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    Berlitz Pocket Guide Florence (Travel Guide eBook)
    Berlitz Pocket Guide Florence (Travel Guide eBook)
    Berlitz Pocket Guide Florence (Travel Guide eBook)
    Ebook367 pages2 hours

    Berlitz Pocket Guide Florence (Travel Guide eBook)

    By Berlitz

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    About this ebook

    With an iconic style and a bestselling brand, this is the quintessential pocket-sized travel guide to Florence - now with a bilingual dictionary

    Plan your trip, plan perfect days and discover how to get around - this pocket-sized guide is a convenient, quick-reference companion to discovering fun and interesting things to do and see in Florence, from top tourist attractions like Santa Croce, the Duomo, the Accademia, San Lorenzo and the Uffizi to hidden gems, including  the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, Museo di San Marco and Giardino di Bardini.  

    - What to see: comprehensive coverage of the city's attractions, illustrated with striking photography
    - What to do: how to make the most of your leisure time, from local entertainment to the best activities and shopping
    - History and culture: giving you a deeper understanding of the city's heritage, people and contemporary life
    - Practical tips: where to stay, dining out and how to get around: reliable recommendations and expert travel advice
    - Dictionary: quick-reference bilingual language guide to help you with vocabulary on the ground
    - Covers: Piazza del Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, the Bargello and Santa Croce, Piazza della Repubblica, San Lorenzo, San Marco, Santa Maria Novella and the Oltrarno.

    About Berlitz: Berlitz draws on years of travel and language expertise to bring you a wide range of travel and language products, including travel guides, maps, phrase books, language-learning courses, dictionaries and kids' language products.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherInsight Guides
    Release dateOct 1, 2019
    ISBN9781785732560
    Berlitz Pocket Guide Florence (Travel Guide eBook)
    Author

    Berlitz

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      Book preview

      Berlitz Pocket Guide Florence (Travel Guide eBook) - Berlitz

      How To Use This E-Book

      Getting Around the e-Book

      This Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to Florence, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.

      The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of Florence, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.

      In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

      Maps

      All key attractions and sights in Florence are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

      Images

      You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Florence. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.

      About Berlitz Pocket Guides

      The Berlitz story began in 1877 when Maximilian Berlitz devised his revolutionary method of language learning. More than 130 years later, Berlitz is a household name, famed not only for language schools but also as a provider of best-selling language and travel guides.

      Our wide-ranging travel products – printed travel guides and phrase books, as well as apps and ebooks – offer all the information you need for a perfect trip, and are regularly updated by our team of expert local authors. Their practical emphasis means they are perfect for use on the ground. Wherever you’re going – whether it’s on a short break, the trip of a lifetime, a cruise or a business trip – we offer the ideal guide for your needs.

      Our Berlitz Pocket Guides are the perfect choice if you need reliable, concise information in a handy format. We provide amazing value for money – these guides may be small, but they are packed with information. No wonder they have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide.

      © 2019 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

      Table of Contents

      Florence’s Top 10 Attractions

      Top Attraction #1

      Top Attraction #2

      Top Attraction #3

      Top Attraction #4

      Top Attraction #5

      Top Attraction #6

      Top Attraction #7

      Top Attraction #8

      Top Attraction #9

      Top Attraction #10

      A Perfect Day In Florence

      Introduction

      Trials and Tribulations

      A Brief History

      From the Carolingians to the Republic

      Guelphs and Ghibellines

      Evolution of Florentine society

      Florence’s golden age

      The Renaissance

      The Medici

      Bonfire of the Vanities

      The 18th and 19th centuries

      Early 20th century

      World War II to the Present Day

      Historical Landmarks

      Where To Go

      Piazza del Duomo

      The Duomo

      The Campanile

      The Baptistery

      Loggia del Bigallo

      Museo dell’Opera del Duomo

      Piazza della Signoria

      Palazzo Vecchio

      Loggia dei Lanzi

      The Gucci Garden

      The Uffizi

      The Museo Galileo

      The Bargello and Santa Croce

      The Bargello

      Badia Fiorentina

      Piazza Santa Croce

      Cappella dei Pazzi

      Casa Buonarroti

      The Horne Museum

      Piazza della Repubblica

      Via Tornabuoni and Piazza Santa Trinità

      Palazzo Davanzati and Mercato Nuovo

      Orsanmichele

      San Lorenzo

      The Medici Chapels

      The Mercato Centrale and Palazzo Riccardi

      San Marco

      Galleria dell’Accademia

      Piazza della Santissima Annunziata

      The Foundling Hospital

      Museo Archeologico and Tempio Ebraico

      Santa Maria Novella

      Santa Maria Novella

      Museum and Cloisters

      Museo Marino Marini and Cappella Rucellai

      Ognissanti

      The Oltrarno

      Ponte Vecchio

      Palazzo Pitti

      Palatine Gallery and Royal Apartments

      The Modern Art, Costume and Medici Treasures Museums

      The Garden and the Porcelain Museum

      Giardino Bardini

      Santo Spirito

      Santa Maria del Carmine

      Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato al Monte

      Excursions

      Fiesole

      Piazza Mino

      Between Fiesole and Florence

      Pisa

      Siena

      Piazza del Campo

      Piazza del Duomo

      Santa Maria della Scala

      San Gimignano

      What To Do

      Shopping

      Fashion

      Antiques and Reproductions

      Ceramics

      Gold and Silver

      Inlays and Mosaics

      Leather

      Perfumes

      Street Markets

      Entertainment

      Theatre and Music

      Nightlife and Cinema

      Sports

      Children’s Florence

      Calendar of Events

      Eating Out

      Where and When to Eat

      What to Eat

      Antipasti

      Primi

      Secondi

      Contorni

      Dolci

      What to Drink

      Reading the Menu

      To Help You Order…

      …and Read the Menu

      Restaurants

      Centro Storico (Centre)

      Santa Croce (East)

      San Lorenzo and San Marco (North)

      Santa Maria Novella (West)

      Oltrarno (South)

      A–Z Travel Tips

      A

      Accommodation

      Airports

      B

      Bicycle Hire

      Budgeting for your Trip

      C

      Car Hire (See also Driving)

      Climate

      Clothing

      Crime and Safety

      D

      Disabled Travellers

      Driving

      E

      Electricity

      Embassies and Consulates

      Emergencies

      G

      Getting There

      Guides and Tours

      H

      Health and Medical Care (see also Emergencies)

      L

      Language

      LGBTQ travellers

      M

      Maps

      Media

      Money

      O

      Opening Hours

      P

      Police

      Post Offices

      Public Holidays

      R

      Religion

      T

      Telephones

      Time Differences

      Tipping

      Toilets

      Tourist Information

      Transport

      V

      Visa and Entry requirements

      W

      Websites and Internet Access

      Y

      Youth Hostels

      Recommended Hotels

      Centro Storico (centre)

      Santa Croce (East)

      San Lorenzo and San Marco (North)

      Santa Maria Novella (West)

      Oltrarno (South)

      Fiesole

      Dictionary

      English–Italian

      Italian–English

      Florence’s Top 10 Attractions

      Top Attraction #1

      Shutterstock

      Santa Croce

      This glorious church is full of artistic treasures. For more information, click here.

      Dreamstime.com

      Top Attraction #2

      Getty Images

      Palazzo Pitti and Giardino di Boboli

      A sumptuous palace and delightful pleasure-garden that once belonged to the Medicis. For more information, click here or click here..

      Dreamstime.com

      Top Attraction #3

      Shutterstock

      The Duomo

      Brunelleschi’s magnificent dome towers above the city; equally impressive is Giotto’s graceful campanile. For more information, click here.

      Dreamstime.com

      Top Attraction #4

      Getty Images

      The Accademia

      The gallery’s star exhibit is Michelangelo’s David, perhaps the most famous piece of sculpture in the Western world. For more information, click here.

      Dreamstime.com

      Top Attraction #5

      Getty Images

      Ponte Vecchio

      The beautiful medieval bridge still retains the small shops of its artisans. For more information, click here.

      Dreamstime.com

      Top Attraction #6

      Getty Images

      The Uffizi

      Home to the world’s greatest collection of Italian Renaissance paintings. For more information, click here.

      Dreamstime.com

      Top Attraction #7

      Shutterstock

      Santa Maria Novella

      The cavernous church was designed by Dominican architects in the mid-13th century. For more information, click here.

      Dreamstime.com

      Top Attraction #8

      Getty Images

      San Marco

      The frescoed dormitory of the monastery is the location of some of Fra Angelico’s finest works. For more information, click here.

      Dreamstime.com

      Top Attraction #9

      iStock

      San Lorenzo

      The first Renaissance church and home to the glorious Medici Chapels. For more information, click here.

      Dreamstime.com

      Top Attraction #10

      Getty Images

      Cappella Brancacci

      The site of Masaccio’s sublime frescoes. For more information, click here.

      Dreamstime.com

      A Perfect Day In Florence

      9.00am

      Breakfast

      Start your day with a cappuccino and cornetto at Caffè Scudieri on the Piazza di San Giovanni (19r). This smart, long-established café/pasticceria is right in the heart of Florence, in the pedestrianised Piazza.

      10.00am

      The Duomo

      Amble around the Piazza, admiring the Baptistery, Campanile (bell tower) and the iconic Duomo (cathedral). Those with stamina can tackle the 463 stairs spiralling to the top of the cathedral’s dome to admire Brunelleschi’s engineering genius and the fabulous views.

      11.30am

      Via de’Tornabuoni

      Take the Via Roma south of the Baptistery for Piazza della Repubblica, home to some of the city’s most elegant cafés. Cross the square for Via Strozzi and at the end turn left onto Via de’ Tornabuoni for the lavish flagship stores of Armani, Gucci and Prada, to name just a few.

      1.00pm

      Mercato Nuovo

      At Piazza Santa Trinità, turn left onto Via Porta, passing halfway along the Palazzo Davanzati. At the end on the right is the Mercato Nuovo; built for the sale of silk and gold, the market is now devoted to leather and souvenirs. Rub the snout of the bronze boar to guarantee your return to Florence and maybe brave a tripe sandwich from the popular stand at the market’s southwest corner.

      1.30pm

      Piazza art

      Since medieval times this expansive piazza has been a hub of city life. Overlooking the piazza is the towering Palazzo Vecchio, former ancestral home of the Medici. Admire the array of open-air sculpture, check out the Gucci Garden, or sit at one of the people-watching cafés. For a juicy bistecca a la fiorentina and a glass of Chianti, head for nearby Frescobaldi (Via dei Magazzini).

      3.00pm

      Ponte Vecchio

      Head south for the river, passing the famous Uffizi Gallery, repository of the world’s finest collection of Renaissance art. At the River Arno turn right for Ponte Vecchio, symbol of Florence and its oldest bridge. Goldsmiths and jewellers have been selling their wares here since 1593.

      3.30pm

      Boboli

      From the bridge follow the flow to the Palazzo Pitti. The vast palace is home to five museums and could occupy a whole day or more. For now just explore the lovely Giardino di Boboli, the formal gardens dotted with loggias, cool fountains, grottos and myriad statues.

      8.00pm

      Dinner time

      Make for Piazza Santo Spirito, just northwest of Palazzo Pitti. Relax with an aperitivo on the piazza and then choose a spot for dinner. The piazza buzzes with cafés, restaurants and wine bars.

      10.30pm

      Nightlife

      On summer evenings sit outside and admire the floodlit facade of the Church of Santo Spirito, or join the young Florentines in the lively bars around the piazza.

      Introduction

      The magnificent view from the hilltop church of San Miniato has changed little since the 16th century. The belvedere here looks out across the bridge-trellised Arno to Florence’s centro storico (historic centre). It is a sea of terracotta rooftops interrupted only by the cupola (dome) of San Lorenzo, the medieval bell-tower of the Palazzo Vecchio and the focal point; the massive cupola of the Duomo.

      The awesome contribution that Florence made to Western civilisation and culture was greatly out of proportion to its then diminutive size. Few nations, let alone cities, can boast of having nurtured such a remarkable heritage of artistic, literary, scientific and political talent in such a short period of time. Florence was, as D.H. Lawrence put it, ‘man’s perfect universe’. The roll call of artists and writers is an unparalleled record for any city; and remarkable for one whose uncontested period of greatness spanned less than 300 years.

      Travel guides often compare Renaissance Florence with Athens in the 5th century BC, but while that glory is recalled only by spectacular ruins, Renaissance Florence remains intact and in evidence at every turn. Its historic palaces, great churches, exquisite sculptures and countless masterpieces are not crumbling relics, but a vivid and functional part of everyday life – worked in, lived in, prayed in, prized by present-day Florentines and open to all.

      The elegant Palazzo Vecchio, where the first civic authority sat in the Middle Ages, still houses the offices of the city council. Congregations kneel for mass in churches commissioned by medieval guilds. The jewellery stores lining the Ponte Vecchio are occupied by the descendants of goldsmiths who set up workshops here in the 14th century. Most of the city’s narrow, cobbled side streets were wide enough to permit the passage of horse-drawn carts of centuries ago.

      Not surprisingly, the city has proved irresistible to tourists since the late 18th century, when Florence and its treasures became an unmissable stop on the ‘Grand Tour’ undertaken by the British gentry. Today, the medieval alleys are lined with ice cream bars and pizzerias. Postcard vendors and souvenir stalls crowd the piazzas, and milling throngs of international visitors cram the streets and museums. Yet among the trappings of modern tourism, the bronze-workers and leather artisans, although dying breeds, can still be found in their workshops.

      Florence’s detractors describe the city as overcrowded and overpriced. There is a modicum of truth

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