Florence in a Nutshell?

Do you think Florence is a small city that can be visited in one or two days?

I saw a Japanese once (she was alone!, not common for a Japanese tourist) telling me that she had 45 minutes to see Florence, she was rushing to reach Piazzale Michelangelo so to have an overview of the city. I think she managed at the end... but... what about the rest?

Florence is a touristy city: sometimes if you walk in the city center between Piazza della Signoria and the Dome you are not able to find anybody who seems a local: you see tons of cameras, videocameras and flashing lights! The only locals you can easily recognize are the traffic police men.
Florence is a pedestrian city, so you can walk in the city center. But it is crouded of pedestrians.

So, what is the right way to "see" the city? The Japanese tourist way (45 minutes and leave the croud) or taking it easy, relaxed, maybe discovering the less touristy sites?

Maybe 3-4 is the right compromise. This way you are not going to miss the not to be missed sites (Piazza della Signoria, Santa Croce, the Dome, Giotto's Bell Tower, Uffizi Gallery, the Old Bridge, Boboli's Garden and so on...) and you will be able to discover spots of beauties where there is no crouds!

Our suggestion, is to spend sometime in the Santo Spirito Area (Oltrarno Area) where you can really breathe the true Florence atmosphere. Spend at least 2 hours relaxing in Santo Spirito Square, maybe enjoing a glass of Beer in a Bar on the Square... you will even discover that here ...... you will get two at the price of One!

Enjoy Florence!

The Italia Lodging Staff
www.italialodging.com