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Florence
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Football Italia City Guide
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Florence is such a well-known holiday destination and with good reason. The city that was home to Dante Aligheri, Michelangelo and the powerful Medici family boasts a rich history and a wealth of artistic treasures second to none. And the surrounding Tuscan countryside is simply beautiful.
Founded by the Etruscans in about 200 BC, the city became very important during the Renaissance when the Medici clan - rich bankers to the Pope - ruled. Florence was even capital between 1861 and 1875 before Rome took over the role The Iris Florentina flower has been a symbol of the city since the 12th Century when it used to change from red on a white background to white on a red background, depending on which of the rival clans, the Guelfs or the Ghibellines, was in power.
Florence today is a lively place, with a compact city centre and colourful outlying districts. The locals are fiercely proud of their football team and its achievements; Viola flags and scarves abound. Fiorentina are back in Serie A after bankruptcy sent them down to the bottom of the ladder just a couple of seasons ago. A combination of luck and skill has helped their sprint back up to the top flight, where the two-time Scudetto winners belong.
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 Stadio: Artemio Franchi
Florence's neatly built stadium was inaugurated in 1931 but was only named after Artemio Franchi, a former Fiorentina manager, in 1991. With a capacity of 47,282 the stadium is located east of the city centre very near Florence's Campo di Marte station. Bus numbers 7, 17 or 20 take you there. |
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 Match Tickets
Book tickets online through www.listicket.it and pick them up not before two hours from kick off at the Accrediti B1 desk, by gate number 16 outside the Tribuna section of the stadium. To buy tickets directly in Florence go to any of the numerous Lottomatica lottery points around town. A couple of bars near the stadium also sell tickets: Bar Stadio (Viale Manfredo Fanti 3r, Tel: 0039-055-576169) and Bar Marisa (Via Carnesecchi 1, Tel: 0039-055-572723).
Football Italia Ticket Info |
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Out & About
There's plenty to see in Florence and the surrounding area, so plan your visit well to fit in what appeals to you most.
> You really can’t miss Florence's cathedral square, Piazza del Duomo. The beautiful duomo, bell tower & baptistery are all made from colourful marble. Go up the bell tower or the cathedral cupola to look out over the town - each costs _6.
> Florence's famous Ponte Vecchio bridge is lined with jewellery shops, and you can get great views over the River Arno and its banks from the middle. The picturesque Ponte Vecchio itself is even more striking when seen from one of the other bridges.
> The Mercato Nuovo is the small covered market near the Ponte Vecchio that sells leather goods, decorated stationery, and other Florentine wares. Don't miss il Porcellino, the bronze wild boar on the edge of the market. Stroke his nose & throw in a coin to make sure you'll return to Florence one day!
> Piazza della Signoria has a very unusual atmosphere with its huge statues standing around, including a copy of Michelangelo's David.
> If you plan to visit Florence's huge art gallery, the Galleria degli Uffizi, make sure to book in advance (Tel: 0039-055-294883) to avoid the queues. It would take at least a day to visit the place properly, so just choose a selection of rooms and head for those. The Botticelli room is one of the best.
> Santa Croce & Santa Maria Novella are two strikingly designed churches in lovely squares. The former is located out of the centre in a less touristy area, while the latter is in a grassy square just round the corner from the main train station.
> Go shopping. Florence's main market, San Lorenzo, is huge. Clothes stalls and so on - plenty of replica football shirts wherever you go - are outside, while food is sold in the cavernous food hall on two floors.
> The Sant'Ambrogio market is another similarly big mix. The more real life Oltrarno district over the river is full of leather and woodwork shops, and you'll find plenty of both on sale. The more upmarket shops are around the Piazza della Repubblica area, while the Viola Point official merchandising store is in Via Ricasoli 25R near the cathedral.
> If you feel like heading out of town, why not visit the small town of Fiesole. Bus No 7 from outside Florence's Santa Maria Novella station takes you the 8km there. As well as having its own cathedral and Roman amphitheatre, you can walk in the hills and enjoy great views over Florence from Fiesole.
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Food & Drink
Tuscan cuisine is well known for its simple and tasty dishes. You'll find the ribollita, a kind of soup made from vegetables and bread, and panzanella, a filling salad that includes tomatoes and bread, on the menu wherever you go, and where better to sink your teeth into a juicy Fiorentina steak than in Florence.
Drink Chianti! Look out in particular for the Gallo Nero consortium's black cockerel label.
Where Florence differs from the rest of the region is in its traditional fast food stalls with their steaming saucepans of tripe. The tripe sandwich or panino con il lampredotto is the most typical Florentine snack and you can find the stalls in several places around town, particularly near the markets: near the bronze wild boar statue at the Mercato Nuovo; on the corner of Via dell’Ariento and Via S. Antonino near the San Lorenzo market; and near the S. Ambrogio market in Via de’ Macci on the corner of Piazza S. Ambrogio.
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Restaurants
Avoid the city centre eateries aimed specifically at tourists. Many of the best places to experience are south of the river or around the Santa Croce area, south east of the centre.
> Coco Lezzone (Via del Parioncino 26, Tel: 0039-055-287178). This typical Tuscan trattoria near the river doesn’t serve coffee and maintains that mobile phones disturb the cooking of the ribollita soup.
> Antico Ristoro di' Cambi (Via Sant' Onofrio 1, Tel: 0039-055-217134). Inexpensive wooden tabled trattoria just south of the Ponte Vespucci bridge. Mind your head on the hams hanging from the ceiling.
> Fiaschetteria Vecchio Casentino (Via dei Neri 17r). One of Florence's traditional wine cellars or vinai. It originally just sold wine, but now you can sit down for a drink and something to eat - including a hot lunch. The road has an interesting selection of shops & bars.
> I Fratellini - Vinaio (Via Cimatori 38). Another typical wine cellar - this one is very central but tiny. You have to take your drink and snack on to the pavement as there are no chairs or tables, just shelves outside.
> Trattoria La Casalinga (Via Michelozzi 9r, Tel: 0039-055-218624). Authentic and inexpensive Tuscan trattoria south of the river, towards the Pitti Palace.
> Ristorante del Fagioli (Corso dei Tintori 47/r, Tel: 0039-055-244285). Legend has it that Fagioli, poet and chef to the Medici family, used this rustic restaurant as a theatre.
> Al Tranvai (Piazza Torquato Tasso 14r, Tel: 0039-055-225197). A small, cosy trattoria south of the river in a very untouristy area.
> Pizzaiuolo (Via de' Macci 113r, Tel: 0039-055-241171). Come here if you fancy a pizza - they're reckoned to be the best in the city.
> Tre Soldi (Via Gabriele D'Annunzio 4r-a, Tel: 0039-055-679366). Quaint and friendly trattoria quite near the stadium.
> Osteria Antica Mescita San Niccolò (Via San Niccolò 60r Tel: 0039-055-2342836). Cheap and traditional hostelry south of the river - well placed for a break before or after a walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato al Monte.
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Accomodation
> Hotel Porta Rossa (Via Porta Rossa 19, Tel: 0039-055-287551, www.hotelportarossa.com). This smart, centrally placed hotel was established in 1386 and is thought to be the oldest in town. Each room is decorated in a different way.
> Hotel Pendini (Via Strozzi 2, Tel: 0039-055-211170, www.hotelpendini.net). Another comfortable hotel, well furnished with antiques and reproductions. Looks over Piazza della Repubblica.
> Hotel Consigli (Lungarno A.Vespucci 50, Tel: 0039-055-214172, www.hotelconsigli.com). Choose this place on the banks of the Arno for a more open vista. Great views from the roof garden.
> Hotel Goldoni (Borgo Ognissanti 8, Tel: 0039-055-284080, www.hotelgoldoni.com). Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart actually stayed at this three star hotel near the River Arno.
> Hotel Accademia (Via Faenza 7, Tel: 0039-055-293451, www.accademiahotel.net). Recently renovated labyrinthine hotel with wooden ceilings and stained glass doors that deserves more than its two stars.
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Getting there...
Fly to Pisa airport with British Airways (www.britishairways.com) from Gatwick or with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Stansted or Glasgow Prestwick.
From the airport railway station take the train to Firenze Santa Maria Novella. There are frequent direct trains but at certain times of day you may have to change at Pisa Central - for train timetables see www.trenitalia.com. Florence station's platform 5 is dedicated to trains to Pisa airport.
There are also coaches between Pisa airport and Florence, stopping outside the Santa Maria Novella station.
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Local lingo
Due biglietti andata e ritorno per Firenze, per favore - "Two return tickets to Florence please."
Una Fiorentina di sei etti per favore - "A 600g Florentine steak please."
Avete la maglia di Miccoli per un bambino? - "Have you got a Miccoli shirt for a child?"
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Compiled by: Sarah Lane
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