10 Things to Do in Florence in March

For its history and art, Florence is, without a doubt, one of those destinations that you have to visit at least once in your life, no matter when you travel. Its stupendous Cathedral, the magnificent Ponte Vecchio, its gastronomy and its museums are enough to spend a few days in the capital of Tuscany.

In March, moreover, the weather is starting to improve, but there has not yet been a massive influx of tourists. This month, which marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring, the city celebrates this change with various festivals and activities.

Like the rest of Italy, Florence celebrates San Giuseppe's Day (Father's Day) on 19 March. The most typical dish is zeppole, whose recipe originated in Naples and which you can learn if you book an Italian cooking class in Florence. It is a ring of fried dough filled with pastry cream that can also be baked and served with honey, cinnamon and vanilla.

The celebration is said to have begun in Sicily in the Middle Ages, when citizens begged San Giuseppe to end the plague in exchange for commemorating the day by leaving large quantities of food on his altar. That is why, if you go to the Church of San Giuseppea you will see how some Florentines leave all kinds of food on the altar to be distributed among the needy.

Another typical tradition on this day is for parents to receive a gift from their children. If you have gone to Florence with children, it can be a good occasion for them to have fun looking for something special.

You don't have to go to Florence in December to enjoy the festivities to welcome in the New Year. On 25 March, Annunciation Day, the so-called Florentine New Year's Eve is celebrated with various festivities and parades. The history of this holiday dates back to the time when there was no unified civil calendar and Florence celebrated the turn of the year coinciding with the religious feast of the Annunciation of Mary.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII approved the Gregorian calendar and demanded that all peoples adopt it, with January 1st as the first day of the year. Leo X, one of the Florentine popes of the Medici family, later insisted that this be done to promote trade. Florence ignored this mandate for a long time and continued to celebrate New Year's Day in March.

It wasn't until 1750 that it was forced to change its calendar, something which is commemorated in a marble inscription in the piazza della Signoria, which you can see if you book a ticket to the Uffizi Gallery to see the best paintings in the Uffizi Gallery. Even so, Florence did not give up its tradition and, today, a large fair is held in Piazza Santissima Annunziata and a historical parade is held.

We all know that excess is not a good thing, especially when it comes to sweets. However, if your stay in Florence coincides with the Chocolate Fair, the only thing you can do is enjoy this delicacy.

Although it does not have a fixed date, it is usually held in the first days of March and you can see real master chocolatiers making their products, as well as taste the different varieties on offer at the stalls set up in Piazza Santa Croce.

An ideal plan after enjoying a guided tour of Santa Croce, a place where many guided tours of Florence usually pass through.

The weather in Tuscany's capital city in March is beginning to warm up, although it can still be quite chilly. Moreover, although there will always be tourists, it can be said that this is the last month in which you will not find large crowds. Both reasons make this the perfect time to visit the best museums in Florence.

Not only will you escape the cold temperatures outside, but you can also admire Michelangelo's David and other works of the Accademia if you book a visit to the Accademia Gallery, see the inside of the Pitti Palace or book a guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery in a more relaxed way and without being pushed around.

In addition, although it is not known whether the initiative will continue in the coming years, the state museums established the so-called Museum Week, a few days when you could enter for free.

March is also the month when Florence's most important gastronomic event takes place: Fuori di Taste, organised by Pitti Taste at Stazione Leopolda. Although part of the facilities are dedicated to professionals, the general public can also come to taste and learn about the best culinary developments.

At this fair you will find dishes from all over the Italian peninsula. If you compare them with those on the various gastronomic tours of Florence, you will see the differences that exist in each region and that their richness in this area goes beyond pasta and pizza.

Even so, if you are passionate about both products, the most typical of Italy, be sure to book a pizza and gelato cooking class in Florence.

Italy has declared 25 March as the National Dante Aligheri Day. I suggest you take a short tour of some of the places associated with this great writer. After all, Florence was his city of birth and where he lived until he had to go into exile in 1302.

The choice of this date is no coincidence, as it is the day on which the famous journey of his most important work, The Divine Comedy, begins. For the tour I recommend you can go on foot or take advantage of one of Florence's tourist buses.

• Basilica Santa Maria Novella: Dante attended the Studium, at that time one of the most important theological and philosophical study centres on the continent. In the Spanish Chapel you can see a portrait of the poet.
• Bargello Museum: in Dante's time it was a building dedicated to administration. It was in its halls that the poet was condemned to exile.
• Church of the Holy Apostles: according to some scholars, the atmosphere of this church inspired Dante's vision of Limbo.
• Palazzo Vecchio: in the PalazzoVecchio, which Dante was unable to see completely built, is the writer's funerary mask.
• Badia Fiorentina: this beautiful building is a fundamental part of the poet's life. According to legend, it was here that he met his beloved Beatrice, who became his muse.
• Dantesque quarter: characterised by its narrow streets and tower houses, many claim that Dante lived in the area and, in fact, in the 19th century the House of Dante was built here, which houses a museum on the poet. Thirty-three so-called Dantean tombstones have also been placed in the neighbourhood in order not to forget Dante's connection with the neighbourhood and to remember the characters in his work.
• Church of Santa Margherita Cerchi: it houses the tomb of Beatrice.
• Piazza del Duomo: among the many things to see in Piazza del Du omo is the Baptistery of San Giovanni, where the poet was baptised and which is named in his canticle from the Inferno.
• Abbey of San Miniato al Monte: crossing the Ponte alle Grazie you reach the steep staircase of the Via Crucis on the way to the abbey. Dante compared the ascent to the Mountain of Purgatory in the Divina Commedia.

As March progresses and spring approaches, Florence's weather gradually gets warmer and warmer and it shows in the fabulous gardens, making it a great month for a stroll. Florentines themselves begin to fill the parks and sometimes cultural events take place in the parks.

• Boboli Gardens: part of the history of the Medici and therefore of Florence. It can be accessed from the Pitti Palace itself and is one of the only ones in the city where an entrance fee is required. From the highest parts of the palace you will have beautiful views. Walking along its paths you will find statues, caves, fountains and beautiful vegetation.
• Park of Villa il Ventaglio: being located on one of the hills in the north-eastern part of Florence, this garden is one of the least visited by tourists. Built in the 16th century, it was conceived to resemble English gardens, with a pond, lawns, a wood and paths leading up to the top of the hill.
• Le Cascine Park: considered to be the most important green area in a city that does not have too many, Le Cascine stretches along one of the banks of the Arno river, north of the historic centre. It was originally intended as a hunting ground for the Medici family. Inside you can see a velodrome, an amphitheatre, kiosks where you can buy drinks, fountains and even some small Renaissance palaces.
• Rose Garden: this is possibly the best known of Florence's gardens. It is located very close to Piazzale Michelangelo and offers unbeatable views. As its name indicates, the main attraction is its roses, although it also houses many other varieties of plants.

A trip from Florence is something to consider if you're going to be in the city for several days. There is a wide range of options, whether you want to hire an organised tour or go on your own. One of the best excursions you can make from the city in March is to San Gimignano, especially if you make it coincide with the feast of Santa Fina, its patron saint.

The big day of the feast is 12 March, when the town's 14 medieval towers are adorned with white violets in honour of Santa Fina. In addition to the religious significance, the celebration is also a welcome to the resurgence of life in spring, when the fields and vineyards produce their fruits again.

In the town squares there are several stalls selling handicrafts and food, as well as the fantastic wine of the Vernaccia appellation of origin. As if the attraction of the festival were not enough, San Gimignano is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

How to get there from Florence

• Organised excursion: without a doubt, booking an excursion to San Gimignano is the best way to get there from Florence. Excursions often visit other interesting villages in the area.
• Bus: The bus will require you to change buses. To start with, go to Busitalia SITA Nord station, next to Santa Maria Novella train station. I recommend you check the timetables, but they usually leave every 30 minutes in the direction of Poggibonsi. Here you will have to take another bus which leaves you five minutes from the old town of San Gimignano.
• Car: if you have a car, the route is quite easy and you will reach the town in about an hour.

If Easter Sunday falls in March you will be able to witness one of the most curious traditions: the Scoppio del Carro or Explosion of the Chariot, an event that dates back to the first crusade undertaken by European Christians in an attempt to conquer Jerusalem in 1099. When the Crusaders achieved their goal and in celebration, the Florentine Pazzino de'Pazzi climbed the ramparts to place a crimson and white flag. As a gift for this gesture he received three stones from the Holy Sepulchre.

When Pazzi returned to Florence he placed the relics in his palace, but later they were moved to the Church of the Holy Apostles, where they can still be seen. And since then, on Easter Sunday a fire was lit with the stones in front of the Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiore and young people came to the site with torches. Today's celebration begins at around 10 am in the Church of the Holy Apostles. There a candle is lit using the Pazzi stones and a procession to the Cathedral begins.

At the same time, an ox-drawn carriage leaves Piazza Porta al Prato with the same destination. The carriage is accompanied by 150 soldiers, musicians and representatives of the historical calcium. Once the carriage reaches the door of the Cathedral, it is joined by an iron cable to a column in the centre of the choir of the temple. The Colombina, a kind of rocket that sets the chariot on fire, is carried by this cable. Right after that, a great fireworks display begins.

Although not an Italian holiday, Florence celebrates St. Patrick' s Day in a very prominent way. If you're in town on 17 March, don't hesitate to dress in green and join in the 3 days of celebrations in Florence. Festivities, special events and concerts with no shortage of Irish food and beer.

One of the most interesting events is the Irish Festival at the TuscanyHall Theatre, where you can watch Celtic music and dance performances. And as with any St Patrick's Day celebration worthy of the name, the centre of the party is in the Irish pubs. Florence is home to more than twenty of them, although some are more authentic than others.

My recommendation is that if you want to feel like you are spending a few hours in Dublin during your stay in Florence and, of course, taste a good Guinness you should go to:

• The Fiddler's Elbow.
• The Florence Irish Pub.
• Finnegan's.

The weather in Florence is starting to recover from the winter cold, although it is not yet mild. Temperatures are cool, with average highs of 16°C and lows of 5°C.

As for rainfall, March is a rather unstable month. Although it is not the heaviest rainfall period of the year, there can be occasional heavy showers, especially in the evenings.

Few cities in the world offer as many sights to see as Florence. Although there are opinions to suit all tastes, I personally believe that March is one of the best months to visit the city. For a start, it's not as cold as January and February and the daylight hours start to lengthen as the month progresses.

However, the city is still fairly quiet in terms of tourist numbers. Unlike the high season, you will be able to enter its museums, cathedrals and churches with a certain calmness, something impossible in summer.