Italy Two Centre Holidays - Florence

One of the most romantic cities in the world, Florence is proof that good things come in small packages –the tiny network of narrow streets spawned the Renaissance, the iconic fashion houses Gucci, and Pucci, and is home to a 5th of the world’s art treasures. Climb 463 steps to the top of Brunelleschi’s Duomo for the views that inspired the Renaissance masterpieces in the Uffizi Gallery, or head to Santa Croce for the tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo and Dante, its chapel adorned with Giotti’s divine frescoes. Even if you can’t tell your Botticelli from your Giotti, the city has plenty of tricks up its sleeve. Florence bears marks of the surrounding countryside in its trattorias, dishing up typically Tuscan dishes of pappardelle pasta, charcoaled steak and panforte, washed down with glasses of Chianti. With a main street named the ‘street of the shoemakers’, Florence is a mecca for stylish shoes, and you will find hundreds of high quality leather goods in the local markets, or exquisite jewellery in the exclusive boutiques that line the Ponte Vecchio.