Things to See and Do in Florence

Identifying 10 things to see in Florence is a difficult and complex challenge because we are talking about a city rich in monuments, works and landscapes that should not be missed.

Florentine history has given us some of the greatest works of the masters of painting, sculpture and architecture.

Projects that we can admire inside museums or that we simply observe by moving through the streets, squares and alleys of the historic center and beyond.

In a few kilometers we find churches, bridges and historic buildings that are an integral part of the collective imagination of all of us.

Constructions and works on which personalities such as Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo Da Vinci, Botticelli, Giotto, Brunelleschi worked.

What to see in Florence in half a day

If we have little time available and we have to concentrate our visit of the city in a few hours then it is right to start from the heart of the historic center and its symbol, the Duomo.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is just 500 meters from the Hotel Botticelli and can be reached on foot in just 6 minutes through Via Taddea towards Via della Stufa, Via de’ Ginori, Via de’ Gori, Via de’ Martelli.

The Duomo of Florence is the most important church in the city and one of the symbols of our country. It is built in Gothic, Renaissance and Neo-Gothic style. The works for its construction began in 1296, the consecration took place on March 25, 1436.

Arnolfo di Cambio, Giotto, Francesco Talenti and Giovanni di Lapo Ghini worked on it. The plan is characterized by a basilica body with three naves.

The large triconch rotunda supports Brunelleschi’s Dome, an authentic architectural masterpiece, as well as the largest masonry dome ever built.

Many works of art are preserved inside the Cathedral:

3,600 square meters of frescoes created by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari;
The polychrome marble facade by Emilio de Fabris;
The clock on the counter-facade painted by Paolo Uccello;
The equestrian monuments created by Paolo Uccello and Andrea del Castagno, dedicated respectively to Giovanni Acuto and Niccolò da Tolentino;
The portrait of Dante Alighieri by Domenico di Michelino;
The colorful stained glass windows created by Florentine artisans.

The Cathedral complex also includes:

Brunelleschi’s Dome: with a diameter of 45.5 meters, it is considered the largest European architectural work since the times of Ancient Rome. It is divided into 6 registers and 8 segments and features a fresco decoration created by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari;
Giotto’s Bell Tower: it is in Gothic style and was built between 1298 and 1359 under the direction of Arnolfo di Cambio first and Giotto later. The bell tower has a square base of 15 meters and a height of 84.7 meters. We can reach the summit terrace by climbing 414 steps.

The Duomo complex can be visited by purchasing a ticket. We can choose between three different types of tickets:

Brunelleschi Pass: it is valid for 3 days and allows you to visit the Dome, Bell Tower, Baptistery, Museum and Santa Reparata;
Giotto Pass: it is valid for 3 days and allows you to visit the Bell Tower, Baptistery, Museum and Santa Reparata;
Ghiberti Pass: it is valid for 3 days and allows you to visit the Baptistery, Museum and Santa Reparata.

Florence Itinerary: Must-See Things

The historic city center is a concentration of emotions and immortal works.

Let’s find out what to see in Florence:

Ponte Vecchio: the historic bridge over the Arno is about a kilometer from the Hotel Botticelli and can be reached on foot in 13 minutes by walking along Via Taddea towards Via della Stufa, Via de ‘Ginori, Piazza di San Lorenzo, Piazza di San Giovanni, Via Roma, Piazza della Repubblica, Via Calimala. Alternatively, we can get there by walking a short distance of about 200 meters, to the Piazza di San Lorenzo stop. Here we take the C1 bus and get off at the Roma Duomo stop. Another 500 meters and we have reached our destination.
Ponte Vecchio connects Via Por Santa Maria and Via de ‘Guicciardini. It has 3 spans, is 95 meters long and 20 meters wide. Built in pietraforte, the arched bridge was designed by Taddeo Gaddi and Neri Fioravanti and built between 1339 and 1345. It housed butchers’ shops, which the Medici replaced with goldsmiths’ shops in 1593. Above the bridge we can admire part of the Vasari Corridor, the passage built in 1565 by the Medici to connect Palazzo Vecchio with Palazzo Pitti;

Palazzo Vecchio: located in Piazza della Signoria, it is the symbol of Florentine power. It houses the seat of the Municipality and from 1865 to 1871 it was the seat of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy. It is an emblem of civil architecture in Florence in the fourteenth century. It houses a museum where you can admire works by Donatello, Michelangelo Buonarroti and Verrocchio exhibited in rooms of great beauty, including the magnificent Salone dei Cinquecento. Artists such as Ghirlandaio, Giorgio Vasari and Angelo Bronzino worked on the rooms. Among the works present are the paintings by Bronzino in the Chapel of Eleonora, the Genius of Victory by Michelangelo and the Judith by Donatello.
It can be visited upon purchase of a ticket.
Palazzo Vecchio is 950 meters from the Hotel Botticelli and can be reached by public transport, from Piazza di San Lorenzo to the Uffizi Gallery. Or on foot, along Via Taddea towards Via della Stufa, Via de’ Ginori, Via de’ Martelli, Via dei Calzaiuoli, Piazza della Signoria.

Torre di Arnolfo: designed by the architect Arnolfo di Cambio, it was built around 1300 and is an integral part of Palazzo Vecchio. It reaches a height of 95 meters and was created by raising the pre-existing Torre della Vacca. Climbing along 223 stone steps we reach the last crenellated lookout level, which offers a breathtaking view of the entire city;

Uffizi Gallery: located in Piazzale degli Uffizi, one kilometer from the Hotel Botticelli, it is one of the most important Italian museums. It houses works by Raphael, Botticelli, Giotto, Titian, Pontormo, Bronzino, Andrea del Santo, Durer, Caravaggio, Leonardo da Vinci, Rubens. Paintings and sculptures come from the Medici collections, bequests, donations and exchanges. It was opened in 1769 and is divided into areas organized by style and school in chronological order. It allows you to admire works created between the 12th and 18th centuries as well as the largest collection of works of the Florentine Renaissance in the world.
It can be visited upon purchase of a ticket.
The Uffizi Gallery can be reached from the Hotel Botticelli on foot in about 15 minutes by walking along Via Taddea towards Via della Stufa, Via de’ Ginori, Via de’ Martelli, Via dei Calzaiuoli, Piazza della Signoria and Piazzale degli Uffizi. The journey time is similar if we use public transport, with the C1 bus line from Piazza di San Lorenzo to the Uffizi Gallery;

Palazzo Pitti: located in the Oltrarno area, it is a large and fascinating Renaissance palace that today houses several museums. There we find the Palatine Gallery, the Royal Apartments, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Treasury of the Grand Dukes, the Museum of Fashion and Costume, the Porcelain Museum, the Carriage Museum, the Prince of Naples’ quarter, the apartment of the Duchess of Aosta. The palace is completed by the Boboli Gardens.
It is 1.4 km from the Hotel Botticelli and can be reached on foot in 20 minutes by walking along Via Taddea towards Via della Stufa, Via de’ Ginori, Piazza di San Lorenzo, Borso San Lorenzo, Piazza di San Giovanni, Via Roma, Piazza della Repubblica, Via Calimala, Via Por Santa Maria, Ponte Vecchio, Via de’ Guicciardini, Piazza de’ Pitti.
Alternatively, we can use public transport by taking the C4 bus line at Scalette Station and getting off at the Pitti stop.
Palazzo Pitti can be visited by purchasing a ticket;

Boboli Gardens: the grand ducal garden of Palazzo Pitti is one of the most important examples of an Italian garden. Built between the 16th and 19th centuries, they extend over an area of 45,000 square meters and are characterized by the presence of fountains, grottos, nymphaeums, small temples, statues, ponds, lemon house, buildings such as the 18th-century Kaffeehaus.
Of particular importance are the collections of roses and camellias. The latter was started in the 17th century and still today it attracts thousands of visitors. The lemon house, on the other hand, hosts citrus fruits such as orange, bergamot, citron, grapefruit, lemon and lime.
It can be visited with a ticket.

What to do in Florence in 1 day

Florence is full of museums and historic buildings that house works of great value and are home to important museums.

Equally interesting are the examples of religious architecture:

Brancacci Chapel: inside the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine we find one of the most important examples of Renaissance painting. The work is the result of the work of Masaccio, Masolino da Panicale and Filippino Lippi. The fresco decoration has as its theme the historia salutis, or the history of man’s salvation.

Brancacci Chapel can be visited upon purchase of a ticket.

It is 1.5 km from the Hotel Botticelli and can be reached on foot in 20 minutes along Via Taddea towards Via della Stufa, Piazza di San Lorenzo, Via del Canto dei Nelli, Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini, Via del Giglio, Via del Moro, Piazza Carlo Goldoni, Lungarno Corsini, Ponte alla Carraia, Piazza Nazario Sauro, Borgo S. Frediano, Piazza del Carmine.
Alternatively, we use public transport by taking bus line 11 from the Indipendenza Nazionale stop to Serragli Santa Monica.

Basilica of Santa Croce: designed by Arnolfo di Cambio and consecrated in 1443, it is in Gothic, Renaissance and Neo-Gothic style. The minor basilica is one of the most important examples of Italian Gothic as well as one of the largest Franciscan churches. It was a meeting place for great artists, writers, theologians and religious figures. Rossini, Machiavelli, Michelangelo and Galileo Galilei are buried here. Inside we find frescoes by Gaddi, those by Giotto and the relief in golden pietra serena of the Annunciation by Donatello.
It can be visited by purchasing a ticket.
It is just over a kilometre from the Hotel Botticelli and can be reached in a quarter of an hour by walking to Via Roma, then taking the C2 bus from Roma Duomo to Ghibellina Pepi, walking for another 150 metres;

Church of Santa Maria Novella: a point of reference for the Dominican order, it is in Piazza Santa Maria Novella. It is in Gothic Renaissance style. It was built starting in 1279 and consecrated in 1420. The exterior was created by Fra Jacopo Talenti and Leon Battista Alberti. Inside we admire the frescoes by Ghirlandaio, the Trinity by Masaccio, the Crucifix by Giotto, the Strozzi Chapel, the Tornabuoni Chapel, the Crucifix by Brunelleschi, the Strozzi Chapel of Mantua, the Nativity by Sandro Botticelli, the pulpit by Buggiano.
The Church of Santa Maria Novella can be visited upon purchase of a ticket.
It is in Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, 650 meters from the Hotel Botticelli. We reach it on foot in about 8 minutes along Via Rosina, Via Sant’Antonino, Piazza dell’Unità Italiana, Piazza della Stazione.