Florence is one of the most popular tourist cities in Italy, which can offer guests a huge amount of free entertainment and places worth visiting. Due to historical and cultural features, a walk in Florence may become one of the most vivid memories during your visit to Italy. Many beautiful buildings and squares have truly transformed Florence into a real open-air museum.
BlogoItaliano already wrote in a special review on how to avoid queues and save time when visiting the most famous places in the city 10 points of interest in Florence where you can buy tickets online. Now we will talk about those places that you can explore for free.
Signoria Square
Florence's most famous square - Signoria Square - is the heart of the historical center and an exhibition of outdoor sculptures at the same time. Loggia della Signoria holds many famous statues, including a copy of David by Michelangelo.
Perseus with the head of Medusa at the Piazza della Signoria in Florence
The square has been the political center of Florence since the Middle Ages, as evidenced by the city hall located here - the ancient Palazzo Vecchio. Also on Piazza della Signoria is located a very beautiful fountain.
Piazza del Duomo - Cathedral Square
The most famous place in Florence is its Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. A huge building in the Gothic style, the exterior of which is made of green, pink and white marble with impressive doors and interesting statues. Entrance to the cathedral is free.
Florence's most famous landmark - the main cathedral of the city
The Baptistery located here dates back to the 11th century, which makes it one of the most ancient buildings in Florence. Its exterior is made of green and white marble, and the building itself has three sets of bronze doors of amazing work (reproductions - originals in the Duomo Museum).
Also on the square is the famous bell tower: almost 100 meters high, it allows you to enjoy an exceptional view of both the Cathedral itself and the whole city.
Ponte Vecchio - old bridge
Ponte Veccio Bridge is the oldest and most famous surviving in Florence. It was built in 1345 on the site of three of its earlier predecessors. Other ancient bridges over the Arno River were destroyed during World War II.
The Ponte Vecchio bridge miraculously survived during the Second World War
This bridge is known to many for photographs because of the houses located directly on it. In Florence, the Ponte Vecchio bridge was a popular place to buy gold and silver jewelry. However, jewelry stores are located on it to this day - a good place to combine business with pleasure.
San Lorenzo Market
San Lorenzo is the central market of Florence and covers the territory from the square of the same name to the street Dell'Ariento.
It is interesting to take a walk here, if only because you can see many things that, we are sure, will become a real discovery for most tourists. Such as, for example, a cow’s stomach and intestines. The market also has many stands selling poultry, meat and fish. Including shops with exclusively Tuscan products, including wine, cheeses, salami, etc.
In the non-food part of the market a very diverse assortment of leather goods, clothes and souvenirs is presented.
Piazzale Michelangelo - Panoramic view of Florence
Piazzale Michelangelo is a large hilltop square with breathtaking panoramic views of Florence. It is located above Piazza Poggi on the south bank of the Arno River and east of the historic city center. You can get to the square by the stairs leading from Piazza Poggi.
Michelangelo Square offers the best view of Florence
The square was created by Giuseppe Poggi in 1865. And a little later - in 1873 - the authorities of Florence placed copies of the famous sculptures of Michelangelo located in the city - David and four allegories of the time.
As in any tourist place, there is a cafe, parking and stalls selling souvenirs and drinks. If the walk to Piazzale Michelangelo seems tiring to you, then you can take buses 12 and 13, which go here from the center of Florence.
Santa croce
The Santa Croce Basilica is definitely one of the places that you should definitely visit in Florence. Many legends are associated with the history of the church, and the building itself was built in the shape of an Egyptian T-shaped cross, being the largest Franciscan temple in Italy, if not all over the world.
Most famous Florentines buried in Santa Croce Basilica
The church is decorated with many works of such recognized masters as Giotto, Donatello, Antonio Canola and others. The basilica is also known for the tombs and commemorative plaques of many famous people of Italy, including Galileo Galilei, Niccolo Machiavelli and about 300 other famous Florentines.
Updated in 2018: Currently, entrance to Santa Croce is paid. Adult ticket costs 8 Euro.
Santa Maria Novella
Although the church of Santa Maria Novella itself is a very interesting place, it is worth paying attention to the ancient pharmacies in the neighborhood, where Dominican monks have been producing medicines based on the healing properties of plants since the 13th century.
Church of Santa Maria Novella is located very close to the station of the same name
In addition to medicines, Dominicans were also famous for their perfumes, soap and moose. Today, like many years ago, shops here also sell perfumes, elixirs and more modern skin care products.
In the end
If you come to the city on a short visit, be sure to watch the short video below about the 5 most interesting places in the city. Well, if you decide to stay here at least for the night, then a selection of hotels in the heart of the city is here.
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Interesting articles about Florence:
- Florence: the most romantic hotels in the center. TOP 5 BlogoItaliano
- Uffizi Gallery: Italy's most visited museum
- How to get from Rome to Florence and from Florence to Rome
- Palazzo Vecchio: where did the oligarchs of the Renaissance live
- Academy Gallery in Florence: Mission Impossible
