Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Welcome to the Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Destination Guides

bthere! Destination guides

Previous issues for Florence

Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy,
please confirm event/venue details in advance.

Italy : Florence - April 2009

Country Code: Dial for Italy

May is Florence’s most glorious month, with the city’s emblematic flower, the iris, springing up wild on every roadside. The flower is celebrated in the International Iris Competition, which takes place in the stunning – and little-known – Iris Garden. The garden opens just once a year, for five days in May. Kamin Mohammadi enjoys the blooms

Getting around

Florence Peretola

Bus: Vola In Bus departs from outside the airport to Stazione Santa Maria Novella every 30 minutes. Tickets cost €4,50.
Taxi: A taxi from the airport into the city centre takes 20 minutes and costs about €16.
Tourist information: The main tourist information point is at 29r Borgo Santa Croce. There is also one in the piazza outside Santa Maria Novella Stazione and at 1r Via Cavour (www.firenzeturismo.it).

SAN NICCOLO

This is the least known – and most vibrant – district of the Oltrarno quarter, with bars, restaurants and, just outside the city gates, two of Florence’s true hidden gems.

Sleep soundly – Set in a 15th-century palazzo, Hotel Silla (5 Via de’ Renai, , hotelsilla.it, rooms from €120) has simple, clean rooms.

Culture vultures – The flowers at the International Iris Competition from 4-9 May at Giardino dell’Iris (Piazzale Michelangelo) have to be seen to be believed. Another hidden garden opens in May, Giardino delle Rose (Via del Monte alle Croci). It’s only open for two months of the year, displaying rare roses, marvellous landscaping and stunning views over the city.

Must eat – Enoteca Fuori Porta (10 Via del Monte alle Croci, ) has excellent wines and does good crostini (thin, crisp toast topped with cheese or vegetables).

Must drink – Undoubtedly the friendliest bar in town, High Bar (27 Via de’ Renai) is a gem, with a garden, terrace and free Wi-Fi.

SANTA MARIA NOVELLA

The area around Florence’s main train station teems with young travellers.

Sleep soundly – Hotel Roma (8 Piazza Santa Maria Novella, tel. , hotelromaflorence.com, rooms from €150) is set in an 18th-century palazzo in a great location.

Culture vultures – The great basilica Santa Maria Novella (Piazza Santa Maria Novella) showcases gothic and Renaissance masterpieces, with a Giotto crucifix and Brunelleschi pulpit.

Must eat – Cantinetta Antinori (3 Piazza degli Antinori, tel. ) is a small wine bar in the 15th-century palace of the Antinori family. You can taste wine at the counter or enjoy it with a traditional Tuscan meal.

Shop til you drop – Only in Florence would a chemist sell handcrafted products in an ancient frescoed building. Farmacia di Santa Maria Novella (16 Via della Scala) combines history, art and shopping.

WESTERN OLTRARNO

Just south of Ponte Santa Trinita, the pace of life is slightly slower but the bars are still packed and there are plenty of good restaurants where you can sample local dishes.

Must eat – Newly opened on the site of modern Tuscan restaurant Beccofino, Nove (10 Lungarno Guicciardini, ) is rather different, with “glamazon” waitresses and gaudy décor. The food, however, is largely unchanged; think Florentine favourites such as bistecca alla Fiorentina (inchthick steak cooked over a wood fire).

Must drink – Il Santo Bevitore (66 Via Santo Spirito) is cosy wine bar, appended to the eponymous restaurant, perfect for pre-dinner drinks and aperitivo. Make sure you try the home-cured salami.

FIESOLE

This beautiful village is a 30-minute bus ride away in the hills to the north of the city. Here you’ll find magnificent views of Florence as well as a wealth of walks and sights.

Sleep soundly – Hotels don’t come more stunning than Villa San Michele (4 Via Doccia, , villasanmichele.orient-express.com, rooms from €600), which has an exterior said to be designed by Michelangelo, sumptuous frescoes and an open-air loggia from which to watch Florence’s lights twinkle.

Culture vultures – The amazing sculpted garden at Villa Medici (40 Villa della Petraia) offers visitors unrivalled views across the Florentine plain.

Must eat – La Reggia degli Etruschi (18 Via San Francesco, ) is the best place to eat in Fiesole, with excellent Tuscan cuisine made using the freshest ingredients, panoramic views over Florence and a well-stocked winery, where you can taste or buy the region’s finest wines.

Compiled by Kamin Mohammadi