The principal Tuscan city of Florence (Firenze) nestles below the wooded foothills of the Apennines, along the banks of the Arno River. The works of Botticelli, Michelangelo, Bruneschelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Boccaccio, Alberti, Masaccio, Donatello, Vasari and Fra Angelico imbue the city with the magnificence of their contribution to art and life. The city itself is muse to some and home to many stylish citizens, who enhance the cobbled streets and fashionable piazzas with their inimitable Italian flair.

The heart of the city, where everyone from tourist to tout seems to congregate, is the Piazza de Duomo and the Piazza della Signoria. The statues dominating the Piazza della Signoria commemorate major historical events of the city's life, and the magnificent Palazzo Vecchio still performs its original role as Florence's town hall. The adjacent Uffizi is the oldest gallery in the world, with a collection of the greatest works of the Renaissance commissioned largely by the Medici family. The man who founded the great long-ruling Medici dynasty was Cosimo il Vecchio. His legacy is imprinted in the city's northern area, marked by the churches of San Lorenzo, San Marco and the Palazzo Medici Riccardi.

The western stretches of the city are formed by Florence's railway station at one end and the Ponte Vecchio at the other. The quaint Ponte Vecchio bridge was built in 1345, and was one of the few areas to emerge unscathed from the wartime bombs. Little workshops that used to belong to butchers, tanners and blacksmiths peer onto the river from their timber supports. The church of Santa Maria Novella also rises from the city's western boundaries in true gothic splendour, preserving some of the most important works of art in Florence.

The Oltrarno (meaning 'over the Arno') area became the place from which the Medici ruled from the Palazzo Pitti. The magnificent Boboli Gardens were designed and laid out around it. The area surrounding Via Maggio and Piazza di Santo Spirito boasts a collection of other palazzi built during the late-16th and 17th centuries.

The Uffizi (Gallerie degli Uffizi)

Address: Loggiato degli Uffizi 6 Florence

Admission: EUR6.50, with concessions available. Special exhibitions cost extra Open Tuesday to Sunday from 8.15am to 6.50pm. Closed on Mondays, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December

Telephone: +39 055 238 8651

The Accademia Gallery

Address: Via Ricasoli, 58-60 Florence

Admission: EUR6.50, with concessions available. Special exhibitions cost extra Open Tuesday to Sunday from 8.15am to 6.50pm

Telephone: +39 055 294 883

Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square)

Address: Piazza Duomo Florence

Admission: Cathedral entry is Free, but there is a fee to visit the baptistry (EUR3), the dome (EUR8), the cupola (EUR6) and museum (EUR6) Cathedral open Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 5pm (Thursdays until 3.30pm; Saturdays until 4.45pm); and on Sundays from 1.30pm to 4.45pm. Museum open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 7.30pm, and on Sundays from 9am to 1.40pm

Telephone: +39 055 215 380

The Bargello (Museo Nazionale del Bargello)

Address: Via del Proconsolo 4 Florence

Admission: EUR4. Concessions are available. Special exhibitions cost extra Open daily from 8.15am to 5pm. Closed on the second and fourth Monday of each month; the first, third, and fifth Sunday of each month; and 1 January, 1 May and Christmas Day.

Telephone: +39 055 238 8606. Reserve tickets on +39 055 294 883

Santa Croce

Address: Florence

Admission: EUR5. Concessions are available Open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm, and on Sundays from 1pm to 5.30pm. Closed on public holidays and during Calcio Fiorentino football matches

Telephone: +39 055 244 619

Ponte Vecchio

Address: Via Por Santa Maria/Via Guicciardini Florence

Palazzo Pitti and Giardino Boboli

Address: Piazza Pitti 1 Florence

Admission: From EUR4 to EUR8.50. A ticket for all museums is EUR10.50. Entry to the gardens only is EUR4 Each museum has its own opening hours, but most are closed on Mondays

Telephone: +39 055 294 883

Gallerie dell'Academia

Address: Dorsoduro 1055 Florence

Admission: EUR6.50 (concessions available) Mondays 8.15am to 2pm. Tuesday to Sunday 8.15am to 7.15pm. New Year's Day, May 1st, Christmas Day

Telephone: +39 041 5200 345

Florence Marathon

Where: Piazzale Michelangelo,Florence

When: 29 November 2011

River to River

Where: Odeon Cinema, Piazza Santo Spirito,Florence

When: 2 – 11 December 2011

Florence Tango Festival

Where: Saschall Theatre,Florence

When: 25 April to 1 May 2012

Enoteca Pinchiorri

Address: Via Ghibellina 87 Florence

Food Type: Italian

Trattoria il Contadino

Address: 69/71 Via Palazzulol Florence

Food Type: Italian

Ristorante Celestino

Address: Piazza S. Felicita Florence

Food Type: Local

Da Tito i Peccati di Gola Pizzeria

Address: Via Baracca Florence

Food Type: Pizzeria