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Quick Menu:
| ... the city streets use a double numbering system: pay
attention to the color of the number! The red numbers
identify restaurants and shops. The blue numbers
identify private residences. The two series of numbers are independent. |
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FLORENCE Districts
SAN GIOVANNI
by Marco De La Pierre
 The Duomo, Baptistery and Giotto bell tower district.
The Cathedral or Duomo of Florence as we can admire
it today is the end result of years of work that spanned over six centuries
of history. Its basic architectural design was conceived by Arnolfo
di Cambio at the end of the 13th century; the cupola that
has made it a symbol for the whole city was created
by that genius of the Renaissance, Filippo Brunelleschi.
Nowadays the Duomo is surely one of the most impressive monuments
created by humankind on the planet. When you visit it, don't
forget to climb to the top of the cupola, your efforts
will be repaid by the breathtaking view of all the hills
around, the red roofs of the city and all the other major monuments of
Florence.
The district that surrounds the Duomo constitutes the heart
of the historical city center and the area has probably one
of the highest concentrations of art per square meter on
the whole planet: churches, statues, museums, towers, and historical
buildings fill every corner of every street.
 The main problem of the district is the sensation of being trapped
in a Renaissance Disneyland... The whole area is, in fact,
invaded by millions of tourists armed with cameras,
strange parasols, colourful shirts and funny matching hats. As a result,
almost all of the local shops and dining establishments are totally
designed with tourists in mind: flashy gelaterias and bars,
high-fashion shops, deluxe bars now dominate every street of the area
featuring 5-star prices and, more often than not,
1-star quality (we recommend that you avoid all these places, unless
you either a millionaire or masochist, or both...) in this atmosphere
even the most romantic spirit would find it difficult to experience
a true Florentine atmosphere...
If you want to enjoy the taste of a good gelato or a truly excellent
Italian espresso we suggest that you head towards Sant'Ambrogio or Santa
Croce where you can find better places with (more) normal prices...
BARS: ASTOR, FUSION, ART GALLERY, ZONA 15, SLOWLY.
RESTAURANTS: OLIANDOLO, ANGEL.
PUBS: JJ CATHEDRAL, OLD STOVE.
CLUBS: YAB YUM.
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Italy is in the Central European Time Zone: GMT
+1.
When it is noon in Florence it is: 12:00 in Paris, Madrid and Berlin,
11:00 in London and Dublin,
06:00 in New York and Washington,
03:00 in San Francisco and Los
Angeles, 14:00 in Moscow and
20:00 in Sydney and Brisbane. |
| Opening days, addresses, opening hours of the most typical Florence
markets? Find out more in the STV
market pages! |
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