DIY Florence
The jewel of the Renaissance, Florence, Italy fostered the majority of the philosophers, writers, and artists that shaped early modern Europe, and much of the fabric of the city remains as it was five hundred years ago. Visitors flock to Florence throughout the year to stroll through the medieval, Renaissance, and 19th century churches and palaces of its centro storico, see its cache of Renaissance masterpieces, and enjoy Tuscan cuisine. With one the largest concentrations of tourists and study abroad students, Florence boasts a plethora of sites and activities and maintains a vibrant nightlife. Tourists tend to clog the city during the warmer months, so travel to Florence between late October and late April when the city is much more manageable and enjoyable.
The cost for a four days/three nights DIY Weekend in Florence:
TOTAL COST: €230
HOSTEL: €60 (Three nights at €20 per night)
FOOD: €75
TRANSPORTATION: €10
ENTERTAINMENT: €45
SITES: €40
GETTING THERE
By Plane
Many airlines fly into Florence’s main airport, Petrucci (FLR). To reach Florence’s central train station, Santa Maria Novella, from the airport, you can either take a taxi into the city, which cost €20, or the big, blue SITA bus that departs every twenty minutes or so from the airport, which costs €5. However, most low-cost “budget” airlines fly into nearby cities that are a bus or train ride away.
Transferring to Florence from Other Cities
From Pisa (PSA)
Pisa is your best bet for flying a low-cost airline to Florence. RyanAir, EasyJet, WizzAir, and many others fly into Pisa, and transferring from the airport to Florence’s central train station, Santa Maria Novella, is easy. You can catch a train that runs directly from the airport to Florence. After you purchase a ticket, which costs about €5, validate it by stamping them in a yellow, toaster-sized box at the beginning of a platform and board the train. In an hour and a half you’ll arrive. Check the schedule for the trains that run between Pisa AE and Florence on the TrenItalia website.
You can also reach Florence from the airport at Pisa using Terravision, a private bus company. A ticket costs about €10, a little more than the train, but the buses run earlier in the morning and later at night. The last bus will usually wait for the last RyanAir flight to land before departing, even if that flight is behind schedule. The bus drops you offer at the Santa Maria Novella train station.
From Bologna (BLQ)
RyanAir and EasyJet also fly into Bologna, but transferring to Florence is a bit more complicated. No buses run directly between BLQ and Florence, so you’ll have to take the train. To reach Bologna’s train station from its airport, you’ll need to take the bus marked BOLOGNA STAZIONE CENTRALE. At the station, catch a train to Florence’s central train station, Santa Maria Novella. While trains run regularly between the two cities, they do not run early in the morning and late at night, so schedule your flights accordingly, and as always, don’t forget to validate your ticket before boarding. The trip back is much the same, only take the BLQ bus from Bologna’s train station to its airport. Check the train schedule and prices between Bologna and Florence on the TrenItalia website. On a side note, Bologna is fun university town that is known for its food and cityscape, and it’s worth scheduling time around a flight to explore it.
From Rome (FCO)
After landing in Rome Fiumincino (FCO), take the Leonardo Express to Roma Termini, the eternal city’s main train station. From Termini you can easily catch a train to Florence – a few depart every hour. There are three types of trains you can take: the Regionale, InterCity, and FrecciaRossa. The Regionale takes between three and four hours and costs about €15; the InterCity takes two and a half hours and costs about €30; and the FrecciaRossa takes an hour and a half and costs about €50. Are you richer in time or money?
By Train
You can also reach Florence by train, but unless you are traveling from another city in central or northern Italy, flying will typically save you time and money. You can take the night train, in Italian, the Euronotte, to and from some large European cities including Paris and Vienna, but again flying a low-cost airline will usually be less expensive, even when you factor in not having to pay for a night in a hostel. Although traveling by train may not be as efficient as flying, it offers views of the rolling countryside and hours for studying and daydreaming in comfort. A train journey through the Alps or Southern France may be worth a place on one of your trips’ agendas.
STAYING THERE
There is no lack of hostels in Florence, nor lack of students staying in them who are looking to have a good time. Do your homework on hostelworld.com, hostels.com, or couchsurfing.com to find the right accommodations for you. Better yet, if you know anyone who is living or studying in Florence, ask to crash with them for a few days.
GETTING AROUND
Florence has one of the oldest and best transportation systems in the world: your feet. The city is tiny, and all the major sites are at most a twenty minute walk from one another. There are buses that run through the city and its periphery, and if you decide to ride one, but a ticket a Tabacchi and validate it on the bus. It’s an honor system, and if a transit agent catches bumming a free ride, he will charge you €50 and often demand you pay it on the spot. The naïve American excuse has been so overplayed in Florence and most of Italy that it’s rarely worth trying.
Chianti and Beyond
You can visit the famous countryside and cities just outside of Florence by train, bus, or bike. To reach Siena or any of the smaller towns scattered throughout the Chianti region that lies just south of Florence take a SITA bus, not the train – it takes longer and drops you off outside of town. You can catch a SITA bus at the bus station just southwest of the Santa Maria Novella train station. Tuscany Bike Tours offers, well, bike tours through Tuscany, and if you’d rather have a motor to help you through the hills, join one of the Vespa tours of Chianti that stops at famous castles and vineyards. Lucca, a charming walled hill-town that is an hour and a half train ride west of Florence, makes for an awesome daytrip away from the crowded Florentine streets.
THE SITES
If you are planning to visit four or more of Florence’s museums and gardens, purchase an Amici degli Uffizi card before buying your first ticket. The card will allow you to enter any state museum in Florence gratis, plus you can go straight to the front of the queue. Given that the lines can often stretch for hundreds of meters, this will save you hours of time. For students, the card costs €40. Entrance into most museums cost about €10, so if you will break even with an Amici degli Uffizi card on your fourth museum. The Amici degli Uffizi card will grant you free entrance to all the sites below unless otherwise noted.
FLORENCE EATS
Every region and every city in Italy has its own cuisine, and Florence is no exception.
Local Flavors
Cheap Eats
Hit the markets. The mercato centrale and mercato Sant’Ambrogio sell fresh food fresh from the field and butcher’s block at inexpensive prices. Buy some ingredients and try your hand at Italian cooking at your hostel. In these markets, you’ll also find trattorie, small restaurants where you can sit and eat traditional fare at a great price. In terms of the quality of the cuisine, these trattorie can compete with many of Florence’s better restaurants.
Money Saving Tips
Avoid tourist traps, which charge a fortune for subpar food, and eat at bars standing up. If you sit down, you will be charged more for food, coffee, or a drink.
SHOPPING
ENTERTAINMENT & NIGHT LIFE
LANGUAGE
Almost everyone in Florence speaks English, especially younger generations. However, Florentines are proud of their heritage and their language and will appreciate it if you at least try a few cordialities. Here are some to get you started:
Yes: Si.
No: No.
Hello: Ciao serves as both hello and goodbye, but it is not for use in formal situations. Stick with buon giorno (bwOHn jOUr-no) and buona sera (bwOHn-ah sAY-rah), which are more formal than ciao. Good morning is said until about 15:00; afterwards, it’s good evening.
Goodbye: Arrivederci (ahree-veh-dAYr-chee) is the formal version of goodbye.
Please: Per favore (pear fah-VOH-ray).
Thank you: Grazie (grat-SI-ay). Don’t neglect the last syllable, nor give it that horrible valley-girl cadence.
You’re welcome: Prego (prAY-go).
Excuse me: Mi scusi (mi scOO-si) is formal, while scusami (scOO-sah-mEE) is informal.
Hello, beautiful: Ciao, bella!
The jewel of the Renaissance, Florence, Italy fostered the majority of the philosophers, writers, and artists that shaped early modern Europe, and much of the fabric of the city remains as it was five hundred years ago. Visitors flock to Florence throughout the year to stroll through the medieval, Renaissance, and 19th century churches and palaces of its centro storico, see its cache of Renaissance masterpieces, and enjoy Tuscan cuisine. With one the largest concentrations of tourists and study abroad students, Florence boasts a plethora of sites and activities and maintains a vibrant nightlife. Tourists tend to clog the city during the warmer months, so travel to Florence between late October and late April when the city is much more manageable and enjoyable.
The cost for a four days/three nights DIY Weekend in Florence:
TOTAL COST: €230
HOSTEL: €60 (Three nights at €20 per night)
FOOD: €75
TRANSPORTATION: €10
ENTERTAINMENT: €45
SITES: €40
GETTING THERE
By Plane
Many airlines fly into Florence’s main airport, Petrucci (FLR). To reach Florence’s central train station, Santa Maria Novella, from the airport, you can either take a taxi into the city, which cost €20, or the big, blue SITA bus that departs every twenty minutes or so from the airport, which costs €5. However, most low-cost “budget” airlines fly into nearby cities that are a bus or train ride away.
Transferring to Florence from Other Cities
From Pisa (PSA)
Pisa is your best bet for flying a low-cost airline to Florence. RyanAir, EasyJet, WizzAir, and many others fly into Pisa, and transferring from the airport to Florence’s central train station, Santa Maria Novella, is easy. You can catch a train that runs directly from the airport to Florence. After you purchase a ticket, which costs about €5, validate it by stamping them in a yellow, toaster-sized box at the beginning of a platform and board the train. In an hour and a half you’ll arrive. Check the schedule for the trains that run between Pisa AE and Florence on the TrenItalia website.
You can also reach Florence from the airport at Pisa using Terravision, a private bus company. A ticket costs about €10, a little more than the train, but the buses run earlier in the morning and later at night. The last bus will usually wait for the last RyanAir flight to land before departing, even if that flight is behind schedule. The bus drops you offer at the Santa Maria Novella train station.
From Bologna (BLQ)
RyanAir and EasyJet also fly into Bologna, but transferring to Florence is a bit more complicated. No buses run directly between BLQ and Florence, so you’ll have to take the train. To reach Bologna’s train station from its airport, you’ll need to take the bus marked BOLOGNA STAZIONE CENTRALE. At the station, catch a train to Florence’s central train station, Santa Maria Novella. While trains run regularly between the two cities, they do not run early in the morning and late at night, so schedule your flights accordingly, and as always, don’t forget to validate your ticket before boarding. The trip back is much the same, only take the BLQ bus from Bologna’s train station to its airport. Check the train schedule and prices between Bologna and Florence on the TrenItalia website. On a side note, Bologna is fun university town that is known for its food and cityscape, and it’s worth scheduling time around a flight to explore it.
From Rome (FCO)
After landing in Rome Fiumincino (FCO), take the Leonardo Express to Roma Termini, the eternal city’s main train station. From Termini you can easily catch a train to Florence – a few depart every hour. There are three types of trains you can take: the Regionale, InterCity, and FrecciaRossa. The Regionale takes between three and four hours and costs about €15; the InterCity takes two and a half hours and costs about €30; and the FrecciaRossa takes an hour and a half and costs about €50. Are you richer in time or money?
By Train
You can also reach Florence by train, but unless you are traveling from another city in central or northern Italy, flying will typically save you time and money. You can take the night train, in Italian, the Euronotte, to and from some large European cities including Paris and Vienna, but again flying a low-cost airline will usually be less expensive, even when you factor in not having to pay for a night in a hostel. Although traveling by train may not be as efficient as flying, it offers views of the rolling countryside and hours for studying and daydreaming in comfort. A train journey through the Alps or Southern France may be worth a place on one of your trips’ agendas.
STAYING THERE
There is no lack of hostels in Florence, nor lack of students staying in them who are looking to have a good time. Do your homework on hostelworld.com, hostels.com, or couchsurfing.com to find the right accommodations for you. Better yet, if you know anyone who is living or studying in Florence, ask to crash with them for a few days.
GETTING AROUND
Florence has one of the oldest and best transportation systems in the world: your feet. The city is tiny, and all the major sites are at most a twenty minute walk from one another. There are buses that run through the city and its periphery, and if you decide to ride one, but a ticket a Tabacchi and validate it on the bus. It’s an honor system, and if a transit agent catches bumming a free ride, he will charge you €50 and often demand you pay it on the spot. The naïve American excuse has been so overplayed in Florence and most of Italy that it’s rarely worth trying.
Chianti and Beyond
You can visit the famous countryside and cities just outside of Florence by train, bus, or bike. To reach Siena or any of the smaller towns scattered throughout the Chianti region that lies just south of Florence take a SITA bus, not the train – it takes longer and drops you off outside of town. You can catch a SITA bus at the bus station just southwest of the Santa Maria Novella train station. Tuscany Bike Tours offers, well, bike tours through Tuscany, and if you’d rather have a motor to help you through the hills, join one of the Vespa tours of Chianti that stops at famous castles and vineyards. Lucca, a charming walled hill-town that is an hour and a half train ride west of Florence, makes for an awesome daytrip away from the crowded Florentine streets.
THE SITES
If you are planning to visit four or more of Florence’s museums and gardens, purchase an Amici degli Uffizi card before buying your first ticket. The card will allow you to enter any state museum in Florence gratis, plus you can go straight to the front of the queue. Given that the lines can often stretch for hundreds of meters, this will save you hours of time. For students, the card costs €40. Entrance into most museums cost about €10, so if you will break even with an Amici degli Uffizi card on your fourth museum. The Amici degli Uffizi card will grant you free entrance to all the sites below unless otherwise noted.
Stendahl central! Get ready to see masterpiece after masterpiece after masterpiece of Renaissance art. Don’t be surprised if you see people crying because of the overwhelming beauty of it all and grimacing because of the slow herds of tourists. Viewers’ commentary is almost as enjoyable as the art.
Cosimo “il Vecchio” de’ Medici, commissioned Michelozzo and Fra Angelico to renovate and decorate this monastery to celebrate the glory of God and the magnificence of the Medici. Not only is San Marco historically significant, but the harmony of its architecture and paintings creates a calm, mystical space.
Formerly the first seat of the Signoria, Florence’s ruling body during its years as a republic, the Bargello now serves as a gallery of Renaissance sculpture and material arts. It is one of the most interesting museums in Florence and is rarely crowded. Don’t miss the Renaissance arms and armor collection on the top floor; if it’s closed, the guards will often let you in if you ask politely.
Once the Medici were established as nobility, they moved their residence from the Palazzo Medici down the street to the Palazzo Signoria, the former seat of the Florentine republic, and renamed it the Palazzo Vecchio. They also hired out a team of artists to redecorate the palace, which is now full of important mannerist paintings and frescoes. Don’t miss Eleonora de’ Toledo’s private chapel by Bronzino. The Amici degli Uffizi card does not grant free entrance here.
When the Medici became grand dukes, they moved again, this time across the Arno River to a palazzo that they purchased from the wealthy merchant Luca Pitti. Here, they really went nuts with the renovating and redecorating. Inside you’ll find some spanky apartments awash in velvet, a gilded Baroque gallery oversaturated with masterpieces, and a gallery of modern (in Italy, this means 19th century) art on the top floor. The Boboli Gardens are one of the highlights of the palace. Stretching for acres, these formal Renaissance and Baroque gardens form a pleasant retreat that boasts beautiful walks and sweeping views of the city and countryside.
The home of the David and his fabulous derrière.
Pronounce dwOH-moh, Florence’s cathedral was the largest and most innovative church in the world at the time of its completion, and today it still remains as the heart of the city. Brunelleschi famously designed the cupola, which was the first domed structure built on such a large-scale since antiquity. You can climb either the dome or Giotto’s bell tower that stands just south of the church’s façade. For those of you without an obsession for structural engineering, climb the bell tower; it is not as claustrophobic and crowded as the dome, and it offers equally wonderful vistas of Florence as well as a view of the cupola. While you’re at the duomo, pop into the baptistery to see its breathtaking mosaics from the 11th century, and don’t pass up the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, one of Florence’s hidden gems.
The Catholic Church and its followers patronized much art during the Renaissance, and many masterpieces can be found in Florence’s churches, which are often masterworks of architecture in their own right. The best churches to visit are Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, Santo Spirito, Santissima Annunziata, and San Lorenzo. These churches also roughly form the boundary of Florence’s centro storico or historical center, and you can use them to quickly orient yourself when exploring. To visit most of these major churches you will have to buy a ticket; the Amici degli Uffizi card does not grant free entrance here.
- Piazzale Michelangelo
Piazzale Michelangelo offers one of the best views of the city and its famous churches and palaces. Pack a picnic, hike up to the piazzale, grab a seat on the western stairs, and catch a sunset over Florence. The best way to get there is by walking up the Via del Monte alle Croci, just south of the city’s southern wall, and taking the wide stairs on your left up to the piazzale.
- Other Sites
There is so much else to see! Check out the Brancacci Chapel, Palazzo Davanzati, Museo Firenze com’era, Fiesole, and the villas and gardens in Florence’s periphery.
FLORENCE EATS
Every region and every city in Italy has its own cuisine, and Florence is no exception.
Local Flavors
- Restaurants: There are four types of restaurants that you will find in Italy: bars, osterie, trattorie, and ristorante. A bar serves panini, plates of pasta, and coffee. N.B.: a single sandwich is a panino, and ordering a latte will get you nothing but a glass of milk. Osterie are vibrant, inexpensive restaurants with noisy atmospheres and simple dishes. You might have to share a table. Trattorie are a step above osterie in terms of food and atmosphere, while ristoranti are even more fancy and expensive.
- Trippa and Lampredotto: Cuts from different sections of a cow’s four stomachs stewed with vegetables and broth. Originally, butchers gave tripe vendors tripe and lampredotto for free, considering it worthless. The vendors then prepared and sold cheap, tripe and lampredotto sandwiches at job sites, which earned them a reputation as working man’s food. Over time, the Florentines perfected the method for preparing and cooking tripe and lampredotto, and now Florentines from all walks enjoy them regularly.
- Ribolita: A think stew of bread, white beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and olive oil that is very popular during the colder months. True comfort food.
- Bistecca Fiorentina: The best Italian cuisine uses great ingredients and cooks them without screwing them up. Bistecca fiorentina, or steak Florentine, is no exception. This thick T-bone is quickly seared on both sides, drizzled with olive and salt, and then promptly served al sangue, literally bloody. In a traditional restaurant, if you ask for the steak cooked any other way, they won’t serve you.
- Chianti: Named for the fertile wine country between Florence and Siena, Chianti is delicious red wine made from sangiovese grapes with notes of cherry and fermented grapes. No Italian meal is complete without a glass of wine, and light and palatable, Chianti goes well with nearly any dish. When you cheers, make sure to look everyone in the eyes and tap each glass; never cheers with an empty glass or water.
- Caffè corretto: A shot of espresso with a shot of grappa, brandy, or any liquor of your choice. The Italian equivalent to a Red Bull and vodka at night, or a bloody mary in the morning.
Cheap Eats
Hit the markets. The mercato centrale and mercato Sant’Ambrogio sell fresh food fresh from the field and butcher’s block at inexpensive prices. Buy some ingredients and try your hand at Italian cooking at your hostel. In these markets, you’ll also find trattorie, small restaurants where you can sit and eat traditional fare at a great price. In terms of the quality of the cuisine, these trattorie can compete with many of Florence’s better restaurants.
Money Saving Tips
Avoid tourist traps, which charge a fortune for subpar food, and eat at bars standing up. If you sit down, you will be charged more for food, coffee, or a drink.
SHOPPING
- High-End Shopping
Florence is a fashion capital, and you can find major outlets on Via Calzaioli, Via Tornabuoni, and Via Vigna Nuova, which are all within walking distance of each other.
- Leather
Florence is famous for its leather goods, but you do not have to purchase a posh label to own bags, shoes, and accessories of the highest quality. There are many local stores and craftsmen that create and sell leather products; however, it can be difficult to distinguish between legitimate vendors and ones who take advantage of tourists. Ask your hostel staff or locals to suggest stores that specialize in quality leather goods, and buy Florentine!
- Artisan Shops
Wander through the Oltrarno, the area south of the Arno River near Santo Spirito, to find artisan workshops hidden among winding streets and alleys. You can watch artisans craft iron, wood, paper, glass, and precious metals by hand, and they’ll often give you a lesson about their trade. The items that they create are high quality, relatively inexpensive, and unique. Support local craftsmen – they are dying breed!
- Markets
For all types of food and ingredients and a truly cultural experience, wander through the bustling mercato centrale and the Sant’Ambrogio market, which is a favorite among Florentines. The markets close in around 14:00 and are great places to grab lunch. The outdoor San Lorenzo and Porcellino markets sell leather goods, hats, scarves, clothes, jewelry, and souvenirs all day. Most of the items are medium quality at best. When buying something, always haggle and never break the bank on any one thing.
ENTERTAINMENT & NIGHT LIFE
- Live Music
- Bars and Discotheques
There are plenty of popular nightclubs and discotheques in Florence that offer scenes from classy to trashy. Elegant nightclubs are affected and super expensive, while nightclubs that students frequent can be super sketch. Attenzione!
LANGUAGE
Almost everyone in Florence speaks English, especially younger generations. However, Florentines are proud of their heritage and their language and will appreciate it if you at least try a few cordialities. Here are some to get you started:
Yes: Si.
No: No.
Hello: Ciao serves as both hello and goodbye, but it is not for use in formal situations. Stick with buon giorno (bwOHn jOUr-no) and buona sera (bwOHn-ah sAY-rah), which are more formal than ciao. Good morning is said until about 15:00; afterwards, it’s good evening.
Goodbye: Arrivederci (ahree-veh-dAYr-chee) is the formal version of goodbye.
Please: Per favore (pear fah-VOH-ray).
Thank you: Grazie (grat-SI-ay). Don’t neglect the last syllable, nor give it that horrible valley-girl cadence.
You’re welcome: Prego (prAY-go).
Excuse me: Mi scusi (mi scOO-si) is formal, while scusami (scOO-sah-mEE) is informal.
Hello, beautiful: Ciao, bella!
