The city of Florence is renowned for many things: perfectly preserved Renaissance architecture, a particularly favourable ratio of phenomenally famous artworks per capita... It is not renowned for being cool, at least not since about 1500 when the bad boys of art were swaggering around painting frescoes and creaming the Medici dollar.
Fast forward 600 years and, while still by no means edgy, you can certainly escape that fussy, fusty Room With A View tourism that has long dogged the time capsule city centre. To do this, the first step you should take is across the River Arno, to the rather literally named Oltrarno district, where neighbourhood vibes rule and you might even hear some Italian voices in the bars, restaurants and shops.
Where to stay
It’s always nice to live like a (well-heeled) local on a city break so an apartment is a good option. You can soak up the Florentine atmosphere and history even as you sleep at the Pitti Palace View apartment, a four-bedroom holiday let available through Olivers Travels’ newly launched city collection.
A long balcony stretches along the rear of this flat on the first floor of a historic palazzo, from which you can watch the queues forming outside the Pitti Palace over your morning coffee and wind down with a glass of red wine from the owners’ Tuscan estate as the local dog walkers take their final turn around the block.
The grandeur is not just outside – ornate 18th-century frescoed ceilings were discovered by the apartment’s current owners during their renovation and have since been beautifully restored, the decorative pinnacle of rooms featuring stylish parquet floors and vintage light fittings.
Sure, like in the rest of Florence, the plumbing is also on the historic side, so simultaneous hot showers are tricky, but the experience is sweetened by Ortigia bath products provided.
There’s a huge, well-appointed kitchen with enough glasses for a large party and any gizmo you can think of — and guests can book Italian cooking classes or hire in a private chef for the evening.
The flat is right in the heart of the action, however, walkable from pretty much anywhere you might want to go, so it would be a shame not to hit the town.
Eating and drinking
There’s a comprehensive guide provided in the apartment full of tips for local wining and dining, many places within a 10-minute radius of the apartment.
Treat aperitivo hour like the essential ritual it is – Piazza Santo Spirito is the easy option, nearby and teeming with bars selling spritz and beers to a mostly young, studenty crowd.
If you’re looking for something a touch more refined, meander up to the fashionable restaurant-bar-café complex Il Santo Bevitore on via Santo Spirito, or hit up the Instagram-friendly Babae with its reinstated medieval “wine window”, where even Stanley Tucci has stopped by for a glass.
If you’re feeling even more hipster, walk 10 minutes west to Circolo Aurora where you can sit on the low-fi, fairlight strewn terrace, watching the passeggiata on Piazza Torquato Tasso while sipping a beer or one of their signature cocktails.
Tempting as it may be to spend the entire evening spritzing it would be a shame to miss a single meal in Florence. Avoid the tourist traps and instead book in at Alla Vecchia Bettola, a deservedly popular neighbourhood spot where the service is brisk but impeccably hospitable and the house wine costs 5€ a head and is served in huge bottles “drink as much as you like” style. I challenge you to make a serious dent.
The wine is there to wash down phenomenal Florentine steak, with portions so huge it’s astonishing that almost every table ordered a vodka penne to go alongside.
Mere steps away from the palazzo’s front door on Via Maggio is Enoteca Spontanea, a tiny restaurant run by a brother and sister team – Nicola works front of house and oversees the passionately curated natural wine list; Irene heads up the kitchen, whipping up Tuscan classics with a twist.
Tables are limited and it’s a popular spot among Florentines, so do drop in and book a table when you’re passing.
Lunch on sumptuous homemade porchetta, either in roll form with Florentine salsa verde, or as a salad with artichokes and rocket at Vitto Bistro on Piazza San Felice, washed down with a Sardinian Ichnusa beer.
Shopping
Oltrarno is the traditional home of Florence’s small workshops, many of which are still in operation after hundreds of years. Antiques shops abound as do vintage clothes outlets, especially on via dei Serragli.
Foodie treats can be picked up from S.forno part of the Santo Bevitore empire, on via Santa Monaca, where you can also grab lunch, or make a cake stop.
If you’re staying for a few weeks, or plan to return, you could order some custom knitwear from Maglificiogrp, a knitting factory that has been operating for 50 years.
If you don’t have the leisure of time, head round the corner to their ready-to-wear shop on via Sant’Agostino, or find their pieces stocked among a wider selection of covetable menswear brands at Ultra boutique on via dei Serragli.
Culture
It’s almost embarrassing to make cultural recommendations for Florence, such is the city’s notoriety. But the Pitti Palace is an easy win if you’re staying in the Oltrarno.
Bought by Cosimo de Medici and his wife, Eleonor of Toledo, as their grand ducal residence in 1550, it’s enormous – you could easily spend an entire day exploring the Palatine Gallery with its Raphaels, Titians, Tintorettos and Caravaggios.
Don’t miss the grotto and statue-filled Boboli Gardens for an outdoor museum experience.
Also in the area is the Brancacci Chapel with its important frescos by Masaccio, well worth a look for the art historically inclined.
A 15-minute taxi ride or longer stroll up hill will take you slightly outside the city centre — a blessing on a hot day — to San Miniato al Monte, the eleventh century basilica and monastery.
