Fantastic Florence

A haven for art, history and architecture aficionados

By Susan Huseman

U.S. Army Garrison Hessen Public Affairs Office

Florence, Italy, is bursting with museums, fine art, shopping, fine foods and wines.

It’s impossible to cram every museum, statue and church into a short visit so it’s best to be a little choosy about where you go and what you see.

You could spend hours at the Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi). This is one of the most famous museums of paintings and sculpture in the world. Its collection includes works by Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Fra Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Mantegna, Correggio, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Caravaggio. German, Dutch and Flemish masters are also well represented.

“All the big names are there,” said Linda O’Brien, a resident of Florence and an art history professor for the University of Maryland-Europe. Every year O’Brien leads U of M students on a seven-day whirlwind tour of Renaissance art in Florence, Pisa, Siena and San Gimignano.

With over 45 rooms, 1,700 paintings and 300 sculptures in the Uffizi, O’Brien recommends visitors be selective and look at the paintings by Botticelli, Raffaello and Michelangelo. “Even if they don’t know the name of the paintings they’ve probably seen images of them,” she said.

“The thing about the Uffizi is that it is a circuit. You will wind up in the Botticelli Room and right after you’ll find works by Leonardo da Vinci,” O’Brien said.

The downside of the Uffizi is the long wait to get inside, especially during the peak tourist season. “Reserve ahead of time, online,” she advised. “This way you don’t have to stand in line for three or four hours. It only costs €3 extra.” Entrance to the Uffizi is €6.

“The one thing everyone wants to see is Michelangelo’s David at the Academia (Galleria dell’Accademia, Via Ricasoli 58-60). I wouldn’t put it on top of my list — but most people want to say they’ve seen it,” O’Brien said. “The museum also has five unfinished Michelangelos that show how Michelangelo worked, how he pulled his figures out of the marble. These are fantastic.” Entrance is €6.50 (online reservations can be made for €3).

Not all the museums are dedicated to Renaissance art. “There is a fantastic science museum, the Museum of the History of Science (Museo di Storia della Scienza, Piazza dei Giudici, 1), right behind the Uffizi. You can see Galileo’s telescope and other scientific instruments from the Renaissance, old maps of the world.” Entrance is €6.50.

O’Brien also recommends the Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico, Via della Colonna, 36). It houses a rich collection of Etruscan, Roman and Egyptian artifacts. Entrance to this museum is €3. She says the Stibbert Museum (Via F. Stibbert, 26), full of antique European and Oriental armor and weapons, is “fascinating … and a delight for children of all ages.” The entrance fee is €8.

Much of Florence’s important artwork is located in its churches. “You see all the paintings and frescoes where they are meant to be seen. There are museums in the U.S. but there aren’t churches like this,” she said.

Certainly not like the Cathedral (Duomo) of Santa Maria del Fiore. This distinctive feature of Florence’s skyline is the fifth largest church in the world.

“This dome, the first to use an inner and an outer shell,” said O’Brien, “is one of the largest brick domes still standing. Brunelleschi [the architect] had to overcome many problems to build this, not the least being the lack of concrete. Indeed, the secret of concrete was lost to Europe with the fall of Rome. He also had to create a new scaffolding system — a “free-flying” form of scaffolding to accommodate the curve of the dome. Because of the size of the dome — 42 meters circumference — no wooden frame could be set up, so it had to be self supporting as it went up. This dome was the most spectacular engineering achievement of the 15th century.

 “If you want an aerobic moment, climb the Duomo,” said O’Brien. You’ll have to climb up 463 steps (there is no elevator) but the payoff is well worth it — a breathtaking view of the entire city. “When you climb it, going up between the two shells, you also see how it was built,” she said. If you’re claustrophobic it might be a little unnerving, she advised, because the stairway can get very narrow. “You don’t want to do it during the high season, especially if you’re claustrophobic.” Cost to climb the Duomo is €6. Entrance into the cathedral is free.

Not all the churches are as grand as the Duomo. “There’s a little chapel called Orsanmichele (Chiesa di Orsanmichele, Via Calzaiuoli). At one time it was the religious center for the guilds in the city. It has one of the most beautiful altars in Europe — a beautifully carved altar piece with a magnificent painting of the Madonna and child,” she said. Entrance is free.

 “I also really love the Santa Maria Novella Church. In it you will find Giotto’s cross,” said O’Brien. This crucifix is a milestone in the history of Italian art, she said, because Christ is depicted for the first time as a completely natural and human character. The church is located across from the main railway station. Entrance is €2.50 for adults.

When you can’t face another Renaissance masterpiece, it’s time for a break. O’Brien recommends sitting at a cafe at one of the city’s many piazzas and enjoying the show — how the Italians gesture, talk to one another, how they dress, how they move. She likes Piazza Santo Spirito because it is a peaceful, tree-lined square.

“Piazza Santa Croce — in front of the church of Santa Croce — is also a delightful place to sit and watch people. It’s fun to try to figure out what nationality people are,” she said. While you’re there you should visit the Santa Croce church. It contains frescoes by Giotto and the tombs of many famous Florentines including Galileo and Michelangelo. There is an entrance fee of €5.

Of course, a full day of sightseeing requires fortification, and lucky for visitors, the Tuscan kitchen is world renowned. “Traditional Tuscan cooking is not expensive cooking,” said O’Brien. “Tuscany, for a number of centuries, was very poor.” Basic mainstays include simple ingredients such as chickpeas and white beans. “If you’re a vegetarian, it is paradise.

“You can come here and spend a fortune eating, but you can also eat well quite cheaply,” she continued. “A lot of places — little (coffee) bars — do fresh pasta at lunchtime. You can get a full plate of pasta for €4 or €5.”

A wine bar is a good way to sample excellent Tuscan and other Italian wines and eat well at low prices, said O’Brien. Fiaschetteria Nuvoli, off Piazza dell’Olio (close to the Bapistry) is a “hole in the wall that sells wine, but at lunchtime they have different kinds of pasta and cold cuts,” she said.

Trattoria Gozzi (Piazza San Lorenzo, 8R), hidden near the flea market at Piazza San Lorenzo, serves very good food, she said, at an affordable price. But it is only open for lunch.

Casa del Vino (Via dell’Ariento, 16R) is a wine bar near the Mercato di San Lorenzo. “This is a fabulous wine shop where you can get wine by the glass,” said O’Brien, and they do sandwiches made-to-order. The place is always packed.” 

Pizza is always a good bargain, she added. And the Mercato Centrale, a covered food market a couple of streets north of the Duomo, is the perfect place to pick up olives, ham, salami, cheese, bread and fruit for an impromptu picnic.

For those whose passions lean toward shopping, Italy’s most famous designers await them … Gucci, Prada, Armani, Versace.  People who love shiny bobbles can shop their hearts out at the jewelry stores on the Ponte Vecchio. Florence is also noted for its leather goods.

But you don’t have to spend a bundle. “Shopping is lots of fun in Florence,” O’Brien said. “You can get lots of cheap stuff — silk ties for €5, fake pashmina shawls, leather gloves — these are the bargains in Florence.”

The open air markets are where you’ll find the best bargains. O’Brien likes the Cascine Market, a Tuesday-only market found in Viale Lincoln in Cascine Park. “The Cascine Market is like a going out of business sale; there are all kinds of really cheap stuff, mostly clothing. You can find cashmere sweaters for €30 to €40 … not two-ply cashmere, but cashmere nonetheless,” she said.

But some of the best things about the city are free. “I just love walking through the streets at night,” said O’Brien. “The city is completely different at night with the lights, the street life — artists, mimes. Even the shop windows look different at night.”