Walk & Talk   (2.5 hour)

Florence Pass

• You may wish to take a guided 2.5 hour walking tour of Florence in the morning.

• For those who are spending a few days in Florence – the link for tours and skipping the lines for museums/monuments

Walking Tour #1 must see historical sites

• Get a good map at the hotel
• Florence is one giant outdoor museum. If you only have one precious day here, I recommend not standing in line for museums, but taking in the city itself.  Florence is a small and walkable city. You can see so much simply by walking through the city. 

• Piazza del Duomo
• Baptistery
• Giotto’s Campanile

• Start at the Duomo: Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (entry fee)
• Tip: I tend to get up very early and “go to mass” to avoid crowds; enter on the side
• The cathedral complex, located in Piazza del Duomo, includes the Baptistery and Giotto’s Campanile.

•  Via Calzaioli

• Leaving the Duomo, you enter the main thoroughfare that takes you from the Piazza del Duomo to the Piazza Signoria
• Many stores line the street for great shopping.

• Piazza Signoria

• The Piazza Signoria is a central piazza that has been the center of political Florentine life since the 14^th Century. The Palazzo Vecchio was the center of the civil government and houses a museum and tower. In front of the Palazzo is a statute of David (the Michelangelo original statute of David was moved to the Galleria dell’Accademia. On the left is the Loggia dei Lanzi, which functions as an open-air sculpture gallery

•  Ponte Vecchio

•  From the Piazza Signoria, you can head over to the Ponte Vecchio and view it’s jewelry shops, cross the bridge and walk along Via Guicciardini to the Pitti Palace.

• Pitti Palace

• Ruling families of Tuscany lived in. Have a glass of wine at Pitti Gola, facing the palace, then take the next right to Piazza Santo Spirito to soak in some of the local atmosphere and unusual church facade. Head to the bridge, Ponte Santa Trinita

You may wish to see

•  Santa Croce
• Piazzale Michelangelo
• Boboli Gardens
• San Marco

• A short walk from the Piazza Signoria
• A long, arduous walk, but beautiful view
• The Garden behind the Pitti Palace
• Convent that houses Fra Angelico frescoes

Getting Tickets for David or the Uffizi

• David
• Uffizi

• David go to http://www.florence-tickets.com/accademia-gallery.html?site=webp
• The Uffizi http://www.florence-tickets.com/uffizi-gallery.html

Santa Maria Novella area

• Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
• Santa Maria Novella pharmacy
• Shopping: leather at Roberta Firenze

• First great cathedral in Florence
• Santa Maria Novella is one of the oldest pharmacies in the world. Dates back to 1200/s
• Leather purses/gloves: Located on Via dei Banchi; ask for Ricardo

Unique museums

• Museo Ferragamo
• Gucci Museo

• These museums are located in the Piazza Signoria area.

Walking tour #2 : favorite shopping streets!

• Read an interesting blog: Best Shopping Streets in Florence

• Via de’ Tornabuoni
•  Via dei Calzaiuoli
• Via del Corso
• San Lorenzo Market***- bargain hunter’s paradise!
• Via Santo Spirito

• Fabrics

•  Antico Setificio Fiorentino: incredible fabrics/expensive/by appointment only: http://anticosetificiofiorentino.com/