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Home | Florence
 
Florence

Florence Italy Travel Articles

Book your trip to Florence with our team of Italy travel professionals!

The city of Florence is known by many tag lines - "city of art" or "cradle of the Renaissance" or "city of Stone" - to name just a few. They all point to the fact that Florence is a world capital of art and architecture. Two of the world's greatest museums are musts for any visit to Firenze - the Uffizi Galleries for works by Botticelli, Giotto and DaVinci and the Accademia for the David by Michelangelo. There are many more art museums to explore and so much to do in Florence. Buy a gelato and take a stroll over the Ponte Vecchio. Visit the Boboli Gardens on a lovely day. Shop for leather in one of the markets.  Dive into a traditional Tuscan meal at one of the city's great trattorie.

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The following articles are free for all readers to access:

Florence's Science Museum Reopens as Museo Galileo
Which Florence Museums Are Open on Mondays
Florence's Giovanni: Not Just a Chip Off the Old Block
Learn and Eat at Florence's Olio & Convivium
Italy Events Calendar: What's Happening in Italy in 2012

The articles below are available to paid subscribers only:

Florence: Shopping in the Oltrarno (April 2012)
In the Florence neighborhood of Oltrarno, you will mostly avoid the tourist traps, the booths selling foreign-made goods, and you will find the studios and shops of Florentine artisans, many whose families' local roots date back centuries. . . . read more
Dine With the Locals with Home Food + Recipe for Italian Pear Cake (Feb. 2012)
I had been trying to attend a Home Food meal at a private home in Italy since I first learned of the organization in the winter of 2005. Somehow the stars never aligned until this past fall when a dinner in Florence fit perfectly in my schedule. And may I say, it was worth the wait… . . . read more
Three Historic Italian Libraries Worth Visiting (Feb. 2012)
Italy is home to a number of impressive historic libraries including the the unusual looking Biblioteca Sandro Penna in Umbria, the National Central Library of Florence and of course, the Vatican Library. . . . read more
Il Salviatino: Florence Luxury Hotel With a View (October 2011)
Hotelier Marcello Pigozzo says he bought Il Saviatino for the view. But the view isn't the only reason to check into Il Salviatino. Hidden among Cypress trees straight from an Uffizi Gallery painting, the hotel offers a residential style haven of a new order. . . . read more
Florence Restaurants: Dining on the "Other Side" of Florence (June 2011)
Even if most of the must-see sites in Florence are on the main side of the city, that also translates into crowds of tourists. By just crossing over the muddy waters of the Arno you can turn right or left and soon find yourself wandering down deserted alleyways and into empty piazzas and culinary adventures... . . . read more
Gabriele's Favorite Places to Eat In and Around Florence (April 2011)
The Tuscan star of Extra Virgin lets us in on his favorite restaurants in Florence and in the hills above the city. . . . read more
The Dream Interview: Tuscany and Umbria Insider Barrie Kerper (July/August 2010)
Kerper is such a thorough researcher she would put any librarian at the Library of Congress to shame. She finds out absolutely everything about a place -- much of it through the eyes of other great travel writers -- and the presents the essential and the fascinating in a compelling way. . . . read more
Cheat Sheet: Where to Shop in Florence Italy (Dec. 2009/Jan. 2010)
Florence Italy is a shopping dream. The best stores are those that are tucked away on little side streets and known mostly to the locals. We reveal where to buy leather, Florentine beauty products, art work, gold jewelry, Tuscan foods and more! . . . read more
Hotels and Apartments to Come Home to in Florence Italy (November 2009)
Author Barbara Ohrbach fills us in on where to stay in Florence - from old favorites to apartment rentals (including a unique church-owned flat) to hotels in the hills above Florence. . . . read more
One Italian Expert's Guide to Florence: What to See and Do in the City of Art (May 2009)
Having to traveled to Florence for nearly three decades, this expert on the Italian language recommends her favorite Florence restaurants (one with an amazing view), where to stay in Rome (including apartment rentals) and what sites not to miss. . . . read more
The Dream Interview: Catching Up with the Diva of Tuscan Cooking (May 2009)
We catch up with our friend - the diva of Tuscan cooking, chef, cooking school owner, culinary tour guide and now cookbook author - Judy Witts Francini. She shares the secrets of Tuscan cooking and her favorites places to eat in Florence and Tuscany. . . . read more
Tuscan Recipe: Diva's "Ravioli Gnudi" (Naked Ravioli) (May 2009)
Divina Cucina Judy Witts Francini shares her recipe for an easy and delicious Tuscan dish - Ravioli Gnudi. . . . read more
Shopping in Florence: Get Your Own Custom Perfume Created (May 2009)
This Tuscan master of perfume making will make you your own custom scent during a consultation in Florence. . . . read more
New Italy Hotels to Check Out and Check Into (February 2009)
New luxury hotel in Florence...More airport choices at Malpensa...Fashion house to open Milan hotel...Hilton adds another lodging option in Palermo...Two new golf resorts . . . read more
Ring THIS Bell for Unique Florentine Experiences (July/August 2008)
If you've done the Uffizi, done the Accademia and Santa Croce, and still want something more, how about yoga and cooking classes? Olive-picking excursions? . . . read more
Watch Art Restoration in Action at Florence's Uffizi (July/August 2008)
If you've ever wondered just what kind of work goes into restoring priceless works of art to their original luster, now you can see for yourself... . . . read more
Walk with the Medicis Through the Vasari Corridor Over the Ponte Vecchio (April 2008)
Did you know that the top of Florence's Ponte Vecchio holds a private passageway filled with art? Here's how you can visit the Vasari Corridor on your next visit to the Uffizi. . . . read more
A Resource for Shopping Till You Drop in Florence (October 2007)
The author of this handy shopping guide describes over 70 shops as if she's creating a sort of "treasure map" for a friend who wants to discover Florence's little-known gems. . . . read more
It Pays to Become A Friend of the Uffizi Museum (April 2007)
Find out how becoming a member of the association Friends of the Uffizi can save you time waiting in line at one of Florence's most popular museums. . . . read more
Noteworthy Italy Hotel Openings
Check out these new digs in Florence, Milan, Rome, Venice, Puglia, Sicily and Tuscany. Lots of new Italy hotels are opening! . . . read more
Family Travel: Take the Kids to Italy (February 2007 - Updated 2010)
Just married, we set off on a second, impromptu honeymoon for a bike tour of Italy. Just the two of . . . read more
Florence's Mud Angels: Forty Years After the Flood (September 2006)
When Florence was submerged in seven and a half inches of muddy water forty years ago, the city's art and cultural works were in desperate need of guardian angels, which came in the form of the "Mud Angels" . . . read more
Restaurants in Italy: News on Where to Eat in Italy
New ownership of a classic Amalfi restaurants; Florence restaurants with all day service; Rome eatery adds Michelin star and more news on restaurants in Italy. . . . read more
April 2006 (Florence/Rome)
Florence Solo: The Ups and Downs of Going Alone A single woman has a dream to see Florence . . . read more
Tuscany's Villa Mangiacane: This Historic Villa Hotel Takes 'Top Dog' Honors (March 2006)
No expense has been spared at this new villa hotel overlooking Florence. The villa estate, a working farm, has ties to some of the most famous men of the Renaissance. . . . read more
Get Up Close and Personal with a Florentine Fresco (April 2006)
See a Florentine fresco in a way few will ever get to -- up close and personal -- with this tour group. . . . read more
Segway Tours Hit Florence, Rome (April 2006)
Cruise through Florence and Rome in style -- on a segway! . . . read more
On Exhibit(February 2006)
Check out what's on exhibit in Rome and Florence. . . . read more
News, Tips, Deals and Events (December 2005)
Florence's Ferragamo Museum Celebrates the Art of Shoes Let me start with a disclosu . . . read more
December 2005/January 2006 - Orient-Express Train, Venice Hotel, Florence's Ferragamo Museum
In this issue, you can ride aboard the Orient-Express, visit one of Venice's best boutique hotels, celebrate shoes at Florence's Ferragamo Museum and nosh at a Florentine grastonomia aka deli. . . . read more
New Italy Hotels on the Horizon (October 2005)
There's new hotels on the horizon in Florence, Venice, Rome, Capri and Rimini. . . . read more
June 2005- Special Report: Florence
Our special report on Florence suggests four new Florence hotels; explains the Academia della Crusca through the image of the pala and a fabulous Florentine meal; tells you where to find the real Room With A View; takes you to Villa La Petra in the Florentine hills; plus The Dream Interview with cookbook author Faith Willinger and where to find Florence's best gelato. . . . read more
Bargain Beds in Florence Italy: Affordable Hotels (July/August 2005-Updated 2012)
Discover great deals on places to rest your head in Florence. . . . read more
These Small, Elegant Florence Hotels Feel Like Home (June 2005)
Get the scoop on the service and amenities at four of Florence's new crop of hotels that feel more like private residences. . . . read more
The Pala: A Beautiful Object, A Florentine Eatery and A Woman Obsessed (June 2005)
This is the story of a shop window, the Italian language, an outstanding Florence eatery and a . . . read more
The Real Room With A View (June 2005)
Book yourself in the room used in filming A Room With A View, based on the E.M. Forster classic. . . . read more
Villa La Pietra's Window on Florence, Past and Present (June 2005)
Read about Sir Harold Acton and the legacy left by Florence's legendary Anglo-American community nestled in the Florentine hills. . . . read more
Friends of Florence Save Famous Treasures (June 2005)
Learn about membership to a group that has been devoted to preseving and enhancing the historical integrity of the arts in and around Florence, even raising the $200,000 needed to do the diagnostic testing of the David. . . . read more
A Good Guide is (No Longer) Hard to Find (June 2005)
New tour guides provide unique insight into Florence and Tuscany. . . . read more
The Shipping News: Getting Your Purchases Back Home (February 2005)
How to contact the major carriers directly. . . . read more
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