All Places in Tuscany

Palazzo del Comune is a palace in Arezzo, located in Piazza della Libertà, on top of the San Pietro Hill, near the Cathedral of Santi Pietro e Donato. Today, the palace houses the city’s Town Hall.   SHORT HISTORY Palazzo Comunale, known at first as Palazzo dei Priori, was home to the supreme magistrature of Arezzo. The original facade of the building, dating back to the 14th century, can be admired from Via Ricasoli. In 1454, there was a first major renovation. In 1466, the large clock was mounted on the tower. In the second half of the 16th century, a new makeover of the palace began after a design by the famous Florentine architect Alfonso Parigi, which was completed in 1602. During the works, the layout of the stairs was changed, and the large internal portico was built. In 1650, the facade collapsed and some frescoes painted by Lorentino d’Andrea were lost. The reconstruction was carried out by slightly withdrawing the front of the building. In 1715, a bell dedicated to the Madonna and Saint Donatus was placed in the tower. The last major renovation was carried out in 1930s, under the supervision of Giuseppe Castellucci and Umberto Tavanti. Read more [...]

Janniderma is a brand under which are designed, produced and sold only exclusive leather products 100% made in Florence. In Janniderma boutique, you can find leather garments and bags, esclusive fashion creations individually being handmade by skilled Italian artisans. Their collections are not mass produced and each piece is unique. Janni was born in Greece in 1957, and in 1982 he graduated in architecture at Florence University. In 1991, he created the Italian brand name Janniderma, designing its collections which he sells exclusively in his boutique located in via dei Benci, 16R and on his website.   HOW TO GET THERE The nearest bus station is Corso Dei Tintori, on Line 23 and C3, only 120 meters away from the store. If you need precise directions, use the map below.

Massai Orafi is a jewelry store in Florence, with a history of more than 50 years, which produces bracelets, earrings, necklaces and rings with a special design. Situated in the historic centre of Florence, on the top floor of a sixteenth-century building, Massai Orafi creates unique handmade pieces of jewellery using techniques that were transmitted from the ancient time of Florentine goldsmithing. Visit the workshop to discover their extensive selection of jewellery and gain an insight into how a piece of jewellery is made.   HOW TO GET THERE The shop is about 200 meters from the Ponte Vecchio bridge and only 100 meters from the nearest bus station, Porta Rossa, on Line C2.

Bartolucci is a network of stores that first appeared in Italy, then spread around the world, producing and selling wooden decorations. In Florence, there are three Bartolucci stores, located in Via della Condotta, 12 (Firenze 1), in Via Borgo dei Greci, 11 (Firenze 2) and in Via Guicciardini, 6/R (Pinocchio Store). Bartolucci offers gifts and collectibles, accessories for interior decoration and toys, all made in Italy. Each object is based on an original design, hand-worked and assembled through a process which includes, on average, more than ten steps. In particular, the models of the Pinocchio line have a high-quality craftsmanship, as they all are entirely hand-made and hand-painted. Bartolucci name is linked to woodworking since 1936. In that year, four Bartolucci brothers founded a small accordion factory in Belvedere Fogliense, which remained in business until the fifties. In 1981, Francesco Bartolucci resumed the family tradition, by carving his first puppet.   HOW TO GET THERE The store from Via della Condotta is only 60 meters away from Piazza della Signoria. The closest bus station is Condotta, about 130 meters from the store. For the right directions, use the map below.

Alloro B&B is a romantic Bed & Breakfast in the historic center of Florence, a 5 minute walk from the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, in a 15th century palace with an internal courtyard facing a picturesque alley. The B&B has only 5 rooms, a mix of Florentine tradition and modern comforts. In the morning, they serve breakfast in the hall, or, if you want it, in your very own room. The hotel staff speak Italian, English, French and German, and they can suggest what to see, how to get around the city, where to go shopping and where to eat.   HOW TO GET THERE The closest bus station is Cappelle Medicee, on Line C1, about 100 meters away from the hotel. If you need the right directions to the B&B, use the map below.

Sina Villa Medici is a five-star hotel included in Sina Hotels Group, one of the most luxurious accommodations you can find in Florence. Recently, following a nine-month refurbishment, Sina Villa Medici received a new and splendid look. The entire hotel underwent a makeover which respected the history of this ancient palace, that has attracted so many celebrities down the years. The rooms have parquet flooring, modern furnishings, fabrics in shades of grey, TVs starting at 42” and lighting that sets just the right atmosphere. The new look has also been adopted in bathrooms, which have been completely modernized. Almost all the rooms have balconies or terraces with views overlooking the hotel’s lush private gardens and Florence’s monuments. Despite the fact that Villa Medici is right in the heart of Florence, the hotel’s incomparable setting is a green oasis with its garden and swimming pool.   HOW TO GET THERE The closest bus station is Rucellai, on Line D, only 50 meters from the hotel. About 600 meters from Sina Villa Medici, is the Church of Santa Maria Novella and the train station with the same name.

La Buchetta is a restaurant located on Via dei Benci, 3, offering traditional Tuscan cuisine. From their menu, it stands out the famous Bistecca Fiorentica, a traditional beefsteak that you must try on your visit to Florence. The restaurant has a great menu of meats of any types, but not only meat is excellent here. Antipasti, pasta, ravioli, salads and many others are delicious and nicely presented. Very pleasant atmosphere with background music, amazing food and excellent wine, make dinner in this restaurant a real delight.   HOW TO GET THERE La Buchetta is about 250 meters away from the Basilica di Santa Croce and only 50 meters from Ponte alle Grazie. The nearest bus station is Benci, on Lines 23, C1 an C3.

About 750 meters from Palazzo Pitti, on the historic Via dei Serragli, 108R, in Florence, there is a trattoria from the ‘30s called Diladdarno, that offers traditional Florentine and Tuscan cuisine, always cooked with fresh ingredients. The Trattoria Diladdarno, whose narrow little white door hides an unexpected large room, colorful and welcoming, welcomes you with open arms, far from the noise of the city. Under the guidance of the chef, the restaurant aims to offer a personal and genuine vision of traditional Florentine and Tuscan dishes, using Italian meats, seasonal vegetables, extra virgin olive oil from the Florentine hills, homemade focaccia and tasty cheese.   HOW TO GET THERE The closest bus station is Campuccio, only 20 meters away from the restaurant, where the bus number 11 is stopping. On foot, if you are coming from the Palazzo Pitti or the Ponte Vecchio, use the map below.

The Basilica of San Miniato al Monte is a Romanesque church in Florence, located on one of the highest points in the city, in Via delle Porte Sante. San Miniato (Saint Minias) was an Armenian soldier, who was killed in the year 250 AD by the Roman soldiers of Emperor Decius, because he converted to Christianity, and Christians were persecuted at that time. He is considered the first martyr of the city and his remains are supposedly kept today in the crypt of San Miniato al Monte.   SHORT HISTORY The oldest historical evidence of a church dedicated to San Miniato dates back to the year 783. The building was neglected and unsafe, and the Florentine bishop Ildebrando began to build a new one on April 27, 1018. The church was finished two hundred years later, in the 13th century. In 1373, the Olivetan monks arrived in Florence, called by the Pope Gregorio XI, and settled in the monastery, where you can still find them today. The Chapel dedicated to the Cardinal Giacomo di Coimbra (Cardinal of Portugal) was built between 1461 and 1466 by Antonio Manetti and finished by Antonio Rossellino, after his death. During the 16th century, with Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella is a wonderful Dominican church located in Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, in the beautiful city of Florence.   SHORT HISTORY In 1219, twelve Dominicans arrived in Florence from Bologna, led by Fra’ Giovanni. In 1221, they obtained the small Church of Santa Maria delle Vigne, so called for the surrounding agricultural land. In 1242, the Dominicans decided to start work on a new and larger church. On October 18, 1279, during the feast of San Luca, the laying of the first stone was celebrated, with the blessing of Cardinal Latino Malabranca Orsini. The construction was completed around the middle of the 14th century, but the church was consecrated only in 1420, by Pope Martino V. Leon Battista Alberti designed the large central portal and the upper part of the facade, in white and dark green marble, which was completed in 1470. After the Council of Trent, between 1565 and 1571, the interior of the church was redesigned by Giorgio Vasari, with the removal of the choir enclosure and the reconstruction of the side altars, which led to the shortening of the Gothic windows. Between 1575 and 1577, the Gaddi Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide Palazzo Pitti is an imposing Renaissance-style palace in Florence, located in Piazza dei Pitti. The palace was the residence of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and was inhabited, over time, by the Medici family, by the Habsburg-Lorraine and, after the Unification of Italy, by the Savoy. Palazzo Pitti hosts the Palatine Gallery, the Royal Apartments, the Apartment of the Duchess of Aosta, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Treasury of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, the Costume Gallery, the Porcelain Museum and the Carriage Museum. The museal complex of Palazzo Pitti also includes the Boboli Gardens.   SHORT HISTORY Luca Pitti, a rival of the Medici family, desired a more luxurious palace than the one built by Michelozzo for Cosimo the Elder. Around 1440, Pitti entrusted the project to Filippo Brunelleschi, but the architect died long before the construction began, and the project passed to his pupil, Luca Fancelli. The construction was started around 1458, but, due to various design problems and financial difficulties, the works were temporarily interrupted in 1465. Luca Pitti died in 1472. Around 1550, Buonaccorso Pitti sold the palace to Eleonora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo I de’ Medici and daughter of Read more [...]

Palazzo dell’Antella is a palace with a beautiful frescoed facade in Florence, located in Piazza di Santa Croce, near the Basilica of Santa Croce.   SHORT HISTORY The first significant expansion of the palace dates back to the second half of the 16th century – the building was raised by a floor, including a mezzanine, and the wooden doors were replaced with stone ones, still visible today. The architect of the palace was probably someone from the circle of Baccio d’Agnolo. In the early 17th century, the palace passed to Senator Niccolò dell’Antella, through the dowry of his wife Costanza del Barbigia. In 1619, dell’Antella commissioned the architect Giulio Parigi to give a unified design to the properties the senator bought in Piazza di Santa Croce. To give a unified appearance to the adjacent buildings, the architect had the entire facade painted with frescoes. The paintings were made in just twenty days of work, between 1619 and 1620, by a team of thirteen young artists supervised by the painter Giovanni da San Giovanni. Dell’Antella died out in 1698 and, later, the palace passed by inheritance to the Dal Borgo family, then to Lotteringhi della Stufa and finally to de’ Nobili. Read more [...]

The Monument to Ferdinand III of Habsburg-Lorraine is a sculpture in Arezzo, located in Piazza di Murello, not far from the Cathedral of Saints Donatus and Peter.   SHORT HISTORY The monument, executed by the Florentine artist Stefano Ricci, was placed at first in Piazza Grande, on April 13, 1822, and in 1932 it was moved to its current position. Ferdinand III of Habsburg-Lorraine was the Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1790 to 1801 and from 1814 to 1824, Grand Duke of Salzburg from 1803 to 1805, and Grand Duke of Würzburg between 1805 and 1814. The statue was erected in gratitude for his excellent work in the field of communication between Arezzo and Tuscany. Via Anconetana, at the time the main communication route with the Adriatic, was one of his projects.   DESCRIPTION The Duke is depicted with an ancient toga, crowned with oak leaves, symbol of virtue, strength, perseverance and loyalty. In his left hand holds the scepter, emblem of power, while at his feet lies a lion. The relief placed at the base of the monument is the work of the Aretine sculptor Ranieri Bartolini. The relief describes allegorically the union of the two tuscan rivers, Chiana Read more [...]

The Monument to Ferdinando I de’ Medici is a sculpture in Arezzo, located in Piazza del Duomo, on the steps leading to the Cathedral of Saints Donatus and Peter.   SHORT HISTORY Ferdinando I de’ Medici was Grand Duke of Tuscany between 1587 and 1609, and during his lordship Arezzo had a quiet period, both from political and economic point of view. The Duke distinguished himself for important economic, fiscal and social reforms. He continued the noble tradition of the Medici family in terms of patronage of art and culture. The sculpture was designed by Giambologna, or Jean Boulogne, known also as Giovanni da Bologna, the last great sculptor of Renaissance, but it was executed by Pierre Francheville (Pietro Francavilla), a French-Italian sculptor, at the beginning of the 17th century. The statue was erected by the people of Arezzo as a sign of gratitude for the reclamation of the Chiana Valley (Valdichiana), which was an important addition to the municipal territory.   HOW TO GET THERE The Monument to Ferdinando I de’ Medici is located about 900 meters away from the Arezzo railway station. The closest bus stop is in Via Ricasoli, a few meters away, on the bus Line Read more [...]

Palazzo Pretorio is a palace in Arezzo, located in Via dei Pileati, about 100 meters away from Piazza Grande. Since 1954, the palace houses the Municipal Library of Arezzo.   SHORT HISTORY The area on which the current palace stands was occupied since the 13th century by the houses of the Albergotti, Lodomeri and Sassoli families. Thus, the palace is the result of the unification of several buildings, built in different periods and styles. At first, Palazzo Pretorio was the seat of the Captain of Justice (Capitano di Giustizia). At the beginning of the 15th century, the palace was purchased by the Municipality, and transformed into a prison, which was closed only in 1926. In the 1920s, a long restoration began, completed in 1934 by the architect Giuseppe Castellucci, who returned the structure to its 16th century appearance. After the restoration, the Medieval Museum of Arezzo was transferred there.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The beautiful facade of the palace is decorated with many coats of arms of podestà (chief magistrate) and captains, who used the palace as their seat since 1434. Inside the palace, on the ground floor, there is a private chapel, where you can admire the remains of Read more [...]

The Monument to Francesco Petrarca is a sculpture in Arezzo, located in the beautiful park of the city, Prato, on top of the San Pietro Hill. Francesco Petrarca, anglicized as Petrarch, was an Italian poet of early Renaissance, born in Arezzo on July 20, 1304.   SHORT HISTORY In 1902, a group of people formed the Committee for Honors of Francesco Petrarca, and decided to build a monument dedicated to the poet of Arezzo, on the occasion of the sixth centenary of his birth. In 1904, a competition was launched, and a Royal Decree provided the funds for the construction of the monument. However, the result was not satisfactory, and a second competition was held two years later, and a third one in 1907, when the design of Alessandro Lazzerini was chosen as the winner. On July 31, 1909, the contract was signed, but due to a series of delays the first stone was laid only on December 12, 1914. Then, the works were stopped during the First World War. In 1924, Benito Mussolini, head of the government, allocated the necessary funds to start the work. Thus, began the extraction of the marble blocks and their processing in the artist’s Read more [...]

Palazzo della Provincia is a neo-Gothic palace in Arezzo, located in Piazza della Libertà, across the square from Palazzo del Comune, near the Cathedral of Saints Donatus and Peter. Together with Palazzo del Comune and the Cathedral, Palazzo della Provincia, seat of the Province of Arezzo, forms a complex very close to an ideal agora, where the main administrative centers of the city are concentrated, in a dominant position on the San Pietro Hill.   SHORT HISTORY On February 24, 1913, the administration of the Province of Arezzo decided to build its new headquarters, commissioning the engineer Giuseppe Paoli for this project. The project consisted in a new building to be used as offices and the restoration of two pre-existing buildings. The masonry work, carried out by the company Giuseppe Rossi, was started shortly after and was completed only on September 27, 1925, followed by the official inauguration of the palace. Concerning the decorative works, the realization of the frescoes was entrusted, at the suggestion of the designer, to the painter Adolfo De Carolis, in 1922. The sketch was immediately approved, and the works – started in the summer of 1922 and executed entirely by De Carolis, were concluded at Read more [...]

Palazzo Cofani-Brizzolari occupies the southwestern side of Piazza Grande, in the historic centre of Arezzo. The monument is a medieval residential complex formed by the union of the thirteenth-century Torre Faggiolana and an adjoining fourteenth-century tower house. Its stone frontage and crenellated tower overlook Arezzo’s principal historic square. The building stands among the medieval, Renaissance, and later structures that define Piazza Grande. The square has an irregular trapezoidal plan and a strongly sloping surface, while Palazzo Cofani-Brizzolari belongs to the group of medieval buildings lining its lower side. Unlike a palace conceived as a single architectural project, the complex developed through successive construction phases. Its medieval core, later additions, centuries of alteration, and twentieth-century restoration are all relevant to its present appearance.   Short History of Palazzo Cofani-Brizzolari The earliest component is Torre Faggiolana, built during the thirteenth century. It predates the adjoining residence and originally rose higher than it does today. The tower’s early date is supported by its narrow pointed openings near the upper section. The tower is known as Torre Faggiolana because it probably belonged during the thirteenth century to the family of Uguccione della Faggiola. Uguccione was a prominent Ghibelline captain, but historical descriptions remain cautious Read more [...]

La Bottega del Buon Caffè is one of the top restaurants in Florence, recently rewarded with a Michelin star. Respecting their Florentine location, the seasonal menus are designed to reflect the region’s unique gastronomic heritage and vibrant culinary culture. To reflect the philosophy of five star dining at its best, La Bottega del Buon Caffè produces a large percentage of its fresh ingredients at its farm in the country, at Borgo Santo Pietro. Creative Head Chef, Antonello Sardi, uses the freshest local ingredients with care and imagination. His innovative approach to Tuscan cuisine has earned him a reputation as one of Tuscany’s most talented young chefs. La Bottega del Buon Caffè combines classic Florentine style with a sense of elegance and glamour. Designed by the renowned international designer, Jeanette Thottrup, the restaurant interior seamlessly combines the very finest elements of both classic and contemporary design. With a vibrant atmosphere and stylish décor, La Bottega del Buon Caffè is the perfect venue in which to enjoy exceptional food and the very finest Tuscan wines.   HOW TO GET THERE La Bottega del Buon Caffè is located on the southern bank of river Arno, 300 meters away from Ponte San Niccolo. The Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide The Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi) is the most visited Italian museum and the 11th art museum in the world, by the number of visits, with over 3 million visitors in 2016. Situated near Piazza della Signoria, in the historical center of Florence, the museum houses a collection of priceless works of art, most of them from the period of the Italian Renaissance.   SHORT HISTORY The building of the Uffizi Gallery was erected starting with 1560, at the request of Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo I de’ Medici. The original architect was Giorgio Vasari, one of the leading architects of the 15th century. The initial role of the building was to shelter the municipal offices (uffizi), hence the name, but for the next two hundred years the space brought together under one roof the art collections of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. In 1737, the last member of the Medici family, Anna Maria Luisa, decided to leave the art collections to the city of Florence. In 1769, the place was opened to the public, the first in Europe to be called a “museum”.   ART The art inside the Uffizi includes ancient and modern paintings Read more [...]