Where to stay in Florence

Across the Ponte Vecchio from the tourist center: the Pitti Palace (the Medici summer palace, now housing 8 museums), the Boboli Gardens behind it, and the Oltrarno neighborhood where Florentine craftspeople have been working since the Middle Ages. Piazza Santo Spirito has the best cheap restaurants in the city and a morning farmers market. San Miniato al Monte on the hill above has the finest view of Florence and a Gregorian chant service on Sunday evenings.

The eastern historic neighborhood: the Basilica di Santa Croce (Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli are buried here), the leather school inside the basilica (genuine Florentine leather goods at fair prices), and the Santa Croce leather market outside. Piazza dei Ciompi flea market is good on the last Sunday of the month. The neighborhood fills with students from the surrounding universities.

The neighborhood around the Mercato Centrale: the covered food market (ground floor, local produce; upper floor, street food hall - the best cheap lunch in central Florence). The outdoor San Lorenzo market sells leather goods (negotiate, quality varies). The Medici Chapels are at the neighborhood's heart - the New Sacristy by Michelangelo is one of the most beautiful rooms in Italy.

The most concentrated square kilometer of Renaissance art in the world: the Duomo, Brunelleschi's dome, the Baptistery, Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi, and the Ponte Vecchio all within 15 minutes of each other. Every surface is art. Also the most expensive neighborhood for food and accommodation. The Piazza della Repubblica has the city's most elegant cafes (expensive but atmospheric).

The hillside south of Oltrarno: Piazzale Michelangelo has the most famous view of Florence (a bronze copy of David, the full panorama of the Duomo and city below - free, 24h, and worth arriving before dawn). The Rose Garden just below it (free in season, spring roses against the city backdrop) and the Forte Belvedere (seasonal exhibitions) are nearby. The San Niccolò wine bars along the Arno are the best in Florence.

The hill town above Florence, 30 minutes by bus from the city center: a Roman amphitheater, Etruscan museum, medieval cathedral, and extraordinary villa gardens. The view from Fiesole over Florence - the Duomo rising from the valley floor - is better than any view from within the city. Several of Tuscany's finest hotels are in Fiesole villas.