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Archive for the ‘Places to Visit’ Category

The panorama hasn’t changed in centuries, but developments on-top of Florence’s favourite panorama have left local residents with, shall we say, a salty taste in the mouth, or as Italian’s say “aqua in bocca” (water in the mouth, i.e. speechless).

As usual the thing that is bringing pain to the community has been the requalification of the main piazza, that while looking much better than before (it will look amazing in tourist guides, brochures etc…) has effectively driven a stake in the heart of local businesses. Let’s make one thing clear, Fiesole, was always expensive and everyone knew that already -taking a cocktail on Park Lane in London, and Dalston in Hackney will call for different reserves of money.

But whereas before, there was the idea that if you wanted to get out of your car and take a look around Fiesole this was a possibility, now, that’s pretty much over. There is simply nowhere to park. The result are businesses are closing down and the premiums that you used to pay for a coffee can no be longer offset by the pleasures of quaint browsing around the local shops, because they are disappearing fast.

All of this is more of relevance to those people that are living in Florence, and so a comment on local trends, as a tourist you can pretty much overlook these facts, that’s unless you intend to visit Fiesole in a car. The best advice for visiting Fiesole is to take the bus from the central station in Florence, which will deliver you to the main Piazza in the town is around 25 minutes, and cost around a Euro.

If you’re thinking about taking a holiday in Tuscany, in a Tuscany with a pool then take a peek on the Tuscany Vilas website, which has recently added a properties service to.

The Cascine Park Woods

The Cascine park lies to the west of the historical centre of Florence. This map shows the exact location. For tourists the easiest way to find it is to come out the Uffizi Gallery facing the Arno river and head in the direction of the Ponte Vecchio, at the bridge don’t go over it but continue along the same road that runs following the Arno. At the end of this road is the Cascine Park (about 20 minutes walk).

The Parco delle Cascine is the largest park in Florence and takes about 40 minutes to walk end to end. On Tuesday morning around the Via Della Catena is a weekly market selling everything from clothes to fruit and veg. It’s also the location for various markets and exhibitions throughout the year.

The park is naturally divided into two big fields. During the summer months a horse and cart will take you on a short 25 minute spin around the park, this is a pleasant way to see it. The horses leave from the first big open field you come to when arriving from the Ponte Vecchio.

Trips by horse and carriage during the summer months.

In the third and final field there is an old Roman Ampitheatre. A few years ago this was a fantastic venue that had beer tents and music during the summer months. It seems that now the local council don’t want events to happen here anymore, this is a shame because used to be the most amazing way to spend an evening in the city.

Roman Amphitheatre

Finally a word of caution, the park can be enjoyed during the day but during the night you won’t find many locals heading in there unless they are going to one of the nightclubs that operate only at the start of the road that runs through it. Just as in any city, Florence also has it’s share of alternative nightlife.

During the daytime the park is a place to enjoy a walk and some peace and quiet, while taking in Florence from a distance.