Category Archives: Tourism information

A few trips out of town—Lucca, Prato, and into Chianti

Check train routes carefully—some are quicker than others. Florence and Tuscany bus and train schedules can be viewed and planned on the Toscana Google Transit site. Lucca!- By train from Florence, Lucca is less than 1-1/2 hours each way and … Continue reading

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Random, but still useful, notes

An etto, 1/10th of a chilo, kilo, about a quarter of a pound, is the basic unit of measure in the marketplace. Read more on my short Useful Italian: Numbers and Counting and the Marketplace pdf. While the smaller shops … Continue reading

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Useful information & being gracious

There aren’t a lot of public toilets in Florence. Take advantage of museum stops! Bars are required to provide bathrooms, so our basic strategy is to stop for a caffè (espresso) as needed. Or maybe, for my afternoon to be … Continue reading

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Various websites about Florence

Visit the site for the Comune di Firenze, which I think of as both the greater city of Florence and the governmental structure Council of Florence. Highly recommended is the Information for Tourists section. Also available is information about traffic … Continue reading

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Best Cappuccino

Just for fun and to encourage purposeful wayfinding in Firenze, following is a list from the Pitcher & Flaccomio Newsletter, April, 2007– best cappuccino in Florence! While it’s been a few years since the list was compiled, I’ll bet the … Continue reading

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Florence city bus lines, airport transport and sightseeing buses

ATAF is the local Florence bus service. On their page, you can enter addresses or famous sights and find the bus you need. ATAF opened a new sala clienti, customer room, in the Santa Maria Novella train station in August, … Continue reading

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Basic planning for Florence and nearby

To maximize any short stay in Florence, consult the many fine guidebooks. I list some useful short guides and we take a look at Florence’s official tourist page. General information: My favorite hotel-finding site, Venere, is good for all of … Continue reading

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