Florence has been known for beautiful design since the program to beautify the city began the 14th century, and lately, hotel designers in the city seem to be vying for the most elegant modern design with touches alluding to the city's history. As you'll see from my sampling below, this city of world-class art also boasts world-class artfully designed
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Christmas Festivals in Florence
As someone who grew up without religion in a California beach town, I was intrigued when I moved to Italy by the length of the Christmas season and I was confused by some of the festivals. I learned that the season starts on December 8, with the Festival of the Immaculate Conception, and ends on January 6 with Epiphany. I assumed the conception being referred to was the one
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The Best Local Piazza in Florence (And it’s Organic Market)
Piazza Santo Spirito: Come here to hang out in the best local piazza in Florence. This piazza is in the Oltrarno which means “across the Arno” (the other side of the river from civic and religious centers where the cathedral and town hall are.) If you feel overwhelmed by the crowds on the main side of the river, come over to the Oltrarno and hang out in Piazza Santo
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Mystical Solstice Event in Florence
"The information was lost, we didn't know..." The monk tells me from behind the counter of the monastic shop. "No one had noticed the solstice sun illuminating the zodiac?" "No, we didn't notice." The monk smiles. "It was figured out by Simone Bartolini." Simone Bartolini is an astronomer and cartographer who recently (around 2011) figured out that the marble zodiac on the
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Florence off the Beaten Path — Try Fiesole
Follow my blog with Bloglovin Florence off the Beaten Path One of my recommendations for beating the crowds in Florence is to up to Fiesole---a small town of Etruscan origins above Florence. In spring and fall the Fiesole Tourist Board offers what they call "Hikes between Nature and Culture" which are free, guided hikes in the Fiesole hills. (Some are not actually hikes, but
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The Perfect Renaissance Church with Gorgeous Art (That you didn’t know was there)
Wondering where to see fantastic art for free in Florence? The city has so much art in its churches---of such high quality---that you almost don't need to pay for museums. For an updated version of this post go to my Substack
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Florence’s Most Elegant Street
The Via Tornabuoni This article of mine was published originally by Fathom When I first lived in Florence in the 1980s, I should have photographed the historic 19th-century cafes on Via Tornabuoni. Because when I next made Florence my home two decades later, they were gone. Although I was a backpacking waif in the '80s, totally ignorant of Florentine history, if someone had
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