WHAT TO SEE IN FLORENCE

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Day 3: Florence: Church of Santa María Novella, Il Carmine, Il Santo Spirito, Palazzo Pitti, Jardines di Boboli, Uffizi Gallery, Republic Square

Thursday, December 25, 2008

After one of the most complete days yesterday, our first day of Florence in 3 days, we left the Hotel Globus very soon, making the first stop right next to the station, where we met the Church of Santa María Novella, one of the places we had highlighted in the planning of things what to see in Florence.

Church of Santa María Novella

After this visit we will visit the Palazzo Pitti It is a bit far from the area where we stayed, having to cross the old bridge to get there.
The history of Palazzo Pitti is very interesting. This Palace was built by the Pitti, the great rivals of the Medicis at the time, with the idea of exalting and making their palaces much larger than those of the Medicis in Florence.

More practical information to prepare your trip to Florence
- 50 things to see and do in Florence
- 10 essential places to visit in Florence
- The 5 best tours and excursions in Florence
- Florence guide in two days
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Florence
- The best free tours in Florence for free

Finally the Medicis ended up ruining and bought the Palace of the Pitti, although this has retained the name over the years.

Palazzo Pitti

We only visit a part of the castle, where we are approximately one hour and then make our way to the next point what to see in Florence: The Boboli Gardens, gardens that were made when the Medicis bought the castle in 1550.

Jardines di Boboli in Florence

Among the most prominent places in the Boboli Gardens are a nymph, the theater, the fountain of Neptune and a statue of the goddess Fortuna.

Jardines di Boboli

As a curiosity we will add that we also find the statue that appears on the cover of the Lonely Planet in Florence.

Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish from Florence by travelers:
- Offer: Florence + Uffizi + Academy
- Excursion to San Gimignano, Siena and Chianti
- Excursion to the Cinque Terre
- Excursion to Pisa and climb to the Leaning Tower
- Guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery
- More excursions and tours here

Jardines di Boboli

Something you can not miss are the views from the Jardines di Boboli of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and its dome.

An interesting way to know the history and the most important places of these gardens is to book this visit with a guide in Spanish that includes the entrance.

Views of Florence from the Boboli Gardens

Almost without looking at our watch, something already usual on this trip to Florence and Pisa for free, we realize that we still have many things what to see in Florence, being the main reservation we have from the entrance at 3:30 p.m. to Florence Uffizi Gallery, so we have to eat in the area to be punctual in one of the most impressive places in Florence.
We enter punctually in the Florence Uffizi Gallery, which holds one of the oldest and most famous art collections in the world. The truth is that this visit is done faster than we would have liked, but time is short and we have many things what to see in Florence, so we hurried, making a special stop in the Caravaggio room, with his great works. To avoid queues, a good alternative is to book this guided tour in Spanish or this offer that also includes the Accademia Gallery and a guided tour in Spanish through the city.
If you don't want to take a guided tour, you can book this quick ticket

Uffici Gallery

After this visit we go to the “Oltrano”To visit the church of Santo Spirito in Florence, which we can only see on the outside since they are in full mass and tourists are not allowed to enter. It should be noted from this church that the famous "Wooden Crucifix" is located on the main altar. Michelangelo performed it as a thank you for the hospitality with which the Prior had welcomed him in the place, when he was 17 years old.
In this neighborhood there is also the Church of Il Carmine, famous for the Brancacci Chapel of Florence, with the frescoes of Masaccio, which gives a sensation when you are inside the chapel looking at the frescoes, as if you were in the Sistine Chapel in miniature.