Florence Italy is in the Tuscany region about midway between Milan to the north and Rome to the South. During the Renaissance, Florence was the center of art, politics and intellectual thought. The city is the biggest tourist attraction in the region with plenty to see and do. The city is small enough to walk to most places, but offers many attractions to keep you interested for weeks.

A large airport and train station in town make travelling within the region or out of the country easy. With public transportation and most attractions in easy walking distance, a Florence car rental may not be necessary.

Everyone in the region speaks Italian, but many people also speak some English. It’s a good idea to have some knowledge of Italian when visiting the area. If you don’t speak Italian, consider purchasing a phrase book with common phrases in Italian to help you communicate while staying in the area.

Early Autumn and Spring are the best times to visit Florence. This is still considered to be tourist season, but is not too overcrowded. Summer is the busiest season and you should expect crowds if you choose to travel at this time. The later Autumn tends to be chilly and can be rainy. It is still warm enough to visit and the crowds will have disappeared by this time.

Things to See in Florence Italy

o Casa di Dante is the home of the famous author of The Divine Comedy. The house is a tourist attraction and is located in the medieval section of the city.

o The Baptistry of John the Baptist is an ornate church that was built in the 11th century

o The Church of San Lorenzo is the oldest religious structure in Florence. It was built prior to the year 400.

The dining in Florence is amazing, with a wide variety of restaurants throughout the city. You will get the chance to sample Florence Italy recipes, which use the freshest ingredients. If you rent villas or apartments in Florence, you may want to try out a few of these in your own kitchen with fresh ingredients purchased at the local market.

Museums in Florence Italy

Florence is home to several well known museums:

o The Florence Archaeological Museum is a palace with Egyptian and Etruscan art collections.

o Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens: the palace consists of several museums with paintings by several celebrated Florentine artists. The Boboli Gardens are manicured Renaissance gardens that you can walk and enjoy.

o Uffizi Gallery was built in 1560 and contains numerous art works. The museum offers a beautiful view of the city in addition to spectacular works of art.

Places to Stay in Florence Italy

Visitors have several Florence accommodation options. There are a wide variety of hotels in Florence Italy, both in the center of town and on the outskirts. Prices vary according to the clientele and location. For longer stays apartments in Florence are a good choice. Most have small kitchens for a more home like atmosphere. If you prefer a more remote, country setting, a farmhouse holiday in Florence is a good choice. All of these can be booked on the internet or through a travel rental agency.

You have just arrived in the Renaissance capital of the art world with a couple of days to spare, so where do you go and what highlights can you see in such a short time? This is the guide for you to get the maximum out of a short stay in Florence.

14:00
Now is probably a good time to familiarise yourself with the central city, if it’s late summer it will be beginning to cool down and hopefully the crush of the tourist crowds will be starting to diminish. The centre of Florence is easy to walk around as the streets are narrow and most are closed to traffic.
Starting off around the main station there is the Piazza Santa Maria Novella with the church that gives the train station its name. Opposite the church there is the Piazza Nazionale and a road which leads down to the Piazza del Mercato Centrale. Here there are a few market stalls selling leather goods, souvenirs and other items. The 2 famous buildings to see here are the Cappelle Medici and the San Lorenzo e Biblioteca Laurenziana.

15:00
You will see the Duomo before you reach the piazza it resides in as you walk down Via Borgo San Lorenzo. The squat building in front of the cathedral is the Baptistery, built on the foundations of a Roman temple. The golden doors facing the cathedral are replicas of an original set made by Lorenzo Ghiberti and regarded by Michelangelo as the “doors to paradise”. But the sight most visitors are bowled over by is Brunelleschi’s dome, the cap on the already impressive Chiesa Santa Maria del Fiori. Standing guard beside it is the campanile, or bell tower built by Giotto.
The view from the top of the Duomo is incredible on a clear day and well worth the trek to the top. Entry to the church itself is free but there is a charge to make the climb. You can also climb the bell tower but run the risk of the bells going off at some point and there is no lift if you need assistance to get back down.

16:00
Many of the original works that were used to decorate the exteriors and interiors of the baptistery, church and campanile are house inside the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, behind the cathedral, the museum rooms that catalogue the history of the buildings. There are many pieces by Michelangelo, including his Pieta that he partially destroyed, which was finished later by a student. The original baptistery doors are housed here along with Duomo plans from Brunelleschi, statues and bas relief’s by Donatello and others.

17:00
Walking down Via Roma you will reach Piazza della Repubblica, the edges are taken up with expensive hotels and even more expensive cafes. There are some stalls selling various touristy type things, including more belts, wallets and handbags. Keep walking down Via Calimara until you reach the loggia that houses more market stalls. Here you can test your skills at spotting a fake leather item although you don’t want to make this too obvious. Better still you can drop a coin from the mouth of ‘il Porcolino’, the bronze statue of a boar, and make a wish.

17:30
Looking straight ahead you will see what resembles a crowded street rising up at the end of Via Porta Santa Maria. This is actually a bridge, the Ponte Vecchio, the ‘Old Bridge’, which was the only one spared by the Nazis in WWII. The original shops were butchers, dropping their leftovers into the Arno below. The stench got up the Medici’s noses in the 16thC so much that Grand Duke Ferdinando I ordered them to move out and the more aesthetically pleasing goldsmiths to move in. This is also one of 3 bridges in the world to house shops.

18:00
Make your way back to the northern end of the bridge where there is a covered colonnade heading left alongside the river. This was built as a secret passageway for the Medici’s as they walked above the populace between the Uffizi and the Pitti Palace. At the far end of the walkway you can look back to see the rear of the shops as they overhang the river below.

Behind you is also the entrance to the Piazza Degli Uffizi, a three sided piazza filled with statues and busts of famous artists from over the centuries, and of course home to the world famous Uffizi Gallery. The collection inside is second only to that of the one held at the Vatican in terms of artistic significance. Giotto, Fra Angelico, Lippi, Botticelli, Da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo… the list goes on. The gallery is closed on Mondays and needs at least half a day to get around, as well as to be booked in advance if you wish to view it in summer. The piazza is commonly filled during the summer with outdoor exhibitions, street artists and performers, mainly to entertain the long meandering line of tourists queuing up to get in.

Carry on through the narrow piazza away from the river until you reach Piazza Signoria. This wide open space is most recognisable by the statue of David, a copy put there in 1873 as the original had to moved inside the Accademia to protect it from the elements. Underneath the loggia is a collection of other famous statues including The Rape of the Sabines, Hercules and the Centaur Nessus, by Giambologna and Cellini’s bronze statue of Perseus.

The main space is overlooked by the rather imposing statue of ‘Il Nettuno’, the watery figure of Neptune standing at the opposite end of Palazzo Vecchio. Close by is the mounted figure of Cosimo I Medici and the bronze plaque that marks the spot where the priest Savonarola was hanged and burned for heresy in 1498. For the super sleuths there is a another sculpture to look out for. On the wall of the Palazzo Vecchio is the carved outline of a mans face. One legend tells that Michelangelo, in a fit of pique, was proving to Donatello he was able to sculpt great works of art, even with his hands behind his back.

18:30
Inside Palazzo Vecchio the entrance shows ornate ceilings and wall decoration for this building was once the seat of Florentine government during the 13th and 14th Centuries. For a fee you can view the opulent apartments upstairs that were occupied by Medicis and other notables as well as reach the battlements for another view out over the city.

The remainder of the evening can be best spent wandering the narrow streets and enjoying a meal from one of the many restaurants and trattorias. Later on there is the night life as many bars and clubs open up after 10pm and carry on until very early in the morning.

08:00
Florence is a tourist magnet all year round so an early start is essential if you don’t wish to spend countless hours queuing. A surefire way to avoid this is to part with a little extra cash in the busy summer months and pre book your tickets online or over the phone. You then pick them up at a designated time from the ticket office with your booking number. This way you can easily get to see the Uffizi and possibly another museum in the same day. To do this simply log onto www.firenzemusei.it or www.weekendafirenze.com or book through your hotel.

The Uffizi opens at 8.15am, closing at 7pm, with the artworks divided between a series of rooms all featuring a certain artistic style or period. The gallery is not restricted to just greats of the Italian renaissance but the collection also includes works by German and Flemish artists. To appreciate much of the work you would need to devote at least several hours to get round.

15:00
Either as an afternoon escape or a morning alternative there is also the Galleria Dell’Accademia, most famous for its prize possession, Michelangelo’s David, the original sculpture that stood in Piazza della Signoria. The 5m tall statue was carved from a single slab of marble which some tales relate as having a fault line running through it. Michelangelo was said to have found it at abandoned at the rear of the artisan school and decided he would use it to create a symbol of Florentine spirit.

The Accademia also has other well known statues, paintings and carvings by many artists on display, well worth an hour or two looking around.

For a plesant way to round off the day there is a walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo from the southern river bank, where you will find yet another copy of Michelangelo’s David, a bronze version overlooking the city. A great place to watch the city change colour at sunset and sometimes there are public events held in the piazza during the summer.

17:00
If there is still enough energy left to view one more church Chiesa di San Miniato al Monte is worth the extra effort. Situated in the parklands up behind Piazzale Michelangelo the exterior is one of the best examples of Tuscan Romanesque architecture while the interior is home to some extraordinary 13-15th C frescoes.

08:00
Depending on your time table you may have time for another set of museums or just a gentle stroll in the park. Head up to the Pitti Palace, another Brunelleschi creation for a wealthy banker that was eventually taken up by the Medici family. Inside are a series of museum rooms all dedicated to various items such silver, porcelain and renaissance clothing as well as more modern artworks from the 18th and 20th Centuries.

11:00
When the art intake has finally reached its limit there is respite in the shape of the Boboli gardens to the rear of the palace. Designed in the mid 16th C it contains typical grottoes and garden follies of the renaissance aristocracy. A chance to leave the narrow streets and tourist crowds for a while.

Your time in Florence is at an end but you may still have a chance to do a bit of that last minute shopping before bidding farewell to all the masters.

Florence is a beautiful city in Italy that comes with first class hotels just for you on that vacation. Be it a business meeting, a family vacation or a romantic destination, Florence is the right place to be in. one of Florence Italy hotels is the Silla Hotel which is a three star facility. It is located right in the heart of Florence and this makes it convenient for guests. It boarders the Arno River and this gives guests a beautiful site to wake up to every morning. This hotel is built much like a villa, which makes it a classic among Florence Italy hotels. The terrace overlooking the Arno River is a favorite spot for many guests to this hotel where they get an awesome view of the city of Florence and the waters of this magnificent river.

The rooms are modern and they come complete with a mini bar, a television set, air conditioning, a safe, WiFi connections, and a hairdryer. These amenities give guests a home away from home feeling. Another of the Florence Italy hotels is Hotel Margherita, which is located in the Amalfi Coast. This is a three star hotel, which appeals to many visitors due to its picturesque location. This hotel stands out in the citrus gloves and gives the guests a therapeutic sea view. Her terraces are decked with beautiful flowers, which make it look beautiful. Her vaulted ceilings produce a lovely work of art while the majolica tiles give it a fine finish. The rooms are magnificent and everything in them coordinates with the other.

They also contain satellite televisions and wireless internet connections that guarantee you not to miss that important email. The cuisine served here is a typical Mediterranean treat that leaves guests asking for more. They have several local wines from which guests select which one they want for the night. The II San Pietro is a five star hotel that ranks among the Florence Italy hotels. This hotel lies in the beautiful cliffs that overlook the Positano Bay creating a breathtaking view of the blue waters. Transport around this hotel happens through a lift that is just awesomely engineered. Her rooms total to 62 and they come beautifully furnished for that elegant finish.

Other fascinating aspects of this hotel are the terraces and balconies that overlook the turquoise sea. The cuisine here is top of range and the panoramic views are breathtaking. This hotel grows olives from which the cooking oil is extracted to give the cuisine that delightful taste. The Buca di Bacco hotel is a four star haven in the heart of Positano, which is a beautiful coastal town. This hotel is famed for its beauty as it overlooks the sea and its delicious cuisine. The rooms are elegant and offer guests the latest in technology. Guests are able to access the internet as they watch satellite television. An afternoon spent on its balconies with a crisp cold drink while overlooking the beautiful ocean is just amazing. You will never get enough of these beautiful Florence Italy hotels.

Leh-ri-chi is how you should pronounce it on your next vacation in Italy. It’s spelled Lerici though, and it is heaven on earth in a wonderful Mediterranean beach resort – right up there among ones like Versilia, Cinque Terre or Porto Fino on the Italian Riviera. But why this obscure sounding place when there are far more well-known and well-celebrated Italian resorts? Well, what would you want with the celebrated resorts; wouldn’t you much rather have for yourself on your next vacation an undiscovered gem, a place that has somehow escaped the attention of the screaming hordes? Why would this place, so close to the other mainstays be left alone so much if it was all that wonderful? It is all about marketing.

Lerici has a somewhat picture book look; the buildings are the traditional Italian pastel, and they tower over the cozy little coves of its beaches; the majestic cliffs surrounding the town command the greatest part of your attention though. As much as Lerici is an unknown the world over, it is properly well-loved by the locals, and come summer, you’ll see plenty of local families and visitors from Milan descending on the town’s sparkling beaches.

What makes it so endearing though? On a vacation in Italy, Lerici mysteriously transports to the cultural heartland all of a sudden. Old men take walks on the beaches, women take care of their shops, and children play football on the beaches. And no one seems to know of or think about tourists – English is virtually unheard of here. But you still experience every eye-popping pleasure of a top-of-the-line Italian Riviera resort.

The most famous part of Lerici, is the notorious and famous medieval castle, towering over the town’s main square or piazza. The castle overlooks the famous Gulf of La Spezia and you’ll find a paleontology museum here. If you feel like it, you can take a great walk from the harbor up the rocks and down a path to the nearby village of Santa Renzo, where there is a smaller castle to poke around in, and this one is left alone by the vacationers to. If you ever make the mistake of going up one of the famous mountain trails in Cinque Terre to hamlets like this perched on top though you’ll have a similar experience, except that it will feel more like a visit to Disneyland, so full of Americans on vacation in Italy are these places.

Lerici has been a destination for great artists for centuries. Take a trek up the mountain to the little villages of Fiascherino and Tellaro and you’ll know why; at the end of the cliff you see a wide-open view of the deep blue sea and the jagged coasts. It’s enough of a sight to turn anyone artistic. P.B.Shelley, DH Lawrence, Lord Byron and many famous Italian writers have settled here for inspiration over the centuries. Lerici has been comfortably occupying the blind spots of anyone trying to vacation in Italy for centuries, seemingly.

Lerici isn’t unhappy for the lack of tourist attention though; thetown council has been fighting the government’s offers of tourist promotion for quite a while. They want to retain their character. Reaching Lerici isn’t easy; there is no train line, and cars or ferries are your only choices. If you do drive down, you’ll have practically nowhere to park. And cars are prohibited in most places in town too. If you do decide to embrace it all and take Lerici in for your vacation in Italy this time, try the hotel Santa Renzo; the prices are reasonable at about $250 a night, and you get free parking. Try the Vertigo Bar for a little evening entertainment and the Gelateria Arcobaleno on Piazza Garibaldi is likely to make you wonder why you even need restaurants – so great are their gelatos and chocolate.

With the lengthy list of places to pay a visit to and points to do in Rome, the really gratifying shopping encounter in Rome takes the last areas. This can be because people do not understand that Rome can be a good spot to shop for Italian finds. In the markets and buying areas in Rome, you can see how diversified yet rich their lifestyle is.

So should you desire to indulge inside Italian culture, you might wish to go to 1 or more with the following buying malls that are commonly open from 9 in the morning right up until 50 % past 7 within the evening,

The major purchasing locations that most vacationers stop by are Via Condotti and By way of del Corso. Whilst you will find plenty of other boutiques in surrounding streets, these two houses are the most famous. It can be since men and women from all walks of existence can appreciate looking in Rome by going to these two purchasing areas.

The Through Condotti homes the finest designer stores and is regarded to become Rome’s edition from the well known 5th Avenue. Amongst the top brands that have a shop situated in this region are Prada, Gucci, Armani, Cartier and Ferragamo.

Meanwhile, Through del Corso is ideal for the kinds who are below a tight spending budget. You can find tons of very affordable nevertheless trendy pieces for sale from the location. From shoes, clothes, components, to house ware, you are able to discover it here. You will discover a number of megastores and department outlets that won’t enable you to leave empty-handed. Other places for bargain hunters are Via Cole di Rienzo, Via del Tritone, Campo de’Fiori, and Pantheon. You’ll be able to find top quality pieces at quite very affordable rates in these parts in the city.

There are also seasonal sale activities in the city just like the summer sale exactly where outlets begin to market products at cheaper rates at around July 15, and their well-known New 12 months sale activities.

Where do you want to travel in the world? For an idea of where to go on your next vacation, visit famouswonders.com. While you are on the site, also take a look at Rome 5 star hotels.

Sicily’s beaches are reputed to be some of Italy’s best; the transparent blue-green waters, long sandy beaches and picturesque villages located nearby are not to be missed. While any such list is certainly subjective, Sicily does have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and here is our choice of the 5 that we believe that you should not miss on your next holiday in Sicily.

Mondello

In the vicinity of the small fishing village of Mondello, on the Mediterranean Sea, is Mondello Lido, only nine kilometres from Sicily’s exciting capital Palermo. From Monte Pellegrino to Monte Gallo, the broad, ivory sandy beach spreads out for over a mile. The shore of Mondello is filled with bars, cafés, nightclubs as well as hotels. After your evening meal of delicious mussels, clams and octopus at one of the seaside restaurants, do as the locals do and take a leisurely “passeggiata” along the waterfront. Be sure to include the city of Palermo in your travel plans as it contains many beautiful palazzos, including the Palazzo dei Normanni, with its Baroque architecture. You will immerse yourself in the busy street life and the colorful markets around Piazza San Domenico. Here you can window shop the elegant stores, and eat in some of Sicily’s top restaurants. Don’t forget to stop by the eerie catacombs and hire a car to visit the gorgeous Monreale Cathedral and Cefalù, a charming town by the sea.

Mortelle

This is where local residents like to come when they want to leave the summer heat behind them; Lido di Mortelle, located on the northeast end of the island, 12km north of Messina, is home to a couple of incredible beaches. Lido dei Tirreno is both a wonderful family destination and a great place to relax alone on smaller, less-trafficked beaches. Messina, with a population of 250,000 that makes it Sicily’s third biggest city, borders the shallow and narrow Messina Straight, which connects the Tyrrhenian Sea, to the west, with the Ionian Sea, to the east. Sight-seeing options include the National Museum of Messina, the restored Norman Cathedral, and the Gothic Church of Santa Maria Alemanna. Some of the finest holiday villas in Sicily are located in and around the Mortelle area.

Spiaggia Sabbie Nere

This off-the-beaten-track beach, with its black sand, is located on the island of Vulcano, the greatest of its kind in the Aeolian Islands, which surround Sicily. Travel to this island by boat, and you’ll be able to take a 3-hour trek to the top of the Gran Cratere, last erupting in 1890. Spectacular sights can be seen at its summit.

Lido Mazzarò

Located close to the bustling resort town of Taormina is the popular Lido Mazzarò, which you can get to via a 15-minute cable-car ride down the hill. Very popular with the rich and famous for quite awhile, this sandy beach is bordered by bars and restaurants. A variety of water sports and shore activities are available. Make a point of visiting the sea caves of Grotta Azzurra, and the little island of Isola Bella, accessed along a narrow strip of sand. Taormina used to be a medieval town, and now it boasts streets full of charming boutiques, artsy stores, cafes and bars.

Giardini-Naxos

Also located at the bottom of the hill from Taormina is Giardini-Naxos, a thoroughly modern beach resort, which is close by to a charming old town, lively waterfront promenade, and busy Cape Schiso harbor. It’s a short walk to the gorgeous beaches where you can swim or enjoy some water sports. The restaurants do not disappoint seafood lovers and you can always pop in to one of the many bars in the area. A couple miles inland is Alcantra Gorge, where you can walk to see beautiful scenery.

If you are planning a holiday in Sicily you will never be too far from a world-class beach, but choose any of the 5 above and you certainly will not be disappointed.