Florence may be home to some of the greatest art in the world, but it’s also much more than that. If you’ve seen the “musts” and are ready to explore a version of the city that locals actually live in, you’ll find there’s a lot going on — and most of it happens well outside the museum walls.
These five activities provide you Florence in its most “authentic”:
1.Climbing the Arnolfo Tower at Palazzo Vecchio
Skip the lines at the Duomo and visit the splendidly located Torre di Arnolfo, the bell tower incorporated into the Palazzo Vecchio. It’s a less touristed climb and the view is just as beautiful (if not even better). From the top, you’ll get a full sweep of Florence: its rooftops, the Arno, the Duomo from a rare side angle, and the undulating green hills in the background. Florence is full of corners and perspectives that tourists often miss.
Late afternoons there are the best, as the golden light and fewer crowds make it very atmospheric.
2.Hunt for vintage and design finds in San Frediano
Florence’s left bank, the Oltrarno, and specifically San Frediano— are places where the city’s artistic pulse really lies. It’s packed with professional artists, young designers, and a refreshing lack of tourists.
See Via dei Serragli and Via Romana, and see the most beautiful vintage shops, design boutiques, and quirky concept stores. You’ll find hand-printed textiles, modern ceramics, and re-cycled fashion, all with a very Florentine twist. This is where the locals go when they want something out of the ordinary.
3.Attend a local theater or jazz night
Florence’s culture isn’t limited to the arts. The city’s night life is a mixture of sophistication and artistic passion.
Teatro della Pergola, the continent’s oldest theater, is still performing plays and shows in a historic setting. Jazz performances in clubs or more impromptu shows in the Santo Spirito quarter are also well-known and enjoyed here.
4.Experience the gastronomic art of Florentine cuisine in a private villa
You most certainly love Italian cuisine. But this time, rather than trying different traditional dishes around Florence, come cook with a special host in a beautiful private villa. The setting — a restored villa that rests within a serene olive grove — will amaze you.
Here, you’ll have the most authentic Florence cooking experience: you’ll learn to prepare different types of homemade pasta and even a signature dessert.
There’s no rush — just simple, precise techniques passed on with care. It’s personal, peaceful, and it may be exactly the kind of memory you’ll talk about long after the trip is over.
5.Walk the medieval towers
Florence used to be filled with defensive towers, each one tied to a wealthy family competing for status and visibility. Most are gone, but a few still stand, and some are even open in the warmer months for visitors to climb.
Torre della Zecca and Torre di San Niccolò offer the city views from quieter corners.Ascending atop these towers, you experience the stratified past of Florence — as a town of art, but also as a strategic, rival, solid town.
You don’t have to tick off museums to make a claim to have seen Florence. Sometimes the best experiences aren’t seen, but lived to the fullest.
