The best things to do in Florence, Italy
The concept of a "new Florence" might seem like an oxymoron; like the new Botticelli or Michelangelo, two masters of the Renaissance that the city of the Rinascimento has leaned on for the last five centuries. Florence is so rich with artistic and architectural wonders, who can blame the conservative Florentines for resting on their laurels, or sore-footed visitors for having the sensation that the great Tuscan capital is just one big stifling museum?
But Florence is changing. Firstly, it’s bigger: in 2021 UNESCO added the churches of San Miniato al Monte, San Salvatore al Monte, Giuseppe Poggi’s renovated ramps and Piazzale Michelangelo in the Florentine hills to its World Heritage Sites, extending the centro storico to 530 hectares. It’s also quieter, cleaner and brighter since motor vehicles were banned in the city centre and the rebirth of some of Florence's most important artworks and museums via a series of recent ambitious restorations.
Meanwhile, a refreshing breeze has swept across Florence’s airless traditions. A new hotel landscape brings playful visions of the contemporary city; an energetic dining scene embraces New York-style glamour and the multi-cultural – from Neapolitan pizza sensations to Tuscan-Chinese dim sum and vegan fare (notably Amza Zahouani’s Oltrarno ventures) – alongside its traditional trattoria dishes. And a generation of artisans is breathing sustainability and diversity into Florence’s ancient arts and crafts.
Since architect Paolo Desideri’s €175-million conversion of the Teatro Comunale into a multifunctional music space and opera house, urban regeneration projects go from strength to strength. The city’s former granary and army barracks are now a co-working hub and Manifattura Tabacchi, a disused tobacco factory near Piazza Puccini undergoing a progressive €250 million transformation, is destined to be Florence’s new dynamic creative and fashion hub.
Italy's most enchanting city is going through a sparkly revival, with iconoclastic art, edgy architecture and quirky twists on regional food popping up everywhere. There's so much more to explore but where to begin? These are all the very best things to do in Florence.