Surroundings

Art, a short walking distance from the B&B, lesser known sites

Florence Art

Here is a short list of places we love – places where you will learn to love Florentine art and way of life.

• Cenacolo di Santa Apollonia: admission free - Tue-Sat 8.30am-1.30pm. From our door turn left and at the corner (Via XXVVII Aprile) turn right. The first door you see is the cenacle entrance (in case it's closed ring the bell). Frescoes of Passion of Christ and Andrea del Castagno's Last Supper (1445-1450), together with the Crucifixion, Deposition ad Resurrection, also by A. del Castagno.
• Giardino dei Semplici: admission E.3,oo – Mon-Tue-Thur-Fri-Sun 9am-1pm; Sat 9am-5pm. Located less than 5 min. walk from the San Marco Sq. (enter in Via Lamarmora and then turn on your right into Via Micheli 3). It's a 16th Cent. Garden, a lovely place full of trees, exotic plants and a variety of flowers.
• Museo Archeologico: admission E.4,oo – Mon. 2-7pm; Tue, Thur. 8.30am-7pm; Wed, Fri, Sun. 8.30am-2pm. Recently renovated, the new entrance is in Via della Colonna, Piazza SS. Annunziata Square, church side (we suggest to you to visit the church too since it's between S. Marco Sq. and the Archeological Museum). It's the best place to see important Etruscan art. The Orator (bronze) and the Chimera (bronze, mythical beast) are here, and there is a very important collection of Greek ceramics.
• San Lorenzo Basilica: admission E.2,5o - Mon-Sat 10am-5pm. Located in San Lorenzo Square, less than 5 min. walk from the B&B.  Artworks of Donatello, Bronzino, the Annunciation of Filippo Lippi, and our favorite, the Marriage of the Virgin by Rosso Fiorentino.
• Palazzo Medici Riccardi: admission E.4,oo – Mon, Tue, Thu, Sun. 9am-7pm. Located 2 steps from San Lorenzo Church. Entrance in Via Cavour 1. The charming Chapel of Michelozzo is covered with frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli and show the Journey of the Magi which is superb. Don't miss the Lippi's Madonna and Child.
• Palazzo Davanzati: admission free – Mon-Sun, 8-15am-1.50pm. Closed 1st, 3rd, 5th Mon. of the month, 2nd and 4th Sun. An ancient typical Florentine aristocratic house recently restored. 3 floors, enormous "salotti", a completely frescoed bedroom, ancient fireplaces and much more.

The Surroundings

Florence is the perfect location to explore the Tuscan region and its gorgeous towns.
A small place to visit, very easy to reach in 30 minutes by bus is Fiesole, located on a hilltop, (bus n. 7 from S. Marco square). An interesting walk from the central square of this small town (piazza Mino), following the direction for San Francesco church, which has the most enchanting view of Florence. Visit also the archeological area with its Roman theatre. There are a couple of good places to eat, one of them very romantic with a terrace overlooking Florence.
Other small towns to visit on a day trip across the countryside are not difficult to reach.
The most well known is certainly Siena, world-famous for its Palio (horse racing) and the medieval narrow streets and its marvelous cathedral. Best choice is to take the bus from Florence and you will be there in about one hour.
Together with Siena you can't miss San Gimignano with its towers, and the small towns of Montalcino and Montepulciano, where wine tastings are a must during a daily tour in the Chianti area.
Pisa and Lucca are easier to be reached by train from Florence. While Pisa is famous for the leaning tower and the Piazza dei Miracoli, Lucca is a small medieval town with one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the area. Good for a day tour.
Arezzo and Cortona: both by train from Florence. Arezzo is famous in our country to represent one of the most important Antique Markets (first weekend of each month). Vendors are over 200, and they offer paintings, a wide range of furniture, objects from the past, terracotta, restored works. Visitors are about 20.000 each weekend, and they are not only collectors and dealers, but also people curious about art and history.
Cortona is a very beautiful village up a hill, very famous for the Italian artist Piero da Cortona. The church of San Domenico has an altar piece of the 15th cent. and works of Singorelli and Beato Angelico, who also frescoed the cells of the San Marco Convent (today the San Marco Museum) a block away from the Relais Grand Tour.

Tuscany: best food, wines and olive oil

Our region is world-famous for its wines: from the Brunello di Montalcino to the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and from the Classic Chianti wine to the Sassicaia. Excellent wines of smaller producers can be reached exploring the country, and it's not unusual to find a small cellar where a wine by glass is offered togher with a tastings of pecorino cheese and salami.

But we also have special olive oil: the Extra-Virgin Tuscan olive oil is perfect for the Bruschetta, on beans, salads, and – why not – on the T-bone Florentine steak.
What to say about food? Typical soups like "ribollita" (cabbage, beans, onions, carrots, celery, a little tomato, extra-virgin olive oil, bread) and "pappa al pomodoro" (bread, many tomatoes, onion, celery, extra-virgin olive oil) they are a Florentine specialty, just like the "fagioli all'uccelletto" (beans in tomato sauce) and the famous bistecca.

Tuscany is famous for grilled meat: from the steak to the chicken, the rabbit, the pork sausage. Then we have the "trippa alla fiorentina" (Florentine tripe coocked in a sauce made of tomatoes, onions, celery and parmigiano), and other more simple food like prosciutto Toscano that you can taste inside your panino. Another excellent food is the boiled mixed meat ("bollito misto") of pork, beef, chicken, together with potatoes, carrots, celery and onion. The meat is sliced and placed inside a bun with a sauce made of parsley, chilli, garlic and basil, or is served in the pot with mustard or a home-made mayonnaise.

Cakes and biscuits? It is said that we have some of the most famous maitre chocolatier in Italy, the famous Cantuccini and Vinsanto are a must at the end of a good dinner. We also have the "ricciarelli" famous and excellent & typical from Siena area, and the "brutti ma buoni" (ugly but good). The Panforte cake and the "castagnaccio" with chestnut flour, sugar, raisins, olive oil, rosemary are florentine's most typical seasonal cakes.