30/05/2026
Comment FLORENCE for our list of top places to eat and drink in the city 💛
The Ponte Vecchio takes you over the Arno and into what feels like a different city in Florence. Oltrarno (literally meaning “beyond the Arno”) was where the artisans lived when the merchant families took the north bank. It was filled with leather workers, picture framers, and gilders. Some of their workshops are still here, in the same buildings, doing the same work.
Why does it feel different and special than the “usual” side of the river? Piazza Santo Spirito fills up in the evening with locals rather than tour groups. The Brancacci Chapel holds frescoes that Masaccio painted in the 1420s and Michelangelo came to study as a student. And yes, here is where you can find many of the the city’s sought-after wine windows (which we visit on our Oltrarno Food tour! - link in bio).
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