Weekend in Florence

Sabatini

• Via Panzani, 9a
• tel:39 55 21 1559
• Visit website
• Florence, 50123

Mercato Centrale

• Piazza del Mercato Centrale
• Florence, 50123

Mercato Centrale built in 1874 and is one of the largest indoor markets in Italy.  Located in the zone of San Lorenzo, tourist center of Florence, people seem to just pass through the San Lorenzo market instead of stepping inside the Mercato Centrale. With 2 floors of fresh meat, cheese and restaurants of the delicious kind, you must stop by and see what catches your eye. Mercato Centrale is open from 7am-2pm everyday except Sunday. A busy market inside in the morning after 2pm the San Lorenzo market outside takes over and is thriving with tourists and local vendors. 
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Piazzale Michelangelo

• Piazzale Michelangelo
• Florence, 50125

The vista which one can see the whole valley of Florence and of the surrounding hills is a must see.  The climb up is rewarding, the view is breathtaking. There are buses available to take you to Piazzale Michelangelo. Tourists, tourist groups and tour buses all congregate at this panoramic view.  Vendors set up early in the morning with cool beverages for the parched tourists and souvenirs for the eager shoppers. A sunset visit is for the romantics, bringing a wine bottle and gazing at the Florentine sky as it ends another day. There is never a bad time to visit Piazzale Michelangelo, there is always something to see from this height
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J.K. Place Hotel

• Piazza Santa Maria Novella
• tel:39 0553000000
• Visit website
• Florence, 50123

Piazza Indipendenza

• Piazza Indipendenza
• Florence

Giardino di Boboli

• Piazza Pitti, 1
• tel:+39 55 265 1838
• Visit website
• Florence, 50125

Trattoria Mario

• Via Rosina 2/r angolo Piazza del Mercato Centrale
• tel:39 55218550
• Visit website
• Florence

Santa Maria del Carmine

• Piazza del Carmine, 14
• tel:+39 55 21 2331
• Florence, 50124

Santa Maria del Carmine is best known for the Brancacci Chapel by Masaccio, Masolino and finished by Filippino Lippi.  Santa Maria del Carmine is located in the Oltrarno, on the other side of the river.  Like Florentine facades, this one is still unfinished.  From the outside it looks like a wall but as you walk, in the enchantment flows over you.  The crowds will be surrounding the famous Brancacci Chapel, so explore the rest of the church.  There are many other chapels with pieces of work that are rare and preserved.  Once you reach the Brancacci Chapel, you will notice the different styles of painting these biblical images.  Masaccio's depiction of Adam and Eve's expulsion from Paradise is a grim and depressing viewpoint of how they felt.  It captures sorrow and sadness.  Masolino's Temptation of Adam and Eve, brought a more hopeful look to their faces.  Moreso that they felt invincible and could pass through the Paradise gates even though they tried the forbidden apple.
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Santa Maria Novella

• piazza Santa Maria Novella
• Piazza Santa Maria Novella
• tel:055-215-918
• Visit website
• Florence, 50123

Trattoria Marione

• via della Spada 27
• tel:39 55 214756
• Florence, 50123

Piazza del Duomo

• piazza del Duomo
• tel:+39 055 2 3320
• Visit website
• Florence, 50122

Ponte Vecchio

• Ponte Vecchio
• Florence, 50125

You can't miss the most recognizable landmark of Florence, the Ponte Vecchio.  Constructed in 1345, the Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge still standing in Florence, hence the name.  The multicolored structure bridge was first home to butcher shops. As the noble bankers would cross the Arno river to their offices, there was a rancid smell of pigs blood and rotted meat which extremely offended them.  In an effort to improve the area, the Medici stepped in and ordered the lower class shopkeepers out and moved goldsmiths and diamond-cutters in. Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge that escaped the bombing by the Germans in WWII.  Today, now a pedestrian bridge, the shops shimmer and shine with necklaces, rings and charms of the most expensive kind.  Tourists can enjoy an early morning walk over the bridge before the shops open or at sunset where lovers stare at the horizon as musicians sing and be merry.
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Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (Duomo Works Museum)

• Piazza del Duomo 9
• Directly behind the dome end of the cathedral
• tel:055-230-2885
• Visit website
• Florence, 50122

Gallerie degli Uffizi (Uffizi Galleries)

• Piazzale degli Uffizi 6
• Off Piazza della Signoria
• tel:055-238-8651
• Visit website
• Florence, 50122

Santa Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi

• Borgo Pinti, 58
• Florence, 50121

Osteria del Caffè Italiano

• Via Isola delle Stinche, 11r
• tel:39 55 28 9368
• Visit website
• Florence, 50122

Enoteca Pinchiorri

• Via Ghibellina, 87
• tel:39 55 24 2777
• Visit website
• Florence, 50122