Orientation
FLORENCE
Welcome to Florence, land of the Renaissance. Painted, carved, and frescoed half to death, Florence’s famous art practically bursts out of its ornately sculpted windows. Amid solemn churches and posh palaces, restaurants and accommodations often have to get creative, squeezing into tiny windows, alleyways, or abandoned monasteries. Many of these patterns repeat themselves across the city, so you might not notice that much distinction between neighborhoods. Don’t tell the residents that, though: local pride is fierce.
Our coverage of Florence is divided into neighborhoods that roughly correspond to the major church districts. You’ll most likely arrive at Santa Maria Novella Station in the western half of the city. This area is not especially different from stations in any other city; cheap restaurants and clustered accommodations await weary travelers. Follow the crowds to the city’s geographical focal points: the ostentatious Duomo that dominates the city center and the River Arno that separates the city from the Oltrarno, a greener land that feels like a whole separate world. Between the Duomo and the river, Piazza della Signoria blends seamlessly into the Duomo neighborhood to form a hub for high-end shopping and tourism. The eastern third of the city looks after the student population with cheap pubs and kebab shops.
THE DUOMO
Florence’s distinctive Duomo is perhaps the most helpful feature for wandering tourists—it’s easy enough to find your way back here, so learn the route from the Duomo to your hostel and you’ll never be lost. If you imagine a piazza-compass, the Baptistery points west and the Duomo points east. The tall tower just south of the Duomo is the Campanile. While the streets south off P. del Duomo run straight, the northern ones veer eastward. This huge, bustling piazza is full of tourists during the day, but the incredibly diverse crowd makes it a surprisingly cool place to people-watch. As with anyheavy tourist zone, though, there are a few things to watch out for. Ignore the fake designer brands on the street, or risk being slapped with a fine far higher than the real deal would have cost. Check the signs before joining the snaking lines, or you could find yourself paying to climb hundreds of stairs when you meant to be poking around the free church. You can safely assume that street vendors and beggars are trying to rip you off. As always, keep an eye out for pickpockets. P. del Duomo isn’t just a tourist hub, though—locals come here to drink and mingle once the sun and crowds have gone.
PIAZZA DELLA SIGNORIA
Near the Uffizi Gallery and Arno River, this piazza is perhaps the best part of the city to wander. Cheap food and accommodations are tucked away among the many ritzier options, but the eastern portion of this neighborhood is the best bet (near the abominable Casa di Dante). Take V. Calimala toward the Mercato Nuovo to observe the daily chalk art creations that are wiped clean by the noisy street-cleaning trucks. Outside the Uffizi, you’ll often find human statues and other street performers, while Piazza della Repubblica is the place for live music. A block north of the river along Borgo Santi Apostoli, you’ll find designer clothing shops with tempting window displays. Along the Arno, you’ll primarily find unaffordable hotels, expensive home decor, and fancy leather. Piazza della Signoria is the place to be as the evening cools and the sweaty tourist mobs retreat.
SANTA MARIA NOVELLA
The Santa Maria Novella train station will likely be your first introduction to Florence, and the decision to venture east or south will color your earliest impressions of the city. To the east of the station you’ll find the cheap accommodations and casual food joints that you’d expect near the train station of any major city. To the south, clustered around the church that gives the station its name, you’ll find art galleries, modern museums, and a calm stretch of the Arno. Don’t bother venturing north or west (unless you’re trekking out to the Central Park nightclub) as you’ll be leaving Florence’s historic center before you’ve even set foot in it. Stop by in the evening to find happy young Italians smoking outside the entrance to their favorite bar or club.
SAN LORENZO
Just east of the train station lies a land of markets and 99-cent stores. Come for the cheap accommodations on Via Faenza and Via Nazionale; stay for the food around San Lorenzo’s vibrant outdoor market on Via dell’Aviento and the adjoining Mercato Centrale. If you’re only here for a little while, these will be the most memorable sights in San Lorenzo, which is light on museums. Nightlife is more of the relaxed bar variety and a bit removed from the more happening Florentine clubs.
SAN MARCO
By“San Marco,” we mean pretty much everything between Piazza di San Marco and the northern edge of the old city. The primary draw of this area is the density of museums and bus stops, not to mention the (real!) statue of David in the Accademia (which, unfortunately, also comes with a block-long line of tourists). To the east, Piazza Santissima Annunziata has its own concentration of sights worth exploring. Late at night, stick to the southern edge of the area or travel with a friend—north of P. di San Marco is one of the quietest parts of the old city and can be unsafe after the buses stoprunning.
SANTA CROCE
Santa Croce is Florence’s student and nightlife center and a great place to go exploring. The neighborhood spans the area east of the Duomo down to the river and is laced with cheap restaurants. Interspersed between the shops, food stations, and cultural venues, you’ll find an exotic synagogue, the remains of many ofItaly’s greats, Michelangelo’s house, and a once-a-year event where a bunch of guys in medieval garb beat each other up before a large audience. As you wander, note the neighborhood’s walls—though plaques marking the water line of the 1966 Arno flood can be found all over Florence, the profusion of watermarks here show that Santa Croce was hit the hardest. Piazza Santa Croce is filled with clothing and leather shops, and the antique market under Piazza dei Ciompi’s old arches is worth checking out even if you don’t plan on lugging anything home. Piazza Sant’Ambrogio is the epitome of Florence’s casual, piazza-based nightlife scene. If there were cheap accommodations in Santa Croce, it would be the best budget base in the city.
WEST OLTRARNO
This is the cool, artsy half of the Oltrarno, the area on the south side of the Arno. With a concentration of pharmacies, supermarkets, and dogs, it feels more authentic and lived-in than the other side of the river but still has a high density of hostels, museums, and study-abroad students. The main tourist draw is the Palazzo Pitti complex, but let the young and trendy vibe take you a few steps further to eat in Piazza Santo Spirito and explore the jewelry boutiques, art galleries, and studios nestled in the residential streets.
EAST OLTRARNO
The most common reason to trek to East Oltrarno is for the unbeatable view of Florence from the Piazzale Michelangelo. This generally quiet residential area is laced with some of Florence’s most active nightlife, which makes crossing the river even more worth your while. We’ve set the Oltrarnos’ dividing line at Ponte Vecchio, but you’ll find a large residential stretch between the bridge and the lively evening entertainment around Ponte San Niccolò.