Visiting Florence

Location and geography
Florence in situated almost in the middle of the Italian peninsula , 274 km north of Rome. It lies on the banks of the Arno River not far from the Tyrrhenian sea. It is a comparatively small city in a basin surrounded by beautiful low hills that have prevented it from spreading out.

Climate

Florence can be quite cold and windy in winter and unbearably hot in summer. The best times to visit it are late spring and autumn, though it will be crowed with tourists!

Moving around

Buses are the best means of transport to reach the centre of the city, which is closed to traffic. Since the historical centre itself is not large walking is the best way to visit it.

Accommodation

There are about 400 hotels and guest houses of various categories, as well as different kind of accommodation, such as camping sites and youth hostels. We recommed for you stay in the city: Lebbiano Florence hotel, Villa il Sasso Relais Florence, Gallo d'Oro Florence hostel or a Florence apartment for rent. Florence, however, is one of the most visited cities in Italy and advance booking is highly recommended.

Main Events

There are a great number of cultural events, historical shows and fashion exhibitions throughout the year in Florence. Among the main musical events Florence's “May of Music” is an international festival of opera and symphonic music

What to see

According to statics produced by UNESCO, 60% of the world's most important works of art are located in Italy and approximately half of these are in Florence. The city has many museum and galleries, the largest and best-known of latter are the Uffizi. Florence is also a sort of open-air museum with its unrivalled buildings, places and churches that marked the development of Florentine Art, from Gothic to Renaissance architecture. Brunelleschi imposing Cathedral dome is a landmark that can be seen from everywhere in the centre of the city. Florence is also famous for its leather goods industries and fashion boutiques.

Guided Tours

Such an excetional artistic patrimony takes some time to visit and visitors who can only stay for a few days often go on organized tours. Coach Tuscany tour take tourists to some of the most important sights in the city and to places of interest in its immediate surroundings. However, since traffic is not allowed in the historic centre, walking tours are the most common way to get to know the city.

The history of Florence ans Tuscany

Tuscany is rich in historical monuments. Etruscan walls encircle many of the region's hilltop towns and the streets within are lined with medieval and renaissance palazzi, towns halls testifying to the ideals of democracy and self-government, and churches built on the ruins of ancient pagan temples.

The countryside, too, is dotted with castles and fortified villages, symbol of the violence and inter communal strife that tore Tuscany apart for so many years during the medieval period. Typical of these is the hilltop town of San Gimignano, with its defensive towers. Some of the most composing castles, such as the Fortezza Medicea in Arezzo, bear the name of the Medici family.

Their coat of arms, found all over Tuscany, is a remember of the role they played in the region's history. They presided over the simultaneous birth of Humanism and the Renaissance and, later, when they were Grand Dukes of Tuscany, patronized eminent scientist and engineers such as Galileo. Tuscany has also played a part in winder events: Napoleon was exiled to Elba, an Florence served briefly as capital of the newly united Italy (1865-71).

Much damage was done to Tuscany's art and monuments by World War II bombing and the floods of 1966. However, major restoration project undertaken as a result have stimulated research into up-to-date scientific methods. In this way,

Tuscany's artistic heritage continues to inspire contemporary life-something it has always done for the many creative people who live and work here and for its endless trail of admiring visitors.

You can find the best accommodation to start your Tuscany tour searching some hotels in Florence.