Lantern Festival of Florence – Festa della Rificolona

The Lantern Festival (or Festa della Rificolona) of Florence is a true family event in the Florentine calendar. The colourful lanterns, lit by candles are carried from Piazza Santa Croce, past the Duomo to Piazza Santissima Annunziata. The centuries-old tradition to celebrate the Festa della Madonna which is tomorrow is continued with modern enthusiasm and the addition of vans selling sweets for young and old alike. Many of the lanterns are traditional with the purple colour of Florence, other less so. Unless “Hello Kitty” has a Florentine history I’m unaware of. Not only do the kids get to carry real fire, they also use blowpipes to try to puncture the lanterns, or take out their mother’s eye depending on how much candy floss/cotton candy they’ve eaten.

Piazza San Firenze

Whilst it may not be the largest or grandest Piazza in Florence, with the law courts and the Hotel Bernini, Piazza san Firenze is a focal point for many of the city’s visitors (voluntarily or otherwise).

The great facade of the Law Courts, designed in 1667 by Pier Francesco Silvani was (in the fine tradition of Italian construction) only finished five years later in 1772. Opposite is the Palazzo Gondi, a fine example of the Florentine architect Giuliano da San Gallo and expanded in the nineteenth century. On the southwest corner is the rear of the Palazzo Vecchio, in front of which is the Columbia Parliament building. This was a hotel when Florence was the capital of Italy and it hosted the Italian members of Parliament who met in the Palazzo Vecchio.

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Piazza Della Repubblica – the lounge of Florence

It has been said that Piazza Della Repubblica is the lounge of Florence but that could probably be said of most of the piazze here. Being in the centre, it is certainly one of the most densely populated with tourists who come to see the buildings and often, the shops (everything from Gucci and Belstaff to Zara and H&M) that are nearby. For more, check out the Shopping in Florence post

The main highlights are Cafe Gigli (have your coffee standing it’s about a third of the price you pay if you sit) and the Giubbe Rosse Cafe that has long been a meeting place for famous artists and writers. There is a merry-go round for the kids and the standard of busking, if it can even be called that, is very high.

The piazza was built on land that was reclaimed after many important buildings were demolished. The Wikipedia entry on Piazza Delle Repubblica (Florence) goes into this in more depth.
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Sant Ambrogio Market – Piazza Ghiberti

As featured on Anthony’s site How to Tour Italy, Sant Ambrogio market is in Piazza Ghiberti in the west of Florence selling fruit and vegetables as well as clothing, shoes and even plants! As an area, Sant Ambrogio is still mostly Italian and that means local prices and a higher standard of produce.

The market has both an outdoor and an indoor area though at the time of writing the interior is having a refit and so it was difficult to film much inside. Outside, about half of the market is dedicated to Fruit and Veg. See some basic Italian food vocabulary

As with most markets, you will need to get there early, though today the market was still going at 11am so it depends on the day.

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Piazzale Michelangelo At Sunset Or Sunrise?

Although I have put this post in the Piazze category, it’s not actually a piazza but a “Piazzale” (it isn’t surrounded by buildings). Whatever the specifics, Piazzale Michelangelo should definitely be the place you spend your first Florentine sunset. Or, for the brave, your first Florentine dawn. There are various organised tours to suit all budgets from hop-on hop-off bus tours to a personal guided visit:

In the evenings groups gather on the west-facing steps to see the sunset. The light in summer is very orange and makes everything (and everyone!) glow. You can watch the sun setting over the hills of Tuscany and perhaps join in with the spontaneous round of applause when it finally disappears. It is truly a unique moment in any trip to Florence or indeed, Italy.

Dawn visits are strictly for the keen photographers or masochistic tourists. The thousands of vistas that populate Flickr are often taken from Piazzale Michelangelo and the Duomo is illuminated in the early morning but shadowed later in the day. Getting up there is quite a walk for those disinclined towards exercise (see the video) but most people can get up there without resorting to the chair lift.

Only joking; there is no chair lift, sorry.

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Piazza Santa Croce

In the East of the old town, Piazza Santa Croce is one the nicest and least touristy Piazze in Florence. There are artists and the shops are not aimed at locals in the main but sitting on the steps outside the church and having a drink is highly recommended!

Public drinking of alcohol is perfectly acceptable here and so a bottle of wine or beer from one of the local shops can be a great way to save money for doing something more exciting like the 500 Touring Club’s wine tasting tour!

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