Travel in city Tuscan

Eating, drinking and embracing la dolce vita in Florence has honestly never been so tantalizing or diverse.

Many of Florence’s most iconic sights are iconic precisely because they haven't changed in hundreds of years.

Florence has been a key destination on Italian itineraries since the Grand Tour days, when British and German aristocrats traveled through the peninsula to enrich their cultural baggage and gain status. While much has changed since the 17th and 18th centuries, the Tuscan capital remains a major draw, as proven by the thousands of people who reach the city every day.

This is part of Off Season Italy, a collection of guides highlighting the year-round appeal of Italy's most popular destinations, courtesy of our favorite local tastemakers. Read more here.

It’s difficult to calculate how many works of art are exhibited in the UNESCO-inscribed historic center of Florence – compiling a comprehensive list of things to see and do would be an encyclopedic endeavor. The collection of world-class museums such as the Uffizi and Galleria dell’Accademia draw in thousands of people daily, but these comprise only a fraction of the Tuscan capital’s heritage. 

Only got time for one beautiful Italian city? 

Florence's transformation over the past two decades may not be visible at first glance – the red roofs, stone-paved alleys and Renaissance monuments have remained largely intact for centuries.

Anyone who loves Italy will enjoy taking a virtual trip with Dream of Italy host and executive producer Kathy McCabe.

Florence (Italian: Firenze) is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany known as the "cradle of the Renaissance" (la culla del Rinascimento) for its monuments, churches and buildings.

Across our 25 days, we stayed in seven different places, which let us see the best of Venice, the Dolomites, Lake Como, Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome, and the Amalfi Coast.

Florence, one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations, has banned new short-term residential lets on platforms such as Airbnb in its historic centre, in the latest move by a local authority to try to free up more homes for locals.