I almost didn’t write this one.
Florence is one of those cities that already has ten thousand guides written about it, all of them telling you to go to the Uffizi, eat a bistecca, and stare at the David. And yes, fine, those things are real and they matter. But I didn’t go to Florence and spend my weekend in a queue (I am way too impatient for that).
I went to Florence and found a bookshop with a cinema inside it. I sat on a rooftop with an unobstructed view of the Duomo and paid nothing to be there. I drank a glass of Italian Primitivo in a garden that, from the outside, looks like a plain restaurant entrance. I found jewellery made by a man who’s been crafting it by hand for decades, and lets you create the perfect personal souvenir.
That’s the Florence I want to show you, after visiting already 3 times.
This guide is the version I’d send to a friend who asked me, “okay but what do you actually do there and what places are actually worth it?”
The things worth doing
Biblioteca delle Oblate: The free rooftop view you didn’t know about
Most people queue for an hour and pay to climb to the top of something in Florence. You don’t have to.
The Biblioteca delle Oblate is a public library inside a 15th-century building, and it has a rooftop terrace that’s free to access during library hours. The view of the Duomo from there is one of the best in the city, undisturbed, uncrowded (especially on weekday mornings), and completely free.
There is a also a small café on the rooftop terrace, so get yourself a coffee and enjoy the view and quiet.
Good to know: the library is at Via dell’Oriuolo 24. Check opening times before you go, it’s a working library, not a tourist attraction, so hours aren’t always consistent.
Giunti Odeon: A cinema inside a bookshop
Giunti Odeon is a large bookshop in the historic centre but it’s built into a former cinema from the early 20th century, and the cinema is still there, fully functioning, inside the store.
High ceilings, ornate plasterwork, film screenings, and books. If you’re a person who reads or watches films (or both), you will love this place. Worth going just to stand in the space since you can visit for free and also watch a free movie on the big theater stage screen inside the bookshop.
Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
This is one of the oldest pharmacies in the world. Founded by Dominican friars in the 13th century, it’s been making perfumes, creams, and botanical preparations in the same building for hundreds of years. It’s touristy but in the same way the Louvre is touristy: because it genuinely deserves to be visited.
Go inside even if you don’t buy anything. The rooms are extraordinary. If you do buy something, the rose water and the pot pourri are iconic for a reason.
Giuliano Giuggioli Jewellery: Go early, be patient (yes, for this one even I accepted the wait)
This is a working jeweller’s workshop that’s been on the Ponte Vecchio for decades. Giuliano makes everything by hand. The pieces are beautiful and the prices are reasonable for what you’re getting, which is actual craftsmanship rather than mass-produced gold-filled tourist jewellery.
The caveat: wait times can be long. Go early. Be patient. It is worth it. I promise.
Mercato Centrale: for food and the local market experience
The Mercato Centrale has two floors: a traditional covered food market on the ground floor selling produce, meat, and cheese since 1874, and a food hall on the upper floor that opened more recently.
Go for the ground floor. Watch what people are buying. If you’re cooking anything or just want to eat well for cheap, this is your place.
