FLORENCE CITY GUIDE ® JULY-AUGUST 2020 WWW.WHEREITALIA.COM/FLORENCE FLORENCE IS READY TO welcome you! SUMMER TIPS ON LUXURY SHOPPING, BEAUTY AND DINING GET A TOUR OF THE BEST DESTINATIONS IN ITALY SIGHTSEEING | MUSEUMS | SHOPPING | DINING | ENTERTAINMENT | MAPS WELCOME TO FLORENCE In the heart of Florence, just a few steps away from the historic treasures of the city, you will find Rinascente: the ideal place to find the best in fashion, accessories and beauty and to taste the best gourmet foods. An exclusive shopping experience that brings together women’s & men’s fashion, a craft gallery with artisan brands, a café, a restaurant, a wine bar and a terrace with a breathtaking view over the Duomo. E NJOY YOUR SHOPPING SHOW THIS COUPON TO GET 10%* OFF YOUR PURCHASES -10%* -12%** *Exclusively for foreign individual customers upon presentation of a valid foreign passport. Valid except for regional restriction regulations and only on brands which support the initiative. The discount cannot be combined with other promotions and does not apply on cafeterias, restaurants, and on food market purchases. Not valid for online shopping. Valid until December 31, 2020. **Tax free: If you are resident in an Extra-EU country and you have spent at least 154.94 euros in the same day, you are entitled to a refund of 12% on the total amount of your purchase. FLAGSHIP STORES MILAN | PIAZZA DUOMO • ROME | VIA DEL TRITONE STORES ROME | PIAZZA FIUME TURIN FLORENCE CAGLIARI CATANIA MONZA PALERMO SHOP ON RINASCENTE.IT YOUR TRAVELING COMPANION SINCE 1936® EDITORIAL WELCOME TO ITALY DISCOVER ® whereMAGAZINE Florence www.whereitalia.com/florence We’ve been here for centuries. PROEDI MEDIA - WHERE We’re waiting for you. Via Ezio Biondi, 1. 20154 Milano. T: 02 349951 - Fax 02 33107015 Now, we’re ready to show you the most [email protected] beautiful country in the world. www.whereitalia.com/florence The recent pandemic has severely affected one of PUBLISHER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andrea Jarach the linchpins of the global economy – the tourism [email protected] Andrea Jarach industry. The closing of borders, closing of borders MANAGING EDITOR Publisher Alessandra Finzi Where® and drop in available revenue at the time of [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS writing this editorial could be very depressing, but Carey Bernitz, Floriana di Maio, Cornelia G. Hassmüller, Joy Lacanlale, remember we’re talking about Italy: a favourite destination of travelers Fabio Lancini, Language Consulting Congressi, for centuries. Throughout history, our country has been affected by war, Giulia Minero, Elena Peverata, Chiara Zaccarelli ICONOGRAPHY Archivio Proedi Media, Shutterstock famine and epidemics, and each time it has risen from the ashes to once CARTOGRAPHY again become the most desirable tourist destination in the world. City Map: © Proedi Comunicazione 2020 ENJOY Fast Trains Network Map: Dmitry Goloub - © Proedi Comunicazione 2020 Every night is followed by a new dawn, and you can already see some COO signs of this. An analysis of the Internet’s Big Data sets shows that Italy Pierfrancesco Coreno is the first holiday destination in searches by millions of Internet users. [email protected] MARKETING & ADVERTISING Italy’s wealth of natural and cultural treasures is unrivalled. Our country Sieva Carolo, Isa Faleschini, Marta Mailhac, Daniele Misrachi, Rachele Renna, Paola Zannoni boasts the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. If Italy [email protected] were a museum, it would be the largest museum in the world, if it were ADMINISTRATION Katia Greto a restaurant it would be notable for having the world’s most-widely [email protected] appreciated cuisine, and if Italy were a beach, it would be the best PRODUCTION & CIRCULATION, SALES SUPPORT MANAGER equipped in the world. Paola Grilli [email protected] Mountains, forests and woods, lakes, hills and unique landscapes are HOTEL RELATIONS MANAGER only some of Italy’s most distinctive features. However, all of this is Maria Granata [email protected] made even more unique by its people. For millennia, the peninsula was CUSTOMER SERVICES a destination for migrants, and people, from all corners of the earth, Cristina Garbini [email protected] settled here bringing with them the different cultures that resulted in REG. TRIB. MILANO No.156 DEL 10/05/2018 the creation of Italy. EDITORE: PROEDI COMUNICAZIONE SRL - ISCRIZIONE AL ROC N.2455 DIRETTORE RESPONSABILE: ANDREA JARACH PRINTED BY GRAPHICSCALVE SPA So dear visitor, it is with pride that we have met the enormous challenge LOCALITÀ PONTE FORMELLO, 1/3/4 24020 VILMINORE DI SCALVE (BG) Although the publisher has made every effort to include copyright credits, in of the pandemic, and are now, once again, waiting to show you our the event of there being any errors, oversights or omissions, we would like to apologize to the copyright holders in question whose names will be published in the next issue. Italy. We are here to welcome you with open arms to offer you a unique Where® Magazine makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences experience that millions of visitors have enjoyed for centuries. Remember arising from errors or omissions. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. the plague in the Middle Ages was followed by the Renaissance! EXCLUSIVE GIFT FROM TOP HOTELS Where® is here to fulfill its mission of guiding travelers on a voyage WHERE® FLORENCE È DISTRIBUITO NEI MIGLIORI HOTEL DI FIRENZE WHERE® FLORENCE IS AVAILABLE IN FLORENCE’S MOST EXCLUSIVE HOTELS to discover Italy, especially during this new Renaissance. FLORENCE.WHEREITALIA.COM/DISTRIBUTION We look forward to seeing you soon! Where® magazine and the where® The Publisher logo are registered MVP trademarks of Morris Morris Visitor Publications Visitor Publications. MORRIS VISITOR PUBLICATIONS >> To check the opening of museums, restaurants, MVP EXECUTIVE stores and outlets stay tuned on www.wheremilan.com CHAIRMAN William S. Morris III CITY GUIDE PRESIDENT & CEO William S. Morris IV www.whereitalia.com SIGHTSEEING | MUSEUMS | SHOPPING | DINING | ENTERTAINMENT | MAPS [ SIGHTSEEING] SEE MAP Top in Town PAGE 52 SAN MINIATO AL MONTE 1 4 2 5 The Abbey of San Miniato al Monte is a medieval religious building situated at one of the highest panoramic points in Florence. The most spectacular access is gained via the monumental flight of steps. The outside of the church is decorated with green and white marble, typical of Florentine Romanesque, while the interior, which is unusual and of great beauty, boasts one of the city’s best conserved original floors. 10 MERCATO CENTRALE Built at the end of the 19th century, the Central Market is a building of a certain architectural merit. The project was entrusted to Giuseppe Mengoni, the architect of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan, who was inspired by 6 3 8 13 Les Halles in Paris. Today, a point of reference for informal but good quality cuisine for both Florentines and tourists. 11 SANTA CROCE One of the “great basilicas” in Florence, a point of reference of the Franciscan order. Giotto painted some of his great masterpieces here and the French writer Stendhal experienced that profound artistic agitation that has been known since then as the “Stendhal syndrome”. The basilica contains the monumental sepulchres of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. 12 SHUTTERSTOCK © SANTA MARIA NOVELLA A point of reference of the Dominican order, PHOTOS the church, with its elegant façade by Leon Battista Alberti, is a harmonious synthesis of Gothic and Renaissance styles. It hosts exceptional works of art by Masaccio, Giotto, DUOMO AND CUPOLA CAMPANILE DI GIOTTO square are the Fountain of Neptune and a series Middle Ages the bridge hosted greengrocers’, PALAZZO PITTI AND GIARDINO DI BOBOLI Brunelleschi, Filippino Lippi, Domenico Completed in 1436, at the time the Duomo 84.70 metres high and around 15 wide, the of statues of Renaissance origin, representing fishmongers’ and butchers’ shops, who used The symbol of wealth and power, the building Ghirlandaio and Paolo Uccello. 13 in Florence was the largest Christian church Giotto’s bell tower is one of the four main one of the most important sculptural cycles in the river to dispose of their waste in a hurry. was inhabited by the Medici, then by the in the world. Today the religious building, the components of the complex of Santa Maria the world. The most famous is certainly At the end of the 16th century, however, Habsburg-Lorraines and, after the Unity of Italy, SANTO SPIRITO official name of which is “Cathedral of Santa del Fiore. Lined with white, red and green Michelangelo’s David (this is a copy, whereas when it became the “noble” zone of the city, by the Savoy family. The original architecture A point of reference of the Augustinian order. Maria del Fiore”, is third in terms of marble, the majestic square-based bell tower, the original is conserved in the Galleria the goldsmiths and jewellers started to arrive, dates back to the 15th century and “Pitti” is the The church has given its name to the entire dimensions after St. Peter’s in Rome and St. designed by Giotto in 1334, can be visited by dell’Accademia). 4 and they have been there uninterruptedly surname of its first owner. The building is located surrounding neighbourhood, “Borgo Santo Paul’s Cathedral in London. Brunelleschi’s climbing no less than 414 stairs up to the top, to this day. 6 Oltrarno, at the foot of Boboli Hill. The Boboli Spirito”. A jewel of Renaissance architecture, Dome, still the tallest construction in the city, from where you can enjoy extraordinary views GALLERIA DEGLI UFFIZI Gardens are one of the most important examples the church was the last great project by Filippo is a symbol known all over the world.