Florence, Italy is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. It is known for it's art and architecture and the thousands of tourists that traipse through the city each year. At first glance the city appears dark and gothic but there are a number of green spaces and of course the Arno River. Touring churches, art museums, palazzi and visiting stores both expensive and not so expensive are favorite activities of vistors to Florence. But the thing I like best about Florence is that there is so much free entertainment from listening to musicians perform near the Uffizi or on the Ponte Vecchio to watching the people in one of the many Piazze.

Pages: 210

Dimensions: 8 x 4.7 x 0.7 inches

Weight: 9.6 ounces

Maps: Detailed street maps of Florence and Siena

Pictures: Good pictures of most major sites

Tuscany is a storybook landscape, home to medieval hill towns, fabled wines and, as crucible of the Renaissance, an unrivaled collection of artistic masterpieces. - Reprinted from the Top 10 Travel Guide for Tuscany

Pages: 160 pages

Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.4 x 0.4 inches

Weight: 7.5 ounces

Maps: There are very small maps of Tuscany and Florence and an even smaller one of Siena.You will need a supplemental map of Florence to help you get around the city.

Pictures: These books have pictures though because the books are small, most of the pictures are small

The main train station in Florence, Italy is also known as Santa Maria Novella, I am assuming this is because it is located right behind the church of the same name.

The train station is located on the fringe of the historic center of the city. It is an easy walk to many of the hotels, however, if you are staying in a hotel near the Duomo, the Uffizi or the Ponte Vecchio and have luggage you may need to take a taxi. Without luggage you can easily walk to the Duomo and Uffizi. I find it difficult to roll luggage for a long distance on cobblestone streets.

There is a taxi stand located right outside the station. Depending on the time of day you arrive and the season you will most likely have to stand in a taxi line. Taxi’s are able to enter parts of the city that are off limits to privately owned cars and to parts of the city that would be difficult for all but locals to navigate. There are bus stops right outside the station.

Florence overflows with art and architecture, a city-size shrine to the Renaissance whose streets and galleries are filled with the paintings and sculptures of Europe’s greatest artistic flowering. – Reprinted from National Geographic Traveler

Pages: 336

Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches

Weight: 1.3 pounds

Maps: Regional maps, limited number of street maps.  Since the book is too heavy to carry with you there is not really a need for street maps

Pictures: Excellent pictures printed on glossy paper

If you get it right, traveling in Tuscany and Umbria is one of those rare experiences in life – like a perfect spring day or the power of first love – that cannot be overrated. Despite incessant praise, the bellezza (beauty) of this region continues to defy description, for Tuscany and Umbria, it seems really do have it all; extraordinary art and architecture; colorful festivals; a season-driven cuisine emulated the world over; and a never-ending landscape of olive groves, vineyards, and poplars. In few places do art and life intermingle so completely. –Reprinted from Lonely Planet Tuscany and Umbria, Italy

Pages: 444 pages

Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches

Weight: 11.2 ounces

Maps: The maps in the Lonely Planet books are the best I have found in any guidebooks. There are city maps, regional maps and a country map. You can actually use the street maps to find your way around a city.

Pictures: The Lonely Planet books have some photographs and sketches.

The best of Florence lies mostly on the north bank of the Arno River. The main historical sites cluster around the redbrick dome of the cathedral (Duomo). Everything is within a 20-minute walk of the train station, cathedral, or Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge). The less impressive but more characteristic Oltrarno area (south bank) is just over the bridge. Though small, Florence is intense.–Reprinted from Rick Steves’ Florence and Tuscany

Pages: 408 pages

Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.5 x 1 inches

Weight: 1.1 pounds

Maps: Rick Steves includes hand drawn maps in his books which can be helpful in showing you the layout of an area but are not helpful in getting you to a specific place, especially in larger cities where more street names and landmarks would be helpful. You will definitely need a supplemental street map to accompany those in this book.

Pictures: There are no photographs to speak of

Florence, Italy is in Tuscany, Italy. You may wonder why I am bringing this up now. One of my great pleasures in life is reading about and talking about Italy. I am always surprised that people spend so little time researching the country they are planning to visit and spend a lot of money in. So, questions like can I visit Florence, Italy and Tuscany, Italy in the same day are a little perplexing.

Let's get this straight - Florence, Italy is in Tuscany. Tuscany is a region of Italy and Florence is the capital city of that region. The cities of Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Lucca and Viareggio are all located in Tuscany.

The city of Florence, Italy of course has one of the greatest, if not the greatest, collections of Renaissance art in the world. It is home to Michelangelo's David as well as the Uffizi Art Gallery.

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.

Most people visit Pisa Italy to see the Leaning Tower. If that is your only reason for going to Pisa there is no need to stay in the city, you can make it a day trip from Florence.

In Pisa Italy, you will be in awe of the beauty of the three medieval buildings that make up the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles): the Baptistery, Duomo and Tower (the campanile). The tower was begun in 1173 on a sandy silt soil and started to lean before the third level was finished in 1274. The Baptistery is the largest in Italy and is known for its incredible acoustics.

Galileo studied at the University of Pisa where he was a student of motion and gravity. Legend has it that he conducted experiments on gravity by dropping items from the Leaning Tower. The University is still there and is the center of activity in the city. Today, the University is known for its computer science department.

Everyone who goes to Italy wants to visit Florence and they should. It is a beautiful city full of art, history and great food.

Most travelers allow several days for a visit to Florence Italy. But there is no need to spend all of your time in one city. There are a number of places that are an easy day trip from Florence. By using Florence as your home base you don't have to keep repacking your bags and moving to different hotels in order to see more of Italy.

The Italian trains go just about everywhere so with a little planning you can see Florence and one or two typical towns in Tuscany and Umbria.

Lucca Italy is an easy day trip from Florence Italy. It is an old city founded a couple of hundred years BC. The Piazza dell'Antifeatro is what survives of the ancient Roman amphitheater. Imagine what the city was like when amphitheaters were still used for sport and gladiators walked through the arches to meet their fate. Today the amphitheater has a number of cute shops and reasonably priced outdoor cafe's.