Florence, Italy is Italy's foremost Renaissance city. It is the home of Dante, Michelangelo, Machiavelli and the Medici. The city has so much art and history that it can be overwhelming.

In fact the beauty of the city has caused some people to faint. The French writer Stendhal was so dazzled by the beauty of Chiesa di Santa Croce that he was unable to walk. This condition is now known as the Stendhal syndrome and Florentine doctors treat dozens of cases a year.

As beautiful and remarkable as Florence is most of the year, it is hot, crowded and polluted in the summer. If at all possible you should visit Florence in the fall, spring, or winter when you can enjoy all that the city has to offer.

Like most big cities Florence can be expensive, but there are a number of things that you can do that are free. Here is a list of my ten favorite things to do in Florence that are free.

PlanetFone came through for me once again. I recently visited Italy with two friends. Because there were three of us traveling together we rented hotel suites and apartments.

I decided to rent a phone from PlanetFone because of my experience with them when my sister had her purse stolen in Termini Train Station in Rome. My traveling companions agreed it was a good idea.One has a parent who is quite ill and she wanted a phone number where she could be contacted in case of an emergency.

Once again PlanetFone came to the rescue.  We rented an apartment in Venice that was near the Rialto Bridge, but to get to the apartment you have to walk through a number of winding streets, cross a few bridges, well you get the picture. If you have ever been to Venice you know how easy it is to get lost.

The Romantik Hotel Villa Pagoda is located in Nervi, Italy just outside of Genoa. The hotel is in a renovated 200 year old villa. I lived in Nervi as a child and was eager to stay there on one of my trips to Italy. There are not many hotels located in Nervi so I was excited when I found the Hotel Villa Pagoda.

I recently stayed there with two other friends. We rented a small suite with 2 single beds and a small sitting area that had a day bed. We also had a large bathroom that was clean and well-stocked with toiletries. The shower was comfortable but not as large as you would find in hotels in the US.

The nicest thing about our rooms were the three windows, two of which looked out on the Mediterranean Sea.

The hotel has its own private walkway (about 100 yards) down to the Anita Garibaldi promenade. The promenade runs along the rocky shore for about a mile, from the old harbor to Capolungo Village. There are a number of restaurants with good food and spectacular views along the promenade.