District
Santa Croce
Florence neighbourhood guide
basilica square, leather workshops, students, late bars
The eastern side of the centre around the Franciscan basilica of Santa Croce, where Michelangelo and Galileo are buried. Lively at night thanks to students and bars, with leather workshops behind the church and some of the best-known gelaterie in the city along Via dei Neri and Via Ghibellina.
Day trips from Florence
Siena · Pisa · Lucca · San Gimignano · Chianti
Most are about an hour away by train or bus.
Explore Santa Croce
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All'Antico Vinaio
The schiacciata sandwich shop with the famous queue on Via dei Neri: warm Tuscan flatbread filled with cured meats, cheese and spreads. The sandwiches are huge and good; whether they are worth a long wait is your call. Go mid-morning or mid-afternoon to avoid the worst of it.
Gelateria dei Neri
A small gelateria on Via dei Neri with a long list of flavours, including some dairy-free sorbets and unusual combinations. A reliable stop between Santa Croce and the Uffizi.
Vivoli
A family gelateria in a lane near Santa Croce, widely described as the oldest in Florence (the family's shop dates back to around 1930). Old-fashioned in the good sense, with a small café counter as well.
Enoteca Pinchiorri
Florence's only restaurant with three Michelin stars (2025 and 2026 guides), in a palazzo on Via Ghibellina, with one of the largest wine cellars in Europe. Formal, very expensive, and for a special occasion. Reservations are essential.
Ditta Artigianale
A specialty coffee bar on Via dei Neri, part of a small Florentine group, serving filter coffee and flat whites as well as Italian espresso. Useful for a slower breakfast than a standing espresso at the bar.
Scuola del Cuoio leather school
A leather school founded after the Second World War in the former Franciscan dormitory behind Santa Croce. You can watch artisans and students at work and buy their goods; prices reflect the quality, and it is a good way to see what proper Florentine leatherwork looks like before shopping at the market stalls.
Locale Firenze
A cocktail bar inside a medieval palazzo near the Bargello, with elaborate drinks and a dramatic interior. Expensive, dressy by Florence standards, and best booked.
Basilica di Santa Croce
The great Franciscan church of Florence, with the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli, Giotto's frescoes in the Bardi and Peruzzi chapels and Brunelleschi's Pazzi Chapel in the cloister. There is an entry fee; allow at least an hour and a half.