5 tips for visiting Florence in a sustainable way

Museums closed on Mondays? Unexpected queue to enter, which messes up our schedule, in a totally utopian way?
Knowing is the first key to success, also on a visit to Florence: that is why it is best to be informed. On the official Florence and Florentine Area tourism website www.feelflorence.it or at infopoint desks you will find information on museum opening hours and on current events.

Planning admission to places of interest such as the Uffizi or the Accademia and understanding the costs and possible discounts helps to avoid wasting time and gives you more opportunities. 
Furthermore, the world-famous but crowded museums are not the only attractions: Florence has endless places of culture to offer and the precious tool that allows you to get to know them is the Firenze Card, which provides access to almost all monuments in and around the city. 

The historic center of Florence is small and thinking about using your own car does not make much sense. 
The center is closed to private traffic by a ZTL (restricted traffic zone) and even if you get a permit to enter, there are not many parking options. Also, in all honesty, seeing cars along the little alleyways in downtown Florence is very unpleasant. 

Alternatives? Finding hospitality outside the city center and using public transport, or arriving in the city without a car and getting around on foot or by bicycle, using the bike-sharing service for example.

In addition to helping the environment, this allows people to delve deeper into the life of Florence with greater awareness. 

Whether for a souvenir of Florence, an ice cream or a fashion item, the best advice for shopping is to use your head. 
This city has glorious good food and good wine traditions. It also has an impressive craft and manufacturing tradition. 

Experiencing Florence also means getting out of the clichés, out of the international brands found everywhere, and privileging the local aspect.
So look for original workshops and articles, unique preparations and novel creations - it will also be a way to connect and relate to the locals, especially those who are passionate about their work.

Final tips: avoid encouraging the illegal trade in counterfeit goods by buying from makeshift street vendors; choose local food - even street food - and seasonal and traditional foods. 

This is the most delicate point: showing respect and demanding respect. Some simple considerations are the basis of co-existence between citizens and tourists: do not litter unnecessarily, do not deface monuments or load them with unnecessary objects such as padlocks. Respect traffic regulations, rules on garbage collection and public greenery and do not shout and/or listen to music in the middle of the night.

If your accommodation is in a private building, it is a good idea to keep in mind that although you are on vacation, other people will be getting up in the morning to go to work or school.

Even when walking around the historic center or visiting a museum, knowing where we are and acting accordingly, in the way we behave and dress, will be appreciated. 

Try to get out of that fascinating yet narrow space in the historic center. Just minutes from the heart of Florence, there are little towns rich in art and history, like Fiesole, Calenzano, Impruneta (and many others).
Around the city, you will find dreamy and incredibly varied landscapes: ranging from the plains in the west and the beautiful hills surrounding the city to the mountains in the pre-Apennine area to the east.
You can lose yourself in the fields of olive trees and vineyards as far as the eye can see and along the cypress-lined avenues.
You will find windswept hillocks, fortified villages, lakes, whole forests and solitary parish churches. A precious heritage waiting to be visited: this is the territory of Florence and the Florentine Area.

The suggestions you found in this article are the items in the #EnjoyRespectFirenze campaign, promoted by the City of Florence and currently underway: an act of communication aimed at all visitors in the city of Florence. 

The campaign is filling public spaces: you can see it on buses and tramways, at the airport and on bulletin boards in the historic center; it is circulating on social networks and in the press. 
There is also a dedicated website.