Travel Italy: Vacation Packages, Tips, Tours of Italy

Late August and early September you can enjoy classical music and theatre in the countryside surrounding Florence.

The town of Rignano sull’Arno, on a hill 22 km away from Florence, hosts “The Sound and Colours Festival“, an event offering concerts and performances held at venues including churches, villas and farms in the local countryside.

The festival starts August 28 and runs through September 12. Here the full programme.

View Rignano sull Arno on the map.

Piazza Santa Croce in Florence, is the venue for the annual Calcio Storico — Historic Football, a 15th century style tournament of fighting and football.

The historical origins of this event can be traced back at least to the fifteenth century when in Florence the ancient Roman Ball became the favorite sport of princes and noblemen.

The rules of Calcio Storico in themselves are fairly complex. However, in short, players in medieval costume try to seize the ball and put it in the net by whatever means available. Find out details of Calcio Storico at http://www.calciostorico.it/ .

Calcio Storico is one of the several events taking place in Florence on June 24, when Florentines celebrate Saint John, patron saint of the city, with parades, dances, sings and frolics.
When: June 24 (annual)
Where: Florence

Florence offers its visitors a chance to experience the intense emotions of Tango with the annual Florence Tango Festival.

The event, taking place from April 24 through 27, includes shows, art exhibitions, workshops, dinners and free Tango classes.
The venue is the Saschall Theatre.

When: April 24 through 27.
Where: Florence - Saschall theatre.
For programme details, visit the English page of the festival website at http://firenzetangofestival.com/festival/english.htm.

By continuing about things to do in Florence with a two day stay, you could reserve the second day to activities like visits to museums and shopping.

- Museums -
- With just two days, you could not afford to visit most of the many art museums of Florence. However you can’t leave out the Galleria degli Uffizi.

The gallery houses countless masterpieces of Italian and European paintings from a period between the 12th and 18th centuries, exhibited in 45 rooms. Works by Cimabue, Giotto, Duccio da Buoninsegna, Gentile da Fabriano, Beato Angelico, Paolo Uccello, Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Perugino, Vasari, Michelangelo are among the countless masterpieces you can admire there.
To reserve tickets, you can ask the hotel where you are staying to make these reservations for you. Also you can try these websites: http://www.florence-museum.com/ and http://www.firenzemusei.it/home.html

- Shopping -
Have a look to the many street and markets in the city center, around San Lorenzo or the smaller ones on the way to the Uffizi. You have opportunities to grab some great deals there, especially with leather or silk items. Check the items, you can find quality goods at good prices, along with tourist junk.
If you are looking for designer items at discounted prices, you need to visit any designer outlets malls. A large outlets mall is located outside the city center, about 20 miles north of Florence, in Barberino del Mugello. There is where the designer stores offering discounted items are. You can save 30% to 60% off the regular price. Obviously your shopping there will be more expensive than at the street markets in the city center, but consider you are going there to buy designer and higher quality items.

- Dining -
Hopefully, in these two days in Florence, you’ll take your time to enjoy also fine dining at restaurants. You definitely have to taste the “Bistecca alla Fiorentina“. It’s the Florence’s culinary specialty. This tasty dish consists of a t-bone or porterhouse steak grilled over a wood or charcoal fire, and seasoned with salt, black pepper, and olive oil. With good red Tuscan wines is the best pairing.

Find accommodations in Florence and Tuscany.

Some suggestions for those who plan to spend a couple of days in Florence, about things to do and see. With so little time available for a visit to one of the major world art cities, you could find helpful a quick guide with suggestions about things not to be missed during your time in Florence or things you could leave out.

- Sights

In Piazza Duomo: The Duomo, also known as Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto’s Bell Tower (Campanile di Giotto) which stands isolated next to the Basilica Santa Maria del Fiore and Baptistery of St. John with its three sets of magnificent and artistically important bronze doors. You can enjoy amazing views of Florence from the top of the bell tower as well as by climbing the Basilica’s dome.

Ponte Vecchio, an icon of Florence, famous all over the world for its overhanging shops.

In Piazza della Signoria: Palazzo della Signoria, Loggia della Signoria, and Michelangelo’s David.

Palazzo degli Uffizi which houses the most famous art gallery storing works of Italian art from every period.

Giardino di Boboli (The Boboli Gardens), a mid-16th century Italian garden style on a green hill surrounding Palazzo Pitti, is also home to a distinguished collection of sculptures dating from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries.

Piazzale Michelangelo, a terrace from where you can enjoy a great view of the entire city and its surroundings,is definitely not to be missed. It is also an ideal place to enjoy an ice cream or a refreshing drink.

View photos of sights of Florence above listed.
(Next: more on things to do in Florence in a two days visit).