This is a personal cluster of some of my favourite Florentine things, grouped under Visit, Taste and Buy.
I’m a passionate gardener, grow my own vegetables, and love the formal Renaissance giardino all’italiana that Florence does so well. So here are a couple of those to visit when you’re longing to be outdoors.
There are hundreds of restaurants in Florence, but these are some of the traditional long-established places that have all but disappeared in many other cities. The mom-and-pop, day in, day out places I never tire of. Plus, their counterparts: aristocratic, more refined dining spots for when you’re feeling in an upmarket mood. (Of course, I also like fine dining and modern cuisine restaurants, but I’m saving those for another list!)
As for things to buy: who doesn’t want to bring home a few presents, or treat themselves to something to remember the trip by?
Gardens, Parks and Museums
Boboli Gardens
The 16th century’s powerful ruling Medici family were – luckily for us – patrons of all the arts. The creation of the Pitti Palace within the Boboli park is a perfect example of their vision of nature coming to the service of art. While the Pitti houses a historic collection of paintings and other artworks, (and is also used for events like fashion shows), the gardens remain true to the Medici’s original vision of a garden ‘in the Italian style’, the giardino all’italiano. Vistas and walks are punctuated with sculptures and water features, grottoes and greenhouses. Take the time to explore the winding paths around the lemon house as well as the pools and benches up by the glasshouses, all perfect settings for absorbing the spirit of Renaissance courtly life.
Piazza de’ Pitti, 1
50125 Firenze
www.uffizi.it
Open daily 8:15-late afternoon (check site for exceptions)
Orto Botanico – Botanical Gardens
A few hundred metres from the Duomo, with its concentration of sights and seers, is this oasis of calm and cool. Antico Giardino dei Semplici, to use its official name, was created in 1545 by Cosimo I de’ Medici. (Pisa’s was born two years earlier and both still exist in their original locations). The semplici, or ‘simples’, were medicinal herbs grouped by families for scientific research.
Today the tradition continues, with plants of all sorts – including many edible varieties – planted in beds around ancient trees or arranged in neat rows in terracotta pots. There are glasshouses to explore and benches in the shade on which to enjoy peaceful birdsong and the rustle of leaves, far from those sometimes maddening crowds.
Via Pier Antonio Micheli, 3
50121 Firenze
www.sma.unifi.it
Open daily, 10-16 in winter; 10-18 in summer
Museo Ferragamo
Movie buffs, shoe fetishists and fashionistas should not miss this small private fashion museum dedicated to the Florentine designer, Salvatore Ferragamo, and the company he created. Ferragamo’s first store opened in Hollywood in 1923 where he crafted shoes for cinema, theatre and ballet. Today, Ferragamo’s shoes and bags are a mainstay of Italian design. The museum draws on the family’s archives to showcase different facets of the great artisan’s craftsmanship and the stars who wore his shoes.
Palazzo Spini Feroni
Piazza Santa Trinita 5r
50123 Firenze
+39 055 3562846
museo.ferragamo.com
Usually open daily 10:30-19:30
