Why Oltrarno?
By crossing the River Arno, you escape half the crowds that fill Florence’s narrow streets. Oltrarno translates to “on the other side of the Arno”, and you get a more authentic taste of the city than you would get fighting the hordes around the Duomo and the Palazzo Vecchio. You won’t find many shops selling tourist tat; instead, workshops hum with the sound of craftspeople restoring antiques.
The Medici family left its mark on Oltrarno in typically over-the-top style. The Palazzo Pitti was the 16th-century home of the powerful family; now it houses some of Florence’s finest galleries including the Palatine Gallery and its large collection of Old Masters. Outside the palazzo is just as impressive, with the highly stylised Renaissance landscapes of the Boboli Gardens, the largest public park in Florence.
A comfortable bed
It's suites only at the 16th-century Palazzo Magnani Feroni (www.palazzomagnaniferoni.com; 0039 055 239 9544), an impossibly romantic slice of the Renaissance. This luxurious world of vaulted ceilings, frescoes, sumptuous fabrics and spacious rooms is topped with a rooftop loggia with gorgeous panoramic views. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh986), including breakfast.
It's hard to get closer to the Arno than at Hotel Lungarno (www.lungarnohotels.com; 0039 055 27261). Some of the rooms and suites have private balconies overlooking the river and Ponte Vecchio. Add to this an extraordinary collection of original works of art by Picasso and Cocteau, among others. The style is solidly grand, without being stuffy. Doubles cost from €255 (Dh1,047), room only.
Floroom 1 (www.floroom.com; 0039 055 230 2462) is a chic little B&B in a quiet lane behind Piazza della Passera. Old and new mix stylishly, with beamed ceilings, white walls and giant black-and-white photos. There's a lounge and kitchen for guests, which is handy for pit stops of free coffee, tea and cakes. Doubles cost from €120 (Dh493), including breakfast.
Find your feet
Once you pass the jewellery stalls squeezed into the Ponte Vecchio, the street widens into Via Guicciardini, where the severe facade of the Palazzo Pitti soon looms. From here, it’s easy (and fun) to get lost among the winding streets of terracotta-roofed houses and palazzi from the 15th century onwards. One of the buzziest streets, Borgo San Jacopo, runs parallel to the Arno, with plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants wedged into the narrow street. If you don’t mind a 20-minute uphill hike, head east of the Palazzo Pitti up to Piazzale Michelangelo to get the classic panoramic view of Florence’s terracotta rooftops and the Duomo.
Meet the locals
Piazza di Santo Spirito, crowned by the pale-yellow facade of Brunelleschi's 15th-century church, gives a taste of Oltrarno's bohemian side. Cafes and restaurants line the square, which fills up with food stalls every morning and gets even busier when the flea market takes over on the second Sunday of the month. Volume (www.volume.fi.it; 0039 055 238 1460) and Pitta M'Ingolli (0039 055 264 256) are popular spots, especially during the early evening, when free snacks appear with drinks.
Book a table
You'll need to book ahead to enjoy the hearty flavours and cosy vaulted-ceiling interior of Il Santo Bevitore (www.ilsantobevitore.com; 0039 055 211 264). The menu varies, but could include tagliatelle with succulent duck ragout that melts in the mouth. Dishes cost from €9 (Dh37).
Tucked away in the tiny Piazza della Passera is Trattoria 4 Leoni (www.4leoni.com; 0039 055 218 562), where shaded tables fill the square during the warmer months. Here, you can try one of the lesser-known Tuscan dishes, fiocchetti di pera, a pasta parcel with pear, taleggio and asparagus. Dishes cost from €9 (Dh42). It's worth booking, even a few hours in advance.
Not far from the Ponte Vecchio is Cammillo (0039 055 212 427), a classic trattoria that looks on the touristy side, but is just as busy with locals. If you’re not up for a Florentine speciality such as tripe or fried calves’ brains, try the handmade pappardelle in a rich game sauce. Dishes cost from €12 (Dh49).
Shopper’s paradise
Ancient crafts are being kept alive all around Oltrarno. Mosaic work has been a Florentine tradition for hundreds of years, and semi-precious stones and Murano glass are still being worked into jewellery by Filippini & Paoletti in Piazza di Santo Spirito (www.byzantinemosaic.it; 0039 055 214 696). For beautifully bound leather notebooks and marbled paper – another enduring local craft – hunt down the discreet Giulio Giannini e Figlio (www.giuliogiannini.it; 0039 055 212 621) shop in Piazza de Pitti.
What to avoid
Keep your wits about you on the narrow streets. Many look as if they should be pedestrianised, but cars still zoom around the corners with little warning.
Don’t miss
Behind the unobtrusive facade of the church of Santa Maria del Carmine is one of the most haunting Renaissance images. In the Brancacci Chapel, Tommaso Masaccio’s 15th-century fresco of Adam and Eve being driven out of the Garden of Eden is one of the most emotive works of art in the city.
Go there
Return flights with Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Abu Dhabi to Rome cost from Dh3,415, including taxes. The flight time is about six hours. Regular trains connect Rome with Florence, which take about 90 minutes and cost from €58 (Dh238) return.
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