FLORENCE: 10 places TOURISTS DON’T KNOW | Florence hidden gems

Florence, located in the heart of Tuscany region, is one of Europe's most beautiful and busiest cities. Almost 5 million tourists come here every year, attracted by its majestic art and architecture. We all know that the top attractions in Florence are the Uffizi Gallery, the Accademia Gallery, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence Cathedral. But in this video I want to share with you my favourite hidden gems of this city. I'm Giulia, I'm Italian and I'm travelling throughout my country to give you the best local tips. Subscribe to my channel to always enjoy Italy like an Italian. During the 17th century, Florence was dealing with a lot of competition from North Europe in the fabric business. So aristocratic families started to use their land for wine production. Then they created these tiny windows in their palaces to sell glasses of wine without the intermediation of an innkeeper. That's clever! I'd like the usual please. Wine windows were then particularly used during the epidemics of Black Death, when social distancing was a strict rule. You'll see many wine windows around the city centre and if you want to feel like a Florentine of the 17th century, there's still a functioning window at a restaurant called Babai. Instead of heading to the super famous Piazzale Michelangelo for a panoramic view, come here to the Basilica of San Mignato al Monte, where you will enjoy an equally beautiful view and you will get to visit another fantastic church. This church is one of the best examples of a Florentine Romanesque style. Many tourists visit the central market, but I also suggest San Ambrogio, because it is the oldest market of Florence. Indeed, it was opened in 1873 and it's full of local fresh and tasty products. This is the street food of Florence. It's called Lampredotto. And I think it's not for the faint of heart, because, well, Florence people love it, but it's basically cow stomach. This is it. And I have to say, it's not my favourite food in the world, but I'm going to try it. It's surprisingly good. The family who made Florence the jewel it is today, the powerful Medici family, whose members were one of the first bankers of Europe, didn't want to mix with common people. They weren't ashamed to admit that they felt like the gods of Florence. So they created a high corridor that connected their home, Pitti Palace, to their offices in Palazzo Vecchio. Why is it elevated from the ground? Because they couldn't accept to walk beneath common people's feet, so an underground corridor was out of question. If you stop to visit the halfway Santa Felicità church, you'll get a peep into this corridor, because the Medici used it also to attend Mass without other people knowing. During the Middle Age, the production of perfumes stopped in all Europe due to the lack of raw materials and to the abundance of disdain the Catholic Church felt for the substance. But in the 15th century, Caterina de' Medici married the French king Henry II and took her perfumer to Paris with her, and that's how production in Europe started to get popular again. Indeed, Florence was the most important production center of perfumes until the end of the 18th century, and today you can still visit one of the most important pharmacies of the time. It's considered the oldest in Europe, and it's been in business for more than four centuries. It's really nice to visit because it maintains its elegance of the past, and you can still buy beauty products produced here. It smells real nice in here. The first cathedral of Florence was San Lorenzo, not far from the notorious Duomo of today. Its incomplete façade might trick you into thinking it's a worthless building, but it's exactly the opposite. This church is part of a complex of prestigious buildings that are definitely worth a visit. One, a library designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti, and two, the Medici chapels, built with the most refined and noble marbles, where the most important members of the Medici family were buried. Here you can pay your tribute to this woman, Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, the last descendant of this powerful family who, after her death in 1743, donated all the family possessions to the city of Florence. On behalf of Italy, I thank you for everything today. You're welcome! The famous old bridge of Florence is so full of people that sometimes it's difficult to walk. I suggest you escape from the crowds and walk on Santa Trinita Bridge to admire its statues of the Four Seasons. From here, you'll also enjoy a lovely view of the old bridge. Did you know that all the bridges in Florence, including the one I'm standing on right now, were destroyed during the Second World War by German soldiers? The only one they didn't have the courage to destroy was the old bridge, of course. Florence is so touristic that sometimes, among hotels and B&Bs, you might wonder if some true Florentines still live here. Well, they do, and you can look for them in the neighbourhood called Oltrarno, on the other side of the river Arno. This area is full of restaurants, cafes and pubs. It's also a recommended area to spend your money as there are many historical studios and shops. You can relax here a bit in Santo Spirito Square. Even if it's right in the city centre, few people stop to observe the impressive Orsanmichele Church. In the past, it was a wheat warehouse before being converted to a church. Its sculptures were made by some of the most important artists of the Renaissance. You can only visit with a guided tour, so book in advance if you are interested. Yes, there are many churches in Florence that are worth visiting. I'll suggest you this one for a particular reason. Here is where the painter Sandro Botticelli is buried. What's your favourite corner of Florence? See you in our next video around Italy!