13 Tips for a FANTASTIC Trip to Florence
One of the most beautiful and historically significant cities in the world…join me as I help you decide what to do, where to go, where to stay, and what to eat in stunning Florence.
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Thanks to Audrey Kennedy for the help! If you need a travel agent, she's the best!
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How to Get into the City:
- From Pisa Airport (Gallilei Gallileo Intl Airport): Take the Pisamover to Pisa Centrale Station, and buy a ticket to Florence (Santa Maria Novella Station)
- From Florence Airport (Peretola)
Cheapest option is the new Tram from T2 to Santa Maria Novella Station in Florence.
Or just hop in a cab)
How to Skip The Lines:
(VERY IMPORTANT TO AVOID SPENDING HOURS IN LINES!)
- The most user friendly website for reserving skip the line reserved ticket times (for the Uffizi Gallery and the Academia Gallery (Michelangelo's David) is:
(But you’ll pay more of a fee…but it is user friendly)
- The official ticketing website for the Uffizi Gallery and The David is B-ticket:
(Less user-friendly, but a cheaper ticket price…and it’s not that hard to figure it out)
- The official site for reserving a climb for the Duomo is here (this will also include entrance into all of the attractions of the Duomo):
- You can also call to book a time at the Uffizi and David by calling this number from a US phone:
011-39-055-294-883
- Or this number from an Italian phone:
055-294-883
You can also sometimes book through your hotel (if you’re staying at a hotel)
Or go with a small group tour like ArtVivia (more expensive, but highly recommended):
Food:
- All’Antico Vinaio
- Gustapizza
- Le Volpi e L’Uva
- Trattoria Mario
- Trattoria Za Za
- Zeb
- Cibrèo Trattoria
- Osteria Santo Spirito
- L’Osteria di Giovanni
- Trattoria Giovanni
Gelato:
- Venchi
- Vivoli
- Gelateria La Carraia
- Gelateria Artigianale La Strega Nocciola
- Gelateria Santa Trinita
- My Sugar
- Gelateria Dei Neri (one of my two favorites)
- Perché No (my favorite)
Neighborhoods/Piazzas/Sites:
- Piazza della Signoria
- Ponte Vecchio (Make sure to climb to the top)
- Oltrarno (Across any of the bridged on the other side of the Arno River)
- San Frediano
- Santo Spirito
- Walk along the Arno River
Markets:
- Mercato Centrale
- Mercato di San Lorenzo
- Loggia del Mercato Nuovo
- Sant’Ambrogio Market
Michaelangelo’s David:
Galleria dell’Accademia
(Again…make sure to book an advanced entrance time)
Other Museums/Art/History:
- Uffizi Gallery (BOOK AHEAD)
- Palazzo Vecchio
- Palazzo Pitti
Churches:
- Duomo di Firenze, also the Crypt below, the Baptistry, and Giotto’s Bell Tower (though as I said in the video…you’ll get as a good a view of the city from climbing the Palazzo Vecchio with FAR FEWER crowds)
- Basilica di Santa Croce (burial site of famous Italians)
- Medici Chapel (also the family tomb for the Medici)
Parks/Nature:
- Boboli Gardens (Beautiful impressive huge park)
- Giardino Bardini (My favorite park in the city)
- Rent a bike and ride through the hills above Florence. Best route (in my opinion) Head across the Ponte all Grazie (Bridge), and bike up the hills above Piazzale Michaelangelo.
Views of the City:
- la Rinascente (4th floor…up the green stairs)
- Rooftop bar of the Westin Excelsior
- Watch the Sunset on the St Trinity Bridge
Tuscany:
(I rented a car…I think it cost me around 50 Euros for the day)
- Day Trip/Wine Tour of Tuscany (There are many options for tours…I loved the small group half/day tour with Prestige rent…I found it on Trip Advisor (linked here):
- Siena (if you only visit one town in Tuscany…make it Siena. Also take the bus, not the train)
- San Gimignano (Can be seen on the same day as Siena as they’re close by)
- Pisa
- Lucca (aerial shot of Lucca is from videoblocks.com)
PLACES I DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO FEATURE:
Restaurants:
- Osteria Vini e Vecchi Sapori (VERY POPULAR spot. Reservations are a must)
- Bella Donne (fantastic meatballs…or “polpettine”)
- Hostaria Il Desco (great little hidden gem near the Ponte Vecchio in a winding alley)
Other things to see/do:
- Bargello Museum
- Strozzi Museum
- Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (The Duomo’s museum)
MY EQUIPMENT:
- Main Camera: Panasonic GH5 (w/ Metabones Speedbooster adapter, and an XLR shoe mount for my lav mic)
- Second Camera (For Studio shoot): Sony FS5 with Canon 24-70 2.8
- Lenses: Panasonic Lumix 12-35 2.8, Panasonic Lumix 35-100 2.8, Sigma Art Lens 18-35 1.8, Canon 24-70 2.8
- Gimbal: DJI Ronin S
- Drone: DJI Mavic 2 Zoom
- Camera Slider: Rhino ROV Pro
Top 10 Best Things to do in Modica, Italy
Modica Travel Guide. MUST WATCH. Top 10 things you have to do in Modica. We have sorted Tourist Attractions in Modica for You. Discover Modica as per the Traveler Resources given by our Travel Specialists. You will not miss any fun thing to do in Modica.
This Video has covered top 10 Best Things to do in Modica.
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List of Best Things to do in Modica, Italy
Chiesa di San Giorgio
Mulino ad Acqua - Museo Cavallo d'Ispica
Chiesa di San Pietro
L'arte del Cioccolato Torrone Cannolo
Santa Maria del Gesu
Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista
Pizzo Belvedere
Chiesa di San Nicolo Inferiore
Chiesa di Santa Maria di Betlem
La Casa delle Farfalle
Walk around Florence Italy Piazza Pitti Santa Maria Novella Duomo Palazzo Vecchio Santa Croce
00:00 Piazza Santo Spirito Basilica di Santo Spirito
03:50 Piazza Pitti Palazzo Pitti
18:40 Ponte Santa Trinita
25:00 Ponte Alla Carraia
27:50 Piazza Carlo Goldoni
32:55 Piazza Ognissanti
33:35 Chiesa Di SS.Salvatore in Ognissanti
42:50 Piazza di Santa Maria Novella Basilica di Santa Maria Novella
51:30 Firenze S. M. Novella
59:10 Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini Cappelle Medicee
01:03:10 Piazza del Duomo Battistero di San Giovanni Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore
01:11:40 Piazza della Signoria Palazzo Vecchio
01:22:45 Piazza di S. Firenze
01:28:10 Piazza di Santa Croce Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze
Top 10 Best Things To Do In Andria, Italy
Andria Travel Guide. MUST WATCH. Top 10 things you have to do in Andria We have sorted Tourist Attractions in Andria for You. Discover Andria as per the Traveler Resources given by our Travel Specialists. You will not miss any fun thing to do in Andria.
This Video has covered top 10 Best Things to do in Andria.
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List of Best Things to do in Andria, Italy.
Museo del Confetto Mucci Giovanni
Castel del Monte
Basilica Santa Maria dei Miracoli
Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta
Conte Spagnoletti Zeuli - Azienda Agricola
L'Altro Villaggio
Villa T&D Mania
Chiesa Rupestre di Santa Croce
Villa Comunale Giuseppe Marano di Andria
Epitaffio della Disfida
Places to see in ( Greve in Chianti - Italy )
Places to see in ( Greve in Chianti - Italy )
The main town in the Chianti Fiorentino, Greve is a hub of the local wine industry and has an amiable market-town air. It's not picturesque (most of the architecture is modern and unattractive), but it does boast an attractive, historic central square and a few notable businesses. The annual wine fair Expo del Chianti Classico is held in early September – if visiting at this time, book accommodation here and throughout the region well in advance.
Greve in Chianti is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy. It is located about 31 kilometres south of Florence and 42 kilometres north of Siena. Sitting in the Val di Greve, it is named for the small, fast-flowing river that runs through it, is the principal town in the Chianti wine district which stretches south of Florence to just north of Siena. Until recently it has been a quiet, almost bucolic town because it was, and still is, well off the main roads.
Even in ancient days Greve was not isolated because it was well-connected by secondary roads to the Via Volterrana and via Francigena. Nowadays, it is connected to the A1 superstrada between Florence and Rome and the main road between Florence and Siena. The old road network ensured easy access to Florence and to other places such as Figline where its tradesmen and farmers found ready markets for their goods and produce.
The site of Greve and the surrounding territory has been long settled, probably well before the Etruscans and then the Romans dominated the area. Historical documents of the 11th century refer to an ancient monastic settlement on a nearby hill, which is now called the hill of San Francesco. Before the Franciscans established their monastery in the 15th century, an earlier monastery dedicated to Santo Savi had already been built, and also a small hospital. Larger scale settlement occurred in the 13th and 14th centuries.
The Franciscan monastery is still at the heart of the old part of the city, as is the triangular main piazza, where a market has been running more or less continuously for centuries serving the nearby castle communities and hamlets.
The piazza is fronted by numerous medieval aged buildings, including the 11th century Chiesa Santa Croce which was rebuilt in 1325 after being burned to the ground, along with the rest of the town, by the Duke of Lucca, Castruccio Castracani. After further renovation, the church, which houses paintings of the school of Fra Angelico, now features a neo-classical façade. In the piazza there is also a monument to navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano, who was possibly born nearby, however more recent scholarly work places his birth at Lyon France.
In the frazione of Montefioralle is the church of Santo Stefano, with a late 13th-century Madonna with Child and a 15th-century Trinity and Saints. Also in the hamlet is a house which, according to the tradition, belonged to explorer Amerigo Vespucci. In the nearby is a Romanesque Pieve with narthexed façade and two mullioned windows.
At 2 kilometres (1 mile) from the centre of Greve is the castle of Verrazzano, sitting on a 348 metres (1,142 feet) high hill. Built probably by the Lombards, it was a possession of the explorer's family, and in the 17th century was turned into a villa. Of the 13th-century manor a tower remains.
In the neighbourhood of the frazione of Panzano is the Pieve of San Leolino, known from the 10th century. The interior houses a 13th-century panel by Meliore di Jacopo, a 15th-century polyptych by the so-called Master of Panzano, as well as works by Raffaellino del Garbo and Giovanni della Robbia.
( Greve in Chianti - Italy ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Greve in Chianti . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Greve in Chianti - Italy
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Places to see in ( Cuneo - Italy )
Places to see in ( Cuneo - Italy )
Cuneo is a city and comune in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the third largest of Italy’s provinces by area. It is located at 550 metres in the south-west of Piedmont, at the confluence of the rivers Stura and Gesso. There is a raft of reasons why you should drop by stately Cuneo, not least being the food, the bike friendliness, the hiking possibilities nearby, and, last but certainly not least, the city's signature rum-filled chocolates.
Sitting on a promontory of land between two rivers, Cuneo also provides excellent Alpine views framed by the high pyramid-shaped peak of Monte Viso (3841m) in the Cottian Alps.
Including all bordering municipalities Beinette, Borgo San Dalmazzo, Boves, Busca, Caraglio, Castelletto Stura, Centallo, Cervasca, Morozzo, Peveragno, Tarantasca and Vignolo the population is 123,301 inhabitants. It is near six important mountain passes:
Colle della Maddalena at 1,996 metres (6,549 ft)
Colle di Tenda at 1,871 metres (6,138 ft) - Tunnel of Tenda at 1,300 metres (4,300 ft), 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long
Colle del Melogno at 1,027 metres (3,369 ft)
Colle San Bernardo at 957 metres (3,140 ft)
Colle di Nava at 934 metres (3,064 ft)
Colle di Cadibona at 459 metres (1,506 ft).
Cuneo was founded in 1198 by the local population, who declared it an independent commune, freeing themselves from the authority of the bishops of Asti and the marquisses of Montferrat and Saluzzo. In 1210 the latter occupied it, and in 1231 the Cuneesi rebelled. In 1238 they were recognized as free commune by Emperor Frederick II.
In 1259 the independence of Cuneo ceased forever, as it gave itself, also to take protection against its more powerful neighbours, to Charles I of Anjou, who was then King of Naples and Count of Provence. Together with Alba, it was the main Angevine possession in Northern Italy; their rule (in fact interrupted by periods under Saluzzo, Savoy, the Visconti of Milan) ended in 1382 when Cuneo was acquired by the Duchy of Savoy.
Alot to see in Cuneo :
Villa Oldofredi Tadini, built in the 14th and 15th centuries as a watchtower. It is now a museum housing collections of the owners, the Mocchia and Oldofredi Tadini families.
Villa Tornaforte, surrounded by an English-style park.
Civic Museum
Railway Museum
Churches of Santa Croce, San Giovanni Decollato and Santissima Annunziata, housing paintings by Giovan Francesco Gaggini.
Panoramic funicolar that connects plateau to Gesso river.
Monument of Stura and Gesso in Torino Square
The median way of the plateau (Rome Avenue, Galimberti Square and Nice Avenue): the commercial heart of Cuneo.
New Bridge (Ponte Nuovo) between the center of the city and Madonna dell' Olmo
Monument at Peano's curve
Palazzo Uffici Finanziari (PUF), highest edifice in the city at about 50 metres (160 ft)
Most important and populated: Centro storico, Cuneo centro, Cuneo nuova, San Paolo, Donatello, Gramsci, San Rocco, Cerialdo, Confreria and Borgo San Giuseppe. Cuneo's specialty is Cuneesi al rhum, chocolates with a unique rum-based filling. The most famous brand is Arione, located in Piazza Galimberti (the city's central square). Arione, founded in 1923, has kept its traditional furniture.
( Cuneo - Italy ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Cuneo . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Cuneo - Italy
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Palermo, Sicily, Italy. A Walk in the Baroque Church of St. Giuseppe dei Teatini
San Giuseppe dei Teatini is a church in the Sicilian city of Palermo. Located near the Quattro Canti, is considered one of the most outstanding examples of the Sicilian Baroque in Palermo.
The church was built at the beginning of the 17th century by Giacomo Besio. It has a majestic though simple façade. In the centre niche is housed a state of San Gaetano, founder of the Theatines order. Another striking feature is the large dome with a blue and yellow majolica covering. The tambour decorated with double columns was designed by Giuseppe Mariani.
The interior has a Latin cross plan with a nave and two aisles, divided by marble columns of variable height. The inner decoration is an overwhelming parade of Baroque art, with stuccoes by Paolo Corso and Giuseppe Serpotta. Great frescoes can be seen in the nave, in the vault of the transept: these were painted by Filippo Tancredi, Guglielmo Borremans and Giuseppe Velasquez. The frescoes were severely damaged during World War II, but have been accurately restored.
La chiesa di San Giuseppe dei Teatini è un edificio di culto situato nel centro storico di Palermo. Occupa l'area delimitata a nord dalla strada del Cassaro (odierno Corso Vittorio Emanuele), a oriente da Via Maqueda e si affaccia su piazza Pretoria. Costituisce il vertice del mandamento Palazzo Reale o Albergaria e ingloba la facciata sud di Piazza Vigliena o dei Quattro Canti.
Il prospetto su Corso Vittorio Emanuele è costituito dall'ingresso principale e da due raccordi arcuati laterali: sulla sinistra è la facciata del cantone sud di Piazza Vigliena, per simmetria sulla piazzetta San Giuseppe è realizzato il «quinto canto»,decorato nel 1844.
L'impianto dell'edificio è a croce latina alata, cupola con lanterna e cappelle nelle navate laterali. L'aula è suddivisa da colonne con capitelli corinzi sostenenti 12 archi, nei pennacchi sono presenti affreschi raffiguranti i 12 apostoli opere del palermitano Antonio Manno del 1799.
Sulla cornice della navata centrale poggia la volta a botte tutta ornata di grandi stucchi dorati di Paolo Corso su disegni di Giacomo Amato e di affreschi del messinese Filippo Tancredi del 1693 raffiguranti L'Apoteosi di San Gaetano e il Ciclo di episodi della vita del santo. Il tetto, la volta centrale, gli affreschi sono totalmente ricostruiti, su scorta di fotografie, dopo gli ultimi eventi bellici.
La cupola è opera di Giuseppe Mariani da Pistoia. L'esterno è interamente maiolicato. L'affresco interno della cupola opera di Guglielmo Borremans raffigura La caduta degli angeli ribelli del 1724.
Christmastime in Florence, Italy - The Duomo
Florence Cathedral at Christmastime 2017. Midnight Christmas Eve Mass at the Cathedral, climbing up to the top of the Dome and Giotto's Campanile, and a visit inside the San Giovanni Baptistery.
The Italy Diaries - The Shroud
(video with English subtitles)
Per tutto il mondo è il telo di Torino, per i credenti è la “Sacra” Sindone, l'immagine del Cristo deposto dalla croce. Un lenzuolo di lino lungo 442 centimetri e largo 113 di cui esistono testimonianze storiche solo a partire dal medioevo e su cui si confrontano scienza e fede. Dal prossimo 19 aprile 2015 fino al 24 giugno la Sindone verrà mostrata al pubblico per l'ostensione più lunga della storia, 67 giorni. Un evento organizzato in occasione del bicentenario della nascita di San Giovanni Bosco che culminerà con la visita del Papa prevista per il 21 giugno.
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ROME ATTRACTIONS (4K)
Rome tourist attractions or things to do. In this video: Colosseum and Arch of Constantine, Trevi Fountain, Vatican City, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, Capitoline Hill and Altare Della Patria, Piazza del Campidoglio, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Castel Sant'Angelo, Campo de Fiori, Basillica Di Santa Maria Magiore, Borghese Park, Basillica Di San Giovanni In Laterano, Piazza del Popolo.