Features
A Day in Florence
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A Day in Florence
Many Florentines start working by 8 a.m., when food stores also open. Since many people live in centrally located apartments,
visitors have the chance to see the neighborhoods waking up. Housewives go to market early, children walk to school and people
pause for a quick bar breakfast on their way to work.
For the tourist in Florence an early start makes sense. Head straight for major sights such as the Uffizi, Accademia, Duomo
or Pitti Palace while you're still fresh and before the big tour groups arrive. Most of the museums open at 8:30 a.m. and
the churches earlier, so it's feasible to pop into a specially noted church first thing. Pause mid-morning for a drink and
a rest, but bear in mind that some attractions shut for several hours in the middle of the day, as do stores. It's a good
idea to follow the siesta habit - a leisurely lunch and a quiet hour or so digesting all you've seen will leave you fresh
for more touring in the late afternoon. Early evening is a popular time for Florentines to shop, and a good opportunity for
you to track down that must-have leather bag, beautiful fabric, silk tie or marbled paper souvenir.
Florentines are back at work and out on the streets again some time after 4:30, looking rested, relaxed and ready for the
rest of the day and evening. By 6:30 the town is thronged with well-dressed crowds, strolling, meeting friends and whole-heartedly
enjoying the evening passeggiata through the streets of their beautiful city. Crowds thin out and shops close around 8:30,
when people head home or to a restaurant for dinner, and there's a break before the evening's activities.
Florence has plenty of nightlife to choose from, with a wealth of cultural offerings such as theater, opera and classical
music, movies, and numerous discos and bars with live music. The streets are busy well into the early hours - especially in
summer - with locals and foreigners alike enjoying the balmy night air.
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