Florence & Pisa 5-day Itinerary
Italy
Where to go and what to see in Florence to get the most from your trip – a 5-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Nicky Swallow.
Bucket list experience:
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This imposing 13th-century building, erstwhile prison and torture chamber, was opened as a museum in 1865 to celebrate Florence becoming capital of Italy. Today, it is to 14th- to 17th-century sculpture what the Uffizi Gallery is to Renaissance painting; it houses one of the most important collections in the city.
But it doesn’t finish there; you can also expect an eclectic and fascinating haul of the decorative arts from Islamic art to glittering Byzantine and Renaissance jewellery, ivories, textiles, ceramics and miniature bronzes.
The ground-floor Michelangelo Room showcases masterpieces by the great artist himself (the ‘Pitti Tondo’ and the drunken-eyed Bacchus sculpture, for example) plus his contemporaries; the star turns are Benvenuto Cellini’s bust of Cosimo I and Giambologna’s Mercury. The first floor Salone Donatello contains several of the artists’ most famous works, his two Davids and his St. George.
Here, too, are the two competing trial reliefs representing the Sacrifice of Isaac that were produced by Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi to win the contest for the second set of doors of the Florentine Baptistry (1401).
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Italy
Where to go and what to see in Florence to get the most from your trip – a 5-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Nicky Swallow.
Italy
Where to go and what to see in Florence to get the most from your trip – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Nicky Swallow.
The museum is a 10-minute walk from Santa Maria Novella Station. There are no guided tours in English, but audio guides are available in Italian and English.
There may be queues in high season; you can book tickets online.
It’s open all year round. Closed on Tuesdays and on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month.
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.1 miles]
This elegant guest house offers warm hospitality and an atmosphere of genteel ‘Old Florence’ steps from Piazza della Signoria and the Uffizi Gallery.
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Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.4 miles]
Cool, edgy Ferragamo-owned design hotel by the Ponte Vecchio in the heart of the city – the perfect base for sightseeing.
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Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.5 miles]
A historic hotel well-deserving of its five-star status, the Helvetia & Bristol enjoys a fabulously central location and offers sumptuous rooms, bags of atmosphere and top-notch service.
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Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.6 miles]
Set on the south bank of the Arno River, the Ferragamo-owned Lungarno is a central, stylish and luxurious place to be based for a stay in Florence.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Tuscany, Italy
A heady mix of incomparable Renaissance art, gorgeous palazzos, Tuscan cuisine and home-grown haute couture.
Tuscany, Italy
The astonishingly beautiful region of Tuscany has it all: art cities and ancient hill towns, high mountains and long sandy beaches, alongside luxurious hotels and some of Italy’s best food and wine.
Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.1 miles]
Dresses to impress at this museum dedicated to 90 years at the forefront of fashion. Admire gowns worn to the Oscars, along with oddities such as Gucci bicycles, sledges and scuba-diving fins.
Best for ages: 8+ | £6
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.3 miles]
Named after one of the most famous scientists in history, this fascinating museum holds a collection of more than 1,000 scientific instruments and related objects inherited from the Medici family and Lorraine dynasty – including two fingers belonging to Galileo.
Best for ages: 8+ | £9
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.3 miles]
Florence’s great cathedral (duomo) – crowned by Brunelleschi’s ground-breaking dome – is the city’s religious heart.
Best for ages: 18+ | £16
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.4 miles]
The world’s largest and most important collection of Renaissance and Mannerist art, home to 5,400 works spans art history from ancient Greece through to 18th-century Venetian painting.
Best for ages: 18+ | £10
Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.2 miles]
This imposing palace on Piazza della Signoria has been at the centre of power in Florence since its construction in 1299 and still functions as the town hall. Now partly a museum, its sumptuously decorated rooms reveal magnificent frescoes, coffered ceilings and hidden chambers. Book skip-the-line tickets online here.
Best for ages: 18+ | £8
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.4 miles]
This traditional Easter festival sees a towering cart laden with fireworks pulled through the city by white oxen accompanied by a procession of flag throwers and drummers in colourful Renaissance garb. In Piazza del Duomo, a mechanical dove swoops down from the cathedral to light the blue touchpaper.
Best for ages: 10+ | Free | 1 day
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.5 miles]
This 16th-century palazzo is home to one of Italy’s most innovative public art galleries. Rotating exhibitions showcase artists as diverse as Jeff Koons, Ai Wei-Wei and Bill Viola and Bronzino, Donatello and Pontormo. The ‘Strozzino’ gallery in the basement focuses on contemporary art and peripheral cultural events.
Best for ages: 18+ | £13
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.6 miles]
Benozzo Gozzoli’s glorious fresco depicting the Procession of the Magi dates from 1459 and covers the tiny ‘Cappella dei Magi’ in Palazzo Medici-Riccardi. Painted in brilliant jewel colours, it shows a procession of richly-attired kings, knights and servants travelling through a fairytale rural landscape.
Best for ages: 18+ | £6