Things To Do For Free In Florence IV - Markets

In our final installment in this series, we have a few more things that you can do for free in Florence. Once you have decided to visit the city and have found a luxury villa near Florence, you will probably start planning out your trip and figuring out where you want to go and what you want to do. These options don't skimp on fun but will help stretch out your budget.

Orsanmichele is a market building which became the church of the craft and trade guilds in the fourteenth century. The exterior was made extremely ornate by the guilds, who each wanted a sculpture of their patron saint to adorn the façade. Today copies of these works are what you see on the outside and inside, on the first floor, a museum houses some of the original sculptures. The church is open daily from 10am to 5pm and the museum is open on Mondays at the same times.

Visiting actual markets, and not just former market buildings, is also a great free activity that one can enjoy in Florence. One of the most famous and important market spaces in the city is the San Lorenzo markets which are comprised of two distinct markets. One, the Mercato Centrale is a two-level, indoor market that has delicious food on offer and the other is an outdoor space in which stalls are set up to sell leather, clothing and souvenirs. The Mercato Centrale is open 7am to 2pm, Monday to Saturday with butchers, fishmongers and delis on the main floor and fruit and vegetable sellers on the top floor.

If you're looking to rummage through a treasure trove of possibilities, unique souvenirs and gifts, the market at Piazza Ciompi is just the thing for you. This little piazza houses a flea market which is open daily and sells everything from postcards, to furniture, to jewellery and, on the last Sunday of each month, it expands into the surrounding streets.

A more traditional and much more historic option is the Porcellino Market in the centre of the city. Centuries old, it dates back to the Renaissance as a silk and gold market that was frequented by the wealthiest of Florence's citizens .Today, it is called the “porcellino” market, coming from the Italian word which means “piglet”, because of the rather distinctive statue of a wild boar which is located in the square. Open 9am to 7pm from Tuesday to Sunday, sells leather goods and knick-knacks which are of a much higher quality than those in the San Lorenzo market and is less of a tourist trap.

Why waste all your money and time on lines and more obvious tourist destinations when Florence has so much more to offer a little off the beaten track - and lots of it for free!