Florence's short list is older than most cities' long one. The twelve places here run from a baptistery dating from 1059 to a theatre dating from 1656, with a bridge from 1335 and a church and municipal building from 1337 in between, and several carry a heritage listing: the Ponte Vecchio is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Palazzo Strozzi is Italian national heritage. This is a list for walkers who would sooner stand in front of 12 real addresses than queue for one famous room. We have been strict about what we print: where we hold a verified address, a date or opening hours, you get them with a source, and where we do not, we say so and point you to the venue's own website rather than guessing. Only one entry comes with verified hours, the Florence Baptistery, open from 09:00 to 19:45, so for everything else confirm the day's opening before you set out. Resist fitting all twelve into a single day; pick four, and give each the time it asks for.
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1 Palazzo Strozzi
Piazza StrozziA palace listed as Italian national heritage, with its own official website for planning a visit
Palazzo Strozzi is listed as Italian national heritage, and it's the palace to start with. The address is simply Piazza Strozzi, easy to find and hard to walk past. Skip the habit of photographing a palace from the pavement and moving on. It keeps an official website at palazzostrozzi.org/en, and the sensible move is to read it before you arrive, so you know whether the day you have picked gives you a reason to go through the door. We hold no verified hours or prices for it, so treat that website as the authority and plan from it, not from guesswork.
Italian national heritage
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2 Orsanmichele
Via Orsanmichele, 50126 FirenzeA church and municipal building in one, dating from 1337
Orsanmichele has stood on the street that shares its name since 1337, and what sets it apart is a distinction few buildings anywhere can claim: it is recorded as a church and municipal building, not one or the other. That dual role is rarer than another pretty nave, and it is the reason this stop sits where it does on our list. Don't assume every Florentine church is the same visit; this one was built to do two jobs. The address is Via Orsanmichele, 50126 Firenze, and visitor information sits on the Bargello museums website, bargellomusei.it. Check there for current opening days before you go, because we do not hold verified hours.
Dates from 1337
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3 Ponte Vecchio
14 R Ponte Vecchio, FirenzeA bridge dating from 1335 that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The bridge has a street address of its own, 14 R Ponte Vecchio, Firenze, which tells you it is a place to stand and linger, not merely a crossing. It dates from 1335 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so the crowds are earned. Skip the midday shuffle, when you see more backpacks than bridge; come early or late instead, when you can stop in the middle without being moved along. There is no ticket desk or closing time in our records, because it is a bridge in Florence, Italy, and you walk straight onto it.
Dates from 1335 · UNESCO World Heritage Site
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4 Santissima Annunziata
Via Gino Capponi, FirenzeA Roman Catholic minor basilica dating from 1250, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Santissima Annunziata is a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic church, a rank most churches in any city never receive. It dates from 1250, is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and sits on Via Gino Capponi, Firenze. The checklist approach of five churches before lunch will not serve you here; give this one a slow visit, and since it is a working basilica, dress and behave as a guest. The official website is annunziata.xoom.it, and we hold no verified hours, so check there for the day's opening before you walk over.
Dates from 1250 · Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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5 Basilica of the Holy Trinity
Via del Parione, FirenzeA church dating from 1250, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a monastery website as its official home online
Give the Basilica of the Holy Trinity a quiet half hour, and go in expecting a church that is still somebody's home. The official website is at monaci.org, on a page named for the monastery of Santa Trinita, which tells you more about the place than any plaque. The church dates from 1250, is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is on Via del Parione, Firenze. Skip the loud group tours that treat the nave as a corridor. Come alone or in a pair, keep your voice down, and check that website for opening times before you go, since we have none verified.
Dates from 1250 · Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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6 Florence Baptistery
Piazza di San Giovanni, FirenzeThe oldest date on this list, 1059, and verified daily hours of 09:00 to 19:45
The Florence Baptistery is open 09:00 to 19:45, Monday to Sunday, which makes it the easiest entry on this list to plan around. It dates from 1059, older than anything else we recommend here, and it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will find it on Piazza di San Giovanni, Firenze. Skip the late-morning crush if you can. A building this old is better met at 09:00, when the doors have just opened, or in the last hour before 19:45, and on feast days hours can shift, so if your schedule is tight, confirm on the day.
Dates from 1059 · Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Hours: Mo-Su 09:00-19:45
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7 Teatro della Pergola
Via dela PergolaA theatre in Florence dating from 1656
Teatro della Pergola has been a working theatre in Florence since 1656, and a date that old means nothing from the pavement: a theatre is built to be sat in. Skip the daytime trip for a photo of the doors; that is not worth the detour on its own. Pull up the programme at teatrodellapergola.com and book a seat for whatever is on, even if your Italian is thin. The theatre sits on the street that carries its name. We hold no verified box office hours or prices, so take those directly from the website.
Dates from 1656
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8 Santa Felicita
3 Piazza dei Rossi, FirenzeA church listed as Italian national heritage, at 3 Piazza dei Rossi
Santa Felicita sits at 3 Piazza dei Rossi, an address precise enough to hand to a taxi driver. It carries Italian national heritage listing and draws a fraction of the footfall the headline churches attract. A church with no queue outside is often the better half hour. Go in, sit down, and let your eyes adjust before you start looking for anything in particular. The parish website is santafelicitafirenze.it; check it for opening times, because we hold no verified hours for 3 Piazza dei Rossi and churches of this size frequently close in the middle of the day.
Italian national heritage
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9 Palazzo Budini Gattai
via dei Servi 51A Florence building with a door number to find, via dei Servi 51, and its own official website
The door you're looking for is number 51 on via dei Servi, the entrance to Palazzo Budini Gattai. Our records describe it as a building in Florence, Italy, which undersells any address that keeps its own official website, palazzobudinigattai.it. Don't guess whether you can go in. We hold no verified public hours, so read that website before you plan around it, and treat an open door as a bonus. If it is shut, number 51 still earns a pause on the pavement. The locals know this city rewards people who stop at a door nobody told them to stop at.
This is an early version of the Florence list. We add picks as we test more places.
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