Florence, with its austere pietra serena (sandstone) buildings, never fails to excite one’s emotions! It is most magical either as the sun begins to spread across the brick-red roofs or as it sets, reflecting its glorious golden colors on the surface of the Arno. It is a city of architecture, art, artisans and its magnificent re-birth between the thirteenth and sixteenth century has drawn visitors to its beauty for hundreds of years.
View from Piazzale Michelangelo | Photo by Yann Le Moing on Flickr
Florence is one place, I feel, that is more beautiful than any words can describe. Usually on a rigid time schedule, visitors race around seeing its artistic wealth, yet often find little or no time to sit and drink in the physical beauty of the city itself. The following are special places of ‘refuge’ where you can remedy the rush; they are great spots to sit, relax and watch the world go by with extraordinary views of Florence as your backdrop: San Miniato al Monte; the cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo and its 463 steps to the top); the Boboli Gardens at the Palazzo Pitti, with its café at the top of the garden; Piazza Mino da Fiesole in Fiesole (bus Number 7 from Santa Maria Novella station will take you up to the square); Piazzale Michelangelo, where most of the photos of Florence are taken; and the stunning vistas from the splendid garden of Settignano’s Villa Gamberaia (via del Rossellino, just 15 minutes from the city center by car), which is considered the eighth wonder of the world.
If you’re looking to quietly sit and reflect on the beauty of Florence, I’d recommend any of the restaurants listed below:
In Florence, the Rinascente department store (Piazza della Repubblica, 1) has a small rooftop bar and is a great place to watch the sunset and have a drink; The Hotel Continentale’s Skye Lounge (Vicolo dell’Oro, 6r; open April to October) is on the top floor of the Torre de’ Consorti, a medieval tower; the Hotel Lungarno’s Lounge Bar (Borgo San Jacopo, 4) is a lovely riverside bar and the Kraft Hotel’s Terrazza Rossini (via Solferino, 2) has a rooftop terrace bar/restaurant with a hanging garden, just to name a few. The Westin Excelsior (Piazza Ognissanti, 3) has recently reopened, after 20 years of inactivity, its top floor terrace restaurant and bar, SE.STO on Arno, with its breathtaking 360 degree views of the city.
In Fiesole, whose main square is five miles northeast of Florence by car, there are two lovely restaurants with breathtaking views of Florence: La Reggia degli Etruschi, (via San Francesco, 18), located in a former monastery, and the very expensive Loggia Restaurant at Villa San Michele (via Doccia, 4), open from early spring to late autumn.
As I reflect upon the beauties of Florence ‘from on high’, the words of Italian poet Cesare Pavese come to my mind. In his The Burning Brand Diaries 1935-1950, Pavese wrote, ‘We do not remember days; we remember moments’. As you embark on your own discoveries con amore, it’s those moments in Florence I hope you will never forget.
