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If you are like my father then visiting museums and sipping coffee in a piazza is a sort of torture designed to test your patience. This four day itinerary is for those who rise at 6:30AM while on vacation to go jogging and who would rather climb to the top of a bell tower than sit in front of a Botticelli. There are museums and there are Botticellis but there are also plenty of opportunities to move your legs. You should be able to reach most of the places I suggest outside the city via public transportation.

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Author: Jennifer

Day 1 - Florence

The first place you must visit is the spiritual heart of Florence, the Piazza del Duomo. From here you can climb the Campanile di Giotto and visit the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo. Remember that ‘opera’ in this case refers to the art work of the Duomo and not the music. There is a pieta’ by Michelangelo inside the museum as well as other important works by Florentine masters. From the spiritual center of Florence you can head down the pedestrian only street called via Calzaiuoli and visit the Palazzo Vecchio, the political center of Florence. After lunch visit a Florentine icon, the Ponte Vecchio, and then head to see another Michelangelo masterpiece, the David, housed at the Galleria dell’Accademia. Before or after dinner go sit at the Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria to watch people.

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Carolus Hotel

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Via 27 Aprile 3
50129 Florence, Italy

Phone:

+39 055 2645539

Piazza del Duomo

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piazza del Duomo
50122 Florence, Italy

Phone:

+39 055 2 3320

Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (Duomo Works Museum)

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Piazza del Duomo 9
Directly behind the dome end of the cathedral
50122 Florence, Italy

Phone:

+39 055 230 2885

Campanile di Giotto

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Piazza Duomo
50122 Florence, Italy

Phone:

+39 55 230 2885

Palazzo Vecchio (Museo)

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Piazza della Signoria
50122 Florence, Italy

Phone:

+39 55 276 8224

Enzo e Piero

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Via Faenza, 105
50123 Florence, Italy

Phone:

39 55 21 4901

Ponte Vecchio

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Ponte Vecchio
50125 Florence, Italy

Galleria dell'Accademia (Academy Gallery)

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Via Ricasoli 60
50122 Florence, Italy

Phone:

055-238-8609

Loggia dei Lanzi

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piazza della Signoria
50122 Florence, Italy

Taverna del Bronzino

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Via delle Ruote 27r
Between Piazza Indipendenza and San Marco
50129 Florence, Italy

Phone:

055-495-220

Day 2 - Florence

Every Tuesday morning there is a large market at the Parco delle Cascine along the Arno River. This massive market is a great place to watch Italians in there natural habitat without hordes of other tourists to contend with. The Parco delle Cascine is also a great place to go jogging in the morning. From here you can make your way up to Piazzale Michelangelo by bus for great views of Florence. Just up from the Piazzale Michelangelo is San Miniato al Monte, the favorite church of the Florentines. After lunch go outside the city to the Certosa del Galluzzo and tour a monastery to get a glimpse into medieval monastic life. From there it is a relatively short drive to the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial dedicated to the fallen soldiers of World War 2. Back in Florence treat yourself to a Florentine steak at Perseus.

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Parco delle Cascine

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Piazza Vittorio Veneto
50123 Florence, Italy

Piazzale Michelangelo

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Piazzale Michelangelo
50125 Florence, Italy

San Miniato al Monte

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Via del Monte alle Croci 34
Via del Monte alle Croci/Viale Galileo Galilei (behind Piazzale Michelangiolo)
50125 Florence, Italy

Phone:

055-234-2731

Monastero Certosa di Firenze

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Via Buca di Certosa, 2
50124 Florence, Italy

Phone:

39 055 204 9226

Florence American Cemetery and Memorial

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West of Via Cassia
50144 Florence, Italy

Phone:

+39 55 230 2033 (tourism office)

Loggia del Mercato Nuovo

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Via Porta Rossa
50122 Florence, Italy

Perseus

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Viale Don Minzoni, 10r
50134 Florence, Italy

Phone:

39 55 58 8226

Day 3 - Florence

You are going to spend your day outside of Florence. The armament collection at the Museo Stibbert is a nice treat for enthusiasts. You will most likely have the museum to yourself. From there continue up to Fiesole to visit the Etruscan ruins and to enjoy magnificent views of Florence. Drive on up to Olmo and get a panino to enjoy. In the summer, on Saturdays and Sundays, Florentines drive up to Olmo to get some fresh air and lounge around on the grassy hillside. Next make your way over to the Parco di Villa Demidoff.

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Museo Stibbert

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Via Stibbert 26
Museo Stibbert
50139 Florence, Italy

Phone:

055-475-520

Olmo

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Località Olmo
50100 Florence, Italy

Phone:

+39 055 23 320

Parco di Villa Demidoff

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Via Bolognese
50036 Florence, Italy

Osteria del Caffè Italiano

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Via Isola delle Stinche, 11r
50122 Florence, Italy

Phone:

39 55 28 9368

Day 4 - Florence

For this last day in Florence you will start with the Galleria degli Uffizi and then cross over the Ponte Vecchio to the Giardino di Boboli. There are many parts to the gardens to discover. You can then storm the Forte Belvedere, once an important piece in the defense works of Florence. After lunch relax in Piazza Indipendenza on a park bench before embarking on a tour of Florence on a Segway vehicle. For the afternoon, I suggest the Museo di Storia della Scienza.

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