Our guide to Florence – what to do, what to see and what not to miss – resumes with the top 10 attractions in a city that has them in spades.

10. Palazzo Pitti

On the south side of the Arno River, a short walk from the Ponte Vecchio, sits a magnificent palace built in 1458. The original owner was Luca Pitti, a wealthy banker, whose family sold the grandiose home to the Medici clan almost a century later. From that point forward, the Palazzo was the defacto residence of whatever family was at the helm of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Needless to say, as a result of the countless treasures amassed over the centuries, the 32,000 square metre palace is now a fabulous museum.

9. Mangi!

Florence is a city where, in order to appreciate it completely, you have to walk. A lot. And you will need fuel to pound the pavement day after day. But this being Tuscany, not just any generic pizza and gelato will do. Take the time to be inquisitive and discover where all the hidden gem restaurants and pastry shops are around town. Florence is replete with ristoranti and pasticceria but so many of them cater to bland tourist tastes. Get off the main drags and sample every little morsel you can stomach. Better yet, get out of the city and into the countryside of Tuscany for a wine tour. Chianti anyone?

8. Farmacia di Santa Maria Novella

A pharmacy may sound like a drab destination while on vacation in Florence but Santa Maria Novella is special. The perfume and product emporium has been around since 1221 under one incarnation or another, first by Dominican monks to support a local infirmary and then as of 1612 as a commercial establishment. Santa Maria Novella is unlike any other pharmacy, drugstore or perfume store you have ever seen. The products, while expensive, are made from pure ingredients like essential oils and herbs, and the minimalist displays are classic. Fans of the film Hannibal will recall a great scene here with Anthony Hopkins as the creepy Dr. Lecter.

7. Basilica di Santa Croce

As a burial site, you can do a lot worse than the Basilica di Santa Croce. The minor Roman Catholic basilica, as The Vatican designates it, is a major draw as a prominent attraction because it contains funerary monuments to some of the most illustrious citizens of Florence. Everyone from Galileo, Enrico Fermi, Machiavelli, Michelangelo and Dante rest in peace here.

6. Basilica di San Lorenzo

A good excuse to visit the chief market area of Florence, besides the obvious, is the Basilica di San Lorenzo. Another long line in a list of attractions that has the Medici name all over it, the Basilica is the burial place for many in the wealthy and influential clan. For over three hundred years, San Lorenzo was also the main cathedral of Florence and as a result, a lot of care went into the preservation of the immense structure. Vast contributions by both Filippo Brunelleschi and Michelangelo make the Basilica worth a special visit.

5. Battistero di San Giovanni

Many cite the Baptistry of St. John, as the English call it, as the most ancient structure in Florence. When you consider that the city dates back to Julius Caesar in the year 59 BC, that alone is impressive. Adjacent to the Duomo, the Battistero was where the people of Florence held baptisms until the end of the 19th century. The site is famous of course because the original foundation dates to the 4th century but also for bronze doors. The baptistry doors, to be precise, are priceless works of art by the masters Andrea Pisano and Lorenzo Ghiberti. They took decades to complete, which is about the same time you need today to decipher them – in particular the East Doors by Ghiberti, which Michelangelo dubbed “The Gates of Paradise”.

4. Accademia di Belle Arti

The generous patronage of the Medici family gave Florence a school of art in 1561. The academy, as it came to be known, became the principal institution devoted to fine arts in Italy. Now it serves as a museum with works by Florentine masters around every corner, most notable of which is Michelangelo’s David of course. At over 5 m high, the indelible masterpiece is tough to miss.

3. Giardino di Boboli

The Boboli Gardens is the defacto city park of Florence. But to leave it at that would be an injustice. Behind the grand Palazzo Pitti, Boboli is one if the most spectacular parks you will ever see. With works of sculpture that date between the 16th and 18th century and relics from Roman antiquity, Boboli is a virtual outdoor museum. A monument to the classical epoch, the park has semi-private grottos, garden temples and nympheums and some of the best views of Florence. Bring your camera and lunch, you may well spend the entire day here.

2. Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

Everyone calls it the Duomo but the official name is the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. The word “duomo” simple refers to the iconic dome built by master Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi. For a prototypical Florence experience, climb to the top for a classic view of Florence and Tuscany. Of course, the interior of the Basilica is a treasure trove, with involvement from all the big names that one associates with the Renaissance era of the city. If you have time for one attraction in Florence, this is it.

1. The Uffizi

With the exception perhaps, of the Uffizi. The most famous art gallery in the world not in Paris or Madrid, is within a Palazzo of the same name and like every other site in Florence, is quite old. Almost 500 years in fact and as such, curators have had time to amass some impressive works. The masters on display include Botticelli with his Birth of Venus and Primavera, Raphael, Lippi, da Vinci, Titian and Caravaggio.

Check out some of the most affordable rates of great hotels in Florence.

Photo credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10