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The owners of this centrally located inn live on the top floor, but graciously share their roof terrace with guests, who can enjoy vegetarian meals along with views of the Castello and Palazzo Comunale.

The crowds come for Michelangelo’s David (1501–4), then stay for his Slaves , carved for the tomb of Julius II, and paintings by Botticelli, Lorenzo di Credi, Orcagna, Perugino and del Sarto.

Italy’s top sculpture gallery, with the world’s best collection of Donatellos. Other sculptures by Cellini, Giambologna and Michelangelo.

Football without the rules, between Florence’s four traditional neighbourhoods. This violent game in Renaissance costume is usually played on the dusty Piazza Santa Croce, with matches in some years taking place in Piazza Signoria or the Boboli Gardens.

May brings concerts, plays and recitals to Florence’s theatres, churches and public spaces. Best of all are those held under the stars in the ancient Roman theatre high above the city in Fiesole. Check the festival website for schedules.

Not a place but a series of daily, rotating workshops at the Palazzo Vecchio, Science Museum (see Florence’s Science Museum) and Museo Stibbert. Children can explore hidden parts of the Palazzo Vecchio, play with Galilean telescopes, and dress up as Medici progeny.

Arnolfo di Cambio’s asymmetrical masterpiece of Gothic civic architecture.

The Galleria Palatina features Raphael Madonnas and Titian beauties alongside works by Andrea del Sarto, Perugino, Signorelli, Caravaggio and Rubens. Palatial décor is the backdrop to collections of costumes, silverware and carriages (see Pitti Palace, Florence).

Alberti’s mathematically precise Renaissance façade contrasts with the textbook Italian Gothic interior.

Brunelleschi’s perfectly proportioned interior set the Renaissance standard.