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28
February 1999 A
Tale of Two Italys Empty
galleries, uncrowded streets, restaurants without reservations: winter is the
season for seeing Florence at its best. By SIMON WILLIS Speak it quietly,
but right now, Florence is virtually empty. You can stroll off the street and
straight into any of the fabulous churches, museums or galleries without
having to stand and queue. Smart, central hotels offer hugely discounted
rates. Top designer stores have 'Sconti' signs dangling in their windows. You
can walk into the very best restaurants without a reservation and what's
more, you'll hear only Italian voices. If you've only seen the city heaving
with crowds, its stone streets steaming in the summer sun, then give it a
second chance with a winter weekend break. The best of Florence can be
experienced in just two days by spending the mornings sight seeing and the
afternoons shopping. Best
Sightseeing - Day One The Duomo
is the only place to start. The huge Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiori is
the city's most famous landmark, particularly the superb dome, designed and
built by Filippi Brunelleschi in 1436. So impressive is the outside of the
Duomo, compared with a relatively dull interior, visitors have been remarking
for centuries that it appears to have been built inside out. Likewise, the
huge doors on the Baptistery, directly in front of the Duomo's main entrance,
are more interesting than what lies inside. If there's time, and the legs can
stand it, hike to the top of Campanile de Giotto, the neighbouring bell
tower, from where the view of the Duomo is magnificent. In a city
stuffed with statues, Michelangelo's David stands head and shoulders above
the marble crowd. It's a five minute walk up the Via Ricasoli to the Galleria
dell' Accademia, which is dominated by the huge, powerful form. Carved from a
giant block of marble that another, "more experienced", sculptor
had worked on and rejected, it captures Michelangeo's belief that the job of
the artist was to release the beauty which already lay inside the stone. For some
time out in quiet cloisters and a gallery of religious art, call in at San
Marco, next to the church of the same name. To sense the power of the Medicci
family, the bankers who virtually ruled the city until the 18th Century,
visit San Lorenzo, their family church and, at the other end of the outdoor
leather market, the Medicci Chapels. The Chapel of the Princes is a hideously
over the top monument to bad taste, carved from dark, heavy marbles, but it
leads to the New Sacristy, in which Michelangelo, once again, showed how it
should be done. The last
infusion of culture before lunch is at the cloisters of Santa Maria Novella
and the neighbouring church. Galileo was denounced here, from the first
pulpit on the left, for sticking to his heretical theory that the earth
revolved around the sun. Now it's time for lunch, and later, shopping. Best
Sightseeing - Day Two According to
the hype, there are so many treasures in the Gallerie degli Uffizi that you
should see it, "a room a day". This is absolute rubbish, possibly
dreamt up to persuade summer visitors that it was worth queuing for two
hours, just to shuffle around inside. Winter is the time of the year the
locals visit the Uffizi, walking straight in, to see the recently reopened
west wing, that had been damaged in a car bombing in 1993. Those who are not
great art lovers tend to be drawn towards Botticelli's Birth of Venus, and
can complete their visit in an hour and a half. It's worth
walking to the magnificent gothic church of Santa Croce, and a good guidebook
helps make sense of the many monuments, including one to the 16th Century
Florentine statesman Niccolo Machiavelli. It'll help you find Galileo's tomb
and will explain that, because Galileo stuck to his belief that the earth
revolved around the sun, and not the other way around, he was tried by the
Inquisition, excommunicated, and threatened with execution until he "admitted"
he'd been wrong. The solar system is carved on his tomb, and you'll notice
that the sun is most certainly in the centre. After the
Duomo, the most photographed sight in Florence is the Ponte Vecchio (the best
viewpoint is from the Ponte S.Trinita). Lined with expensive jewellery shops
of variable quality, it leads to the Oltrarno area and the other great
artistic treasure trove, the Palazzo Pitti. The main collection of high
renaissance art is in the Galleria Palatina, and there are also galleries of
modern art and costume. After lunch, either return to the shops, or stroll
around the Boboli Gardens, a statue filled park behind the Pitti Palace and a
wonderful place to relax on a crisp winter afternoon. Best
Shopping The strong
pound makes designer clothes cheaper in Italy, and sale reductions help still
further. Via dei Tornabuoni is home to Gucci, Prada, Hermes, Versace, Max
Mara, Louis Vuiton, Cartier, Bulgari, Tiffany, Salvatore Ferregamo. Running
almost at right angles to it, the Via della Vigna Nuova boasts Armani, Versus
and several boutique collections. Escada and Emporio Armani are two streets
away. Leather is a speciality of many Italian towns, but in Florence the
quality is excellent. Top of the range are the shoes, jackets and luggage of
Pollini on the Via die Calzaiuoli. Small leather shops can be found on almost
every street, and if you hunt among the products on the outdoor stalls of the
leather market in Piazza San Lorenzo you'll find many are remarkably well
made. Stall holders insist you haggle over the price. Paper shops are not
newsagents. Il Papiro is a chain of tiny shops specialising in all sorts of
interesting types of paper; plain, textured, marbled and genuine 17th Century
manuscript. There are two main department stores, but nether La Rinascente on
the main Piazza della Republica, nor Coin on the Via Calzaiuoli are
particularly exciting. Many shops still close for a long lunch break from 1pm
until 3pm, but stay open until around 8pm. Best
Lunch With many
shops and tourist attractions closing for a long lunch, it's wise to make the
most of this meal. Around the corner from the designer stores, on Via delle
Belle Donne, it's easy to miss the Belle Donne restaurant (Tel:055 238 2609).
There's no sign outside, just potted plants, and inside you perch on small
wooden stools, but it is fantastically popular with the locals, so arrive
early. Their soups are particularly good. A two course lunch with house wine
cost £29 for two. Nearer the centre of town, Da Pennello on Via Dante
Alghieri (Tel: 055 294 848), has a fabulous cold buffet with mussels,
langoustine, squid, meats, and char grilled vegetables in rich olive oil. And
that's just a start - the main courses are every bit as tasty. Both
restaurants are equally good in the evening. A two course lunch with house
wine cost £25 for two. Best
Dinner La
Baraonda means "hubbub" and the sound of people enjoying good food
bounces around the white tiled walls of this friendly restaurant. This is
Tuscan cuisine at its best. Risotto with fresh vegetables is a perfect first
choice, followed by slow cooked beef, barely emerging from a pile of sweet,
caramelised onions. It's on Via Ghibelina at the corner of Bgo. Allegri (Tel:
055 234 1171) and a two course dinner with a fairly good wine (we couldn't
manage desert!) cost £65 for two. You don't
pick your first course at Cibreo, a table full just seems to arrive - cool
tomato and basil in gelatine, ricotta and potato souffle, and the city's
speciality - tripe. There's nothing stuffy about the wood panelled dining
room, where tables are sometimes shared, but you must have a taste for
chilies, as they are the chef's favourite spice. The daily changing menu
offers the best Tuscan dishes with a modern twist, such as duck breast
stuffed with pine nuts and raisins, and the deserts are excellent. It's on
Via A. del Verrocchio (Tel: 055 234 1100) and a four course dinner for two
(we shared a desert) with house wine cost £90 for two. Best
Accommodation The stone
sided buildings seem to amplify the roar of traffic to intolerable levels,
and the best way to escape the din is to stay in a part of the city that cars
are not allowed to enter. The impossibly narrow streets of the old town which
are closed to most vehicles other than taxis, and a hotel here also puts you
right in the centre of everything to see and do. Like many of Florence's
hotels, the four star Hotel Brunelleschi cuts its rate dramatically during
winter, and is even cheaper if booked through a UK based tour operator. We
travelled with Citalia in December and paid £47 each for a comfortable double
room, a price which included a big buffet breakfast. Best
Flights The only
direct scheduled flights are with Air Meridiana from Gatwick. Alitalia and other
carriers require a change. Sabena, for example, flies from several regional
airports to Florence via Brussels where a good baggage handling system allows
remarkable short transfer times. Our return flights from Newcastle cost £241
each including taxes, booked through Trailfinders. A twenty minute taxi ride
to the city costs £12 (30,000 L) Best
Two Tips 1. Opening
times are confusing, with many attractions and restaurants closed Sunday or
Monday, so plan your visit accordingly, perhaps travelling out on Thursday
and returning Sunday. 2. Take a pair of comfortable shoes with cushioned
soles. Last summer I hiked 200 miles in California without a problem, but my
knees and feet ached like crazy after just after half a day on Florence's
stone streets. |
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