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Italy : Florence - February 2010

Country Code: Dial for Italy

February is one of the best months to visit Florence: it may be cold, but the days are sunny and there are few tourists, leaving you space to enjoy the fine food, excellent shopping and culture. Visit the annual Artisan Chocolate Fair to fill up on chocolate goodies for Valentine’s Day, or live like a local and head to Sant’Ambrogio. Kamin Mohammadi takes a tour

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).

PIAZZA DEL DUOMO AND AROUND

The magnificent Piazza del Duomo is now fully traffic-free, making wandering between the splendours of the square and other sites around the piazza more pleasant than ever.

Sleep soundly – The Four Seasons Hotel (99 Borgo Pinti, , fourseasons.com, rooms from €295) is set in the city’s largest private park, just 10 minutes from the Duomo. With its frescoes and bas-reliefs restored over seven years, it’s like staying in a museum.

Culture vultures – The Medici’s magnificent Renaissance palace, the Palazzo Medici Riccardi (1 Via Cavour) houses stunning frescoes and important artists, as well as the unmissable Cappella dei Magi (the Magi Chapel).

Must eat – Occupying the covered courtyard of the magnificent Palazzo Tornabuoni, Obika (16 Via de’ Tornabuoni, ) is a mozzarella bar devoted to the best buffalo mozzarella available in Italy, serving it up in various tasty dishes.

Must drink – Newly reopened and refurbished, Colle Bereto (5 Piazza degli Strozzi) is once again the coolest watering hole in town, with great aperitivos and live DJ at weekends. Strut your stuff with Florence’s most fashionable crowd. And if it’s cold outside, Caffè Rivoire (5 Piazza della Signoria) serves the richest hot chocolates in town, a Florentine speciality with a mountain of whipped cream on top.

Shop til you drop – For out-ofthis- world menswear and accessories that require a second mortgage, check out Florentine designer Stefano Ricci (5 Via de’ Pescioni), if only to see the luxurious interior of his flagship store.

SANTA CROCE

This lively neighbourhood features narrow streets dotted with leather workshops, dominated by the imposing Santa Croce church.

Sleep soundly – The gorgeous Relais Santa Croce (87 Via Ghibellina, , baglionihotels.com, rooms from €225) provides five-star luxury, with some rooms overlooking the church.

Culture vultures – Seek out Giotto’s frescoes of the life of St Francis in the huge Basilica of Santa Croce (Piazza di Santa Croce). This is also the burial place of Florence’s great and good, including Michelangelo and Galileo.

Must eat – Reliably good, Baldovino (22r Via S.Giuseppe, tel. ) serves up a modern take on traditional Italian dishes.

Must drink – Stop off at the café/bar and Wi-Fi hotspot Moyo (23r Via dei Benci), which also does one of the best aperitivos in town, served up to a young and lively international crowd.

Shop til you drop – The annual Artisan Chocolate Fair (4-7 Feb) fills up the Piazza Santa Croce with stall after stall of delicious handmade chocolates, many from artisan chocolatiers based in Tuscany.

SANT’AMBROGIO

East of the centre, this is the neighbourhood in which to make like the locals at the fruit and veg market, pick up bargains at cheap clothes stalls and browse the flea market.

Culture vultures – The Tempio Maggiore (4 Via Luigi Carlo Farini) is one of the most beautiful synagogues in Europe.

Must eat – At acclaimed chef Fabio Picchi’s private member’s club and cultural centre Teatro del Sale (118 Via dei Macci, ) you can dine cheaply, canteen-style, on his delectable food, drink his own wine and take in an evening show for just €30 – plus a €5 membership fee.

Must drink – The most charming café and bar in Florence, Caffè Cibrèo (5 Via del Verrocchio) is unbeatably cosy in the winter with its wooden ceiling and comfy theatre seats. Come here for the best cappuccino in town, or great evening aperitivo.

Shop til you drop – If the Chocolate Fair has left you craving more, handmade chocolates in a variety of flavours are sold at Bottega del Cioccolato (50 Via de’ Macci).

Compiled by Kamin Mohammadi