Florence

Pacing Florence's museums and churches on both banks of the Arno

Florence is best seen on foot, across both banks of the Arno and up into the hills beyond.

Half an hour on foot takes you from one edge of the historic centre to the other. The real limit is how much art you can absorb, and Stendhal's warning still stands: a couple of museums and a scatter of churches a day is plenty. Leave room for the streets.

North bank, two days: spend one morning on the Duomo complex, climbing Brunelleschi's dome or Giotto's bell tower, and the afternoon at the Accademia with Michelangelo's David. The second day belongs to the Uffizi; walk out through Piazza della Signoria to the Ponte Vecchio afterwards.

South bank, a third day: the Oltrarno holds the Pitti Palace with the Boboli Gardens behind it, plus artisan workshops around Santo Spirito. Climb the Rampe di San Niccolò to Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset, or go higher to San Miniato al Monte to escape the tour coaches.

Days four and five: leave town. The coach is the easy way to Siena: it leaves from the bus station beside Santa Maria Novella and takes about 1 hr 20 min. Pisa and Lucca are simple trips by regional train. SITA buses climb into Chianti, reaching Greve and Panzano in about an hour. Fiesole, on the hill above the city, is only a short bus ride away.

Tickets for the Uffizi and the Accademia sell out regularly. The dome and bell tower climbs run on timed slots too. Reserve all of them before you travel if your dates fall between April and October. Then work out whether the Firenzecard actually saves money on the museums you plan to see.

From SMN, fast trains reach Rome in 90 minutes, Milan in 1 hr 40 min and Venice in 2 hours. Collect a rental car on the outskirts for Chianti.

Summer heat in the Arno basin and the cooler months to choose

The city lies in a river basin with no steady breeze, so summer heat builds up here more than on the Tuscan coast. The thermometer passes 30°C on roughly 71 days in a typical year; July and August both reach highs of about 32°C. Sightsee in the morning. After lunch, retreat indoors and save the riverside for the evening.

Spring and early autumn feel far better: April tops out around 20°C, May around 24°C, September around 27°C. They are also the busiest months. From April to October visitors outnumber residents, and Uffizi slots go weeks ahead.

June has the city's own spectacle. Calcio storico, a rough costumed ball game between teams from the four historic quarters, plays three matches in Piazza Santa Croce in the third week of June. The final falls on 24 June, the feast of San Giovanni, which is a local holiday. Nearby, Siena runs its Palio horse race on 2 July and 16 August, and buses from Florence fill up on both days.

Winter is cool. December and January peak at about 11°C, and nights often drop below freezing. Museum queues shrink, which is the trade-off. During Carnival, bakeries sell schiacciata alla fiorentina, a soft white flat cake.

Lampredotto, Tuscan bread and the peasant roots of Florentine food

Florentine food grew out of peasant cooking, built on meat and bread. The city's street snack is lampredotto, a dark cut of cow's stomach simmered with herbs and tomato. Tripe sellers park carts in the squares and chop it to order. It goes into a roll whose top is dipped in the broth. Choose the green herb sauce or the hot red one.

Tuscan bread is baked without salt. Stale loaves end up in ribollita and pappa al pomodoro, or in summer panzanella salad. Begin with crostini toscani spread with chicken-liver pâté. The bistecca alla fiorentina is a T-bone of Chianina beef, typically 1.2 to 1.5 kg. It is grilled over charcoal and served very rare. Menus price it per etto (100 g), so ask the weight before it goes on the grill. Smaller appetites can order tagliata, sliced rare beef on rocket.

Santa Croce and the Oltrarno hold many of the best restaurants. The worst value is around San Lorenzo market and just south of the Duomo. Mercato Centrale is good for picnic supplies. Many trattorias have no pizza oven, so look for pizza in the small places of Sant'Ambrogio. A schiacciata sandwich makes a cheap lunch. Dinner starts between 19:00 and 21:00.

House Chianti comes by the carafe; finish with cantuccini dipped in vin santo. Coffee drunk standing costs less than at a table, and a take-away order should not be carried to a seat. A wall fountain at Palazzo Vecchio pours still and sparkling water for free.