Unusual itineraries in Florence: what to see among secrets and curiosities

Famous throughout the world for its rich artistic heritage, for being the cradle of the Renaissance, for its numerous museums and wonderful landscapes. But Florence also has a more hidden, alternative, surprising side. A series of aspects all to discover, through which to immerse oneself in the authentic soul of the city and learn stories and details that we did not know. There is no shortage of curiosities in Florence. They are all there, close at hand, you just need to know how to get around and which locations to reach.

Unique experiences in Florence

One of the most beautiful and fun ways to discover the city is to do activities, even unusual, fun, particular ones, because it is in this way that we can capture the purest essence of the area.

Here is a series of alternative experiences in Florence:

Visit to the workshops: craftsmanship is one of the hallmarks of Florentine life, a skill handed down over the centuries. Even today we can access the places of work local craftsmen to observe the working of wrought iron, precious metals paper, leather, gold, silk, ceramics and textiles;
Trip on the Arno: we board a small boat guided by a characteristic renaiolo and admire Florence from a different angle;
Art of perfuming: perfuming is one of the great skills of Florentine craftsmanship. An art that we admire by visiting one of the workshops still present in the historic centre, where we observe a master perfumer and compose fragrances;
Climb the Dome of the Duomo: we walk up the 463 steps to the top of the Brunelleschi’s dome to enjoy a 360° view of the entire city.

Underground Tour

Beneath the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria and the Uffizi Gallery lies a secret Florence, a world hidden, vestiges of an underground city that are our ticket to a journey that takes us back in time two millennia.

This is Roman Florentia, below Palazzo Vecchio.

Here we can admire the remains of the Roman theatre, a performance venue that was used by the inhabitants of the time to watch comedies, tragedies and gladiator fights. Under the pavement we can also see the ‘burelle’, the oldest prisons in the city, with cells that were used to hold prisoners, ferocious beasts and to serve as a environment for the training of gladiators.

Thematic guided tours

Alternative experiences, which go off the beaten track, are those that we can live under the escort of a guide ready to tell us about original aspects.

Here are two unusual thematic guided tours of Florence:

The Florence of mysteries: surprise, amazement and curiosity on a tour that leads us to discover of legends that characterise the city. These include La Berta, the Horned Bull of the Duomo, the Diavoletto by Giambologna, the sculpted face that bears the signature of Michelangelo Buonarroti in Piazza della Signoria, the always open window of Palazzo Grifoni, the bees that cannot be counted on the back of the pedestal of the statue of Ferdinando I de’ Medici, the wrong stone in Palazzo Pitti, the overturned balcony at number 12 Borgo Ognissanti;
Oltrarno: the best way to get to know the real Florence, the one off the tourist trail circuits, is to visit the Oltrarno. We move through the villages of Santo Spirito, San Niccolò and San Frediano, among the artisans’ workshops, small shops and cafés. We start from Piazzale Michelangelo and then move on to the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte, the Lungarni and the Rose Garden.

Curiosities and hidden places

Unusual tours in Florence are those that, more than others, allow you to get to know unique aspects of the city and that in many cases are not recounted in history books.

Among the most interesting destinations are:

The Bull’s Head: on the left side of the Duomo we observe a bull’s head, a sculpture curious that has little to do with the rest of the work. It was created as a tribute to the animals used to transport the heavy materials used in the construction or as a revenge. In the latter case, the affix is traced back to a carpenter engaged in the work on the Duomo. The mason became the lover of the wife of the baker, whose house window looked out on that very spot. The baker decided to denounce the two to the Ecclesiastical Court. Therefore, the carpenter took revenge by affixing the horned head right at the window, to remind the baker of his status as a cuckolded husband.
Dante’s stone: in Piazza Duomo there is a huge boulder on which a plaque has been affixed which reads ‘Dante’s real stone’. According to legend, Dante Alighieri sat on this rock and observed the construction work on the Duomo;
The place where Savonarola died: in Piazza della Signoria, in front of the statue of Neptune is the exact spot where Girolamo Savonarola was hanged and burned in 1498;
The fountain of the little pig: on the outside of the loggia of the Mercato Nuovo there is a fountain with one of the largest lucky charms in Florence, the little pig.

Secret Gardens

Florence is not only art and culture, but also landscapes and nature. That nature that we can breathe by visiting the many green places in the city.

Here are Florence’s secret gardens:

Torrigiani Garden: it is between Piazza Romana and Piazza Tasso. It is the largest private garden in Europe. Visitable only if accompanied, it boasts exotic plants, ancient monuments and the enchanting neo-Gothic spiral tower;
Terzo Giardino: on the banks of the Arno is this public garden with lots of greenery and sculptures in from which to admire the city from below;
Giardino dei Semplici: behind Piazza San Marco stands a green space created to house medicinal plants. It is one of the oldest botanical gardens in Italy, part of the Natural History Museum of the University of Florence.

Works of Art

Florentine museums and galleries house works of art that are known and appreciated all over the world.

But alongside the most famous works we can find authentic gems that are not in the spotlight as many others.

Among the lesser-known works of art are three by the Florentine artist Sandro Botticelli:

‘The Fortress’: the painting is a tempera grassa on panel, the first documented work by the artist and today housed in the Uffizi Gallery. It depicts one of the seven cardinal Virtues cardinal through the image of a woman wearing armour and holding a sceptre.
St Augustine in his study: in the Church of Ognissanti we admire this detached fresco painted in 1480 and which already denotes all the traits of Botticelli’s painting. It depicts St Augustine as a humanist in his study, surrounded by precious books, at the moment of divine illumination;
The series of Nastagio degli Onesti: painted in 1483, it depicts four episodes from the story of the character in the Decameron.

Alternative itineraries

Art, history, culture, traditions and food and wine. The cradle of the Renaissance is full of points of interest capable of conquering every kind of traveller.

Let’s look at a different Florence by taking alternative itineraries:

Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella: near the Basilica we find a place of worship made of colours and perfumes, soft lighting, frescoed walls and antique furniture;
Salvatore Ferragamo Museum and Gucci Museum: two locations that celebrate Florence as a city of fashion through spaces that pay homage to the art of two masters. The museums are inside the palaces that house the boutiques;
Street Art Tour: in the Oltrarno, in the San Niccolò district, we can admire extraordinary works created by Florentine artists along the entire district.

Walks in historic districts

One of the ways to discover hidden corners, characteristics and peculiarities of the city is to take walks through which we can approach Florentine history, art and culture:

Santa Maria Novella: is in the north-west part of the city. It takes its name from the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella and includes Ponte Vecchio, Arno and Porta al Prato;
San Giovanni: in the north-east area, to walk along the Corso, the Borgo degli Albizi, the Mercato Vecchio, Porta S. Gallo;
Santa Croce: the South-East area takes us to Porta a Pinti, Via di Calimara and Por S. Maria and Ponte Vecchio;
Santo Spirito: the area south – west of the city takes its name from the Basilica of Santo Spirito and is divided into the Ferza, Scala, Drago and Nicchio gonfaloni.

Gastronomic routes off the tourist track

Typical products, classic recipes, street food and traditional dishes introduce us to the purest aspects of the city, the peculiarities of Florence.

This is why a gastronomic tour is the best way to immerse ourselves in the most authentic local atmospheres.

Our itinerary cannot fail to include some essential stops:

Historical bar to start the day with a good coffee;
San Lorenzo Market to buy excellent products and taste typical dishes such as ribollita trippa, pappa al pomodoro, bistecca alla fiorentina, fettunta, panzanella, crostino toscano;
Cantina to taste some of the best Tuscan wines paired with products of excellence;
Street stand to taste a classic lampredotto sandwich.