My 24 hours in Florence can be best answered with a few questions. Where does history mix with high fashion? Where does Galileo brush shoulders with Michelangelo? Where is attending art school not only allowed but encouraged? Where did Dante and Machiavelli wander the same streets? Where is the home base of Italy’s greatest sitcom drama family (looking at you, Medicis)? If you guessed Florence, you’d be correct. I spent 24 hours in Italy’s most artistic city – there is so much to do and see, but with only 24 hours, I had to make some difficult decisions. 

Join me for a packed day in which I wander all over this beautiful city, eat delicious food, see some incredible art, and get just a taste of Florence!

First stop: Cappuccino and David

When in Italy, you must eat and drink as the Italians do, and that means your day must begin with a cappuccino and a cornetto. The cappuccino, a shot of espresso covered with foamed milk, is a staple of the Italian breakfast. The cornetto is an Italian pastry – a kind of sweet croissant – that you can buy stuffed or unstuffed. I prefer mine stuffed with Nutella. 

This breakfast was eaten quickly, standing up at a bar in front of many Italians. I was on my way to the Uffizi Gallery, but to get there I had to pass through one of the most iconic piazzas in Italy, Piazza della Signoria or Palazzo Vecchio. 

The original home of Michaelangelo’s “David,” this piazza is grand and spacious, with a large clock tower looming over those below. What used to be the town hall and seat of Medici power is now a museum of art and history. A copy of Michelangelo’s masterpiece still stands in the piazza, and is a much faster (and cheaper) way to see the masterpiece than waiting in the long line at the Accademia. Carved from a single block of marble, the stoic young giant-killer was commissioned to represent the city of Florence, and shares her poise, power, and confidence. 

The Uffizi Galleries 

Just beyond the piazza lie the Uffizi Galleries. The massive U-shaped building dates back to the time of the Medici family (you’re going to hear their names quite a bit in Florence). It now holds one of the largest and most famous art collections in the world. Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus,” Caravaggio’s “Medusa,” DaVinci’s “Annunciation” and so much more. 

Not only was the art beautiful, but the architecture of the building was stunning. There are windows around the inside of the gallery, and you can see both Palazzo Vecchio and the Duomo from the end, as well as a gorgeous view of the Arno River. 

You could probably spend the whole day wandering the galleries of the Uffizi, but I had things to see, so unfortunately, I had to move on.

The streets of Florence

On the way to my next stop, I admired the tall buildings of Florence and the wide streets full of people. There are leather vendors everywhere, as well as high-fashion stores that have their home base in Florence. Names like Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Roberto Cavalli, and more shine out of shop windows. 

The people in the streets are just as fascinating. Many are tourists, but even more are students coming to Florence to study. Both of these groups make an effort to appear their best in Florence, with pressed trousers and collared shirts for the men, and sundresses, scarves, and shades for the women. The Florentines themselves wear sculptural breezy clothes largely made of linen, and every Florentine teenage girl is dressed in all black with sunglasses. 

Florence has always been a place to show off, and walking the streets can make it feel as though you yourself are also on display.

San Marco

The next stop is a hidden gem in the heart of Florence. While crowds wait hours to see the statue of David, I chose to slip into the darkened entryway of the San Marco convent. After purchasing a ticket (only 8 euros!) I stepped into the veranda of one of the most beautiful places in all of Florence. 

This convent is home to many of the frescos of the Dominican friar Bl. Fra Angelico, the patron of artists. I spent several years discerning a religious vocation with a Dominican religious order, and much of the art they had on the walls was copies of the frescoes found in this convent. 

Up the stairs is a ring of cells with arched ceilings, each adorned with one of Fra Angelico’s masterpieces. The convent is cool and largely silent as each visitor seems struck dumb by the beauty and holiness of the place. In a city of lights and display cases, San Marco is a place of prayer and quiet contemplation.

Lunch and the Duomo

At this point, I was ready to sit for a while and reflect on all I had seen so far. The food in Florence can be as simple or as ornate as you want it to be, but as I was on a budget, I chose a simple cafe where I could get a panino and an Aperol spritz. After this refreshment, it was time to see the Duomo. 

The centerpiece and masterpiece of Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, or Holy Mary of the Flowers, is one of the greatest pieces of architecture in all of Italy. It lives up to its flowery name, and the outside is all green and pink and white marble intricately inlaid. It took almost 140 years to finish, from 1296 to 1436. Dante himself, the great Italian poet, took inspiration from many of the facade features when he was writing his Divine Comedy.

The bell tower and baptistry complete the towering trio, and one could spend hours simply staring at the outside of the massive structures. Again, there were long lines and a high fee to enter the structure, but from what I had heard, the inside was rather bare by comparison, with the exception of the painting in the dome. Besides… I had heard a trick I was eager to try out.

The Duomo is still a functioning Catholic Church, and our Lord in the Eucharist is present there every day. If you are a Catholic and are visiting the Church to pray, you can enter through the side of the Duomo and spend some time praying for free. I confess that while I did pray, much of my prayer was made with my head craned back to contemplate the magnificent paintings by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari.

Evening in Firenze

My 24 hours in Florence are coming to an end. The sun was getting low in the sky at this point, and I spent the rest of my day wandering the streets and shops. It was not directionless wandering, for I wanted to see the Arno River, and the famous Ponte Vecchio that crossed it. 

Ponte Vecchio is a bridge lined on either side with tiny shops. Above the shops is the secret passage the Medici’s built to get from one side of the Arno to the other without having to get their feet dirty among the commoners. The shops are nearly all jewelry shops – Florence is famous for its gold and silversmithing – and you’ll see many a couple perusing the shops for a very special trinket. 

Street music wafts from around corners, and the lights of the tall buildings begin to reflect in the Arno River. For my final stop, I met up with some friends and had dinner, tomatoes and mozzarella, pasta with truffle mushrooms, and, of course, wine. As the sun set on my day in Florence, I reflected on all that I had seen. Florence is overwhelming and flashy at times, but at its heart is something sincerely and simply beautiful that I had caught glimpses of throughout the day. It was this something that I would be seeking when I come again, as usual, 24 hours is simply not enough time in the city of artists.