Florence 3-day itinerary

The Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore) is free to enter — the interior is surprisingly austere, making the dome's Last Judgment fresco above more dramatic. Climb the dome (463 steps, €30 combined ticket covers dome, bell tower, baptistery, crypt, and museum — book online weeks ahead). The view from the top is pure Florence. Giotto's Bell Tower next door is 414 steps but equally stunning.

The Uffizi (€20, book online) is the world's greatest Renaissance art gallery. Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo's Annunciation, Titian, Raphael, and Caravaggio. The new rooms are less crowded. The Vasari Corridor view over the Arno from the upper windows is a bonus. Allow 2–3 hours. Lunch at All'Antico Vinaio (legendary panini, €5–7, always a queue on Via dei Neri).

Cross the Ponte Vecchio into the Oltrarno — Florence's artisan quarter where carpenters, bookbinders, and goldsmiths still work in medieval workshops. Walk Via Maggio and Borgo San Jacopo. Aperitivo at Volume (Santo Spirito) or Golden View (Ponte Vecchio views, €10–14 cocktails). Dinner at Trattoria dell'Orto for Florentine classics (ribollita, pappardelle al cinghiale, mains €10–14).

Pre-book the Galleria dell'Accademia (€16, online only) for Michelangelo's David — the original, 5.17 metres of white marble genius. The gallery is small; David is the centrepiece. The corridor of Michelangelo's unfinished Prisoners (Prigioni) — figures emerging from rough marble — is almost as powerful. Allow 60–90 minutes total.

The Basilica di San Lorenzo (€7) has a Brunelleschi interior and the Medici Chapels (€9) with Michelangelo's sculptured tombs — the Dawn, Dusk, Day, and Night figures are haunting. Walk to the Mercato Centrale — the ground floor has fresh produce and a traditional lampredotto (tripe sandwich, €4) stand. The upstairs food hall has sit-down restaurants with Tuscan specialties (mains €8–14).

Walk to Piazza Santa Croce — the Basilica (€8) holds the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli. The piazza itself is one of Florence's most pleasant gathering spots. For a Florentine splurge, try bistecca alla fiorentina — a massive T-bone steak (€45–60/kg, shared between two). Trattoria Sostanza (book ahead) or Buca Mario are legendary. A kilo feeds two generously.

The Palazzo Pitti (€16) was the Medici residence — the Palatine Gallery has Raphael, Titian, and Rubens hung salon-style in opulent rooms. Walk into the Boboli Gardens (€10, or €22 combined with Pitti) — 45,000 square metres of Renaissance garden design with grottos, fountains, and sculptures. The views of the Duomo from the upper terraces are superb. Allow 2 hours for both.

Explore the Oltrarno's artisan workshops on Via Maggio, Borgo San Frediano, and Sdrucciolo de' Pitti — leather workers, paper marbling (marbled paper is a Florence tradition), and furniture restorers welcome visitors. Walk uphill to San Miniato al Monte (free) — a Romanesque church with a green-and-white marble facade and the best hilltop view in Florence, even better than Piazzale Michelangelo below it.

End your Florence trip at Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset — the entire Renaissance skyline spread below you, the Arno winding through the city, and the Tuscan hills turning golden. Bring a bottle of Chianti (€5–8 from any enoteca). Farewell dinner at Buca Mario (cellar restaurant, bistecca alla fiorentina) or Il Latini (Tuscan family-style, book ahead, mains €12–18). Florence stays with you.