Florence is the centre of Renaissance culture, a stunning city with plenty of personality in the heart of Tuscany. With its wealth of history and culture combined with stunning art galleries, churches, museums and Baroque architecture, Florence is a city not to be missed when visiting Italy. No one could accuse Florence of being understated! Indeed, standing next to the dome I was overwhelmed by the architecture! They were definitely being very fancy and lavish with their designs, emphasising the wealth and importance of Florence as a city. I'd actually love to live in Florence for a while, the main drawback being how expensive it all is! We stayed here ...  Read the complete review

Just got back from a mini-break in Florence! Loved it. Start of September so still pretty hot but not unbearable. Rented a lovely apartment just round the corner from the Ufizzi, so much nicer than staying in a hotel, air-con is a must in the summer I think! Left it till quite late to book the apartment so got a pretty good deal. Flew Ryan-air which I know means you fly to Pisa but for the price it was no hassle, the train takes an hour and is only 6 Euro from the airport to the centre of Florence or hop on the Ryan-air bus for about 10 Euro. We did a bit of culture but couldn't really face the queues so we were pretty selective. The Ufizzi is def worth a ...  Read the complete review

Since the last time I wrote an opinion on this site was back in 2001, some of the veterans out there might be wondering where I've been. Well, one of the many places where I've been hiding has been Florence, or Firenze, as the Italians call it. Firenze is one of Italy's bigger cities (population of over 400,000) and attracts over a million tourists every year. It was originally known as the city of art (much of the renaissance took place there) but these days, is more well known for being a tourist hot spot. If you avoid the dodgy district (San Lorenzo), walk in pairs and refuse to respond to comments made by sleazy Italian men when you're out and about, it's ...  Read the complete review

I went to Florence last week and didn't go to a single art gallery. Some say that's a sin. I say, bugger that - I'm on me hols. I'll do as I darn well please. And you know what? I had the best time ever. We were naughty right from the start... We stayed at a friend of a friends right in the heart of the old city so I avoided the high hotel prices and paid her around £20 in a converted church with arched ceilings as high as the building. We ate pizza 'til the cows came home and our own body weight in ice cream. We didn't climb the famous Duomo (Cathedral) but instead paid slightly less to climb the ...  Read the complete review

Everyone has a favourite church in Florence. It is easy to be a little overwhelmed by the endless onset and overload of the renaissance wonders which have made this city so famous and given her the reputation of being the most beautiful city in the world. I'd come out unashamedly for Santa Croce as a favourite. I know it's not an especially inspired decision, but we are talking personal preference! It isn't likely that many visitors to Florence will miss her, but after the vast depths of Santa Maria Novella, the grandeur and space of the Duomo itself, Santa Croce sits a little further back, just as large, just as impressive, closer to the Arno and ...  Read the complete review