Florence: Italy’s Cultural Capital

Florence is not really a museum disguised as a city, but you could be forgiven for thinking it is. With a population of around 360,000 - smaller than Wichita, Kansas or Aurora, Colorado - this medium-sized town wrapped around the Arno River birthed an enormous proportion of the greatest artworks produced by Western or any other civilization. 

Florence, or Firenze in Italian, was the cradle of the Renaissance, the home to an almost incomprehensible flowering of fine art in the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, defining culture even to this day. The works of art were preserved through the years despite a tempestuous and nearly continual series of wars, competing dynasties, and political upheavals, and now they sit in Florence’s actual museums where you can marvel at them. 

But to make sure you get the chance, book your museum tickets well ahead of time, along with your lodging and sought-after restaurants; the most popular attractions, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia Gallery, can sell out well in advance, particularly during the summer high season. We visited in early October, when the crowds were more manageable, although the historic downtown was still bustling. 

Rather than a hotel, our travel agent and tour guide, aka my daughter Carly, found us an apartment directly across the Arno from the Uffizi, looking down on the Ponte Vecchio, the historic bridge covered with jewelry shops and tourists. Along the top of the Ponte Vecchio, the Vasari Corridor, a covered walkway which is still there, was used during the city’s glory days to allow the Medici rulers to cross the river and reach their offices – “uffizi” – without being subjected to the gaze or jostling of the commoners on the bridge. Yes, one of the preeminent art museums in the world began as the administrative offices for the Tuscan administration. 

The collection of artworks at the Uffizi focused on the Renaissance but ranging from ancient Greece to contemporary works, is vast and sweeping, more than you can or should expect to take in on one visit. We took advantage of the Rick Steves audio tours on our phones to get a knowledgeable guided tour, one that we could nevertheless turn off and on again when we chose.  

The profusion of artistic images begins even before you enter the museum, with statues of many of the leading lights of the Renaissance in a series of niches on the outside walls. Donatello, Lorenzo “Il Magnifico” de' Medici, Amerigo Vespucci, Cellini, Galileo and others look down on you, along with a nude marble nymph reclining (anonymously) on the ledge beneath a second-story window. The building itself, dating to the 1500s, is an artistic treasure.

Once inside, the Uffizi is laid out to take you on a chronological progression of art through the centuries. You can find your own special favorites, but don’t miss some of the iconic pieces that make this a world-class museum. Botticelli’s “Primavera” always draws a crowd, along with his “Birth of Venus,” with dozens of camera phones capturing the images at any given moment. The Primavera painting is said to symbolize the Renaissance itself, the “Florentine Spring” of art, culture, and new ideas. 

One exquisite gem in the Uffizi is the Tribuna, a petite octagonal room full of treasures, with crimson silk upholstered walls and a domed ceiling encrusted with mother of pearl. The personal retreat of Francesco I in the late sixteenth century, this represents perhaps the ultimate man cave for an art-loving monarch.  

Time your visits with care – state museums are closed Mondays, and the first Sunday of the month they are free – and don’t miss at least one other essential attraction before you hit artistic overload. Michelangelo’s “David” may be the most renowned artistic creation in history, and gazing at it does nothing to dispel its primacy, especially for someone who grew up on Irving Stone’s “The Agony and the Ecstasy,” a retelling of the life and times of Michelangelo Buonarroti, arguably the world’s greatest artist. 

This sublime and massive sculpture can be found in the Accademia Gallery, along with artistic works, including Michelangelo’s “Prisoners,” unfinished after being planned for a pope’s tomb and seeming ever after to be struggling to escape from the marble encasing them. The Accademia also houses a bust of Michelangelo by one of his students, paintings by other Renaissance masters, including Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Filippino Lippi, and a fascinating collection of early stringed instruments. 

These are just the best-known art museums in a city filled with art museums, but just like New Yorkers don’t visit the Statue of Liberty unless they have out-of-town visitors, Florentine natives don’t hit the art circuit on a daily basis. What they do, though, is eat and drink – and they do it with a panache and flair that makes this city a foodie destination. Florence, after all, is not just a city, it’s a Tuscan city, and the same sensibility and devotion to matters of the table found throughout the region are on glorious display here in the capital. This is the “table” end of the farm-to-table pipeline, and the natives take it seriously.

The Super Tuscan wines, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and Chianti Classico reds are unsurpassed, and just some of the fruits of the vine awaiting your tasting. A robust red is the perfect accompaniment to a Bistecca alla Fiorentina, the iconic Tuscan T-bone steak big enough for two and always served rare and juicy. 

I had a nagging suspicion – never explicitly denied – that the real reason my wife and I were invited along on our Italian sojourn was so that son-in-law Chris would have another carnivore with him to make it feasible to order this meat lover’s feast. Trattoria Sostanza is a favorite spot for Bistecca but be sure to bring cash – like a number of restaurants and bars, they won’t take your credit card.

Don’t eat red meat? Opt for the butter chicken, another Sostanza favorite. Strictly vegetarian? You are surrounded by delicious fresh produce from the surrounding region, generally organic and carefully prepared. Try the stuffed zucchini blossoms. 

After your meal – or any other time – save room for sweets, such as the meringue cake with wild strawberries from Sostanza, or gelato from Perché No! or My Sugar. Gelato is a local obsession and comes in flavors guaranteed to expand your taste horizon. 

Staying at the foot of the Ponte Vecchio (“Old Bridge”) gave us unfettered access to both sides of the Arno and the opportunity to stroll along the historic span at midnight or daybreak when the crowds have vanished and only the merchants are on hand, stocking up for the day. The Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge left standing when the German army retreated from the city in World War II and stands as a marvel of medieval architecture. 

Another medieval masterpiece is the duomo, or cathedral, of Santa Maria del Fiore, with its red brick dome, built between 1296 and 1436. Unlike many of the region’s cathedrals, Santa Maria is most spectacular on the outside, its ornate façade paired with a rather austere interior. 

Florence is also a mecca for stylish shopping, the home to designers including Roberto Cavalli, Ferragamo and Gucci, with luxury brands galore along the Via de’ Tornabuoni. Not immune to the allure but finding a slightly more off the beaten path source, the missus and I came back from our trip with a few bangles and a pair of butter-soft leather jackets purchased at Jimmy’s Leather Collection. 

There is a bit of a longstanding rivalry between Florence and Rome, with Tuscans believing that while Rome may be the political center of the country, Florence is the true cultural capital of Italy. After a too-brief sampling of the city’s incomparable artistic heritage, it is hard to argue the point.