Florence has been immortalised in numerous films, works of art and postcards but it is impossible to tire of its beauty. The city is arguably Italy's most beautiful and atmospheric and has many buildings and public sculptures that attest to its status as one of the world's leading holiday cultural hotspots.

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and lies on the Arno River. A centre of medieval European trade and finance, the city is often considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and its cultural significance has earned it the epithet, 'The Athens of Middle Ages'.

Traditions and culture in Florence

Florence's prolific artistic heritage is clear to see all over the city. Cimabue and Giotto, the fathers of Italian painting, lived in Florence as did Arnolfo and Andrea Pisano, renewers of architecture and sculpture. These artistic 'founding fathers' paved the way for even more artistic feats in the city and their works are beautifully showcased in many of Florence's museums.

There are many monuments around Florence which bear witness to the city's artistic and cultural might - the mosaics of the Baptistry, the many sculptures of the city's cathedrals, the medieval churches with bands of frescoes and numerous public and private palaces including Palazzo Vecchio, Palazzo Pitti, Palazzo Medici Riccardi and Palazzo Davanzati.

Like most of the rest of Italy, Florence is predominantly Roman Catholic and it home to many religious manifestations including the Festa di San Anna. The most important religious manifestation is in honour of San Giovanni.

Florentine cuisine is born primarily out of a tradition of peasant food and the vast majority of its dishes are based on meat.

The most famous main course is bistecca alla fiorentina, a huge steak of Chianina beef cooked over hot charcoal and served very rare. Also popular is tagliata, which is sliced rare beef served on a bed of arugula, often with slices of Parmesan cheese on top.

Recommended in Florence

The National Museum of the Bargello is a great place to appreciate the culture of Florence. It houses some of the best examples of Renaissance and Mannerist sculpture and includes the works of many great Renaissance sculpters such as Michelangelo, Donatello, Ammannati and Bandinelli.

Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as the Duomo di Firenze is the city's beautiful cathedral and has come to embody the very essence of Florence's.

Marvel at Brunelleschi's huge dome, which was an engineering feat of the Rennaissance age and appreciate the statue of Brunelleschi, located in the piazza, which looks upwards with pride at his dome.

Weather in Florence

Although usually perceived to have a Mediterranean climate, Florence is sometimes classified as having a humid subtropical climate.

Owing to the city's geographical position (surrounded by hills in a valley through which the Arno river flows), Florence can be hot and humid from June to August.

Destination checklist for Florence

Florence has a population of around 400,000. The official language spoken is Italian, so a holiday guide and phrasebook is a wise investment.

The official currency in use is the euro. Those on a tight budget may find accomodation in Italy a little expensive but a room in a cheap hotel can be as low as 30 euros.

Florence is just one hour ahead of GMT and uses the dialling code +39.

Check out cheap flights to Florence.