A Weekend in Florence

It is the perfect itinerary for a quick weekend in Florence

Florence Italy view from Piazzale Michelangelo

It is the perfect itinerary for a quick weekend in Florence.

Florence offers much to discover, from classic art to contemporary exhibitions, plus an illustrious heritage of fashion and food. It’s a city that will ignite your passions on every level.

Today, it’s a magnificent example of Renaissance architecture built on the wealth of the city’s 15th- and 16th-century burgeoning new banking scene. The newly rich had grand palaces to outdo their neighbours and commissioned fine artworks by the city’s most talented creatives to adorn their palace walls. The city’s heart lies within the old Renaissance parameters, intersected by the river Arno, crossed by the famed Ponte Vecchio bridge, and containing the significant landmarks: the Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Pitti, Boboli Gardens, Galleria dell’Accademia, Palazzo Vecchio and the Duomo.

Florence is a vibrant capital for a small city that retains much of its traditions today, especially its artisan heritage. Equally, there is a fresh array of contemporary spaces to enjoy a balance of traditionally made creative crafts with a modern design twist, whether leather-made goods or jewellery in artisan studios or restaurants using locally sourced produce of the finest quality.

Uncover the secret venues of Florence

SATURDAY

Start your day at Caffé Gilli

Serving since 1733 and famed as Florence’s oldest cafe, Gilli is an institution within the bustling Piazza della Repubblica. Gilli offers old-world charisma with a frothy cappuccino and stiff espresso served for standing patrons at a long marble-topped bar by dapper baristas in waistcoats and ties. For those wishing to linger, banquette seating within the elegant dining room has a Room with a View charm. Begun as a Swiss pastry shop, Gilli’s sweet treats are some of the finest in the city. Also, the chocolateier shelves are bursting with cocoa treats and colourful artisanal jellies. Lunch offers sandwiches and light bites, and the best seats are by the open windows in the main cafe building overlooking the piazza.

Gilli Weekend in Florence
Gilli © Nardia Plumridge

Next up: take in a contemporary art exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi

From 1538 until 1937, Palazzo Strozzi remained in private ownership, home to the prominent family of the same name, and one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture in Florence. Today, it is a hot spot for contemporary exhibitions in a city traditionally a go-to for classical art. Its centrepiece is its grand courtyard, which you can walk through and admire without ticket admission. There are music events on Thursdays (during its weekly late-night opening), plus a chic bistro-cafe for caffeinated or cocktail treats.

Strozzi’s shows are always innovative. A recent exhibition was The Florence Experiment, a collaboration between artist Carsten Höller and scientist Stefano Mancuso. They installed two 20-meter slides for visitors to cascade down the courtyard facade within the palazzo. Other shows have ranged from Chinese activist artist Ai Weiwei to works by Van Gogh. La Strozzina, its mini basement gallery, often hosts exhibition offshoot shows. Meanwhile, Bottega Strozzi, the bookstore by Marsilio Editori, is a colourful collection of contemporary publications.

Palazzo Strozzi Weekend in Florence
Palazzo Strozzi © Alessandro Moggi

Afternoon: refresh yourself with an afternoon aperitivo at Procacci

This truffle haven has been in situ on elegant Via de’ Tornabuoni since 1885
 and retains its 19th-century salon feel. Founded by Leopoldo Procacci, a passionate truffle connoisseur, the space was recently refurbished yet retains the original layout with an L-shaped bar and wood-panelled walls filled with shelves of truffle products infused with butter, salt, olive oil, and jams. Waitstaff move gracefully, ready to pour your glass of choice (try the sparking Rosé) from one of Florence’s most noble wine families, Antinori. Choose from finger sandwiches layered in truffle cream, anchovies, and truffle butter or truffle with foie gras. Procacci also has a gourmet shop, should you be so enamoured by the truffle items that you wish to take them home. Afterwards, wander along the elegant Via de’ Tornabuoni. Peering into the showrooms of luxury labels of Armani, Gucci, Pucci, and Prada.

Procacci Weekend in Florence
Procacci

End of Day: Old-world Tuscan dining at Cantinetta Antinori

The Antinori family has been winemakers in Tuscany since 1385. In this cozy restaurant on the ground floor of their grand city palace, dishes are cooked to traditional recipes. Creating an old-world dining experience and attentive service. The kitchen follows the rhythm and seasons of Tuscany, offering fresh pasta and game. In truffle season, buttery pasta with shavings of this prized root is to be savoured. Try carciofi (artichoke) tagliatelle or a plate of porcini mushrooms hot off the grill when on the menu. Maîtred Daniele happily suggests dishes, daily specials and which glass you should sample first from the family’s many wine estates scattered throughout Tuscany and Umbria. All the Antinori wines, from Chianti Classico to crisp Vermentino from Bolgheri, are offered by glass or bottle.

Cantinetta Antinori Weekend in Florence
Cantinetta Antinori

Late night: indulge at Rasputin

Named after the Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man assassinated in St Petersburg in 1916, this ‘secret’ bar has been a word-of-mouth hit since it quietly opened in 2016. There’s no street number, just directions. You need to find the basement bar and ring a discreet doorbell within a small alcove in a private chapel with a church pew and crucifix hanging on the wall.

Established by Marco Vinci, Rasputin has a distinctly British gentleman’s club feel tucked under an exposed brick arch ceiling, warmed by walls in a blood-red hue and furnished with antiques and dimly lit lamps. Seasoned wait staff guide you through a drinks list with a prohibition-era flair. Cocktails are stiff and perfectly blended. Created by head bartender Daniele Cancellara, who revisits old classics using only the finest raw ingredients. The shelves behind the wood-panelled bar house over 300 bottles of spirits (100 whiskeys). Plus, a selection of fine old-world wine from Italy and France, including Champagne, is available by the bottle. With only 43 seats, reservations are wise and can be made until 11 pm each night.

Rasputin Weekend in Florence
Rasputin © Gabriel Preda

SUNDAY

Start your day surrounded by ferns and fashion at Floret

An oasis within the walls of high-end fashion store Luisa via Roma, Floret is a welcomed, serene addition to inner-city Florence dining. Away from the hustle of the shopping streets below, this courtyard cafe on the first floor of the fashion emporium is surrounded by leafy ferns in pots, with 1960s-inspired decor in muted pastel shades and indoor sofa seating under a canopy ceiling. The seasonal menu is good greenery
too with superfood salad bowls, fresh sandwiches and pressed juices. Tuck it into dishes like tabbouleh with grilled lemon chicken or a Dr Green smoothie (pineapple, spinach, banana, mint, avocado, wheatgrass, matcha), a meal in itself. With many gluten-free and vegan dishes, as well as non-dairy options. (Try the golden turmeric
latte). Organic, clean eating will satisfy any fashionista or wellness seeker.

Floret Weekend in Florence
Floret © Olga Makarova

Lunch over the finest Bistecca at Osteria dell’Enoteca

If running one of the best wine bars in the city wasn’t enough, the Pitti Gola & Cantina team decided to open a restaurant specialising in bistecca and wine. The kind of place they would want to frequent on their day off. And you can see why. Opposite the walls of Boboli Gardens, the restaurant’s exposed brick walls and linen-draped tables offer a refined yet not-stuffy dining experience.

Chef Nicola Chiappi’s menu is laced with seasonal local ingredients and four types of bistecca. From a house special to the Chianina breed. Spring starters include savoury flan of ricotta cheese with monks’ beard greens and lemon. Or paté fans will devour the local specialty of chicken liver glazed with a sweet Vin Santo wine reduction. Then there are traditional crespelle (crepes) stuffed with ricotta and spinach. Or handmade maccheroncetti pasta with asparagus and pecorino cheese. The team will happily perfect a pairing from their hefty Wine Wall to suit your food. Featuring Italian labels from small batches made by boutique wine producers.

Lost in Florence_Osteria dell'Enoteca p80_photographer credit Olga Makarova
Osteria dell’Enoteca © Olga Makarova

Lose the afternoon in the grand rooms at Palazzo Pitti

Initially built by banker Luca Pitti in the 15th century, Palazzo Pitti was purchased in 1550 by Eleanor of Toledo, wife of Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici. His desire was for a more modern home away from the ‘old’ apartments
of Palazzo Vecchio. They doubled the building to become the most splendid palace in Florence, symbolising their power and the new Grand Ducal residence. The facade is striking and imposing when approached from the palace entrance. Its stone piazza is a popular spot to sun yourself during gallery visits. Within Pitti are five museums, making it the largest exhibition complex in Florence. Treasury of the Grand Dukes has exquisite quadrature frescoes and priceless jewellery, including 16th-century gems once belonging to
Anna Maria Luisa de Medici. The Gallery of Modern Art, the Museum of Costume and Fashion, and the Royal and Imperial Apartments are upstairs. The latter have been kept in their original 18th-century style since the House of Lorraine-Habsburg called Pitti home.

In the Palatine Gallery, 500 masterpieces by Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, and Rubens that were once part of the Medici collection hang in ostentatiously decorated rooms. Napoleon, in his quest to expand the French Empire, used the palace as his Florence base between 1799 and 1814 (his private bathroom remains). Out back, the Boboli Gardens is a green respite from the city’s cobbled streets.

Lost in Florence_Palazzo Pitti p162_photographer credit Beatrice Mancini
Palazzo Pitt © Beatrice Mancini

Post Gallery, shop along Sdrucciolo de’ Pitti for artisan crafts at Giulia Materia

Like many of the stores in the artisan neighbourhood of Santo Spirito, craftsmanship here is key. Designer Giulia Materia hails from Arezzo, studied at Bauhaus-Universtät Weimar, Germany, and was trained in binding at the Santa Reparata International School of Art in Florence. With partner Enzo Sarcinelli, she opened her shop and laboratory in 2012. Here, you’ll find the duo behind their shop counter most days gluing together their latest notebooks ready for display. Products in her snug store have a distinctly retro flair, using bright, bold materials in block neon colours, stripes, and prints. Overnight and gym bags and pencil cases are sewn with ”70s-inspired wool upholstery fabrics. Notebooks are bound in bright cotton, with rows of shift dresses and coloured T-shirts to peruse. If travelling during weekdays, be sure to pop into the Tiziana Alemanni atelier for fine female fashion at number 20.

Lost in Florence_Giulia Materia p120_photographer credit Beatrice Mancini
Giulia Materia © Beatrice Mancini

Come dusk, enjoy gentleman’s club dining with a Tuscan twist at Gurdulù

Its dining room is slick and chic, with smoky grey walls, antique mirrors, paintings, flickering tea lights, banquettes in dark check fabric, and sitting bedside vintage wood tables. At the zinc bar, ‘barlady’ Cristina Bini offers a fresh look at cocktail mixing, including her take on the classics. Like a Negroni based in mezcal. For the wine enthusiast, choose from an extensive selection of over 250 homegrown and international labels from Tuscany, Piedmont, Burgundy, and Champagne. All this before the food love begins. Chef Gabriele Andreoni is a Florence native who has worked under Michelin-star maestros Mauro Colagreco and Heinz Beck. Andreoni’s menu is anything but traditional Tuscan. Marzolino cheese risotto with fava beans, vanilla and mushroom powder or duck breast with sweet kumquat, carrots, and tart wasabi are two recent favourites.

Lost in Florence_Gurdulù p79_photographer credit Sofie Delauw
Gurdulù © Sofie Delauw

Sleep within the walls of a historic palace at AdAstra

The first floor of this 15th-century palazzo has been creatively converted into 14 bedrooms by Betty Soldi and Matteo Perduca, the interiors team behind SoprArno Suites and the latest venture, Oltrarno Splendid. AdAstra has a selection of characterful rooms decorated with vintage Italian furnishings. From the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, a mix of up-cycled furniture finished with high-end fittings. Think double showers to dreamy beds, in-room bathtubs to linen so crisp you may not make it out of bed in time for breakfast.

Lost in Florence_AdAstra p205_photographer credit Ilaria Costanzo
AdAstra © Ilaria Costanzo

Or, if your preference is sleek and modern, book a room at Milu

A boutique hotel and gallery with 22 rooms decorated in ’50s retro flair yet also contemporary in style. Original artwork lines the walls along a grand central staircase and also hangs in rooms – many works are for sale. While bathrooms feature a distinct pop of colour with neon perspex shower walls. Upstairs, in the communal lounge, library shelves are lined with books dedicated to photography and the arts. At the same time, its cozy terrace offers rooftop views over Via de’ Tornabuoni, Florence’s most fashionable street.

Lost in Florence_Milu Hotel p206_photographer credit Morgan O’Donovan
Milu © Morgan O’Donovan

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