Centro Storico
Centro Storico
4.5
About
Bound by its medieval walls, the historic center of Florence is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to its most culturally important buildings.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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The area
Neighbourhood: Duomo
Florentia, as it was called by Latins, is permeated by an eternal beauty spread in all corners of the city. The historic center is characterized by the immensity of the Duomo, able to transport tourists into the brightest age of Florence: the Renaissance. Who does not know the Brunelleschi Dome, San Giovanni Baptistery and the Giotto’s Campanile? Everything is enclosed here and it would be easy to imagine the city as it was in ancient times, with maids walking in the main square and horses carrying coaches. Nowadays, roads are busy with street artists. Rustic Tuscan bakeries give way to fashion shops; just stop for a few minutes in the middle of Piazza della Repubblica to enjoy the colors and sweet melody of the carousel that will bring back great memories from anyone’s childhood.
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We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
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2,662 within 3 miles
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826 within 6 miles
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4.5
5,243 reviews
Excellent
4,072
Very good
940
Average
168
Poor
31
Terrible
32
Richard Wong
Hong Kong, China121 contributions
Jun 2022
Wonderfully beautiful architecture.
When you stroll around, don't forget to slow down and appreciate the amazing buskers or painters. They bring the artistic Florence alive.
Learning the history of the Renaissance and the Medici family will bring a fresh angle to see Florence.
When you stroll around, don't forget to slow down and appreciate the amazing buskers or painters. They bring the artistic Florence alive.
Learning the history of the Renaissance and the Medici family will bring a fresh angle to see Florence.
Written 23 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Herbert C
1,746 contributions
Jan 2024 • Couples
It is well-known that Florence was at the epicenter of the Renaissance Movement that swept across Europe from the 14th to the 17th centuries, and no parts of the city better captures these remarkable cultural and scholarly pursuits than Centro Storico, the historic centre of Florence. Deservedly recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the work of great Renaissance masters such as Michelangelo, Giotto, Brunelleschi and Botticelli are evident within the 505 hectares historic centre bounded by the remains of the city's 14th-century walls (represented by surviving forts, towers and gates) and dissected by the River Arno - from the Florence Cathedral and Basilica di Santa Croce to the Uffizi Gallery and Pitti Palace. Interspersed amongst these historic icons of Florence are hundreds of elegant boutiques, cafes, lively street markets and nightclubs as modern lifestyles fuse seamlessly with the cultural and artistic heritage of this Renaissance City. No other place on this planet has such a rich concentration of the legacy of the Renaissance period, which makes it all the more that Florence should rank amongst the top of your travel bucket list!
Written 19 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jo_and_Tom
Anna, OH2,044 contributions
Mar 2020
Granted Florence has street markets which are typical of tourist areas, it also has very high quality stores which you will spend 1000 euro's plus for their merchandise. Bergamo moved back to Florence from US and bought one of these Merchant Palaces as it headquarters with a shop on the bottom. 1400 Euro's for shoes were just a little more than my pay grade were in the window. Because of virus, there were more store personnel than shoppers so they almost looked like vultures waiting for the kill. It is interesting but wife and I aren't into name brand high fashion.
Written 8 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lance H
Boerne, TX1,258 contributions
Dec 2019
This review is basically the whole of the tourist area of town. Of course it is awesome, how could it not rate a five. Everything you could want to see about Florence is here. I spent four days here walking all over this area. The museums, churches, art, architecture, and people are phenomenal.
Written 22 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GAN L
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia10,656 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
The area covers Piazza Marco, Piazza Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce and Santo Spirit. There are many upscale and expensive shops. We went there to get a feel of the atmosphere. We too had a panoramic view of the place from Michaelangelo's square.
Written 17 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LisaEstella
Adelaide, Australia1,088 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
This was our second visit to this area. We visited in 2014 with teenagers and again on an Intrepid tour. Great perspective and a wonderful insight into history. Take the time to sit and people watch. Allow an hour or more to browse around and admire the architecture. Just watch your valuables when you’re distracted, pick pockets are watching and looming.
Written 6 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ian H
Toronto, Canada2 contributions
Feb 2023
I have made several visits to Florence and every time I see something new and exciting. This area is surrounded by galleries, restaurants and vibrant piazzas. It is a great place to sit and watch the world go by while enjoying a great lunch or just an espresso and biscotti.
Written 24 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ken T
Glen Oaks, NY902 contributions
Sept 2023 • Solo
This historic city center is beautiful and a must see while in Florence. Everything is well preserved and gives you a detailed insight of western civilization. Of course, the crowds are very large for this historic area.
Written 30 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jake23
New Jersey6,855 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
The historical center of Florence is magical. It’s one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. There is so much history, architecture, and such amazing food. There are high end shops and delicious restaurants on every street. Florence is a must see at least once in your life!
Written 1 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Asiyah Noemi K
Pula, Croatia5,332 contributions
Jan 2020
Dante Alighieri's fantastic verses describe all the beauty of Florence.
“E come l’volger del ciel della luna / cuopre e riscopre i liti sanza posa, / così fa di Fiorenza la Fortuna: / per che non dee parer mirabil cosa / ciò ch’io dirò delli alti Fiorentini / onde è la fama nel tempo nascosa.” (Dante Alighieri).
"And as he loved the moonlit sky / covering and rediscovering it, he doesn't argue / so does Fortune's Fiorenza: / for which it doesn't seem miraculous / what shall I say about the high Florentines / waves of hidden time." (Dante Alighieri).
The fantastic Florence was built at an Etruscan settlement and at the subsequent ancient Roman colony, Florentia (founded in 59 BC). This Tuscan city became one of the symbols of the Renaissance during the early Medici period (between the 15th and 16th centuries), reaching extraordinary levels of economic and cultural development. The Historic Center of Florence brings an exceptional testimony, both as a merchant city of the Middle Ages and as a Renaissance city. The 700 years of extraordinary cultural and artistic flourishing in Florence are clearly visible in the fourteenth-century cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, in the Church of Santa Croce, in the Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace.The history of the city is even more evident in the works of art of great masters such as Giotto, Brunelleschi, Botticelli and Michelangelo. The historic center of Florence can be perceived as a center of singular social and urban relevance, the result of a persistent and lasting creativity that affects museums, churches, palaces and works of art of immeasurable value. Florence has preserved intact streets, fortified buildings ( Palazzo Strozzi, Palazzo Spini, Palazzo del Podestà, Palazzo della Signoria), loggias (Loggia del Bigallo, Loggia dei Lanzi, Loggia degli Innocenti and Mercato Nuovo), fountains and Ponte Vecchio, the wonderful 14th century bridge century lined with shops. The trades, organized in guilds, have left exceptional monuments such as Orsanmichele. From the fourteenth to the seventeenth century Florence exercised strong economic and political power in Europe. During this period, prestigious buildings were built that testify to the magnificence of its bankers and its principles: Palazzo Rucellai, Palazzo Strozzi, Palazzo Gondi, Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, Palazzo Pandolfini, Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens, not to mention the Sacristy of San Lorenzo, the Medici funeral chapels, the Laurentian Library and others.
“E come l’volger del ciel della luna / cuopre e riscopre i liti sanza posa, / così fa di Fiorenza la Fortuna: / per che non dee parer mirabil cosa / ciò ch’io dirò delli alti Fiorentini / onde è la fama nel tempo nascosa.” (Dante Alighieri).
"And as he loved the moonlit sky / covering and rediscovering it, he doesn't argue / so does Fortune's Fiorenza: / for which it doesn't seem miraculous / what shall I say about the high Florentines / waves of hidden time." (Dante Alighieri).
The fantastic Florence was built at an Etruscan settlement and at the subsequent ancient Roman colony, Florentia (founded in 59 BC). This Tuscan city became one of the symbols of the Renaissance during the early Medici period (between the 15th and 16th centuries), reaching extraordinary levels of economic and cultural development. The Historic Center of Florence brings an exceptional testimony, both as a merchant city of the Middle Ages and as a Renaissance city. The 700 years of extraordinary cultural and artistic flourishing in Florence are clearly visible in the fourteenth-century cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, in the Church of Santa Croce, in the Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace.The history of the city is even more evident in the works of art of great masters such as Giotto, Brunelleschi, Botticelli and Michelangelo. The historic center of Florence can be perceived as a center of singular social and urban relevance, the result of a persistent and lasting creativity that affects museums, churches, palaces and works of art of immeasurable value. Florence has preserved intact streets, fortified buildings ( Palazzo Strozzi, Palazzo Spini, Palazzo del Podestà, Palazzo della Signoria), loggias (Loggia del Bigallo, Loggia dei Lanzi, Loggia degli Innocenti and Mercato Nuovo), fountains and Ponte Vecchio, the wonderful 14th century bridge century lined with shops. The trades, organized in guilds, have left exceptional monuments such as Orsanmichele. From the fourteenth to the seventeenth century Florence exercised strong economic and political power in Europe. During this period, prestigious buildings were built that testify to the magnificence of its bankers and its principles: Palazzo Rucellai, Palazzo Strozzi, Palazzo Gondi, Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, Palazzo Pandolfini, Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens, not to mention the Sacristy of San Lorenzo, the Medici funeral chapels, the Laurentian Library and others.
Written 17 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Quel est le prix d une balade en calèche dans le centre de Florence
Written 8 August 2019
84/5000
Je ne sais pas avec certitude, nous y sommes allés en famille et nous avons préféré visiter la ville à pied. :-)
Written 20 August 2019
Sorry for the delay, shops pretty much open everywhere and every day
Written 19 April 2018
Buon giorno ,
per motivi di sicurezza personale e non , mi scuso , ma preferirei non ricevere e non inviare più recensioni ed avvisi da parte VS - le mete turistiche internazionali sono ''target'' di brutti eventi .
in definitiva ogni essere umano ha il dovere ed il diritto di guardarsi intorno e scegliere da solo la propria strada .
Firenze non ha bisogno di propagande in tal senso -
per solidarieta' e rispetto preferisco cessare questa corrispondenza .
distinti saluti
Rossana Mattioli Spallanzani
Written 7 June 2017
Is there a precise location for this? What should I put into my GPS?
Written 22 January 2016
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