Things to do in Florence Italy … if you are reading this blog, perhaps you are looking for ideas a bit off the beaten tracks.
This list of suggestions is based on my personal experience. I have been in all those places many times and I know the people that are working to make this happen and, above all, the passion for what they do.
My list of 8 things to do in Florence Italy was thought also to satisfy different travel styles. In fact, you can find 3 types of activity:
- 4 activities that you can manage on your own. Downtown Florence or just outside Florence
- 1 guided walking tour to discover Florentine artisans. Downtown Florence.
- 3 experiences: 1 special cooking class, 1 hands-on with an artisan and 1 bike guided tour + wine tasting experience in Chianti.
“My” 8 things to do in Florence Italy
1) House of Dante Alighieri – Museum – Florence downtown
House of Dante Alighieri, the author of The Divine Comedy, one of the greatest masterpieces of world literature. The best way to really appreciate Dante is to refresh your memories related to The Divine Comedy in advance so that, once you are there, you can better “feel” Dante and the pleasure of the visit the museum will be at the top. Full price 4€.
2) Palazzo Medici Riccardi – Museum – Florence downtown
This is the first Medici palace. Home of Cosimo the Elder and of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Amazing workplace of artists such as Donatello, Michelangelo, Paolo Uccello, and Botticelli. Someone said: “The Renaissance house… where it all began”. The palace today is hosting stunning exhibitions. Price for museum + exhibition is 10€.
3) Adventure park “Parco avventura il Gigante” – an Amusement park – About 15km out of Florence
More than 200 passageways among the trees at different heights for the whole family, from 3 years and up. Immersed in an enchanted forest, easily reachable from Firenze in a few minutes. Price range is 10/20€
- Adventure Park “Il Gigante” https://www.parcoavventurailgigante.it
4) A Beer on the roof of The Student Hotel (TSH) – Rooftop bar
This is not “just” a hotel, it is a new concept related to hybrid hospitality. Trendy design coupled with quality accommodation for genuine comfort.
5) Tour of Florentine artisans – Guided tour – Florence downtown
Group of tour guide in Florence that offers also a guided tour specifically dedicated to the Florentine artisans. In a few hours, you will have the possibility to visit some of the most traditional artisans in Florence. This tour was launched in 2019.
6) Hands-on together with a Florentine artisan – Experience – Florence downtown
Few top-class artisans, with the sponsorship also of the municipality of Florence, have opened their laboratory to those who are willing to really get involved, for few hours, in the manufacturing process of the handcrafted item you have chosen. In a few hours, you will enjoy an amazing experience, like how to create a perfume (based on personal taste), or how to build an inlaid wooden frame or how to bind a book, and much more. The artisans are happy to share their expertise and willing also to tell their story. A truly inspiring experience. This kind of experience was successfully tested in 2018 and consolidated in 2019.
- Check here to find the list of experiences. Please note that unfortunately, the website is only in Italian. If you have questions or if you would like to make a reservation, I am more than happy to assist you with this.
7) Cooking session – cook like an ancient Tuscan – Experience – Fiesole
If you like a cooking session, this is very peculiar. In an amazing and charming private villa in Fiesole, you can “cook like an ancient Tuscan”. You will learn how to prepare – from scratch – this special meal. It is important to pay attention to what you are doing because… this will be your lunch! Stunning view of Florence from the villa’s terrace.
- Cook like an ancient Tuscan. www.cooklikeancientuscan.com Price depends on the experience type.
8) Chianti Bike tour & wine tasting – Experience – Chianti area
There are many ways to visit Chianti, but if you like to smell the air, and give enough time to your eyes to enjoy the perfect alignment of the vineyards and to admire the colors of nature, I would definitively suggest considering a bike tour. Cycling up and down on Chianti hills (better with an e-bike) is a unique “slow tour experience” and very rewarding. Chianti is plenty of amazing places, one of my favorite locations is Badia a Passignano. Price of e-bike guided tour experience depends on experience type. Price from 100€ per person.
Come up with a list of 8 things to do in Florence Italy is really a crazy exercise.
Florence offers such an amazing variety of opportunities, therefore, highlighting just 8 of those is really hard. However, I hope you enjoyed my suggestions and, above all, you have got somehow inspired so that you can create your own list of things to do in Florence Italy.
I wish you to enjoy your stay in Tuscany and to maximize the benefit of the things you will do in Florence whatever they might be. I would love to hear from you how it went and if you enjoyed my ideas.
