Of course in Florence you can visit museums and galleries, but what else you can do?
Florence is not only culture. Florence is also…

• Shopping!
  1. In centre of Florence there many shops, artisan ateliers and traditional markets, where you can find tipical florentine products such as leather, silver, paper, ceramic ones.
  2. There are 2 outlet centres nearby where find great famous brands: “The Mall” and “Barberino Designer Outlet”
• Hiking!
  1. Florence is sorrounded by lovely hills and beautiful villages such as Fiesole, Settignano.
  2. Florentine country side include  Chianti and  Mugello, both famous and beautiful. You can visiting farm, tasting wine and good food after a great hiking.
• Learning!
  1. cooking class: how to make an Italian ice cream or a tuscan dish… there are several different classes at different prices
  2. language class: of course there are many italian classes…if you don’t have much time, at least you can practise Italian meeting some locals around (sign in  www.couchsurfing.com and meet people!)
  3. Painting class: try to make some art yourself!
• Doing some sport!
  1. Swimming. Less than 10 minutes by bus there are 2 swimming pools: “Costoli” and “Rari Nantes”
  2. Cycling. You can rent different kind of bikes for cycling in Florence and in the country.
  3. Horse riding ( for example here)
  4. Tennis. ( tennis Michelangelo)

image by WVjazzman

Everyone knows David by Michelangelo, maybe the most popular statue in the world. But there are more David statues in Florence. It seems a tradition in Florence  sculpting David.
The small David against the powerful and big Goliath represent Florence itself, small but facing  other bigger states.

Sorted a chronological order, the first and the second David, are by Donatello and both are at the Bargello National Museum.

The first David ( 1412) is by marble. This is an early work intended for a buttress of the Duomo. This David is fully  dressed,  still in a gothic spirit.

After about twenty years from the first one, the second David ( in the picture), made for the Medici courtyard, is totally new. It’s a bonze statue of a sensual young man, almost nake, but  wearing a helmet and boots. This is the first free standing nude statue since the antiquity.  It is recently restored and now it shows a golden decoration on its hairs.
This  graceful and sensual nake body was a very controversial statue.

The third is the Verrocchio‘s version ( 1473-1475). It is represent  a triumphant, dressed,  young man with the head of Goliath near his feet.  The Goliath head is movable and its different placement bring different understandings.
The statue is in Bargello National museum.

The forth is the very famous Michelangelo’s masterpiece. No need a presentation: it is probably the most famous statue of the world. Finished in 1504 it takes 2 years to sculpt it.
It is at  the Accademy Gallery, just 2oo meters from our hotel.

The Michelangelos’ version  shares its symbolism with Donatello’s Davids and Verrocchio’s one (and also with Donatello’s Giuditta) , but the representation is totally different.

He  is completely naked and there is no Goliath head among his feet. Michelangelo, broken the tradition,  has intented to represent David before the fight. Nevertheless, he is a winner: its victory is in his eyes since he  is determine and ready to combat.

In 2004, by the time of its 500th anniversary, it was restored and cleaned. Nowadays the is a debate about a relocation of  the David

It is one of the most important Palace of Florence. Medici Riccardi Palace was the Medici’s house for almost 1 century,  commissioned by Cosimo il Vecchio to Michelozzo in 1444.
Here Lorenzo il magnific lived, here leonardo da Vinci, Donatello and Michelangelo were hosted and worked.

The palace itself is a beautiful  sample of early renaissance building.
Worth a visit also the great – and small-  “Cappella dei Magi”, by Benozzo Gozzoli. It’s a frescoed chapel at the first floor ( instead at the ground floor you can attend to same interesting multimedia explanations).

Florence celebrates Saint John, its patron, on June 24th, by setting up a great fireworks show.
The show usually starts at 10pm and lasts up to 45 minutes, but if you want to gain a spot with a good view on the fireworks, you have to go early, otherwise you’ll be jammed by the huge crowd coming from the surroundings.

Luckily, the hotel’s terrace is a great point of view to that show, and from there we took this shots:

[Show as slideshow]

L’hotel Panorama, propone tre itinerari, concordati  con  guide ufficiali e da loro condotti , che permetteranno agli ospiti dell’hotel di apprezzare fino in fondo la propria visita a Firenze. Attraverso le sapienti parole delle guide ufficiali tutto il fascino di Firenze acquisterà un significato carico di emozione che renderà indimenticabile la vostra vacanza.

“I was in a sort of ecstasy from the idea of being in Florence, close to the great men whose tombs I had seen. Absorbed in the contemplation of sublime beauty… I reached the point where one encounters celestial sensations. Everything spoke so vividly to my soul… Life was drained from me. I walked with the fear of falling…”

(The French writer Stendhal was so dizzied by the beauty of Florence that he became faint, a reaction now known as “Stendhal’s Syndrome”)

Firenze, the city of Brunelleschi, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, is the birthplace of the Renaissance. In that period the destiny of the city was indissolubly linked with the Medicis, the most powerful and influential Florentine family from the XVth to XVIIIth centuries.

The best place to begin our Florentine tour is really San Marco Square (two minutes far from the hotel). This part of the city was in fact for a long time the symbol of Medicis power and the site of the famous San Marco Garden where the young Michelangelo learned to sculpture, and nowadays is a significant zone with marvellous monuments, splendid palaces and statues. (continua…)

By just walking through the Florentine squares, you can get the rich artistic spirit of the city. A square is the mirror of social, politics and religious life.

Let’s visit the most remarkable squares in Florence, each with several beautiful monuments:

• Step out the hotel and go straight ahead toward Piazza del Duomo, the religious square (a glance to Palazzo Medici Riccardi on the way long). That’s the symbol of Florence: the cupola by Filippo Brunelleschi, on the top of the cathedral of Santa maria del Fiore. The cupola is a renaissance masterpiece, and while the church is older, the façade is almost new, since it was built in the 19 th century.
  The cupola is a very remarkable monument, it is not just beautiful: it is great, wonderful and special! it was an inspiration to Michelangelo for San Pietro. Brunelleschi has built it by inventing new technics and it is still a secret how it was done.
  Close to the cathedral you can admire the campanile di Giotto, almost of the same age of the church, the Battistero, older than the others, with the wonderful doors (they are copies, but can you distinguish them from the original?) and the nice Loggia del Bigallo.
  From the top of both the cathedral and the campanile you can see Florence from the above.

• By the side of the Campanile you can find via de’ Calzaioli and get to Piazza della Signoria, the civilian square. It is a real museum on open air. There are several statues, and some of them in the Loggia dei lanzi are very important: Perseus (B.Cellini), Il Ratto delle Sabine (Giambologna), Giuditta e Oloferne (Donatello) and others.
  There is also a copy of the famous Davide by Michelangelo.
  Palazzo Vecchio (the old palace) and the torre di Arnolfo are a museum (see the salone dei 500) but also the house of the Florentine council.
  Near piazza Signoria you can have lunch with a lampredotto panini, a florentine speciality (very good in my humble opinon, and I suggest to eat it at mercato di San Lorenzo -better before 2pm).

• Close to the Palazzo Vecchio start the Uffizi and the corridor by Vasari (corridoio Vasariano). Skip the Uffizi and keep following the corridor of Vasari from outside, and through Ponte Vecchio, you will get to Piazza Pitti, the granduke square. You can visit the Boboli garden, at least a bit.

• The last square (on the way back to the hotel) is Piazza Santissima Annunziata, the renaissance square, a plan of Filippo Brunelleschi. Seat on the stairs for a while, stare to the Spedale degli Innocenti and look at the fountains of Pietro Tacca, before visiting the church of Santissima Annunziata.

• After a dinner in a tipical trattoria (eating Bistecca alla Fiorentina with Chianti wine), go and eat a gelato on piazzale Michelangelo, maybe not the best in town (if you ‘d like to know the best, for me is il Sorriso – via del paradiso, but you probably won’t have time to get there ), but the view is amazing.

Some of my guests have visited Florence just in one day. Actually they wanted to stay more, after being a little there, since they have awared that one day it’s a too short time.

So, what if you have just one day? Should you not visit Florence? Sure, maybe it’s better to find another place, less full of things worth to be seen… but maybe you can make one day enough. Here the way:

• First: rememeber you can’t see everything. This is also true for longer visits.

• Second: think: what do you prefer to do? (this is the hardest part of the visit: decide to let something -even a lot- out of your visit )

• third: wake up early and take it easy. If you have already made your choice, now you have just to enjoy!

Here are some itinerary you can afford in one day:

The Squares itinerary

Here you are another exihibition on painting in 20th century.
Among a painting of Beato Angelico and a sculMichelangelo, have a glance to our contemporary art. Dino Caponi ( Florence 1920- Arezzo 2000) was a Florentine artist, the favourite pupil of Ottone Rosai.

“Dino Caponi attraverso il ’900″
Accademia delle Arti del Disegno
via Ricasoli 68

From tuesday to sathurday 10 a.m.- 13 p.m., 4 p.m.- 19 p.m.; sunday 10 a.m.- 19 p.m.
free entrance

Art 2008 , 72° international artisan and craft exhibition.

25th April- 4th May
Fortezza da Basso, Florence
10 am- 11 pm
( last day 10 am- 8 pm)

ticket: €5, reduction €4

It’s the traditional appointment with handcraft from over the world.
it’s an amazing market of ideas and handmade objects, colorful and beautiful. You will find a different souvenir for sure!

Some of my guests have visited Florence just in one day. Actually they wanted stay more, once have been a little here, since they have awared that it’s a too short time.

So, what if you have just one day? Should you don’t visit Florence? Maybe, yes, maybe it’s better find another place less full of thing that worth being seen… but maybe you can make one day enough. Here you are the way:
First, rememeber you can’t see everything , of course, and this is true also for a more days visit.

Second, think: what do you prefer to do ? ( this is the hardest part of the visit: decide to let something- even a lot- out ;- ) )

third, wake up early and take it easy: you have already decided, and now you have just to enjoy!

Here you are some itinerary you can afford in one day:

The Squares itinerary

Just walking through the Florentine squares, you can get the rich artistic spirit of the city . A square is the mirror of social, politics and religious life, let’s visit the most remarkable squares in Florence, each with several beautiful monuments.

• Step out the hotel and go straight ahead toward Piazza del Duomo, the religious square( glance to Palazzo Medici Riccardi on the way long) .Here you are the symbol of Florence: the cupola by Filippo Brunelleschi, on the top of the cathedral of Santa maria del Fiore. The cupola is a renaissance masterpiece, while the church is older , the façade is almost new, since it was build in the 19 th century.
  The cupola is a very remarkable munument, it is not only beautiful, it is great, wonderful and special, it was an inspiration to Michelangiolo for San Pietro. Brunelleschi has build it by inventing new tecnics and it is still a secret how it has done.
  Close to the cathedral you can admire the campanile di Giotto, almost the same age of the church, the Battistero, older than the others, with the wonderful doors ( yes, they are copies, but can you distinguish them from the original?) and the nice Loggia del Bigallo.
  Both from the cathedral and from the campanile you can see Florence from the above.

• On the side of the Campanile you can find via de’ calzaioli and get to Piazza della Signoria, the civilian square. It is a real museum on open air. There are several statues and very important , in the Loggia dei lanzi: Perseus (B.Cellini),( Giambologna), Giuditta e Oloferne ( Donatello) , and others.
  There is also a copy of the famous Davide by Donatello.
  Palazzo Vecchio ( old palace) and the torre di Arnolfo is a museum (see the salone dei 500) but also the house of the Florentine council.
  Near piazza Signoria you can have for lunch a lampredotto panini, a florentine speciality (very good in my humble opinon, and I suggest to eat it at mercato di San Lorenzo- better before 2pm).

• Close to the Palazzo Vecchio start the Uffizi and the corridor by Vasari ( corridoio Vasariano). it’s necessary skip the Uffizi and keep following the corridor of Vasari from the outside. Through Ponte Vecchio, you will get Piazza Pitti, the granduke square. You can visit the Boboli garden, at least a bit.

• The last square ( on the way back to the hotel) is Piazza Santissima Annunziata, the renaissance square, a plan of Filippo Brunelleschi. Seat a bit on the stairs, stare to the Spedale degli Innocenti and look at the fountains of Pietro Tacca before visit the church of Santissima Annunziata.

• After a dinner in a tipical trattoria ( eating Bistecca alla fiorentina with chianti wine), go and eat a gelato on piazzale Michelangelo, maybe not the best in town ( if you ‘d like to know the best for me is il Sorriso – via del paradiso and you don’t have much time to geti it ), but the view is amazing.

images from wikimedia commons

ps I will appreciate any corrections to my English ( or general comment)