Day Trip from Florence: Fiesole
Fiesole is the perfect destination for a day trip from Florence, easily reached from the city center by bus or car.
The city was formed in the Hellenistic age (late 4th - early 3rd century BC), and became a typical Roman city towards the second half of the 1st century. a.C., with a forum, a theater, some temples and a thermal plant. Numerous and of considerable importance, are the Etruscan and Roman testimonies.
The central square is Piazza Mino, here you will find the imposing Romanesque cathedral and numerous restaurants and bars. Heading westwards along the steep narrow street on the left of the cathedral, you will find yourself at the top of the hill that was once home to the Roman acropolis and where today the Church of San Francesco can be found. The convent is located right on the highest point of the city, here you can enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the valley below.
If from Piazza Mino, you head north instead, you will find the entrance to the Roman Theater, perfectly preserved, with remains of thermal baths and a necropolis. Here is held every summer the series of theatrical and musical performances of the Estate Fiesolana.
Near the theater is the Bandini Museum, which houses paintings from Medieval and Renaissance times and a spectacular collection of ceramics by Della Robbia. To fully understand how rich this city is in history, a visit to the Archaeological Civic Museum is also recommended.
Fiesole was loved by the great Florentine personalities, and starting from the Renaissance, it became the residence or favorite vacation spot of the rich Florentine and eventuially foreign families. Testimony of this fact are the numerous ancient villas located nearby the city, including Villa Medici and Villa Peyron, with its beautiful Italian gardens, and also the delightful Fattoria di Maiano. Here you can take wonderful walks; admire the Romantic Park inaugurated by Queen Victoria in 1893, with the Laghetto delle Colonne and the quarry from which Lorenzo the Magnificent had the stones extracted for parts of the Chapel of the Princes, in the Basilica of San Lorenzo; and lastly, find also donkeys, horses, pigs, sheep, geese, chickens and even ostriches!
We can well understand why the painters used to come up here from Florence to paint en-plen-air, in contact with nature, and why wealthy families decide to spend the summer season here.
Time seems to have stopped in Fiesole. A quiet city, surrounded by greenery and rich in history, it will enchant you with its steep, tortuous streets and breathtaking views over the valley of Florence.