Bardini Gardens – Boboli’s Little Sister

Bardini Gardens reopened in 2005 after being allowed to fall into disrepair over 50 years. It sits on a 10-acre  site which houses the Gardens and also the Villa Bardini. There is a sweeping baroque stairway, hidden statues, fountains, grottoes, a small amphitheatre though most tourists will be here for the breathtaking views over the city of Florence.

Giardino Bardini was originally two gardens, one belonging to the Mozzi family. They owned a stretch of Florence between Costa San Giorgio, Piazza de’Mozzi and Via San Niccolò. The the other half of the gardens was attached to the 17th  century Villa Manadora.

Christmas Market in Santa Croce

It’s not well known that the Christmas Markets in Florence are a very popular attraction. At this time of year many of the visitors are from Italy, preferring to visit the city at a time when there are less tourists from abroad.

As a Christmas Market, Santa Croce has all you could want with an International group of vendors selling food, clothing and gifts. There’s the obligatory mulled wine and strudel from Austria, biscuits from Switzerland and, my favourite, a German trailer selling the type of hot dogs and burgers that dietitians warn you about.

Fiat 500 Touring Club – Chianti Wine Tour

Flip Florence took an outing with the 500 Touring club earlier in the Summer, taking all 6 of their classic cinquecento cars into the countryside of Tuscany. There was local Chianti wine with lunch by the poolside of a beautiful villa in the Tuscan countryside and time to chill out before setting off back to Florence. This has to be the best Florence Tour if you are looking for a day trip out of the city.

Fiat 500 Touring Club Blog

They have a selection of tours of Florence, from just a couple of hours to experience the vintage Fiat 500 in its natural habitat to a full day with wine tasting (local Chianti of course!) food and a stop off for photos in Piazzale Michelangelo. Check out their blog for more information on which tours of Florence or Tuscany you can choose from;

Fiat 500 Tours

Ristorante Pizzeria – Piazzale Michelangelo, Firenze

This restaurant is just off Piazzale Michelangelo on Via Galileo in Florence and has lovely views of the hills and large houses on the Southern outskirts of the city. It’s slightly more expensive than restaurants in town for the food (a standard pizza is €3 or €4 more than in town) but it’s worth it for the view and location. I’d avoid the soft drinks at €6 each though as that’s a bit steep even for Florence tourist-central.

You can exit the restaurant, turn left and then walk down the steps almost immediately on your left and they will take you down to the heart of San Niccolo. Keep going towards the gate and just before you reach it, there is the Bar “Fuori Porta” or Outside the Gate; perfect for an after lunch/dinner drink!

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Castello di Querceto

In the depths of the Chianti region of Tuscany is an agriturismo set in tranquil gardens where the only noise that might disturb you is the calling of the resident peacocks. We stumbled across this beautiful castle on our trip to film at Greve in Chianti and I’m glad we did. As it was a quiet Sunday, there was nobody around but we’ve made a note to go back and test out their wines, two of which were recommended by Decanter magazine!

Castello di Querceto Website

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Boboli Gardens or Giardino di Boboli

The Boboli Gardens or locally, Giardino di Boboli (ooh, he speaks Italian) are behind the Pitti Palace and are home to a collection of sculptures dating from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries, with some Roman antiquities. Plus there are some, ah, more recent additions scattered about the place. There’s a sculpture of what looks like dung beetles fighting; that’s my favourite.

The Boboli Gardens really are huge and it is possible to get (deliberately) lost in them for hours. Unfortunately, it is a constant work in progress so there will be barriers and “No Entry” signs here and there but with so many of the major works completed, the place really is a marvel in the centre of a city such as Florence.

A 10 Euro ticket from Giardino Bardini gives you access to the Giardino di Boboli which is easily enough walking and garden viewing for a whole day but if you want to go to see other museums on your trip to Florence, Alexandra at ArtTrav.com has some really useful information on how you can see everything on on ticket and skip the queues!

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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