THE OLTRARNO -- IT'S WHERE YOU WANT TO BE

An Artisan Walk Through the Oltrarno Quarter

We strongly recommended staying in the Oltrarno (the district south of the River Arno) when visiting Florence

You can pick an apartment close to the Pitti Palace, Ponte Vecchio and Santo Spirito, but you can still shop at local groceries, dine at less touristy trattorias, shop at the workshops of true artisans and people watch in small piazas populated by locals.

The brilliant folks at EveryTrail.com have come up with an exquisite 0.5 KM, one- to three-our stroll "through the narrow streets of this neighborhood that feature unique studios."

In the words of EveryTrail:

"Overview: Florence’s Oltrarno district is known for its artisans—"artigiani" in Italian—a dying breed of creative hands that carry on centuries' worth of Florentine traditions. 

From bookbinders to sculptors to metalworkers and gold-gilders, the little maze of streets between the Ponte Vecchio and Santo Spirito are quietly off the beaten track, overlooked by most visitors.

It’s a wonderful neighborhood to explore and get a peek into another era.

Some of these workshops look like something straight out of the Renaissance. 

While you are here, visit some of the great little cafes in the area. 

Also in this neighborhood are the Pitti Palace’s beautiful galleries—a visit here would complement this artisan trail that looks at the decorative arts in Florence.

Tips: Note that Florence has a unique address system! Any street number with an "r" after it means "red." 

Look for red-colored numbers, which usually signify a business. 

Any numbers written in blue or black are usually a residence.

This means any street could have two separate places with the same number, one black, one red and they are not always near each other!

The best time for this walk is morning, from 9am to 12:30pm or the afternoon up until 7:30pm. 

Artisans usually have a schedule much like office hours—that is, Monday to Friday, but some will probably also be open on a Saturday morning. 

Try not to do this walk around lunchtime, as most will be closed from 12:30 to 3:30pm.

The Pitti Palace is also a wonderful place to explore and if you wanted to beef up this trail, visit the Silver Museum, the Costume Gallery or the Palatina Gallery of the Pitti Palace for more."

http://www.everytrail.com/guide/an-artisan-walk-through-the-oltrarno-quarter 

FLORENCE WITHOUT BARRIERS

WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE FIRENZE

Overall, we are very impressed with the amount of ramps and elevators for help with getting inside and around such ancient treasures in the historic city of Florence.

The biggest difficulty is the bumpy stones on the sidewalks and pedestrian parts of the Piazzas. 

It is a difficult merger of historic preservation that makes the wheelchair ride very bumpy and painful for Heidi's arthritic bones.

But the good access far outweighs the bad and one can use taxis and accessible city buses to cut down on the distance bumped over stones from point A to point B.

The City of Florence's website says it best, when it explains access and challenges this way:

"Like all historical places, also Florence, at first glance, presents objective difficulties for visitors with mobility challenges: narrow sidewalks, the old “sampietrini” pavements on many of the small streets in the centre, stairways and steps, all certainly picturesque but not very practicable."

The City's website, in pretty decent English translations, has "practical suggestions to help travelers with disabilities enjoy their vacation in safety and comfort, including hotels and restaurants, parking lots with reserved spaces, the museums and churches with easy access, as well as suggestions for visits in the city and in the surrounding territory."

Check out the website (and be sure to click on the "Getting Around in Florence" tab - it has a wealth of information):

http://www.firenzeturismo.it/en/florence-accessible/florence-without-barriers.html

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS ITINERARY IN FABLED FIRENZE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS ITINERARY IN FABLED FIRENZE

The famous Ponte Vecchio (old bridge, pictured above lined with shops) is wheelchair-accessible.

But it is crowded, so watch out for window shoppers bumping into you as you bump along less than smooth sidewalks, or the less than smooth roadway (it's safe, no vehicles are allowed on the road.)

The Ponte alle Grazie bridge is less picturesque, but more wheelchair-friendly for commuting between the Oltrarno and Santa Croce's wealth of restaurants, markets, shops and art.

While the Ponte alle Grazie is east of the famed Ponte Vecchio, the Ponte Santa Trinita is a plain vanilla bridge west of the old bridge. 

It provides perfect barrier-free transport over the River Arno between the Oltrarno and central city attractions such as the Via Tornabuoni luxury shopping street, San Lorenzo church and Palazzo Strozi museum.

The fine folks at Turismo Toscana have put together a great one-day itinerary of  barrier-free exploring.

In their words"

"Some of Florence’s most beautiful areas and monuments that can be visited each day: here are the monuments and the beauties of the city that are accessible to disabled visitors.

Places that are accessible to the disabled:Palazzo Vecchio – Ponte Vecchio – Palazzo Davanzati - Duomo – Museo dell’Opera del Duomo - Palazzo Medici Riccardi – Museo di San Marco – Orto Botanico - Giardino dei Semplici - Galleria dell’Accademia."

For the full itinerary, step-by-step, visit their website at:

 

http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/intoscana2/export/TurismoRTen/sito-TurismoRTen/Contenuti/Itinerari/visualizza_asset.html_1107602141.html

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY IN FLORENCE

THANK GOODNESS WE DIDN'T 

HAVE TO USE THESE CONTACTS

BUT IF YOU ARE A WHEELCHAIR USER, IT'S GOOD TO KNOW THAT YOU CAN GET A WHEELCHAIR REPAIR 

OR SEE A DOCTOR WHO SPEAKS ENGLISH

Unlike some other trips, when stupid ground crews have tossed Heidi's lightweight wheelchair around like a loaf of bread -- and we've landed in an exotic local with a broken wheel, footrest or seat support -- our two weeks in Tuscany were uneventful.

But we did our research before flying overseas and here are some crucial contacts:

FOR WHEELCHAIR REPAIRS:

Ortopedia Dei Giovanni
Via Pisana, 71/r  50100 - FIRENZE  (in the Oltrarno)

They are open Monday-Friday 9.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturdays they are open 9.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.
 

The phone is +39 055 224090 and the website is: www.ortopediadei.it

The email (and someone will answer you in English if you write to them in English) is:

ortopediadei@virgilio.it

FOR AN ENGLISH SPEAKING DOCTOR IN THE CENTRAL CITY:

Dr. Stephen Kerr
Office:    Piazza Mercato Nuovo 1, 50123 Florence; Tel and Fax: 055/288055
Cell: 335/836-1682
E-mail at website www.dr-kerr.com 

 
Office hours: Clinic by appointment: weekday mornings and afternoons
Without appointment: weekday afternoons 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Specialization: General practioner/Family physician trained in Britain.