Florence Hotels

Make Florence your holiday vacation destination if you plan to travel in the best of what the world has to offer in terms of art, music, food and all the finer things in life.

Attractions

The Florentine landscape is made more charming by olive groves in the hills, and the flurry of palaces, museums and red-coloured rooftops dominating the skyline.

Cathedral Square or Piazza de Duomo is the heart of city with the cathedral's majestic dome lording over Florence. Its green, pink and white façade is the city's most famous landmark; the architecture shows neo-gothic style, richly detailed bas-reliefs and sculptures made by no less than Donatello.

To see more of his work and other Renaissance legends, the nearby Uffizi museum holds the oldest art collection the world has seen. Needless to say, the place is packed and queues outside are mile-long during peak touristy season.

The Barghello museum also has quite a collection of sculptures under its safekeeping. This former prison now boasts a treasure trove dating back from the medieval times. Here you can be awestruck by the works of Michelangelo, Donatello, Cellini and Giambologna.

Another church one must see while in Florence is in Santa Croce. Pay homage to Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini and other famous Florentines as their tombs are found in this Franciscan basilica. The interiors of the church also serve as a museum with magnificent frescoes, paintings and sculptures all in display.

Finally, across the Arno River, do pay a visit to the Boboli gardens within the Palazzo Pitti, once owned by the Medici family. Well-worth seeing if not just for the fantastic views of Florence, are the seven museums offering all sorts of fine craftsmanship of the Renaissance period. The gardens are landscaped with grand details such as fountains, walk paths, grottoes and sculptures such as a bathing Venus. Locals are wont to make it as picnic grounds as they sit down with salami on hand and wine in tow.

Events

The biggest cultural gathering in Florence is Maggio Musicale Florentino, a musical event held around April and June. It is also one of the oldest in Europe, big names troop to Florence for this annual spectacle of concerts, big and small. If you want to check out museums without the burden of admission fees, wait for “Settimani dei Beni Culturali” in which all state museums open their doors for free sometime in September.

Religious festivals are also celebrated as the country is devoutly Catholic. In April, Easter Sunday is marked by an exploding cart at noon which is an old tradition in Florence called Scoppio del Carro. An elaborate ox-driven cart is led through a procession then goes up in splinters in the end. Legend has it that locals expect a lucky year ahead if everything goes well in the ceremony. The city's patron saint, St. John, is honoured in one special day in June with processions and fireworks at night.

Climate

• Winter (November to February) 2-6°C; cold and wet, with a tendency towards freezing temperatures

• Spring (March to May) 5 - 23°C; pleasant and mild

• Summer (June to August) 15 - 31°C; very hot and humidity is at its highest

• Fall (September to October) 14 - 21°C; weather starts to cool down as compared to the stifling heat of summer