5 reasons to make Florence your next travel destination
1. Enjoy truly delicious meals
Ah Italian cuisine! It has become famous around the world. Many of its special delicacies such as ice cream rarely tastes better than when they are bought from shops on Italian streets. Besides that, Florence has specialties to offer than you won’t want to miss.
The famous almond cookies Cantuccini are one of them, first baked in the area around Florence. The traditional dishes of the Tuscan Cuisine, such as the Bistecca alla Fiorentina or La Ribollita are also big hits! It is customary to begin a meal with an Antipasto (starter), then proceed to the Primo and Secondo Piatto (first and second servings), and to finish your culinary experience with a Dolce (sweet dessert) or an Espresso.
And of course one must not forget the wine! Tuscany has a multitude of local wine growers: the well known Chianti originally stems from Florence as well. Let the Tuscan food take you on an adventure of taste to match the beauty of Florence itself.
The famous almond cookies Cantuccini are one of them, first baked in the area around Florence. The traditional dishes of the Tuscan Cuisine, such as the Bistecca alla Fiorentina or La Ribollita are also big hits! It is customary to begin a meal with an Antipasto (starter), then proceed to the Primo and Secondo Piatto (first and second servings), and to finish your culinary experience with a Dolce (sweet dessert) or an Espresso.
And of course one must not forget the wine! Tuscany has a multitude of local wine growers: the well known Chianti originally stems from Florence as well. Let the Tuscan food take you on an adventure of taste to match the beauty of Florence itself.
2. Get blown away by exquisite scenery
If you love art and architecture, it goes without saying that you need to visit Florence. During their lifetime, the rich and famous avant-garde entrepreneur family 'Medici' were patrons of numerous artists, thereby causing Florence to be the birth place of the Italian renaissance. You will still get this very feeling when traversing through the astoundingly picturesque streets of Florence today. In terms of visual art, Michelangelo’s David is only one of the world famous pieces to be found in the city. The Uffizi, one of the most famous art museums in the world and the wonderful Boboli garden are full of treasures that await you.
3. Discover the origins of the Italian language
If you want to get to know the Italian language, Florence is the right place to do so! The Italian language of today is based on a dialect spoken regionally in Florence in earlier centuries.
The development of modern Italian language was mostly influenced by the authors Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca and Giovanni Boccaccio. All three are commonly referred to as the three crowns (tre corone) of the Italian language, because they used a certain form of the spoken dialect known as the Florentine dialect. Dante’s highly praised ‘Divine Comedy’ (originally ‘Divina Comedia’) was written in a version of this very dialect.
The linguistic unification of Florence with the rest of Italy happened a lot later than the national unification in 1861, however the stepping stones for the contemporary Italian language have been set by the three authors named above. Alessandro Manzoni’s novel ‘The Betrothed’ (originally ‘I Promessi Sposi’) is often seen as the final influence for the shaping of the Florentine dialect as the main way of speaking Italian.
The development of modern Italian language was mostly influenced by the authors Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca and Giovanni Boccaccio. All three are commonly referred to as the three crowns (tre corone) of the Italian language, because they used a certain form of the spoken dialect known as the Florentine dialect. Dante’s highly praised ‘Divine Comedy’ (originally ‘Divina Comedia’) was written in a version of this very dialect.
The linguistic unification of Florence with the rest of Italy happened a lot later than the national unification in 1861, however the stepping stones for the contemporary Italian language have been set by the three authors named above. Alessandro Manzoni’s novel ‘The Betrothed’ (originally ‘I Promessi Sposi’) is often seen as the final influence for the shaping of the Florentine dialect as the main way of speaking Italian.
4. Experience fashion and style in Florence
Are you interested in fashion? One more reason to visit Florence. Milan is well known as a city of Italian fashion, but Florence is on its heels. For instance, the world famous brand Gucci was founded in Florence in 1921 and the company’s headquarters are still located there today. In addition, the men's fashion fair Pitti Immagine Uomo takes place in Florence twice a year.
5. Dive into the settings of popular productions
You have probably realized it by now: Florence is brimming with history. This very fact has also made it the setting and key location for so many novels, movies and even video games. We’d still be here tomorrow if we named all of the works that were inspired by the world famous Italian city!
Here are a couple of examples to get you in the mood. Florence was chosen as the set location for the new film adaptation of Dan Brown’s novel Inferno. It is the book many are talking about at the moment and what better way to really relate to the intriguing story than to experience where it takes place for yourself first hand.
One part of the vastly popular Assassin’s Creed video game series takes place in Florence, enabling you to see an interpretation of what Florence looked like in the past while playing the game. If you have enjoyed the game, visiting Florence in person is bound to be an exciting adventure that allows you to physically walk through the streets that you may have seen in the game before. If you wish to follow the path of so many creative thinkers and visionaries, then Florence is the place to go in order to get the full feeling and experience of what they must have seen and thought about when they chose Florence to be the setting of their work. Let Florence inspire you and you could even be the next one to come up with a story that touches and moves the masses.
Here are a couple of examples to get you in the mood. Florence was chosen as the set location for the new film adaptation of Dan Brown’s novel Inferno. It is the book many are talking about at the moment and what better way to really relate to the intriguing story than to experience where it takes place for yourself first hand.
One part of the vastly popular Assassin’s Creed video game series takes place in Florence, enabling you to see an interpretation of what Florence looked like in the past while playing the game. If you have enjoyed the game, visiting Florence in person is bound to be an exciting adventure that allows you to physically walk through the streets that you may have seen in the game before. If you wish to follow the path of so many creative thinkers and visionaries, then Florence is the place to go in order to get the full feeling and experience of what they must have seen and thought about when they chose Florence to be the setting of their work. Let Florence inspire you and you could even be the next one to come up with a story that touches and moves the masses.
Want to enrich your travel experience? Take a look at out our language school in Florence.
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