Kate Middleton chose it for her gap year and David Cameron named his daughter after it. It’s been a favourite amongst Britain’s upper crust for centuries, but there’s nothing stuffy about Florence, says Christopher Nye.


HOME FROM HOME FLORENCE FLORENCE?


A city of 370,000 people, the largest in Tuscany, Florence has been a major city since Roman times. But its greatest era was the Italian Renaissance, when from the 14th to the 16th centuries it created geniuses including Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo and Michelangelo. Today it is one of the most visited cities in the world, and also has a large expat population of some 15,000 British residents in Florence and Tuscany.


THE BRITISH CONNECTION Two months ago, at the end of 2011,


555 years of history came to an end when the British consulate – set up when the Medici’s still ruled the city – closed down. (You now need to go to Rome or Milan if you lose your passport). Florence was a mainstay of the “Grand Tour” from the late 1600s, a forerunner of the gap year, when


wealthy young Brits would tour the cultural highlights of Europe. Some got this far and stopped, including the poets Elizabeth Barrett-Browning and Robert Browning, who lived at Casa Guidi in the city. Florence has always been a favourite amongst English ladies, and still is today. The 1999 fi lm Tea With Mussolini told the true story of one such group of expats living in Florence before and during World War II, who were eventually liberated when British troops kicked the Germans out in 1944. Today many British people live both in Florence and the surrounding hills, villages and cities. Many work in tourism, some are retired and many offer holiday lets. There are also several English-language publications, including The Florentine (www.thefl orentine.net ) and The Tuscan Magazine (www.thetuscanmagazine.com).


BRITISH INSTITUTE Where some expat destinations might


have a bar to watch Premier League football, Florence has the British Institute, and don’t bother to ask if they’re showing the match. The Institute has been here since 1917, and includes the largest collection of English books available to borrow in mainland Europe: 50,000 of them, which you can read while ensconced in a deep leather armchair. Kate Middleton did part of her gap year here in 2000. www.britishinstitute.it


GETTING THERE British Airways fl ies direct from


Gatwick to Florence, and Air France and Alitalia have direct fl ights to Florence from London City Airport. However, most airlines fl y into Pisa


40 aplaceinthesun.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100