Florence attractions

One of the most elegant squares in Florence, Piazza della Santissima Annunziata is lined on three sides by the Renaissance porticoes of the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata, the Ospedale degli Innocenti, and the Loggia dei Servi di Maria. Tour this piazza to admire its architecture, central equestrian statue, and twin fountains.

Science buffs of all ages marvel at the array of scientific and mathematical instruments at Florence’s Galileo Museum (Museo Galileo). Check out clocks, globes, and barometers commissioned by the Medici family, as well as the telescope that Galileo Galilei used to make some of his most important discoveries. Interactive exhibits demonstrate these objects’ inner workings and their lasting contributions to science—all in an 11th-century palazzo overlooking the Arno River.

Standing watch at the center of busy Piazza della Signoria, the Fountain of Neptune has long been one of Florence’s most memorable landmarks, set against a backdrop of the grand Palazzo Vecchio (Town Hall. Inaugurated in 1565, the striking sculpted fountain is a highlight of walking tours of the historic center.

Though Milan is considered Italy’s fashion capital, Florence is home to some of the most historic fashion houses in the country, including shoe designer Salvatore Ferragamo. You don’t have to be a fashionista to appreciate the Ferragamo Museum, where the beauty and craftsmanship of the iconic shoes classify them as works of art, rather than simply footwear.

Palazzo Davanzati is a mansion-turned-museum in Florence that models what life was like in medieval Italy. Built in the 14th century, the palace contains more than 10 rooms beautifully and carefully decorated with period furniture and frescoes, as well as a courtyard and original stone and wood staircases.

Dedicated to one of the greatest minds of the Italian Renaissance, the Leonardo da Vinci Museum (Museo Leonardiano di Vinci) is located in the artist’s Tuscan hometown, Vinci. Interactive exhibits detail his many talents and discoveries, from his influential drawings of the human form to his innovative designs for weaponry, clocks, and flying machines. Nearby, you can visit the countryside house where da Vinci, the original Renaissance man, was born in 1452.

Bustling Via Cavour (officially Via Camillo Cavour) is one of the main thoroughfares in the historical center of Florence. Located just north of the Duomo, the street is lined with restaurants, shops, and important landmarks like Palazzo Medici Riccardi, the Museum and Convent of San Marco, and the Leonardo Da Vinci Museum.

The 15th-century Ospedale degli Innocenti is one of Florence’s most moving landmarks. This Brunelleschi-designed building was home to an orphanage for centuries, and today houses a museum dedicated to the institution’s long history and a collection of works by masters including il Ghirlandaio, Botticelli, and Della Robbia.

Florence’s soaring 19th-century Great Synagogue, or Tempio Maggiore, is one of the largest in Italy and the focal point of the local Jewish community. An architectural marvel, the building features Moorish, Byzantine, and Romanesque decorative elements, plus a striking copper-clad dome that dominates the Florentine skyline. Inside, colorful mosaics and frescoes, ornate marble floors, and stained glass windows make this one of the most unique buildings in the city.

The Sanctuary of Monte Senario, one of Tuscany’s most important religious complexes, sits high on a hilltop overlooking the lush Mugello Valley and within the Monte Senario Nature Reserve. Experience the Vaglia woodland and the holy sanctuary, where monks have lived and worked since the 11th-century, on a serene day trip from Florence.

Florence’s central San Lorenzo Market includes two separate markets. One is the Central Market (Mercato Centrale), an indoor food market with a trendy upstairs gourmet food market and stalls selling everything from seasonal produce to Chianti wine and Tuscany's famed olive oil on the ground floor. The other is an outdoor souvenir market that has as many trinkets and affordable souvenirs as leather goods and other Florentine crafts for which the region is known.

San Frediano is one of the most up-and-coming neighborhoods in Florence’s trendy Oltrarno district, which sits on the opposite side of the Arno River from the Duomo, Uffizi Gallery, and Accademia. Home to the 17th-century Church of San Frediano in Cestello, the quarter is known for its traditional artisan workshops and vibrant food scene.

Near Florence’s historic center, this eclectic museum contains Wunderkammer-like collections of art and artifacts amassed by 19th-century antiques dealer Frederick Stibbert. Peruse dozens of rooms stuffed with paintings, tapestries, furnishings, and armor.

World War II history buffs will be particularly drawn to the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial, one of 26 American military cemeteries on foreign soil around the world. Framed by forested hills, the 70-acre (28-hectare expanse pays tribute to more than 4,000 American soldiers who lost their lives in wars in Italy.

Every year in July and August, the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo square in Siena hosts the raucous Il Palio, a historic bareback horse race between Siena’s 17 contrade (town districts), each of which has its own colors, flags, and emblems. The festivities also encompass religious services, pageants, and banquets, which celebrate this age-old Italian tradition that dates back to the early 17th century.

Located within Santa Maria del Carmine Church in Florence’s Oltrarno neighborhood, theBrancacci Chapel (Cappella Brancacci) is one of the city’s most treasured landmarks. The chapel’s walls showcase recently restored frescoes painted in 1424 by Masaccio, who was only 21 at the time. His work is known to locals as the Sistine Chapel of the early Renaissance.

The Livorno Cruise Port (Livorno Terminal Crociere), a busy shipping terminal set on the Tuscan coast, serves as a gateway to this famous Italian region and its capital city of Florence. With few attractions of its own, the port city of Livorno is primarily a jumping-off point to explore the Tuscan cities and countryside.

Sculpted in 1545 by Benvenuto Cellini,Perseus with the Head of Medusa is one of the main attractions in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria. The bronze statue, which depicts the Greek hero Perseus defeating the monster Medusa, is considered to be a great masterpiece of Italian Mannerism.

What was commissioned by the Medici family, designed by Michelangelo, and home to highly valuable works written prior to the year 1000? That would be the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, a 16th-century library safeguarding the Medicis’ impressive collection of rare books and manuscripts. This underrated site is a must for anyone interested in the history of architecture, literature, or the most powerful family in Florentine history.

While St. Mark’s English Church was established in 1881, it is set in a 15th-century palace initially owned by the Medici family. The center of Florence’s Anglican community, the church has Renaissance Revival interiors decorated in pre-Raphaelite style, but it is most known as a venue for live concerts. Catch La Traviata, opera love duets, arias by Mozart and Rossini, and other classical music performances at this unique location.

Just a few steps away from the vendors, buskers, and selfie takers at Florence’s Piazzale Michelangelo is the serene Rose Garden. Nestled in the Florentine hills just outside of the old city walls, the small public park peers out at Palazzo Vecchio and Brunelleschi’s Dome. It’s home to 400 different rose varieties, which are peppered throughout the park among benches, lily ponds, and a charming collection of animal sculptures.

The main square in Florence’s historical center, Piazza del Duomo is home to some of the city’s most impressive Renaissance architecture. While standing in the center of the piazza, you can marvel at the massive scale and stunning details of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore, Brunelleschi’s Dome, and Giotto’s Bell Tower—all without moving your feet.

This 17th-century villa near Settignano just outside Florence is home to one of the most impressive gardens in Italy, with manicured lawns, lemon and olive groves, and baroque-style fountains and statues. A lush oasis overlooking the Arno Valley, the villa is an ideal quick escape from the crowds and chaos of the city.

Commissioned during the height of the Medici family’s reign in 16th-century Florence, Buontalenti Grotto (Grotta del Buontalenti) is the largest grotto in the city. Sculptures of mythical creatures and man-made stalagmites covering its facade and interior make the grotto one of the most popular landmarks in the Boboli Gardens.

Shake up the Renaissance with a little rock and roll at the Hard Rock Café Florence—one of the brand’s scores of music-themed restaurants worldwide. Rock aficionados can peruse the impressive collection of memorabilia that covers this shrine to 20th-century music while satisfying cravings for classic American dishes.