Antonia's Italy Walking Tours of Florence A Guide to Its Art, Food & Fun: Antonia's Italy Rome, #5

By A. Accili

 

Do You Want to Discover Florence's Best Sites, Most Delicious Food, Awe-Inspiring Views and Loads of Fun at Your Own Pace?  

 

Look No Further!  Eccolo!  Here it is.

 

Florence is the second most visited city in Italy. There are over 75 tourist sites, museums, several gardens, fantastic restaurants and panoramic views. With so many choices, what's the best?  What must you see?  Antonia's Italy will show you.

 

What's included in this 5th edition pocket-sized travel guide:

 

• Pre-Trip preparations 
• 5 thematic half-day walks that take you all over Florence
• A primer on art history including a small selection of what to see in the Uffizi Museum
• 15 restaurants with memorable Tuscan food for romance, foodies, fun for the family
• 4 best gelato and candy shops
• Tips for exploring Florence and making the most of your time
• Fun facts about Architecture, The Medici, Renaissance Artists, Gardens, Food, Gelato and The Markets

 

This book condenses the best of Florence into this pocket guide so that you can make the most of your time in this spectacular city. Look for other cities in the Antonia's Italy series.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sterling Consulting Serivces, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223010418

Book preview

A. Accili

Antonia’s Italy –

Walking Tours of Florence

A Guide to Its Art, Food & Fun

Copyright © 2023  by  A.  Accili

All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without express permission from the publisher.  It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

A. Accili asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A. Accili has no responsibility for the persistence of accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks.  All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners.  The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.  None of the companies referred with the book have endorsed the book.

Fifth   Edition,  September 2023

With additional information regarding Art History & The Uffizi

This book was professionally typeset and edited by A.M. Montellato and  

R. Montellato. 

Cover Photo by:  Maegan Pexels

Dedication

This pocket guide is dedicated to my paternal great-grandparents who braved a passage in steerage to arrive in Trail and Spokane in the early 1900’s. 

Grit, savvy, an honorable work ethic and love of family, allowed them to erect businesses and lives setting examples for the generations that followed. None of them returned to Italy. 

My remarkable, loving Nonnie Notti Amicarella encouraged me to study in Italy.  She insisted I reconnect with family left behind.  Nonnie was my spark, my inspiration.

"Everything about Florence seems to be

colored with a mild violet, like diluted wine."

-Henry James, writer, in a letter dated 1869

Contents

Welcome - Benvenuto!

What to Expect

What to Pack

Tips To Prepare for Your Trip

Getting Around in Florence

Tips While in Florence

An Aperitivo on A Rooftop

La Famiglia The Medici

Where to Stay

Top 5 Walks

Walking in the Footsteps of Michelangelo Part 1

Walking in the Footsteps of Michelangelo Part 2

Gardens with a View The Boboli and The Bardini

Markets!  The Sant’Ambrogio and Central Market

Meet Fra Angelico and Michelangelo’s Teacher

Art History Timeline

The Uffizi Its Story

Favorite Masterpieces Room by Room

Florentine Food

Top 15 Places to Eat

Top 5 Authentic Artisanal Gelato Shops

Favorite Candy Shops

Grazie Mille!

A Special Thanks

Resources

About the Author

Welcome - Benvenuto!

Firenze, The Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio

"Firenze mi fe’!" - Florence made me

- (Derived from Dante)

I ADORE Florence!  This magnificent jewel was my home for my junior year of college at Gonzaga University over 40 years ago.  That year changed me.  Forever.  As Dante wrote in the Divine Comedy, "Siena mi fe’!  (Siena made me!)  Well, Florence made me.

Thanks to my great-grandmother’s nudging, Florence became my home, my destiny when I was 20.  Life changing events occurred for me in this majestic city.  The journey began in Florence with new family connections and a year among the Italian people and legendary culture.

I owe a debt of gratitude to my cousins in Abruzzo for their loving, warm embrace.  To my brilliant art history teacher, Dr. Mercedes Carrara of Gonzaga University in Florence, who inspired me to study art history.  To the Gelli family who lovingly cared for over a dozen naïve, twenty-year-old students for one year at Pensione Simona as if we were an extension of their family. To the Fama family who adopted me as their American daughter and encouraged me to study this beautiful language of Dante.  Collectively, they set my life on a path of perpetual learning and curiosity to seek to understand and to LOVE all things Italian.

I returned to California where I continued to study art history for the next 40 years.  I have watched Florence change as world travelers discover her splendors.  Globalization has left its mark.  But even with the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, it is still one of my favorite places.

For decades, I have been fortunate to travel to several other cities in Italy.  Every trip re-energizes my curiosity and love for Italy, the culture, her melodic language. 

I am compiling these walking tours and suggestions to share my home away from home with you my fellow travelers, so that you too can experience some of Italy’s allure, beauty, and historical significance in our collective humanity, at YOUR own pace.

We will begin with Florence.  The content is condensed to help you manage your time and point out the highlights of the city, all from my personal experiences.  This is the first in a series that will unfold over the next decade.

I highly recommend you hire a licensed guide while visiting Florence. They know about new places to eat, fun places to go for families, dance halls, the best bars, local wineries near the city, special exhibits, upcoming local festivals called "sagra," art and music performances.  Guides are indispensable resources.

So, strap on your comfortable walking shoes and explore this gem at your leisure with this walking guide in bella Firenze.

Buon Viaggio,

Accili

David

What to Expect

Florence is always busy.   Be prepared for people at nearly every turn year-round.  Getting up early is the key to enjoy this city.  Like nearly every city in Italy, it is best seen on foot. Expect to walk at least 10K to 30K steps a day.  The most crowded hours are between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.  Be prepared for very hot summers and wet winters.

Plan.  Be practical when it comes to planning your day.  Allow time to rest. Make reservations for dining and museums.

Firenze is one of the greatest cities on Earth.  It is so stunning because of the concentration of discoveries and artifacts left behind, for all of us to ponder and enjoy.  The Etruscan Age, the Medieval Ages and Gothic period, the Renaissance, Italian Mannerism and the Baroque era have left their mark in Florence.  Italy has more art on the planet than any other country and nearly 70% of the art in Italy, is found in Florence.

This guide concentrates on modernity and the Renaissance which began in Florence in the 15th Century, largely due to the genius and support of the Medici family.  The Medici largesse of intellectual and financial capital supported artists, poets, architects, scientists, and politicians who left a legacy of riches that endured, and we enjoy six centuries later. 

It is impossible to see and to experience all of Firenze in a few days or even a few months.  Its rich history cannot be abbreviated in a few paragraphs or guidebooks.  And hundreds of books have indeed been written about this one-of-a-kind city, its history, people and art.  So,