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    Dancing La Perla

    4.0 (3 reviews)

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    Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore - Dome

    Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

    4.6(108 reviews)
    2.9 kmDuomo

    The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. Also known as Florence Duomo, is the defining landmark of…read moreFlorence and one of the most impressive cathedrals in the world. Dominating the city skyline, it is instantly recognizable for Brunelleschi's magnificent dome, a masterpiece of Renaissance engineering and artistic vision. The exterior is eyecatching , with its intricate façade of white, green, and pink marble that feels both elegant and monumental. Standing in Piazza del Duomo, the scale of the cathedral is awe‑inspiring, especially when viewed alongside Giotto's Bell Tower and the Baptistery. Inside, the cathedral is huge and relatively restrained compared to its ornate exterior. This simplicity emphasizes the immense size of the space. Climbing the dome was a highlight for sure although it nearly took out the hubs. Smile. Folks back in the day must have been tiny because there steps are so small and curvy. When you reach the top, you think you can walk out on the ledge for the spectacular panoramic views. No!!! You have to climb a ladder to get to the perimeter. Similar exhale to that of crossing the finish line at a marathon. The panoramic views are spectacular!

    The Florence Cathedral, commonly referred to as the Duomo di Firenze, is one of the world's largest…read morechurches and probably the most stunning building I've ever seen. It is the beautiful crown jewel of the beautiful city of Florence, a gothic cathedral built between 1296 and 1436. The dome, envisioned at the project's inception, was only completed over a century later. It remains, in 2025, the largest masonry dome ever constructed. We made a point of visiting the Duomo almost as soon as we arrived in Florence, then ran across it several more times over the course of our two-and-a-half-day stay. It felt like the spiritual and practical center of the city. I don't think you can avoid the Duomo on foot any more than you can miss it in Florence's skyline--not that you would want to. The exterior is exquisite. The dome, the gothic architecture, the extravagant details. All that pink, green, and white marble. You get a lot out of the Duomo just by staring at it whenever you happen to walk by. The cathedral is free to enter, but there is almost always a line. We waited in it twice, once just to grab a postcard from the gift shop. It wasn't bad, maybe five to ten minutes, but that was in mid-November. The interior was gorgeous, too, vast and intentionally bare relative to, say, St. Peter's or the Duomo's own exterior. No gold, but a wealth of stained glass and God knows how many tons of marble. There was a small gift shop downstairs, where we purchased a magnet and a postcard for our kids, left at home. I thought about getting the nice Christmas ornament of the dome, but it cost almost €80. We wanted to go to the Opera del Duomo museum on our last afternoon in town, but the window was too tight, and we realized we would've been better served buying a pass for a few of the standalone attractions--the museum as well as the baptistry or the belltower. In any case, I'm pretty sure we'll be back to Florence, and I look forward to revisiting the Duomo.

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    Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore - Just arrived to Florence meeting tour guide

    Just arrived to Florence meeting tour guide

    Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore - @endoedibles on Instagram 03/07/24

    @endoedibles on Instagram 03/07/24

    Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore - @endoedibles on Instagram 03/07/24

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    @endoedibles on Instagram 03/07/24

    Fiera del Cioccolato Artigianale - Chocolate-covered...well everything!

    Fiera del Cioccolato Artigianale

    3.8(5 reviews)
    2.5 kmSanta Maria Novella
    €€€

    CHOCOLATE! If you…read morelove chocolate or anything sweet, the annual chocolate festival in Firenze is almost a dream come true! Every year for a week - typically Valentine's Day week - Firenze will host an open market that features chocolate artisans that sell delicious and tempting sweets. Hot chocolate, chocolate fruits, chocolate of every sort - Every booth has an eye-popping amount of different kind of chocolate that you may not even know existed! This is also where I discover this heavenly chocolate called "cremino veneziano" (Venetian cream) which is a multi-layer chocolate that quickly melts in your hand if you don't pop it in your mouth soon and literally melts instantly in your mouth. Oh why don't they make this in the US... In case you can't get enough sweets though, the festival also includes a chocolate cooking show and the booths also sell other non-chocolate sweets like €1 macaron! Sadly (and maybe fortunately), many chocolate items here are extremely pricey, although that's to be expected as artisan goods. For example, my new love "cremino veneziano" is a costly €4.5 for a mere 100 grams... Nonetheless, even if you don't intend to splurge on sweets, definitely swing by here to at least feast your eyes upon the sweets! You can even get a sample or two like how I met my cremino veneziano. While I would not intentionally fly into Firenze for this festival, I would recommend making a detour to witness sweetness if you are in Italy during this time! --- DOVE? WHERE? Typically, this festival is held in Piazza Santa Maria Novella, the church piazza in front of the train station. However, check the website or ask your hotel staff. We nearly missed the festival because it was moved in the last minute to Piazza della Santissima Annunziata, the northern piazza that is a bit out of the way from the typical tourist route. --- tl;dr version 1) CHOCOLATE! 2) Various sorts of chocolate and sweets to feast your eyes (and even sample) 3) Pricey so don't expect to going home in bags without splurging 4) Recommended detour if you're already in Italy

    Photos
    Fiera del Cioccolato Artigianale - Tents of chocolate!

    Tents of chocolate!

    Fiera del Cioccolato Artigianale
    Fiera del Cioccolato Artigianale

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    Basilica di Santa Maria Novella

    Basilica di Santa Maria Novella

    4.7(40 reviews)
    2.4 kmSanta Maria Novella

    Absolutely gorgeous place to visit. Please go inside if you have the chance but if you don't, the…read moreexterior is absolutely gorgeous. The areas has a lot of hotels (pretty obviously, since the train station is right across the street, on the back side of the church) and quite a few places to eat and drink. Two wine windows are in the area and my best friends favorite gelato shop, you can see from the square.

    This review is merely for the exterior and a bit of the surrounding area. I read that they offer…read moretours inside, but we did not have time for one. This church was near our hotel and I wanted to at least see it as I'd taken an architecture course once in college that covered it. The back of the church is close to the front of the main Florence train station, separated by a wide street with multiple light rail tracks. You need to walk around to the far side (from the station) to see the façade, which is the famous view. There are businesses flanking one side of the church (hotels, restaurants, and other shops). There was some booth set up where people attempted to flag down passing pedestrians (I'm not sure if it was some political thing or they were eventually asking for donations, etc.; we escaped without hearing their pitch). Also around the front of the church there were African guys selling trinkets or attempting to engage tourists to sell something. These guys were fairly common throughout downtown Florence, actually. In front of the church is a large plaza which provides good longer-range unobstructed views for photos. The front of the church is sort of a 'late Gothic transitioning into the Renaissance' style. It is quite striking and worth a short detour on your way to the city center. The best lighting for photos seemed to be in the mid to late afternoon.

    Photos
    Basilica di Santa Maria Novella - Late afternoon and sun.

    Late afternoon and sun.

    Basilica di Santa Maria Novella
    Basilica di Santa Maria Novella

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    Dancing La Perla - arts - Updated June 2026

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