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72 hours to…
72 hours in Florence: the best addresses in the Renaissance capital
A weekend in Florence is the perfect opportunity to experience Tuscan culture. From the smallest osteria to the latest trendy café and the must-see rooftop, spend 72 hours in Florence to (re)discover the city in a different way.
While each region of Italy is unique, traveling to Tuscany and spending a long romantic weekend in Florence is an opportunity to discover one of Italy’s most beautiful cities, alongside Rome, Venice and Matera. Dante, Botticelli, Machiavelli – so many familiar names that everyone already knows a little about Florence. Cradle of the Renaissance, rich and powerful city under the Medici and still a cultural pearl today, it is visited by millions of people who flock to its museums and churches. And that’s not counting the little neighborhood addresses, the neglected chapels with their many treasures and the exclusive hotels where you can stop and enjoy Florence in a different way.
Visit Florence - Day 1
10 am - Explore the city from the Duomo to the Ponte Vecchio
If the whole world throngs Florence's medieval streets, it's to admire its most emblematic buildings. However, it's enough to take a step aside to avoid the crowds and enjoy the most beautiful places with serenity. The Duomo's 116-metre-high dome (book a scheduled visit to avoid the queues), whose shape is said to have been inspired by an eggshell to its architect Brunelleschi, is one aesthetic shock after another. You can also visit the terraces or the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo for a detailed insight into the cathedral's construction.
Are your days in Florence numbered? Rather than head to the Accademia Gallery or the Uffizi Museum, the churches are already brimming with paintings and frescoes by the greatest masters of the Renaissance. Giotto at Santa Croce, Masaccio and Ghirlandaio at Santa Maria Novella, Masalino and Filippino Lippi at Santa Maria del Carmine, Botticeli at the Chiesa di Ognissanti... the Renaissance can be contemplated here, away from the crowds.
Finally, if Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio are too crowded, don't hesitate to stroll over to Piazza Santa Croce, with its arcades and magnificent basilica, or admire the domes of the Great Synagogue and make a detour to the Sant'Ambrogio Market rather than the Central Market. The Santa Croce district, less touristy, offers another face of Florence, more popular and student-oriented, and in full revival with places like Le Murate, where you can drink a spritz while listening to a concert.
1 pm - Lunch at La Ménagère
La Ménagère is as much a café as a florist, a restaurant as a decor store, a cocktail bar for late-night drinks or a trendy spot for a shared aperitif, it reshuffles the cards of the traditional Florentine scene. In a resolutely Instagramable setting, you can choose from a vast menu where the purest Italian and Tuscan traditions - pasta, schiacciata, radicchio and borlotti - are blended with international influences.
La Ménagère
Via de' Ginori, 8/R, 50123 Firenze FI
La Ménagère website
But also:
- I' Brindellone: a typical trattoria off the beaten track where you can try Tuscan dishes such as ribollita soup, tripe and bistecca alla fiorentina.
- Gustapizza: on the other side of the Arno, for those who couldn't leave Italy without devouring a pizza.
- Sergio Pollini Lampredotto: typical of Tuscan street food, lampredotto is a cow's stomach stew served in a bun.
3 pm - Settling in at Portrait Firenze
On the banks of the Arno and overlooking the Ponte Vecchio, the Portrait is part of the Lungarno Collection, owned by the Ferragamo family. Opened in 2014, the elegant 5-star address is a stone's throw from Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi and the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum. The first floor features a lounge that doubles as a reception and the Caffè dell'Oro with its small terrace overlooking the river, all decorated by Florentine architect Michele Bönan (J.K. Place Capri, Rome, Florence and Paris, Continentale Florence). Modern and classic, the space exudes intimacy and a boutique feel. The walls feature photographs of celebrities from the golden age of la dolce vita: Maria Callas, Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier.
On the upper floors, the 37 elegant keys, with a special mention for the particularly luxurious marble bathrooms, offer an average surface area of over 45m2. A true luxury. Pale colors, dark parquet floors, carefully chosen knick-knacks... and terraces in some cases, where you can enjoy breakfast with a view.
Portrait Firenze
37 studios and suites. From €500 per night.
Lungarno degli Acciaiuoli, 4, Florence.
But also :
SoprArno Suites: in the Oltrarno district, 13 bohemian suites in a boutique bed&breakfast format, decorated by Florentine architects Matteo Perduca and Betty Soldi with vintage objects, antiques, and always superb period frescoes in this 16th-century palazzo.
Via Maggio, 35, Florence. From 180 euros per night.
4 pm - Visit the gardens of Villa Bardini
If the church of San Miniato al Monte and the Piazzale Michelangelo esplanade are must-sees to admire the bridges over the Arno and the sun setting over the river, fewer people appreciate the calm and serenity of the gardens of Villa Bardini. For just a few euros, you can stroll along the hillside in four hectares planted with roses and irises, copses and trees, where the fountains, Baroque grand staircase and wisteria trellises in spring offer different views of the city. The intimate kiosk-belvedere is ideal for a coffee.
Garden lovers will continue their exploration at the Boboli Gardens (accessible free of charge with the Villa Bardini ticket), laid out in the 15th-century by the Medici family at the rear of the Pitti Palace. Large fountains, grottoes and Renaissance statues adorn this typical Italian garden.
PRACTICE: A single ticket is required to visit both gardens.
Villa Bardini and Boboli Gardens website.
Fewer appreciate the calm and serenity of Villa Bardini's gardens.
6 pm - Aperitivo in Piazza Santo Spirito
Lively day and night, it's especially in the late afternoon, when the stores and universities close, that Piazza Santo Spirito comes alive and welcomes students, bohemian Florentines and visitors to its many cafés and bars, or on the steps of the central fountain or the Santo Spirito Basilica. The atmosphere is relaxed and lively, with music and conversation resounding over a glass of Bolgheri or Chianti.
8 pm - Dinner at Il Santo Bevitore
Behind the stone arches of the "Saint Buveur" lies an osteria-style address, with flowing wooden banquettes, shelves overflowing with bottles of wine, elegant candlelit tables and a large marble counter featuring a slicer and coffee machine. The menu features creative, seasonal Tuscan recipes. Soups, pasta and risotto - tagliatelle with sweetbreads, goat's cheese and thyme or risotto with chanterelles and suckling lamb - open the menu, before tempting dishes based on wild duck, veal, rabbit and Mediterranean fish. In the glasses, the region's top wines - Brunello di Montalcino, Montepulciano, Chianti - and lesser-known appellations (Bolgheri, Morellino, Carmignano, Montecucco) rub shoulders with excursions to Piedmont, Alto Adige and the Italian islands for the whites. A restaurant rightly recommended by the Michelin Guide.
Il Santo Bevitore
Via Santo Spirito, 64, 50125 Firenze FI
Il Santo Bevitore website.
10 pm - Enjoy the weekend late into the night
Florence may not be renowned for its nightlife, but there are plenty of places in this student city to extend your evening. In the Oltrarno district, gather at Bulli & Balene for a Venetian break with spritz and cichetti, or at the Rasputin speakeasy... if you can find it. Near the central market, cocktail lovers are also in for a treat at Sabor Cubano, while beer drinkers gather at PanicAle. Finally, wine lovers, if they don't enjoy the revival of the "wine windows" built during the Black Death and brought up to date by social distancing, can head to Vineria Sonora.
Visit Florence - Day 2
10 am - From chapel to chapel, travelling in the Renaissance
In the 13th-century, the rich and powerful city of Florence experienced the beginnings of the Renaissance. Embodied by the Duomo, this artistic movement was embodied in every street and every building. Some places are emblematic, such as the Medici Chapels inside the Basilica of San Lorenzo, where members of the powerful family that ruled the city are buried. These include the tombs of Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother Giuliano de' Medici, sculpted by Michelangelo, and a profusion of mosaics in marble and semi-precious stones.
A few hundred meters away, the chapel of the Pazzis, Florence's second wealthiest family after the Medici, is the last work of Brunelleschi, the Duomo's architect. Admire the beauty of its perfect domes, one of which features an astronomical vault by the painter Giuliano Pesello.
After a detour to the Basilica of Santa Trinita to admire the frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio, we head across the Arno to the Brancacci Chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine. Founded in 1386 by a wealthy draper, it was decorated in the 15th-century by the painters Masaccio and Filippino Lippi. Olive branches subsequently added to Adam and Eve's nudity were removed during a recent restoration.
12 pm - Lunch at Osteria Gucci da Massimo Bottura
Piazza della Signoria, the palazzo that houses the Gucci Garden, the brand's birthplace where you can admire a collection of emblematic pieces, is also home to the Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura, a unique collaboration with three Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura for the Osteria Francescana, twice voted best restaurant in the world by the World's 50 Best Restaurants. In a setting that pays homage to Florentine aesthetics in shades of green, you can sample the creations of chef Takahiko Kondo, former sous-chef at Bottura's three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana in Modena, as well as the Modena chef's classics such as the Emilia Burger and tortellini with parmesan cream. A Michelin-starred meal in an exceptional setting, on one of Florence's most beautiful squares.
Gucci Osteria
Piazza della Signoria, 10, 50122 Firenze
Gucci Osteria website.
2 pm - Visit Fashionable Florence
Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Emilio Pucci, Roberto Cavalli... so many brands created by Florentines that embody Italian luxury and fashion the world over. From the Osteria Gucci, head upstairs to explore the Gucci Garden, dedicated to the world of the fashion house, and why not pick up some items exclusive to this boutique-museum. Further on, the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum pays tribute to the shoe designer through thematic exhibitions.
Leather craftsmanship is another of Florence's specialties, and has been for centuries. We recommend the Il Bisonte and Pelletteria Artigiana Viviani boutiques for quality, handcrafted pieces.
6 pm - Enjoy a panoramic aperitif at Belmond Villa San Michele
The winding cypress-lined road that leads to Fiesole, 8 km from Florence, and the panoramic views over the town and surrounding mountains are well worth the climb to this large village perched on a hillside. Stroll along the plane-tree-lined central square and explore the many ancient Roman and Etruscan ruins, such as the amphitheatre, before heading to the Belmond Villa San Michele. This former 15th-century monastery, now a hotel, boasts vaulted porticoes, frescoes, a cloister and magnificent terraced Italian gardens overlooking the city. Under trellises of jasmine, roses and cypresses, you can watch the sun set and the Duomo turn red, while enjoying a glass of wine or a cocktail.
Belmond Villa San Michele
Via Doccia, 4, Fiesole.
Belmond Villa San Michele boasts magnificent Italian terraced gardens overlooking the city.
8 pm - Dinner in the gardens of the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze
The Four Seasons Hotel Firenze opened in 2008 in a 4.5-hectare park (the largest private garden in Florence), a veritable urban oasis dating back to the end of the 15th-century. Featuring an oversized lobby, a ballroom in a former church and the city's largest spa, it is also home to the Michelin-starred Il Palagio restaurant, orchestrated by chef Vito Mollica. The chef sublimates fresh, local and seasonal produce while teasing the palate with singular flavor combinations. As for the Atrium bar, it plays a more confidential and hushed role after dark.
Four Seasons Hotel Firenze
Borgo Pinti, 99, 50121 Firenze, Italy
Visit Florence - Day 3
10 am - Discover the Roberto Casamonti collection
Opened in 2018 in Piazza Santa Trinita, the Collezione Roberto Casamonti is Florence's very first institution for modern and contemporary art. The Florentine and founder of the Tornabuoni Art galleries (with locations in Florence, Milan, Paris, Forte dei Marmi and Crans-Montana), Roberto Casamontia has renovated the 1523 Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni to exhibit part of his personal collection.
Ranging from the early 20th to the 21st-century, they include the great names of Italian modern art - Giacomo Balla, de Chirico, Giorgio Morandi, Piero Dorazio, Giò Pomodoro - as well as French and international avant-garde and modern artists - Braque, Max Ernst, Jean Fautrier, Fernand Leger, Georges Mathieu, Chaïm Soutine, Serge Poliakoff, Hans Hartung, Enrico Baj, Yves Klein - and many leading contemporary artists-Basquiat, Jim Dine, Sol LeWitt, Marina Abramovic, Antoni Tàpies. The palace's renaissance setting is a match for the collection.
Collezione Roberto Casamonti
Piazza di Santa Trinita, 1, Florence.
Collezione Roberto Casamonti website.
But also:
Museo Nazionale San Marco: a complex of basilica, museum and convent, the rooms around the cloister feature religious frescoes by the luminous Fra Angelico and darker oil paintings by Fra Bartolomeo. Each monk's cell is decorated by Fra Angelico, including his famous Annunciation.
1 pm - Lunch at Vini e Vecchi Sapori
Tucked away in a narrow alley just a few meters from the Piazza della Signoria, Vini e Vecchi Sapori is proof that authenticity hasn't left the center of Florence for good. In the small, deep room, the still handwritten menu showcases Italian gastronomy in all its diversity. White beans and tuna poutargue from Sardinia, spaghetti alla carrettiera from Lazio, peposo dell'Impruneta from Tuscany (a kind of veal bourguignon with Chianti sauce) ... the menu changes frequently, but one thing remains the same: no pizza or spritz here. It says.
Vini e Vecchi Sapori
Via dei Magazzini, 3/r, 50122 Firenze.
Reservations recommended on 39 055 293045.
4 pm - Shopping at Officina profumo-farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
The oldest perfumery-pharmacy in the West, the Officina's origins date back to the Middle Ages and the mastery of the medicinal properties of plants by the Dominican monks of the nearby convent. Opened in 1612, this apothecary's dispensary sold balms, elixirs and ointments made from herbs and perfumes, including L'eau de la Reine for Catherine de Médicis, Queen of France.
Today, a visit to this astonishing museum-shop is an opportunity to take home a few scented souvenirs, including eaux de cologne, liqueurs, potpourris, candles and herbal pastilles, some of which date back to 1614.
Officina Santa Maria Novella
Via della Scala, 16, 50123 Firenze
Official website of the Officina.
6 pm - Take in the city from La Terrazza at the Continentale
Another property in the Ferragamo family's Lungarno Collection, the Continentale attracts design enthusiasts, fashionistas and young couples on a romantic getaway. Its spectacular rooftop bar, literally set overlooking the Ponte Vecchio, makes it the chic address for aperitivo. The cocktails are inventive and the wine list features Tuscany.
La Terrazza Rooftop Bar
Lungarno degli Acciaiuoli, 2/r, Florence.
Tel: 39 055 27265987 - Whatsapp: 39 342 1234710
Website of La Terrazza Rooftop Bar at the Continentale.
All locations are independently selected by our specialist journalists. If you make a reservation, we may receive an affiliate commission.