Florence, What a wonderful city. Full of renaissance and art. But can we learn something from a trend perspective? Here is a short trend report from Florence.
Firenze 2024. I was in Florence a million years ago. Yes, I am that old. And it is a wonderful city with architecture and art that is some of the most important in the world. Here you have the Uffizi galleries as well as churches and palaces.
You know how it is. You google and stumble across a website with the ten most important landmarks of the city. For Florence, the list doesn’t change so much. One way or the other you will end up with the same attractions like everyone else.
Planning to go to Florence? Get ready for lines, lines and lines. I don’t know if we should blame mass tourism or what it is, but there are lines. At one point we stood in line for the dome for one hour. Beautiful on the outside, but a bunker inside. Super, super boring.
My strongest suggestion is – be early. Most attractions open at 08.00. Sounds early and boring for a holiday feeling? The alternative is standing in hour long lines…
Out of all churches my favourite would be the one above (Santa Maria Novella). Very, very interesting. It was full of historical details.
I loved Santa Maria Novella.
And of course you have the Uffizi gallery. The world’s most important museum for renaissance work. And speaking of trends. Why do we need to take pictures of these art pieces that are so copied and spread around the world?
Regardless. But standing infront of one of 22 (!) Leonardo da Vinci paintings makes you want to take a picture.
From a trend perspective I think we should look at how to handle mass tourism. How can we shorten lines to museums? Could we find something to read up on during the wait? Could there be alternative stops?
I mean – Florence is not short of unique sights. Above is a lovely fruit and vegetable market and a synagogue. Could we not learn to see other things than the “top ten” in a city?
Don’t get me wrong. I had a lovely time in Florence and I loved my stay, but this is a piece about a destination and trends.
Gucci and Ferragamo
Both fashion brands Gucci and Ferragamo is from Florence and have specific destinations here. For about 10 euro you can see the Ferragamo museum. I skipped that. I actually also skipped the Gucci Museum Also about the same price. But Gucci is worth a stop.
Not only have Gucci a nice shop. It also have a bar, cafe and a restaurant.
I tried it. Of course. What does Gucci taste like??
The answer is “meh”. It was ok. The pasta was fantastic. But a set lunch with a pre drink and a glass of wine – it costed 250 euro. It’s a lot. It really is a lot. Is it worth it? I don’t think so. Get a glass of wine or a cocktail at the bar instead.
Santo Spirito
Florence is a fashion city. Don’t forget. Every season the large men’s fair show the latest in men’s fashion. Pitti Uomo. I checked with my fashion friends. “Is there a fashion stop I need to see?” and the answer was to stop at the Sunday flea market at Santo Spirito. This is apparently one of the best flea markets in the world.
And it was good. By the look of the people browsing here – this was the spot. Fashionadas everywhere.
Did I buy anything? No. Will I come back. Sure. It was a nice experience.
Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
Last stop for trendhunting in Florence. One of the oldest stores selling soap and perfume is in Florence. The name again: Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. Every posh woman visiting this city got a bag from this place. It’s nice, gorgeous and full of nice products. But it is also a place that A LOT of people already know about. It is not really something super unique. But nice.
So, a summary. Florence is lovely. Absolutely. I love the history and art. I also love how this is kind of a city for single travellers. People sit down with a book to read, not always on the run.
There are some trend spots but perhaps this is a more of a historical space rather than a trendy space. And that is fine. We need these places too.