In so many ways, Florence is a perfect short break destination, a heady mix of world-class art and culture, great food and wine, interesting shopping and all that golden Florentine light. And the modest size of its centro storico – swathes of which are now pedestrianised – means that you can walk almost everywhere. The city is on a bit of a roll at the moment, too, with a slew of new hotels, restaurants and cocktail bars, along with re-vamped galleries and museums.
Over-tourism is a problem, but you can get away from the crowds by avoiding the Big Hitters and seeking out lesser-known gems. And if you must see Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s Primavera, book well in advance for a late afternoon slot when most visitors will be on their way out. So, without further adieu, here's how to spend three days in Florence.
Day one
Morning
All roads in central Florence seem to lead to the vast Duomo – dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore and one of the largest cathedrals in the world, so it’s as good a starting place as any. There’s not much to see inside – and the queues to enter are endless – but walk right round the green and white striped building to take in the sheer size of the thing. The views over the city’s famous terracotta rooftops from the 414-step Campanile are cracking, but claustrophobics should beware of the steep, narrow stairwell.
You can discover more about the building process, and see some of the artworks that once graced the façade of the Duomo itself, the Baptistery and the Campanile in the underrated Museo dell’Opera del Duomo including the massive bronze doors of the Baptistery made by Lorenzo Ghiberti in 1400.
Rather than paying over the odds for a table, join the locals standing at the bar of historic, belle époque Café Gilli for a quick espresso and a pastry before moving on to the Mercato Centrale, housed in a 19th-century steel and glass structure. While the ground floor still has traditional market stalls, the upper level was transformed in 2014 into a food hall promoting artisanal producers and chefs from all over Italy. Nab a perch at one of the central tables and then decide what takes your fancy for lunch; a plate of sizzling fishy fritto misto, maybe, or a quarter of spit-roast chicken. Finish off with gelato from Paolo Pomposi; his Buontalenti (cream, eggs and sugar) is legendary. You can also sign up for a hands-on pasta-making class at the Lorenzo de’ Medici cooking school.
Afternoon
Check out the latest art show at the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi – recent headliners include Ai Weiwei, Jeff Koons and Anish Kapoor – and pop into the new Giunti Odeon bookshop, cinema and café, inhabiting the art déco shell of the much-loved Odeon Cinema.
Steps from here is Via Tornabuoni where Prada, Armani, Gucci, Pucci et al compete for retail space. At the northern end is the gorgeous Richard Ginori flagship store (acquired by Gucci in 2014), housed in the vaulted rooms of Renaissance Palazzo Ginori and laid out like a (very grand) private home. The collections – from classics to more contemporary designs – are the stuff that dreams are made of.
To the south, standing stern on Piazza Santa Trinità, is Palazzo Spini-Ferrone, the headquarters of the Ferragamo dynasty. The shoe museum in the basement is a brilliant foil to art overkill, and you can salivate over shoes worn by the likes of Marilyn Munroe, Judy Garland and Audrey Hepburn.
A glass of Antinori fizz at old-fashioned Procacci just up the road is a perfect pick-me-up, and you must order at least one of the tiny filled with truffle cream made to a secret recipe.
Evening
Your expertly-mixed Negroni comes with 360° views at the smart rooftop La Terrazza bar of the Hotel Continentale and will set you up for the vast Bistecca alla Fiorentina served al sangue (rare) at handsome restaurant Regina Bistecca, one of the best places to try Florence’s famous signature dish. It’s brought to your table raw for inspection before being thrown on the grill and then carved at the table.
Finish the night in the west of the city at Manifattura Tabacchi, a 1930s tobacco factory-turned creative and cultural hub which offers an innovative roster of music, art, cinema and dance events plus food and drink outlets which stay open until the wee hours.
Day two
Morning
Spend the day exploring the Oltrarno, the über-cool neighbourhood that runs along the south bank of the Arno. A steaming cappuccino and warm cornetto pastry at family-run Pasticceria Buonamici near Piazza del Carmine will set you up for the morning. Leave 10 minutes for the seminal, newly-restored 15thC frescoes by Masaccio and Masolino in the Brancacci Chapel before wandering over to the lovely Piazza Santo Spirito, the heart of the quartiere. The iconic church was the last work of Renaissance genius Filippo Brunelleschi who famously left the façade and the exterior walls incomplete when he died in 1446. The huge, light-filled interior is beautifully proportioned; look out for Filippino Lippi’s beautiful Madonna and Child in the right transept.
There’s a small morning market in the piazza – mostly farm fresh produce plus a few cheap clothes, shoes and hardware stalls – which expands into a lively flea market on the second Sunday of the month. It’s also known as a night spot, especially in summer when the bars and cafés fill with after-dinner drinkers.
This is a neighbourhood of strong contrasts where aristocratic palazzi stand metres from artisan workshops and local grocery stores. Via Maggio is lined with noble mansions and glittering antique shops, yet a pigeon’s spit to the east is pretty Piazza della Passera, the meeting point of a web of ancient cobbled streets that were once crammed with cabinet makers, gilders, restorers and others who serviced the grand palazzi nearby. In spite of spiralling rents, there are still plenty of active ‘botteghe’ in the area; most are more than happy for visitors to drop by.
Take a break for lunch at the diminutive wine bar Le Volpi e L’Uva, set in a tiny piazza close to the Ponte Vecchio. The owners winkle out lesser-known labels from small producers all over Italy, and there is always something interesting on their regularly changing list. A bubbling, grilled cheese crostone, topped with truffle sausage or pancetta and honey maybe, is a delicious accompaniment.
Afternoon
For a shot of serious art, head over to the vast Pitti Palace and the Galleria Palatina where 28 ornate rooms are stuffed with paintings by the likes of Titian, Rubens, Raphael and Rosso Fiorentino that hang four or five deep on damask-clad walls. Alternatively (or you can do both), explore the green oasis of the Boboli Gardens which spreads up the hill behind the Palace with both formal sections – delineated by neat box hedges – and the bucolic lower garden, often full of locals with their kids. Wander along the winding, overgrown pathways, past lichen-covered statues and the lovely circular moat, and flop down under the plane trees of the hemicycle for a quick nap.
The Oltrarno is full of interesting shops. From its showroom at the bottom end of Via Romana, Il Bronzetto sells artisan-made lamps and decorative objéts in bronze and brass such as the retro Wormhole spotlights. Swing by Antonio Gatto’s atelier in Piazza Pitti for wonderful hats before stopping at tiny Madova, its wooden shelves stuffed with neat packages containing gloves in butter-soft leather with a vast choice of colours and styles. Walk east along Via dei Bardi, past more grand palaces, and pick up one of Erin Ciulla’s beautiful hand-bound marbled paper books at Legatoria Il Torchio.
The steeply terraced Villa Bardini garden stretches up the hill to the right and is particularly worth a visit in spring when the wisteria, roses and irises are in bloom, although the views over the city from the top are magnificent at any time of year. Master Perfumer Sileno Cheloni’s evocative laboratory houses his collection of some 2,000 essences, and if you sign up for his fascinating ‘initiation to the alchemical art of perfume’, you get a pretty bottle of your own scent to take home at the end.
Further up on the left is the studio of French-born street artist Clet, best known for his whimsical, humorous transformation of street signs using removable stickers which you see all over the city.
Finally, at the end of Via San Niccolò and housed in a deconsecrated chapel is a temple to bespoke footwear. Named after the late Stefano Bemer (who famously took on Daniel Day-Lewis as an apprentice in the 1990s), this atelier sells exquisite hand-made men’s shoes in a wide variety of styles and colours.
Collapse on the terrace of popular San Niccolò hangout Il Rifrullo and order a reviving Campari Spritz; it’s been a long day!
Night
Santo Bevitore has been a favourite Santo Spirito haunt for twenty-plus years for its consistently good, creative take on Tuscan classics (think confit quail with asparagus and truffle and gnocchi and roast suckling pig with artichokes) and the nouveau osteria vibe.
After dinner wander over to Piazza Santo Spirito, order a digestivo at one of the bar tables that spill onto the square at night and settle in for some people watching.
Day three
Morning
Florence is the very loveliest of cities, but it can feel oppressive in summer when heat and humidity levels soar and the streets of the centro storico are crammed with tourists; the hilltop village of Fiesole provides breezy relief. The number 7 bus leaves regularly from Piazza San Marco, and as it winds up the hill, you catch glimpses of spectacular villas set in dreamy gardens and olive groves.
Start in Piazza Mino. There are several important works by Fieole’s most famous sons, Mino da Fiesole and Bicci di Lorenzo, in the 11th-century Duomo, and from there, you can take the steep path up to the Convent of San Francesco and a belvedere that offers far-reaching views over Florence. The city owes its existence to Fiesole which was founded by the Etruscans in the 6th or 5th centuries BC. The Romans eventually moved in and built a 3,000-seat amphitheatre (a performance venue during the summer months), which you can visit along with the Archaeological Museum and the Museo Bandini, which houses a collection of Florentine paintings from the 13th-15th centuries.
Afternoon
Book a cellar tour and tasting with Bibi Graetz whose winery overlooks Florence from its perch on the edge of Piazza Mino. The expansive Graetz, one of the brightest stars in modern Tuscan winemaking, moved his operation to Fiesole in 2000, planting vines in the nearby hills, but he also uses grapes from his vineyards in Chianti and on the island of Giglio.
For lunch, try the Cave di Maiano, a rustic trattoria set just outside the town where pappardelle pasta with duck sauce and grilled spatchcock chicken come with glorious views over the olive groves.
Back down in Florence, you could either book into the new, subterranean La Spa at the Helvetia & Bristol hotel for a massage and a wallow in the soothing pool, or get a final fix of art at the church of Santa Maria Novella where Giotto’s Crucifix and Massaci’s Trinità fresco are hidden behind Alberti’s magnificent swirling marble façade.
Night
Treat yourself to a last blast at elegant-yet-relaxed Saporium just outside the old city gate of San Niccolò. Dynamic young chef Ariel Hagen has won Michelin stars (one green) for his sophisticated, technical dishes that showcase produce from sister property Borgo Santo Pietro’s bio-dynamic farm in a series of tasting menus that give equal billing to fish, meat and vegetables.