How to Really Visit Firenze

[Craig Camp]

Michael made this post on another thread, but it is so outstanding I felt it deserved its own star billing on its very own thread - bravo Michael:

Any guidebook will recommend the Uffizi and the Duomo and (I hope) Baptistry. These recommendations are well-merited but the crowds may be excessive. The last time I was there, it was possible to go to an office and buy a ticket for the Uffizi in advance. But you also have other options. The Pinacoteca at the Pitti Palace is also a great museum, and it is likely to be a good deal less crowded than the Uffizi. (If you walk across the Ponte Vecchio to get to the Pitti Palace, stop in at the church of Santa Trinita, where immediately to your right on entering, you will see some weird, wonderful frescos by the Mannerist artist, Pontormo, but you have to look for them.) Also, the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo is not to be missed. It's across the street from the back of the Duomo and contains originals of a whole bunch of great sculptures that used to stand in the Duomo. It may be that the tour bus routes still haven't reached that museum. The Bargello is also a great scupture museum and is liable to be less crowded than the Uffizi. Unfortunately, as of 1998, the Accademia, where there is a great series of sculptures by Michelangelo, was already crushingly crowded.

It's also worth visiting other churches. At a certain point, I decided that my favorite church in Florence was not the Duomo, though it's great and should not be missed, but Santa Maria Novella, across from the train station. Have a look and see if you agree. Among the artworks inside is a Trinity by Masaccio. There's also a separate entrance for the cloister (chiostro). If it's open when you're there, it's worth going to. There are weird, great frescos of the Story of Noah by Paolo Uccello, a radical Mannerist.

Another great church is Santa Croce, which includes frescos by Giotto. They also have a Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce, where you can see a flood-damaged but still beautiful Crucifixion by Cimabue, Giotto's teacher. Also part of the admission fee to that museum is a trip to a perfectly symmetrical neo-Classic Renaissance building, the Pazzi Chapel. I found my trip to that chapel very meditative.

Finally, while you're in Florence, you must go to the Piazzale Michelangelo on the Oltrarno side, for the view. After looking at the view from all angles, climb up higher and go to the top step of the church of San Miniato al Monte. The view is even better from there. Then, go into the lovely church. Look around and then go upstairs. On the right side of the 2nd floor, you can enter a room (or was it two rooms?) that contains a great fresco cycle by Spinello Aretino.

Another lovely thing to do is to have a picnic lunch in the Boboli Gardens, but I remember they instituted a fee for forestieri (out-of-towners) at a certain point.

Some other less-traveled and worthwhile things to do include:

A visit to the Cenacolo (Last Supper) di Santa Apollonia, a fresco cycle by Andrea Castagno, for which there is free admission!

If you like Last Suppers, there's also a lovely one by Andrea del Sarto at San Salvi.

You could also take a bus to one of the Medici Villas. The one with the best artwork is in Poggio a Caiano, which has a room of frescos by Pontormo. The trip is pleasant, as is the villa.

Otherwise, walk around a lot, and if you have enough time, you could do a whole lot worse than taking the bus that goes to Fiesole (don't expect an absence of tourists there, however). Your view of Florence will be more distant than from Piazzale Michelangelo and may be affected by haze, but Fiesole is the ancient Etruscan hill city that was there before Florence existed, and the archeological museum and ruins and the old church are worth looking at, though not "must-sees" in the context of a city that's just chock-full of things to see.

Everywhere in Italy, be careful about checking in advance to see whether a church or museum will be open, and even then, be prepared for some surprises. If you're going somewhere just in order to visit a church or museum, consider checking ahead or asking around.

--------------------

Michael A. Laderman, aka "Pan"

Professional flutist and teacher of music, amateur gastronome

Forum Host, New York

pan@egullet.com

[Schielke]

Another nameless thread

[Pan]

Craig, it made me laugh (and smile) when I saw that this had been moved to a thread with my name on it. These are just a few suggestions. There are other things I didn't mention. Indeed, the next time I go back to Florence, I plan on going to places I haven't yet been to, like the Museo Stibbert (which I think was closed when I was last there), Firenze Com'Era (the museum of Florentine history), and the Museo Nazionale di Antropologia e Etnologia.

By the way, here is a useful site for information about museums in Florence and environs:

Musei fiorentini

Much of the information is available in English as well as Italian.

Edited February 13, 2004 by Pan (log)

[Mabelline]

Has anyone else been watching the Medici show on PBS? I'm loving it. And yep, I know it's getting knocked, but if you go to pbs.org you can take a test to see which Medici you would have been. Haven't done it yet.

Sorry,you guys.It fit with the topic.

[SethG]

Pan, don't be modest. That's as good an introduction as one could get in just a few paragraphs!

My wife and I got engaged in Florence, in 1999, on the day that we climbed up the hill to Piazzale Michelangelo.

You did omit my favorite attraction in Florence, and it's no small tourist attraction. I expect it's in all the guidebooks: San Marco. The convent and the cloister are both beautiful, but the works of Fra Angelico are true originals, especially his famous Annunciation at the top of the stairs. When you walk around Florence, you sometimes feel like you're lost in an ocean of madonnas and bambinos-- then when you see something as striking and different as Fra Angelico's work, it really makes you pay attention.

[hillvalley]

What a great piece Pan! If only I could hop on a plane

I do have to put out one warning about one of your recommendations. I was last in Florence about three and a half years ago. My sister and I wanted to take a picnic in Boboli gardens. Unfortunately they no longer allow food and they check your bags before entering. The closest you can get is the cafe in the courtyard before you enter the main gardens. And yes, there is now a fee.

[Pan]

I've been to the cubicles painted by Fra Angelico; I just don't love them. I like Fra Angelico's earlier work better because it's more human to me. But sure, it's worth a mention.

That sucks about the Boboli Gardens. They're beautiful and pleasant but not worth going to if the fee is expensive. Fortunately, there are other parks in Florence, albeit smaller and without great views.

[hillvalley]

Having grown up in DC where almost everything is free, paying to go somewhere is very painful. The gardens were cheap enough that it wasn't a splurge and fit into our modest budget. Then again, that was a few years ago.

[pedalaforte]

How to really see any place? Here's how we do it:

Plan more time than you think you want to spend in a place, and cut out a few places at the end. That is to say, stay at least a couple of days longer than any guidebook suggests as optimal.

How does one get to know Florence? Most people don't want to get to "know" Florence, or any other place for that matter. They want to see "things." It's check-off traveling. And this is not a criticism of the above recommendations. They are great.

But I suggest limiting the days to just a few, even a couple, of the hgihlights. Then just walk someplace out of the ordinary.

Examples:

* We went to well-respected ceramics place the first time we went to Florence -- Sbigoli. While there we asked the owner where the stuff was made. Turns out his family make the stuff and paint the stuff on other side of the river a mile or so over the bridges. When we suggested that we'd like to see, he gave us directions and said to himself, sure they'll go. We went. When we arrived to closed doors, it turns out he had called his wife and daughter at the site, and they came to the door opened up and took us on an amazing tour. It took some time, but we sure got to know a bit of the people and place, not just the monuments.

* We checked a map and find an out-of-the-way park near, hmmm -- over the river by the fort ... we brought dinner in boxes, walked along a beautiful lane, and ate with Italians playing Frisbee and soccer. No English -- within a 15-minute walk of the tourist-massed middle earth (city).

My point: get out of the tourist loops for at least a few hours of the day, or A day.

The highlighs are exquisite; the place, however, is exceptional.

There a city of real people and real Italian flair out there. Eh, maybe I'm a romantic!

Cheers

[Pan]

pedalaforte, in no way am I suggesting for someone who's visiting Florence for a limited amount of time to go to all the places I mentioned! The idea was simply to give information, so that Schielke and his bride-to-be have interesting choices.

But as for staying longer than a guidebook recommends as optional for Florence, I have no idea about that but would say that my first trip to Florence lasted 10 days, and at the end of the 10 days, I could easily figure on major things to do that would last another 10 days. Now that I've spent something like 20 days in three separate trips to Florence, a lot still remains for me to see. All of which supports your main point, which is that it is both futile and inadvisable to try to see "everything." Figure on coming back.

[Pan]

Another thing: I don't "check off" places. When I visit a church or a museum, I spend time there and look at everything. I've never seen the point of visiting anyplace just to take a picture in front of it and go to the next place.

[tommy]

now that we've all explained ourselves...

["T"]

I love how some cities cast a spell over you. Florence is one of them, although my favorite is Pienza.

I'm starting to feel sad for being here and not there.

Thanks guys :)

[rshorens]

Has anyone else been watching the Medici show on PBS?

Although the review in my local paper called it "vulgar", I am really enjoying the Medici tv series too. Did anyone mention the Chapel of the Magi, painted by Benozzo Gozzoli, in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Via Cavour 3? I went there on my last trip to Firenze and found the frescos there magnifico! Those of you who watched the first segment of the Medici tv show saw the room where the supplicants were taken by Lorenzo de Medici to admire the history of his family in the gilded paintings Great place to visit, not as well known among American tourists.

Roz

[Pan]

I love Gozzoli, but the Palazzo Medici Ricciardi was chiuso per ferie (closed for holidays) or per ristauro (for restoration) all three times I've been to Florence so far. People who share our love of this master should also go to the church of Sant'Agostino in the northeast corner of San Gimignano and see his wonderful fresco series on the life of St. Augustine.

Also, one of the things that's really great to do in Florence is simply walk around and look at all those great buildings and the other people on the streets.

[ludja]

Although obvious, one of the real highlights of our trip was seeing the Michelangelo sculptures; besides David, the Medici Tombs and the Pieta in the museum behind the Duomo (Museo dell'Opera del Duomo).

I also found the church at Santa Maria Novella to be among my favorites. Another absolutely fascinating church besides the other major ones is Orsanmichele (not far from the Piazza del Signoria). The building is a granary from the 1200's that got converted to a church not much later. Intriguing architecture and a special Mary inside.

Also nice if you have time, is the food market at San Lorenzo; lots of great places to buy food to eat or take home--butchers, bakeries, wine stores, dry goods and upstairs is a vegetable/fruit market. I got some great deals on dried porcini to bring home for gifts (nice and light also!).

Many days we got up relatively early and strolled around to find a new cafe and have our morning espresso and maybe something to eat. It was a great way to mingle/observe locals and the flow of things--even though it was August and there were many tourists besides us. Besides eating at the right places, we found it nicer to eat a little bit later in the evening for the same reason.

Besides the art and food, one of our favorite things was just walking through different neighborhoods. I especially liked the old Roman neighborhood along the river between Ponte Vecchio and Ponte S. Trinita and further west. Also Dante's neighborhood. Across the Arno in the neighbord of Santa Spirito there are many artisan and craft studios for anything you could imagine, and walking around you could sometimes see artisans in action.

[Fiona]

Florence is in the art, the buidings, the food, and in the people, though the people are hard to see these days in the center, and if they are there they are stressed from tourist overload. The way to feel the real Florence in to get out of it. Almost all the people who once lived in the center now live in outskirts, which keep getting farther and farther away. Visit Ponte Sieve, Santa Brigida (Beautiful monestary with no tourists), Empoli, Impruneta, even in Scandicci, one of the more industrial areas of the city there are left-over from the romantic Italia of our dreams; places like a butcher shop where the butcher raises his own pigs, and makes all his own products. Take a bus, get out of the city and into the life. Better restaurants with more traditional flair are also to be found in the hills around the town.

[John Talbott]

The way to feel the real Florence in to get out of it. Almost all the people who once lived in the center now live in outskirts, which keep getting farther and farther away......

Better restaurants with more traditional flair are also to be found in the hills around the town.

←

Agreed. But as the French say "Oui, mais" - "Yes, but." I usually find myself in Tuscany, etc., with a car, but this time I'm tied down to a hotel and a Congress. So I will make the best of it, probably not even venturing up to Fiesole.

I've tended to think of Florence Food as the worst (per big place) in the country, but even in August, I'm determined to eat well. We'll see.

Nishla's account has given me new hope.