Oltrarno

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Overview

Literally the ‘other side of the Arno’, this achingly hip ’hood is traditionally home to Florence's artisans and its old-world, bohemian streets are sprinkled with botteghe (workshops), independent boutiques and hybrid forms of both. It embraces the area south of the river and west of Ponte Vecchio; its backbone is Borgo San Jacopo, clad with shops and a twinset of 12th-century towers, Torre dei Marsili and Torre de' Belfredelli. Cuisine – prepared using artisanal ingredients, of course – is a real strength here, with bags of fashionable restaurants and drinks to entice.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Brancacci Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine, famous of Renaissance frescoes, Florence

    Cappella Brancacci

    Oltrarno

    Fire in the 18th century practically destroyed 13th-century Basilica di Santa Maria del Carmine, but it spared its magnificent chapel frescoes – a…

  • Facade view of the Santo Spirito church in Florence. Florence, Tuscany - Italy

    Basilica di Santo Spirito

    Oltrarno

    The facade of this Brunelleschi church, smart on Florence's most shabby-chic piazza, makes a striking backdrop to open-air concerts in summer. Inside, the…

  • Giardino torrigiani SOURCE: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giardino_torrigiani,_torretta_16.JPG

    Giardino Torrigiani

    Oltrarno

    Astonishing. Behind the unassuming facades of Via de' Serragli lies a vast, secret garden – Europe’s largest privately owned green space...

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    Ponte Vecchio

    Oltrarno

    Dating from 1345, iconic Ponte Vecchio was the only Florentine bridge to survive destruction at the hands of retreating German forces in 1944. Above…

  • Fondazione Salvatore Romano

    Fondazione Salvatore Romano

    Oltrarno

    For a change of pace from the Renaissance, head to this Gothic-style former refectory safeguarding an imposing wall fresco by Andrea Orcagna depicting the…

  • Ponte Santa Trinità

    Ponte Santa Trinità

    Oltrarno

    Composed of three elliptical arches of the utmost elegance – the first of their kind ever used in bridge construction – Ponte Santa Trinità was designed…

  • Torre de' Belfredelli

    Torre de' Belfredelli

    Oltrarno

    This eye-catching stone medieval tower is the tallest, and probably best preserved, in Florence. It was built for the wealthy Belfredelli family in the…

  • Casa Guidi

    Casa Guidi

    Oltrarno

    It was on the ground floor of 15th-century Palazzo Guidi, across from Palazzo Pitti, that Robert and Elizabeth Browning rented an apartment in 1847, a…

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