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This was my third visit to Florence, my first visit was almost 40 years ago as a student together with my now husband, my second visit was 10 years ago during a holiday in Tuscany with my husband and my two children. 

This time I had three full days to explore Florence and since I had seen some sights before like the Uffizi palace and the Ponte Vecchio (which we did not cross last time and I will not cross this time either…), I wanted to focus on some lesser touristic sights and museums and revisit some sights of which memories had faded. There is a lot to see in Florence,  a lot more than the standard must see spots most tourist visit. 

We arrived at the Amerigo Vespucci Airport and took a taxi to the centre. The advertised flat rate is 28 euro but for some reason our driver added almost then euro of additional charges, like luggage. We argued with him, and we eventually ended up with 35 euro, which is still far too expensive for a 20 min. drive to our hotel, The Social Hub hotel Lavignini. For our return flight we took the direct tram T2 to the airport that stops right in front of the hotel for just one euro. It arrives right in front of the airport entrance, super convenient!! You pay by tappin your debit or credit card on the ticket console onboard of  the tram. So first tip: avoid the taxi, take the tram which takes you to the airport in just 30 min.

My husband could join me on the first day, the other two days he was here to work. From the hotel it is a 15 min. walk to the Galleria Dell Academia, a 20 min. walk to the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, commonly known as the Duomo and a 25 min. walk to the Uffizi gallery and the Ponti Vecchio. 

We walked to the Museo San Marco, where we bought a combination ticket (20 euro) for the San Marco museum that includes the entrance to the Last Suppers of San Appolonia, San Salvi (Andrea del Sarto), Di Ognissanti, Del Fuligno and the cloister Dello Scalzo, and is valid for one week. 

We started with a visit of the San Marco museum, which used to be a 15th century Dominican convent founded by Cosimo il Vecchio de Medici, where the young Michelangelo started as an artist and where Fra Angelico used to live and paint the many fresco’s in the refectory and the individual cells of the monks. The quality of the fresco’s is outstanding, we even discovered surrealist elements in some of them. Rothko was inspired by the fresco’s of Fra Angelico and some of Rothko’s smaller paintings were exhibited next to Fra Angelico’s work in the friars’ cells. We were really impressed with this museum, the fresco’s are really beautiful and show the talent of Fra Angelico. The fact that you see them in their original location only adds to the experience. The museum lies outside the traditional tourist routes and is not overly crowded. Also on show are panel paintings by Fra Angelico and works by Fra Bartolomeo, terra-cotta works by Della Robbia, another last supper by Ghirlandaio and in the former library illuminated manuscripts are exhibited. The museum will be one of the highlights of my three day visit. 

The cloister of Dello Scalzo is a hidden treasure just around the corner from Saint Marco and shows fresco’s with scenes from the life of Saint John painted by Andrea del Sarto, a member of the convent. It is just a small inner courtyard with grisaille fresco’s in sepia, a beautiful and serene place. We then continued to the Benedictine convent of Saint Appolonia. Here you can witness a fresco of the last supper by Andrea del Castagno in the refectory of the convent and some other works of art.

We continued to Ospedale degli Innocenti on the Piazza Santissima Annunziata, a former foundling hospital and orphanage built by Filippo Brunelleschi where mothers could leave their babies anonymously in a foundling wheel next to the entrance. On the facade babies in glazed ceramic tondo’s by Andrea Della Robbia. On the roof you find Caffe dei Verone where we took a light lunch with a beautiful view of the Duomo and Florentine rooftops. 

We walked over to the cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore, better known as the Duomo, and the Battistero, the 11th century chapel where Florentines were baptized. This must be one of most crowded spots of Florence, apart from the Piazza Della Signoria, with huge queues lining up around the church to enter the cathedral which is free of charge. (You do need tickets to climb the dome designed by Brunelleschi, the tower, the baptistery and the museum where you can see the original gilded bronze Eastern door of the Battistero with scenes from the Old Testament. The combined tickets for the dome, baptistry, museum and campanile often sell out long in advance) Inside the cathedral is rather bare apart from the fresco by Giorgio Vasari in the  cupola, so we decided not to stand in line. The exterior of the cathedral with its marble panels in white, green and pink is actually really impressive, and the front facade with its mosaics was only added in the 19th century. The interior of the baptistery was undergoing restoration works, and the mosaics on the ceiling were covered during our visit. 

Behind the Duomo you can get a drink on the top floor of the Bibliotheca delle Oblate, housed in a former convent, with a view of the Duomo. The top floor was packed with students working and chatting, and the café was not really attractive and hot, so we did not stay for a drink. I found the outside garden in front of the building a nice spot for a rest. 

On the inner courtyard of the Palazzo Strozzi we admired the contemporary work of art by the Danish collective SUPERFLEX, There are other fish in the sea, a work about the rising sea levels and how humans and non-human beings can co-exist. We did not visit the Rothko exhibition though. 

We visited the outside of the Santa Maria Novella church and square. On our way to the Officina Profuma Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella we passed one of the wine windows (Buchetta del Vino) of the city. These are small windows in the wall where you can order a glass of wine. There are even some windows where you can get an ice-cream. The use of wine windows dates back to the 1600 as a way to sell food and wine during the plague epidemics. They came back into use during covid. The window also has a small covered outdoor seating. The Officina Profuma Farmaceutica, a 13th century Santa Maria Novella convent apothecary, which in 1612 opened to the public. The building now houses an Italian company selling perfumes, cosmetics and herbal products. The apothecary got a new entrance in the 19th century and the sales rooms are located in on of the convent’s chapel, a private apartment and the ancient apothecary. In the old sacristy completely covered with 14th century fresco’s depicting the passion of Christ, we listened to Resonance, a sound scape that is also played in Rothko’s chapel in Houston, as part of the Rothko exhibition in the Palazzo Strozzi, a wonderful surprise.

We ended our day with a wonderful dinner in the Restaurant and Pizzeria Il Clarinetto, a few steps away from the hotel. The ambiance is local, the owner warm and welcoming, the food authentically Italian and the prizes are local as well. We ordered two first courses and two main courses and had far too much since the portions are generous. Locals get to take away what they cannot eat, but since we were staying at a hotel we could not. We ended up having dinner here all four evenings during our stay, that is how good is was! Each evening we were welcomed with a complementary glass of prosecco, and the coperto included bread and pizza bread which we ate sprinkled with the great olive oil provided. Coperto is a flat rate you pay when seated in a restaurant that covers the cost of tableware, table linen, and bread. (and no this is not the tip..) My husband had the local Florentine steak on two nights, the beef was of outstanding quality and perfectly prepared. You can take the Bistecca alle Fiorentini but then you get around 1kg of meat with a bone, but they also serve the same beef sliced in a normal portion. All the dishes looked and tasted wonderful. We never reserved, but always arrived around opening time at 7 PM to be sure to have a table. If you come later or during the weekend or with a larger group better make reservations in advance. 

We had a great first day in Florence!!