do

One of the best things to do while you travel in Italy is to enjoy the food – eating is very much an “attraction” here. Sampling local specialties gives you a peek into the regional differences from one part of the country to the next. So why not bring some of that Italian flavor home with you by learning to make some of the dishes you loved eating while you were on vacation?

When we think of Tuscany we picture lovely green rolling hills, festooned with grapevines, and small winding roads dotted by elegant villas. Well, that vision is met by Val d’Orcia, a well-preserved region of open farmland in southern Tuscany that has managed to remain untouched by industry, freeways, urban sprawl.

Prato is the second largest city in Tuscany after Florence, and the two are so close together, these days they are almost merging. Prato dates back to Roman times and has been a major textile city relying on the local wool industry for many centuries.

Guided tours are excellent ways to get acquainted with a new destination when you first arrive. There are hop on/hop off bus tours, walking tours, and bicycle tours. Cities on water often have boat tours. But some cities lend themselves well to yet another kind of transportation – the Segway. Florence is just such a city, with a compact and flat enough historic center to make a Segway tour a good option for getting to know the city.

Parents who love to travel know the value in exposing their kids to the world’s wonders – but sometimes making Renaissance art interesting to children isn’t an easy task. Italy is a very child-friendly country in which to travel, however, and bringing your kids to Florence can be as much of an education for you as it is for them.

If you’re familiar with any of the churches in Florence, it’s likely that you’ve seen the Duomo – that famous facade with its layers of multi-colored marble is pretty easy to remember. It’s a completely different church, however, in which you’ll find the tombs of many of Florence’s famous sons – the Basilica of Santa Croce.

So, you see something called the “Mercato delle Pulci” on your Florence shopping must-see list, right? “Mercato” is easy to figure out – that’s market. As for the rest, it’s unclear – is it a location? Someone’s name? Actually, it’s neither – “pulci” is the Italian word for “fleas.” That’s right – the “Mercato delle Pulci” is Florence’s flea market.

Gelato is one of the best treats you can get in Italy, and luckily for us it’s found nearly everywhere in the country. But, like any food in Italy, there are some places that do it better than others, and according to many Florence is the place to go for the best gelato in Italy.

Visiting Italy isn’t cheap, so finding ways to save money without sacrificing on your experience are always welcome. Thankfully, in many cities – including Florence – some of the top attractions are also free, so you don’t have to worry about compromising anything. Here’s a selection of some of the free things to do in Florence.

Long before Frances Mayes arrived in Tuscany and bought a now-famous farmhouse called Bramasole here, the hillside town of Cortona was already drawing tourists from all over Europe. Now, of course, the number of visitors has increased to such a degree that in the summer the streets are clogged with people. Still, it’s a beautiful town and it’s easy to see why so many people have fallen in love with it over the years.