Pitti Palace
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.6 miles]
Housed in the city’s most imposing palazzo, Florence’s second-largest art gallery is home to masterpieces by Raphael, Rubens, Botticelli and Van Dyck.
Best for ages: 18+ | £9
Best places to stay:
An aristocratic mansion set in a magnificent private garden, Ad Astra offers 16 beautiful rooms filled with antiques, up-cycled retro pieces and quirky design touches.
High ceilings, plaster mouldings and frescoes, chandeliers, a wrap-around terrace for breakfasts and aperitivi combine with the atmosphere of an elegant private home to make one of Florence’s most captivating hotels.
It is located on a quiet street in the Oltrarno, south of the river, and mere steps from the buzzy nightlife, independent boutiques, artisan workshops and many small restaurants and bars that characterise this intriguing neighbourhood. The Ponte Vecchio is a 10-minute walk away.
The Oltrarno is a mix of quiet residential streets and small squares and busier thoroughfares. Here, elegant mansions rub shoulders with more modest apartment buildings, antique shops stand shoulder-to-shoulder with artisan studios and neighbourhood grocery stores, traditional trattorias cohabit with hip restaurants and aperitivo spots.
The entrance to the hotel is off a quiet, unassuming street, but it overlooks the largest privately-owned garden within the old city walls. Traffic noise is not a problem.
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Bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.6 miles]
Housed in the city’s most imposing palazzo, Florence’s second-largest art gallery is home to masterpieces by Raphael, Rubens, Botticelli and Van Dyck.
Best for ages: 18+ | £9
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.7 miles]
This shady green oasis in the centre of Florence is one of the most beautiful gardens in Italy and makes a wonderful escape on a hot, summer’s day.
Best for ages: 13+ | £5
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.7 miles]
A ride down the river Arno in a traditional wooden boat or ‘barchetto’ is one of the more unusual ways to see the city.
Best for ages: 4+ | £45 | 1 hour
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.8 miles]
Footwear fantasies in everything from cellophane to gold, by Florence’s legendary shoemaker to the stars.
Best for ages: 10+ | £6
Other worthwhile experiences in this destination if you have the time or the interest, closest first
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.2 miles]
This side chapel of Santa Maria del Carmine church (separate entrance) is decorated with world-class frescoes by 15th-century artists Masaccio, Masolino and Filippino Lippi. Highlights of these seminal works which profoundly influenced the Florentine Renaissance include Masolino’s Temptation of Adam and Eve and Masaccio’s The Tribute Money. Book ahead to climb up and see them up close.
Best for ages: 18+ | £7
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.6 miles]
For centuries, the Oltrarno neighbourhood south of the river has been known for its artisan workshops; it still is today.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free | 2-3 hours
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.9 miles]
An ex-cinema houses the fabulous private model railway collection belonging to the late Marchese di San Giuliano. The centrepiece is a 280-square metre model, one of the largest in Europe; the landscaping (from mountains to seascapes) is exquisite.
Best for ages: 4+ | £12
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.9 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
Destination guides including or relevant to this place to stay
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.