Florence with no entry fees

Categories

 

 

FLORENCE WITH NO ENTRY FEES

 

A trip to Italy, Florence, Rome, Venice, and Milan in particular, means seeing and experiencing all the places that have helped to shape western civilization and are so iconic for so many of us. Many of those places are not only crowded with other tourists, but they also require an entry fee. After a while it can seem like all you are doing is swiping your credit card at the ATM for cash.

 

So, we were thinking, that if we were in Manhattan we could go a week without paying any kind of entry fee by using “shoe leather” to take in the sights and the no-fee venues. So here is a short list of places to go to and see in Florence that don’t require an entrance fee.

 

STROLL IN THE PIAZZA DEL DUOMO

 

The piazza is home to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Bell Tower, and the Baptistry. In many respects, it is like Times Square in that everyone wants to be there. It is Florence in most people’s minds. The Cathedral is free to enter but once inside there are fees to climb to Brunelleschi’s Dome.

 

EXPLORE AND STROLL THE PIAZZA DELLA SIGNORIA

 

Most people who come to Florence for the first time come to this large Piazza and ogle at The David, not knowing that it is a replica. That said, the piazza is steps away from the entrance to the Uffizzi Gallery (https://www.uffizi.it/en/the-uffizi), home of one of the world’s great art collections, and also nearby to the Accademia, the museum that houses the actual David (https://www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.it/en/). The piazza itself is a bit of an outdoor art museum by itself with world-famous statues around the piazza.

 

The building with the tower in the center is Palazzo Vecchio, indeed the entire complex is Town Hall for Florence and has been since before the time of the Medici in the 16th century. The Medicis, the shapers of the Renaissance, ruled Florence from this complex.

 

 

 

If by chance you are visiting Florence on May 23 you can stand on the very spot, and mark the anniversary, in the Piazza, where Girolamo Savonarola was executed in 1498. If you don’t know who he was, it is worth a Google search prior to your visit.

 

CATCH THE SUNSET FROM PIAZZALE MICHELANGELO

 

A 30-minute walk, or a quick taxi ride, will take you to the top of Piazzale Michelangelo. To see the beautiful city of Florence from above is a bucket list experience and to watch the sun retreat over the Tuscan hills is memorable.

 

WALK ACROSS THE PONTE VECCHIO

 

Opened in 1345 and saved by the Allies who refused to let Hitler succeed in destroying it on his withdrawal from Florence, the Ponte Vecchio is another icon of Florence. While it has served as a place for butchers to sell their goods, today it is lined with jewelers in much the way that 47th street in New York is lined with jewelers. There is no fee to cross the Arno on the Ponte Vecchio while you soak up medieval history and window shop for gifts for yourself or others.

 

MERCATO NUOVO (STRAW MARKET)

 

Leather goods? silk? travel gear? clothing? The Mercato Nuovo or the Straw Market is high on the must-do list for any visitor to Florence. (I still have the leather jacket I bought on my first trip there so many years ago)

 

SAN LORENZO MARKET

 

One of the sandwich shops in the states advertises that they offer free smells. Trust me, the San Lorenzo market would win hands down if free smells were a contest. Wander through the indoor and outdoor stalls and absorb a master class in Tuscan foods and Tuscan cooking. On one trip to Florence, when we had rented an apartment, we prepared a sumptuous meal with items we bought at this market.