Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ing 15th-century
Basilica di Sant'Alessandro
. Grassy-green afternoon-nap spots abound and the
tourist office has brochures outlining walking trails (1km to 3.5km) from here.
5pm
Enjoy an
aperitivo
(pre-dinner drinks) with Florentines at local hangout
JJ Hill
( 055 5 93 24;
Piazza Mino da Fiesole 40; 6pm-midnight Mon-Wed, 5pm-1am Thu-Sat, to 11pm Sun), an atmo-
spheric Irish pub with a tip-top beer list, excellent burgers and other quality pub grub. Or fire up the
romantic in you with in a 2½-hour guided bike ride (€25 to €30 including bike hire) by sunset back to
Florence with
FiesoleBike
( 345 3350926;
www.fiesolebike.it
; Piazza Mino da Fiesole), a creative
bike rental/guiding outfit run with passion by local Fiesole lad Giovanni Crescioli (a qualified biking
and hiking guide to boot). His 'sunset' tour departs daily from Piazza Mino di Fiesole at 5pm in sea-
son; book in advance online.
Practicalities
The
tourist office
( 055 596 13 23, 055 596 13 11;
www.fiesoleforyou.it
;
Via Portigiani 3, Fiesole;
10am-6.30pm summer, shorter hr rest of yr) has local information.
ATAF bus 7 (€1.20, 20 minutes, every 15 minutes) runs from Florence's Piazza San Marco uphill to
Fiesole's central square, Piazza Mino di Fiesole.
Sleeping
TOP OF CHAPTER
4
Duomo to Piazza della Signoria
Incredibly, for such a dead-central part of Florence, this area has some excellent budget
addresses.
Hotel Scoti
( 055 29 21 28;
www.hotelscoti.com
; Via de' Tornabuoni 7; s/d/tr/q €80/125/150/175; )
Wedged
between Prada and McQueen, this is a splendid mix of old-fashioned charm and value for
money. Run with smiling aplomb by Australian Doreen and Italian Carmello, the hotel is
enthroned in a 16th-century
palazzo
on Florence's smartest shopping strip. The 16 rooms
are clean and comfortable, but the star is the frescoed lounge from 1780. Breakfast €5.
HISTORIC HOTEL
€
Hotel Cestelli
MAP
BOUTIQUE HOTEL
€
GOOGLE MAP
