Some of the most memorable things to do in Florence happen outside the standard Renaissance itinerary: crossing the Arno in a traditional wooden boat, watching a film inside a historic cinema and bookshop, seeing an independent fashion studio at work, or spending an evening over dinner and live performance.

This guide is for travellers looking for unusual, creative and local things to do in Florence, without pretending that anything popular is automatically “touristy.”

Quick list: unusual things to do in Florence

1. Cross the Arno in a traditional barchetto: a seasonal river view of Ponte Vecchio with a renaiolo.

2. Have dinner and watch a live performance at Teatro del Sale: food and theatre in Sant’Ambrogio.

3. Visit Monte Sharp near Ponte Vecchio: independent fashion, design and a working studio experience.

4. Spend an evening in Sant’Ambrogio: a food market, aperitivo and neighbourhood life.

5. Watch a film at Giunti Odeon: a cinema, bookshop and café inside a historic palazzo.

6. Explore Manifattura Tabacchi: industrial architecture, contemporary culture and independent businesses.

7. Walk through the Florentine hills: countryside views without a formal Chianti tour.

8. Hunt for unusual objects: flea markets, vintage stores and small antique dealers.

9. Choose a strange small museum: armour, anatomical waxes or an art dealer’s blue rooms.

10. Eat inside an art bookshop at Libreria Brac: contemporary art books and vegetarian food near the Uffizi.

11. Watch the sunrise from Piazzale Michelangelo: Florence’s famous panorama before the crowds arrive.

12. Cross the Arno in a traditional barchetto

See Florence from a small, flat-bottomed wooden boat known as a barchetto. It is guided with a long pole by a renaiolo, a name connected to workers who once collected sand and gravel from the riverbed.

The route offers a low, quiet view of the palaces along the Lungarni and passes beneath Florence’s bridges, including Ponte Vecchio. Late afternoon and early evening are especially atmospheric, when the façades begin to reflect in the water and the temperature falls.

The experience is seasonal rather than year-round. I Renaioli currently lists navigation from 1 May to 30 September, with departures subject to weather and river conditions. The official boarding point is on Lungarno Diaz near Piazza Mentana, and both shared and private tours can be reserved through I Renaioli Firenze.

Best for: couples, families and repeat visitors.

Practical note: book ahead; weather dependent. Wear flat shoes.

2. Have dinner and watch a live performance at Teatro del Sale

Teatro del Sale is not simply a restaurant and not simply a theatre. It is a cultural association in the Sant’Ambrogio area where dinner is followed by a live performance. Depending on the programme, the evening might include music, theatre, dance, comedy, readings or an interdisciplinary show.

Dinner is served before the lights go down, so the evening feels closer to joining a Florentine cultural club than attending a conventional tourist show.

Founded in 2003 by artistic director Maria Cassi and Florentine chef Fabio Picchi, Teatro del Sale’s official site currently states that it schedules more than 240 performances a year and runs its dinner-and-show formula from Tuesday to Saturday. Because it is an association, visitors need a membership card as well as a dinner reservation. Check the current Teatro del Sale programme, membership rules and reservations before visiting.

Where: Via dei Macci 111R, in Sant’Ambrogio.

Best for: travellers who enjoy food, performance and meeting people.

Practical note: book ahead and check the programme; membership required.

3. Visit Monte Sharp, a working independent fashion studio

Monte Sharp is an independent conceptual fashion label with a boutique at Via Lambertesca 13R and its design studio next door at 11R, a few minutes from Ponte Vecchio and the Uffizi. The space offers a look at contemporary fashion being developed in Florence rather than another display of the city’s past.

Depending on the day, visitors may notice materials, prototypes or other signs of the design process. Studio activity varies and is not scheduled as a public demonstration. That unpredictability is part of the interest: this is a real working studio rather than a staged attraction.

Monte Sharp designs and manufactures limited quantities in Italy with small Tuscan workshops, often using deadstock or surplus materials. Visitors can try the pieces and ask about their construction. Read more about its materials and Tuscan production, signature Cappotto 11R and sustainable women’s fashion in Florence.

Visit Monte Sharp

Visitors can normally enter without an appointment. The usual opening hours are daily, 10:30–19:00; check special closures before travelling. Studio activity is not a scheduled performance. See Visit Monte Sharp and Google Maps for current information and directions.

Best for: people interested in fashion, architecture, materials and independent design.

Practical note: check opening hours. For a particular garment or process, contact info@monte-sharp.com in advance.

Planning a design-focused day? Visit Monte Sharp near Ponte Vecchio, then continue to the Uffizi, Libreria Brac or Sant’Ambrogio.

4. Spend an evening in Sant’Ambrogio

Start at Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio while the food market is open. Its current site lists the market at Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti from Monday to Saturday, 7:00 to 14:00; verify the schedule before travelling. Then return later for an aperitivo around Piazza dei Ciompi, Via Pietrapiana or the surrounding streets. Instead of choosing a restaurant from a checklist, walk a little and look for a place whose atmosphere suits you.

The neighbourhood brings together market vendors, residents, students, small restaurants and cultural venues. It is still central and certainly not unknown to visitors, but it feels looser and more spontaneous than moving repeatedly between the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria and Ponte Vecchio.

Best for: travellers who like neighbourhoods more than attractions.

Practical note: check market hours. Visit in the morning, then return for aperitivo.

5. Watch a film at Giunti Odeon

The historic Odeon cinema, inside Palazzo dello Strozzino near Piazza Strozzi, now combines a cinema, bookshop, café and cultural meeting place in one grand interior. Books occupy the former stalls while films are projected on the original screen above them. The result is neither a standard multiplex nor a conventional bookstore.

The programme includes new releases, restored classics, festivals and films shown in their original language at selected screenings. Arrive early enough to look through the books and see the room before the lights go down. Current films and screening languages are listed on the Giunti Odeon programme.

Where: Piazza Strozzi, in the historic centre.

Best for: rainy evenings, film lovers and unusual interiors.

Practical note: check the programme and screening language.

6. Explore contemporary Florence at Manifattura Tabacchi

The former tobacco factory has been redeveloped as a contemporary district for work, study, culture and leisure. Its industrial architecture now houses independent shops, design spaces, restaurants, cafés, ateliers, exhibitions and events. The contrast with the stone palaces of the historic centre is the point.

Do not visit with a rigid checklist. Go for an exhibition, stay for an aperitivo, browse the shops and see what is happening in the courtyards. Programming changes, so consult the Manifattura Tabacchi calendar before making the trip.

Where: Via delle Cascine 35, northwest of the historic centre.

Best for: architecture, design and contemporary art.

Practical note: check the programme and public transport route.

7. Walk through the Florentine hills without booking a Chianti tour

Fiesole, Settignano and Impruneta are three different options for a slower outing among hills, villas, cypresses and olive trees. They can be reached from Florence by public transport, although routes and timetables should always be checked on the day of travel using the Autolinee Toscane journey planner.

Fiesole is the easiest choice for broad views over Florence. Settignano feels quieter and is well suited to walking. Impruneta, farther south, is associated with terracotta and sits close to the Chianti landscape. Choose one rather than trying to combine all three.

This is better described as a walk in the Florentine hills than as a wine tour. Finish with a glass of Tuscan wine and something to eat, but reserve a specific winery separately if a formal tasting is important to you.

Best for: walkers and travellers who want countryside without renting a car or joining a full-day tour.

Practical note: public transport required; check return times and daylight.

8. Hunt for unusual objects in flea markets and vintage shops

Browse the Mercato delle Pulci in the Piazza Annigoni area, then explore vintage shops and second-hand stores in the Oltrarno, particularly around Via dei Serragli and Santo Spirito. Add old bookshops, frame makers and small antique dealers whenever you find them.

The pleasure is not in following one perfect shopping route. It is in entering places without knowing whether you will find an old print, a piece of costume jewellery, a strange ceramic object, a vintage coat or nothing at all.

Best for: curious shoppers, stylists, collectors and people who prefer imperfect objects with a history.

Practical note: check opening hours and verify the market through FeelFlorence; mornings are safest.

9. Choose a strange small museum instead of another major gallery

Museo Stibbert is the best choice for armour, weapons, costumes and theatrical rooms assembled by the nineteenth-century collector Frederick Stibbert. It is outside the main tourist circuit at Via Federigo Stibbert 26 and is closed on Thursdays; check the official museum site for current hours.

La Specola is one of Europe’s oldest science museums. Its collections include zoological specimens and famous anatomical wax models. The University of Florence confirms that the museum reopened in 2024 after a major renovation. It is located near Palazzo Pitti; see the official La Specola visitor information before going.

Museo Stefano Bardini reflects the eye of an art dealer rather than the logic of a conventional chronological museum. Its sculptures, paintings, architectural fragments and decorative objects are displayed against distinctive blue walls. Consult the Museo Bardini information page for opening times.

Best for: visitors who want surprise, atmosphere and strong curatorial personality.

Practical note: check museum hours. Choose Stibbert for theatrical excess, La Specola for anatomy or Bardini for interiors.

10. Eat inside an art bookshop at Libreria Brac

Libreria Brac is easy to miss, even though it is only a few minutes from the Uffizi. Hidden on Via dei Vagellai, it combines an independent bookshop devoted to contemporary art with a café and vegetarian restaurant.

Brac is one continuous cultural space: books, food, exhibitions and conversation coexist around a small internal courtyard. The collection focuses on art, photography, design, theatre and film, giving it a contemporary identity in Renaissance Florence.

It is a good place to stop when you want a quiet, intelligent lunch rather than another historic trattoria. Browse first, then sit down for coffee, wine or one of the restaurant’s vegetarian dishes. Because the space is small and discreet, it feels discovered rather than displayed.

Where: Via dei Vagellai 18R, close to the Uffizi and Santa Croce.

Best for: art and design lovers, vegetarians, solo travellers and anyone who likes places that are difficult to classify.

Practical note: reserve for lunch or dinner and check the official Libreria Brac website.

11. Watch the sunrise from Piazzale Michelangelo

Piazzale Michelangelo at sunset is one of Florence’s most crowded viewpoints. At sunrise, the same panorama can feel almost private.

Bring coffee and a simple breakfast, arrive while the city is still dark and watch the light move across the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio and the bridges. September and October are particularly beautiful, when sunrise is later and the early air is cooler, although the experience works throughout the year in clear weather.

Walking up is part of the pleasure, but choose a well-lit route and use normal city precautions if arriving alone before dawn. The nearby Rose Garden does not generally open early enough to serve as the sunrise viewpoint, so head directly to the piazzale.

Best for: photographers, early risers and anyone willing to exchange sleep for silence.

Practical note: weather dependent. Check sunrise time and route; see FeelFlorence.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best non-touristy things to do in Florence?

No central Florence experience is untouched by tourism. To see the city differently, try a renaioli boat trip, Sant’Ambrogio, Monte Sharp, Giunti Odeon or the hills around Fiesole and Settignano.

What can you do in Florence if you have already visited the main museums?

Explore Manifattura Tabacchi, visit Stibbert or La Specola, attend Teatro del Sale, browse flea markets or see the city from the Arno.

Are there creative things to do in Florence besides a cooking class?

Yes. Visit the Monte Sharp fashion studio, Manifattura Tabacchi, Museo Bardini or the historic Giunti Odeon.

What are good things to do in Florence at night?

Teatro del Sale combines dinner with live performance, Giunti Odeon screens films in a historic cinema-bookshop, and Sant’Ambrogio is a good area for aperitivo and dinner. Programme-dependent venues should always be checked and reserved in advance.

Can you find unusual things to do in Florence without a car?

Yes. Most experiences in this guide are reachable on foot or by public transport from central Florence. A car is not necessary for Monte Sharp, Sant’Ambrogio, Giunti Odeon, Teatro del Sale, the Arno boat trip or Piazzale Michelangelo. The hills and Manifattura Tabacchi require checking the best route from your accommodation; verify current services with the local transport operator.

Is Monte Sharp a shop or a fashion studio?

Monte Sharp is both an independent fashion boutique and a working studio near Ponte Vecchio. The boutique is at Via Lambertesca 13R and the studio is next door at 11R. Visitors can discover limited-edition garments, outerwear and selected accessories made in Italy.

Can I visit Monte Sharp without booking a fashion appointment?

Yes. Visitors can normally enter the boutique during opening hours without an appointment. Studio activity varies, so anyone travelling specifically to see a particular garment or learn about a specific process should contact Monte Sharp in advance. Check the Visit Monte Sharp page for current hours and contact information.

Information checked in September 2026. Opening hours, programmes, transport and seasonal activities can change; verify them with the venue before visiting.