Visit Florence Italy

The San Lorenzo leather market is perhaps one of the largest outdoor markets in Tuscany. As you can probably guess this is the place if you are on the lookout for some very high quality inexpensive leather goods made from the region. As a owner of a leather jacket that I purchased in Florence a couple of years back I can attest that the quality is second to none. I have two leather jackets one of them was purchased through an discount leather shop here in the United States and the other one was purchased in Florence and the one I wear the most is the one purchased n Florence.

The San Lorenzo market actually spans several streets. These streets are Piazza San Lorenzo, Via del Canto de’Nelli and Via dell’Ariento as well as some other side streets as well. As you might expect the prices are not really set, haggling is kind of required and certainly expected. While some shop owners will try to take you for all they can because you are a foreigner do not let them. If you run into problems with any merchant there are plenty more on the various streets that will most likely take your money. The point here is to never settle for the price stated.

It is just unwise. I know this from experience as I did not have time to haggle and really lost out on a great deal if I had not been so gullible. This outdoor market is famous for its leather goods, hence the name, but other wise merchants are also filling in the needs of the shoppers in the area. Here you will find lots of small shops selling anything from gelato to espresso to help the wary shoppers maintain their strength as they wander the streets.

This market has a similar vibe to that you would find in some of the neighboring Middle Eastern countries. It is certainly a unique experience for many Americans. One could almost equate this to an constant outdoor fair as you would find in many of the cities in the United States. Now as with most open air markets the opening hours are not really set in stone. For most of the tourist season of March through October the market will stay open from 8 in the morning to 8 in the evening but that is really depending upon how business is going.

I can understand that many people do not have a huge amount of time to spend a month or more to absorb the spirit and essence of Florence. For these people whether they are tourists, backpackers or lovers on their honeymoon time is very limited. So then how do  you get the most out of your visit to Florence? Well you need to prioritize your time on places you are most interested in. So therefore a list of some of the most interesting sights in Florence would be advantageous. Fortunately I have spent some time to distill this city to its essence. While you may not be able to view all the sights you could spend some time just browsing the majority of these places in order to capture the history and background of the area.

On your visit to Florence you will be very sorry if you do not visit the Accademia galleries. This is the place to view Michelangelo’s most famous statue of David. This statue is featured in almost every television advertisement for visiting Italy and there is a reason for it as just about everyone who visits this country makes it a point to see it first hand.

You can not certainly miss viewing the Duomo or Cathedral of the city of Florence. It is by far one of the largest buildings in the city so you have no choice but to see it everywhere you go. However spend sometime inside this Cathedral as there are many works of art that is actually stored in the Museo dell’Duomo del Duomo or the Museum of Cathedral Works. In that museum you will find many statues by the likes of Michelangelo, Ghiberti, Donatello, and Brunelleschi to name just a few.

If you want to buy one of the best leather jackets you will ever find in the world then you should be sure to visit San Lorenzo outdoor leather market. I can attest to the quality as I bought a leather jacket here and I could not find anything like it here in the United States. By far one of the best jackets I have bought in Europe or anywhere else.

If you would like to limit your gallery viewing to just one sight then the best bet would be the Uffizi Galleries as there is a plethora of works by just about every known Renaissance artist known.  This museum is ranked as one of the world’s best due to its vast collection of works by the most notable of artists. If you are not aware of many of these artists you will get the most for your money if you just visit this place.

Perhaps soaking up the history of the city as viewed by the former rulers is your thing. If this is the case then be sure to check out Palazzo Pitti or Pitti Palace. This palace once contained the Royal apartments when Florence was once the capital of the unified Italy in the 1870’s. Certainly opulent all of the rooms were decorated by the artist Pietro da Cortona who is now one of the best baroque artists of our time. This palace also contains a main galleria called Galleria Palatina which contains some of the best known barogue works of art as well.

If you have not already tire d of viewing all the churches in Italy then you could perhaps muster up the strength to view Santa Maria Novella church which is known for the all the educational frescoes that line all of the church’s walls. At that time the best way to teach Biblical teachings was to show the parishioners vivid illustrations to make the teachings of the Bible come to life.

When I think of Florence I always think of the Ponte Vecchio or the Old Bridge that is lined with shops selling intricate works of Gold and other fine jewelry. This bridge was spared by the Nazi’s as they retreated as the person in charge at the time thought the bridge to be too beautiful to be destroyed. Many other bridges were not spared this same fate however.

To have a nice relaxing day strolling the Bargello Sculpture Gallery could be top on the list of things to do when you want to spend a lazy day just hanging out. This gallery is an great example of some of the best sculptures ever created and has many of the works by Michelangelo and Donatello.

You cannot avoid visiting Piazza della Signoria as it seems like all the roads draw you there. This piazza contains the cultural, social and political heart of the city. This has been the center of the city since the 14th century so obviously everyone of fame and infamy has been seen walking around this square. So what is your excuse then for not visiting it?

So there you have it! These are the top ten sights to see in Florence. You may have noticed that many of these sights are churches and museums. Well Italy has one of the richest histories in all of Europe and it would be a down right shame not to at least soak up a little bit of this history while here.