View over Florence from the Duomo

Florence is an art-lover's dream city, although you needn't know a thing about Renaissance masters to appreciate the superb behind on Michelangelo's David exposed to all at the Galleria dell'Accademia.

In contrast to most Italian cities (which are more often than not chaotic and gritty affairs), Florence is laid-back and strangely sanitized.

The imposing Duomo - a gorgeous cathedral with an orange roof and multicoloured marble facade - dominates the city skyline. The 14th century bridge Ponte Vecchio which traverses the River Arno is Florence's second-most photographed landmark, packed to its archways with canoodling lovers.

Florence's clean-cut medieval streets are the stomping ground for a year-round stream of tourists as well as American students on art history and Italian language courses.

In summer, the queues for Florence's glut of art museums are outrageous and it is wise to book ahead, particularly for the Uffizi Gallery (housing the world's best collection of Italian Renaissance paintings including works by Michelangelo, Botticelli, Fra Angelico and Leonardo da Vinci), Palazzo Pitti (home to the Galleria Palatina and masterpieces by Titian, Caravaggio and Raphael) and Galleria dell'Accademia (displaying the aforementioned David).

You could also devote days to viewing the interior artwork of Florence's churches, most notably San Lorenzo, the city's oldest, which houses contributions by Donatello and Michelangelo.

Beyond its museums, Florence boasts some of Italy's best restaurants. It also has a bustling daily outdoor clothes market and an indoor produce market that is a visual and olfactory experience unto itself.