As promised, today I will continue with my ten top list of favorite places to visit around Florence completely for free. Yesterday we talked about the most charismatic markets of the city and about the wonderful view you can have by going to the Piazzale Michelangelo. Today the list continues as follows:

3. VISIT THE SANTA MARIA NOVELLA AND ITS PHARMACY

The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella is one of the most beautiful churches in the city, it is located very close to the main train station of Santa Maria Novella and houses the works by Giotto, Masaccio and Ghirlandaio. The Dominican friars founded in 1221 a real pharmaceutical shop that you can visit as well as its gardens where they cultivated the medicinal herbs  used to prepare medications, balms and ointments for the small infirmary of their monastery. Even nowadays they continue with this tradition using the same procedures for the preparation of spices, liquor, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals drugs.

4. TAILOR MADE FLORENCE WALKING TOUR

The best thing I will suggest you is to go for first to a tourist information office and ask for a Florence map, they will also explain you where to find all the main attractions, museums and monuments around the city. Remember that Florenceis a small city close to the vehicular traffic so you will be able to walk around without any problem. With the help of you map you can visit this open air museum without any problem!

5. THE CATHEDRAL OF SANTA MARIA DEL FIORE, THE CATHEDRAL OF FLORENCE

The cathedral complex is located in Piazza del Duomo, on a five minutes walk from the train station of Santa Maria Novella, it includes the Baptistery and the Giotto’s Campanile. These three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The admission to the Cathedral is free and it is one of Italy’s largest and beautiful churches. When you enter the Cathedral you will be struck by the building’s vastness and the sobriety of its furnishings. Even though the queue to enter seems long, it moves fast as the cathedral is big and can hold lots of people in the inside.

What do you think about this 3 new options? Do they sound interesting?

I will leave you some time to go there and visit them and I’ll get back to you tomorrow with many other interesting sites to be visited in Florence during your stay!