The story of Florence
Florence was Roman Florentia, "the flourishing one," or perhaps just named for a founder called Florentius, and no city ever grew into its name more completely. A wool-and-banking town on the Arno, it minted the florin in 1252, medieval Europe's most trusted currency.
With Medici money and a genius cluster never repeated, Brunelleschi's dome, Donatello, Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Florence invented the Renaissance. Brunelleschi raised the world's largest masonry dome without centering scaffolds; Michelangelo carved David from a block other sculptors had rejected as ruined.
Curiosities: 'Stendhal syndrome', dizziness induced by art overload, was named after the French writer collapsed here in 1817, and Florentine hospitals still occasionally treat it; the Vasari Corridor let the Medici stroll from palace to palace above the Ponte Vecchio's goldsmiths; and Dante, exiled on pain of death, was only 'pardoned' by the city council in 2008.
What it does best
The Uffizi and Michelangelo's David at the Accademia.
Bistecca alla fiorentina and Oltrarno wine bars.
The Duomo climb and Ponte Vecchio.
A Chianti vineyard afternoon.
Weather, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 11 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 31 | 26 | 21 | 15 | 11 |
| Low °C | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 3 |
| Rain mm | 60 | 60 | 60 | 75 | 70 | 55 | 35 | 45 | 75 | 90 | 95 | 75 |
Highlighted months hit the sweet spot: comfortable highs and manageable rain. Approximate long-term normals, pack for surprises anyway.
What's on
Tuscany's bareback horse race around a medieval square, twice each summer.
Recurring annually; exact dates move around, check locally before planning a trip around one. More on the events calendar.
Budget
hostels, markets, free sights
3★ hotels, restaurants, museums
4–5★, tasting menus, taxis
Rough per-person estimates including lodging, food, sights, and local transport. Compare with other cities.
Pair it with
Build a trip around Florence →
Photo: Giorgio Galeotti · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · all credits
