Florence: Santa Maria Novella I

Dear travellers,

Today we take a stroll again in Florence around and area full of history and glamour: this is the Santa Maria Novella area.

Santa Maria Novella Church, Florence

As we have said before on a previous post, I suggest you to avoid reaching Florence by car (as most of the historical center is restricted only to residents and traffic is very difficult to find a free parking area): just use
public transport. The best thing you can do is to arrive by train at Santa Maria Novella train station.

Santa Maria Novella train station, Florence

Here you have the official website of Trenitalia where you can find:
- all train schedules
- and book trains that best suit you to reach Florence.

You will not have major problems because they are very frequent trains that reach the heart of the city from Pisa, Siena, Livorno, Arezzo... just to name a few.

Once you get off at the railway station of Santa Maria Novella, you will find this is a crowded place especially at peak hours 8-9 am or 17-19 pm.

When reach the end of the platform, go towards the left exit of the station. Once you leave your right, you will see the profile of the church of Santa Maria Novella. Cross the large square and go right at the back of the church. There is a tourist information office from which you can access the church (the ticket for an adult costs 5 euros) or if you prefer you can go straight to the church square (called Piazza Santa Maria Novella): You will know for its white marble and green the great obelisk in the center of the square.

Santa Maria Novella Square, Florence

You will be able to enter through the right where there is the garden of the church. Santa Maria Novella is just impressive, for its elegance and light. It is open weekdays from 9 to 17.30, and Saturdays and Sundays until 17.

Santa Maria Novella Church, Florence

Take your time to visit the church. You will be able to take pictures without flash. Stop you especially to watch the Cross of Giotto in the center of the nave, and Tornabuoni (the center behind the altar with frescoes by Ghirlandaio) and Strozzi chapels (Filippino Lippi).

Do not miss the sacristy (at the end of the ship left side) where you can buy some souvenirs and practical city guides. Then go out and turn back towards the front of the church and in the right aisle will see an entry that leads into the cloister. Stop at the Spanish Chapel to observe the frescoes of Andrea di Buonaiuto representing the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.

The Spanish Chapel, Santa Maria Novella ( foto wikipedia), Florence

When you go out of the church, go straight on following Via del Sole ( just on the left, at the end of Santa Maria Novella square) until you reach Via degli Strozzi. You are now in the most elegant area of ​​the city.

Via Tornabuoni, Strozzi Palace, Florence

You recognize the Strozzi Palace for its facade and stones. If you have time enter and visit some of the temporary exhibitions in this imposing palace.
Via Tornabuoni is the shopping paradise .... for those loving Italian fashion desginers! You will find the stores of Max Mara, Bulgari, Salvatore Ferragamo, Prada ...

Just a minute on foot from Via Tornabuoni and from Santa Maria Novella train station you can book on of our most elegant apartments in this area: The Studio Apartment Il Teatro.

Studio Apartment il Teatro, Florence

Good walk in Florence. I hope you like this tour.
:-)

See you on our next post.

HouseonFlorence Staff

Places to have a coffee in Florence I

Dear travellers,

Today we open a new section dedicated to some unique and interesting places where you can stop for a coffee during a visit in Florence. It is worth stopping to rest for a few minutes... while you enjoy a tasty cappuccino or coffee :-)

Ponte Vecchio, Florence

Caffè Rivoire, Piazza Signoria

In 1872 Enrico Rivoire, a Savoy royal family chocolatier, opened the Rivoire cafe and chocolate factory. Here the Florentines learned to taste their creations, especially his hot chocolate, following the typical Savoy tradition. The place quickly became famous thanks to its superb location in the city.

Caffè Rivoire, Piazza Signoria ( by enamorados de Italia blog)

In 1977 the Caffè Rivoire was managed by the Bardelli brothers, who followed the same processes of craft production, from roasting to packaging cocoa products. So many specialties of this kind, with high percentage of cocoa .... :-)

Caffè Rivoire window, Piazza Signoria, Florence

The atmosphere of the place inside is very nice but can not compete with but good hot chocolate served on the terrace in front of the Palazzo Vecchio lit at sunset.

Palazzo Vecchio, view from Caffè Rivoire, Florence

And if you want to have your accommodation right in front of this elegant caffè you must book our Signoria Apartment: your living room window faces onto this superb square!

Signoria Apartment, Florence

Coffee Paszkowski, Piazza della Repubblica.

Coffee Paszkowski was born in 1846 as the Caffè Centrale in 1904 the Polish Paszkowski family who transformed it into a brewery. In the early decades of the 900 was a meeting place for writers and artists. In 1947, after the war, it was restored and returned to be a meeting place for intellectuals.

Piazza della Repubblica, Florence

Paszkowski Caffè is now one of the most elegant and classic Florence, well known thanks to their musical evenings. Its beautiful rooms, from the early twentieth century, host conferences to fashion events. In 1991 this place has been declared a National Monument.

Paszkowski Caffè, wikipedia, Florence

And for lovers of Paszkowski coffee, we suggest you book our nearest apartment, right in Piazza della Repubblica a few steps in front of this place.

Duomo Apartment Florence

And there's nothing like a good Italian coffee .... :-)

See you on our next post.

HouseonFlorence staff

What is the best way to get around in Tuscany?

Dear travellers,

To those who ask this question, we reply that "there is no single answer", but it depends on the destination ... so, tell us where you want to go and we will tell you how to get there :-)

Palazzo Vecchio, Florence

If you have ever travelled to Italy you will surely know the most important cities such as Rome, Milan, Florence.... They all can be reached by public transport. However, there are a lot of unknown medieval villages all over Italy which are not easy to find, especially for a tourist. In any case we recommend to get the chance of experiencing a more authentic and relaxed atmposphere. Whether those villages are on Tuscan hills, or hidden on the bottom of valleys, they are not often so easy to reach by public transport. In these cases, renting a car is simply the best way to visit these locations, and sometimes it is a must choice.

road towards Volterra, picture by @enamorados_de_italia on instagram

No doubt you will enjoy driving for sure!

To reach the major Tuscan cities (Florence-Pisa-Siena) we recommend using public transport: so you get to those places by train or couch and, once you are there, you move around on foot or by bus. In cities like Florence you can also rent a couple of bikes.

bikes near Ponte Vecchio, picture by @franktoosinatra on instagram

Moving by bike can help you to avoid the traffic, and the ZTL areas (limited traffic zone)  in the major cities where only resident people can access by car. At the access point, special displays use red or green lights to indicate is access is authorized or not at that time.

ZTL red light in Florence, Comune di Firenze

If you come to Florence by car, do not drive into the city center without the authorization. The entire area of the historic center of Florence (protected as a UNESCO Heritage) is defined, for the purposes of mobility, limited traffic zone (ZTL).

ZTL areas in Florence, Comune di Firenze

Tourists driving cars in Florence, in case they need to go through the ZTL zone to reach their accommodations, they can take advantage of a temporary access permit.

If this is your case, to get it you can communicate the number of your license plate to your accommodation in town, so the property management can forward it  to the authorities. Permission will be granted up to a maximum of two hours for baggage transport purposes and therefore, as a rule, only on the day of arrival and departure from the accommodation. In this way fines can be avoided. Remember: during your stay in town park your car outside the ZTL area or in a private/ public garage. You can use this website to look for garages in Florence.

In any case, we suggest you to book an apartment near a garage where you can park you car, like this one below, near the Pitti Palace in Florence:

Pitti Place Apartment in Florence

Pay parking your car at the end of the day can be quite expensive. Again, we suggest to avoid that if you can move around big cities without a car. Use your legs or public transportation!

Distances on foot from Pitti Apartment, Florence

We are quite sure that your pocket and your health will thank you!
Look here for bus information in Florence.


Keep travelling!

:-)

HouseonFlorence Staff

Florence in 24 hours

Dear  Readers,

There is no doubt that the city of Florence is one of the best tourist destinations in the world, whatever the season. There is no place where you travel back in time, as in the Renaissance splendor in Florence.

Many people often ask us what to see in Florence in one day. Anway we always say that the city offers so much beauty and so many places to see that .... it would be best to spend a minimum of 2/3 days.
Therefore, if you go to Florence for the first time here we recommend the main attractions, especially if you have only 24 hours to spend in the heart of Tuscany. (Which would be a real shame)

They are very fashionable lists where one finds the top 10 places of a city, but we prefer to give only 5 tips on what to see in Florence and with the due calm. Because Florence deserves that :-)

1. Visit the San Giovanni Square: the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Baptistery.
from 9 to 11 am

The cathedral is a masterpiece of Italian Gothic revival seen from from many parts of the city, and is very difficult to ignore. It is still the tallest building in the city. The construction of the cathedral's dome has always been surrounded by mysteries: still not sure what techniques Brunelleschi used to achieve such a work of art!

the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence

2. A stroll through the streets of San Lorenzo and Central Market of 11 to 13 hours

One of the ideal place to buy all kinds of local products and to make a "technical stop" to eat in one of the liveliest areas of the city.

We remid you that in Italy people eat from 13 to 14 pm, so it is "highly recommended" that you take this time to rest and to eat :-)

Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence, wikipedia

3. Piazza della Signoria from 14 to 16 hours.

Arriving from any of the streets that come together into this majestic square, you feel overwhelmed by such a lot of artistic beauty and exuberance offered by this unique place. Take the opportunity to visit the Loggia della Signoria and the Palazzo Vecchio ( Florence townhall) and book an apartment with a real "room with a view" :-)

Piazza Signoria, Florence

4. Cross the River Arno on the Ponte Vecchio from 16 to 17 hours

After a visit of Adolf Hitler in 1939 in Florence, he was so impressed by the city, that it was the same Hitler that persuaded the Germans to save Ponte Vecchio from destruction during the withdrawal of troops in 1944.

Ponte Vecchio, River Arno, Florence

5. Monumental view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo. At sunset.

This is the best time to get on this large square and to take photos, just when the sun's rays touch with a special color all the monuments of Florence.

Piazzale Michleangelo, Florence, wikipedia

If you want to come to know this amazing city here's a link where you will find lodgings in the center of Florence.
So you can start planning your trip :-)


And if in the end you decide to be at least more than one day, two, three ... in Florence, we recommend purchasing the Firenzecard, so you can take advantage of a lot of discounts at museums, transportation and many other things for 72 hours: - )


See you in Florence!

HouseonFlorence staff