Archive for the ‘Tours & Activities’ Category

The Night Life in Florence

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Florence definitely sports a lot when it comes to art, shopping, palaces, and food. But it is important to realize that Florence is a city that also comes with an amazing nightlife. You won’t be returning to your hotel, villa, farmhouse, or hostel early. You may as well make plans to stay out late.

How do you discover this night life when it isn’t really that evident during the day?

Well, all you have to do is take a walk after dark.

The first place to head to is the Santa Novella Maria area. La Rotonda may seem like just a pizzeria, but what you will find is that it is a hangout and a place for live music.

Cappocaccia is another hot spot when you want some amazing cocktails. You’ll find it in the Duomo right along the river. This is a place where you can dress to impress and take a look at some of the best looking locals you can lay your eyes on. Overall, however, it is rather laid back.

If you want something with more of a Moroccan fusion style, Sesamie is a great place to go. You can lounge around and have a great time. The Rex Café is also a great place to hang out and enjoy its mosaic walls.

But if you really want to get into the contemporary nightlife of Florence, you will have to visit the area of the city where tourists don’t tend to go. This means going to an area where famous attractions such as the Uffizi are not around. If you go further down the river, you will find such hotspots as the Rifrullo Terrace bar. Club Montecarla is also a hot spot that consists of three whole floors.

So make sure you take advantage of all that Florence has to offer during the day and night.

Four Sites you must See in Florence

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

When traveling to Florence there are plenty of sites to see, but there are four that you should pay special attention to…unless they are not your cup of tea, but they are hard to not visit.

Here are those sites:

• The Duomo – You will find the Duomo in the Piazza Dumono. This is an area that is younger than some of the other areas of Florence because it was founded in 1891. You’ll be able to come to the Duomo and see the many changes that the city has gone through throughout the years. The changes are quite vast in some areas but not so much in others. These are portrayed in the way of sculptures. You may find that this is quite fascinating because that is the point when you really realize what sort of city you are visiting.

• The Ponte Vecchio – This medieval bridge can be found expanding over the Arno River. A lot of activities take place along the river and around this bridge. You can find gardens where you can picnic, as well as other activities. You’ll also find shops built into the bridge. This is something that was common in the old days. The bridge also has an interesting history that starts in 1117 and consists of rebuilds in 1333 and the last rebuild being in 1345.

• The Uffizi gallery – The Uffizi is the most popular gallery in Florence and is one that comes with long lines. It is best that you make reservations in advance so that you can see the great works by Michelangelo and many other Renaissance artists.

• The Palazzo Pitti – The Medici family once lived in this giant home. It is now the entrance to the Boboli Gardens and has give museums within it. You’ll find that many of the rooms have the original furniture owned by the Medici family. This is fascinating, considering the Medicis are responsible for a lot of things that occurred during the Renaissance era.