Accommodation in Florence: choosing the right neighborhood

Florence is a city full of museums and monuments to visit, but it is also a city to be enjoyed and lived outside, walking in the streets, among people, taverns and craft shops. Here each neighborhood has its own well defined characteristics: the neighborhood of haute couture boutiques, the one of craft shops, the one of the market and so on.

Then, in order to choose the best place to stay in Florence, whether for a weekend or for a few months, you should take into account everything that a district has to offer. Every area of the city has its own personality and the best would be to choose the one that comes closest to your needs and expectations.

For example, the area near Piazza San Marco and Piazza SS. Annunziata is a residential area, but still in the center, where you can find many hotels and B&B. The Accademia Gallery, where it is kept the original of Michelangelo's David, is just a short walk from the square.

The area of Fortezza da Basso, on the other hand, is one in which there are mainly offices, banks, doctors and residential homes.Here we are far (yet very close) from the tourist hubbub of the city center, and immersed in the Italian daily life. To clarify, here there are neither tourists nor restaurants with tourist menus or gift shops, yet we are just two steps away from the center. It is also a great area for those who travel by car (cars cannot circulate in the center) or for those who are in Florence for business meetings or to attend one of the many trade fairs held at the Fortezza da Basso.

The area of Santa Croce, in the historic center, is surely one of the most vital of the city, both day and night. At the Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio you can find all the best ingredients of Italian cuisine: pasta, seasonal fruit and vegetables, meat and cheese. The area is full of interesting shops and boasts a bustling nightlife including aperitifs, restaurants, cocktail bars and nightclubs. Avoid it, especially in the summer, if at night you just want to sleep.

The area of the Lungarni is certainly the most impressive. Here you can watch the sunset with a view of the city's bridges. It is also a good balance between residential and tourist area. On the other hand, fans of shopping and high fashion will have to choose the area of via Tornabuoni, where they can find the boutiques of the major Italian and international designer labels: Gucci, Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, just to name a few.

Finally, the area called Oltrarno, which is the district on the left bank of the Arno, is the one where perhaps more than in other areas you can relive the life as it was once in Florence, including workshops, artists, antique shops and taverns. Stay here in a B&B to be completely immersed in the most authentic Florentine spirit.

Of course there isn't a neighborhood that is better than the others, each has its own particular charm. The right choice depends only on what you want to draw from the stay in Florence and, in any event, the city offers so many wonders that you will always land on your feet!