The Best Photography Locations in Florence & Tuscany

Where I shoot, when to be there, and exactly how

— by Serge Ramelli

Hello fellow lovers of Florence, Tuscany and the Renaissance light!

Florence packs more beauty per square metre than almost anywhere on earth — and just south of it, the Val d'Orcia gives you the most photogenic countryside in Italy. Below are my favourite spots in both, each with a Google Maps link to the exact place I stood, the camera settings, and the time of day that makes it sing.

One quick tip: Florence rewards the early riser — shoot the Ponte Vecchio and the Duomo at dawn before the crowds, save Piazzale Michelangelo and the Arno for sunset and blue hour, and set aside one morning to drive down to the Val d'Orcia for sunrise.

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1. Piazzale Michelangelo (the Florence Skyline)

📍 Piazzale Michelangelo (43.7629, 11.265)

The single best view of Florence. From the terrace of Piazzale Michelangelo the whole city spreads out below you — the Duomo, the tower of Palazzo Vecchio, the Arno and its bridges — and at sunset the sky behind the Tuscan hills puts on a show. Bring a wide lens for the panorama and a longer one to pick out the Cathedral.

Best time: Sunset, and stay for blue hour as the city lights come on.

📷 Sony A7R V · 24mm · f/9 · 1/30s · ISO 100  🔖 License this image — ref. FLO-01

📷 Sony A7R V · 70mm · f/4.5 · 1/6s · ISO 100 🔖 License this image — ref. FLO-02

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2. The Duomo & Piazza del Duomo

📍 Piazza del Duomo (43.7731, 11.256)

Brunelleschi's dome is the heart of Florence. Shoot from one of the narrow streets feeding into Piazza del Duomo so the marble Cathedral and Giotto's bell tower fill the frame, with the warm sunset sky glowing behind the dome.

Best time: Sunset for warm light on the marble; early morning for empty streets.

📷 Leica Q2 · 28mm · f/5 · 1/125s · ISO 100 🔖 License this image — ref. FLO-03

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3. The Ponte Vecchio

📍 Ponte Vecchio (43.768, 11.2531)

The medieval bridge of goldsmiths' shops is magical when it is empty. Get there at dawn and shoot straight down the covered street past the Cellini bust, or frame the Arno through the bridge's stone arches and the windows of the Vasari Corridor above.

Best time: Dawn, before the crowds and the shops open.

📷 Leica Q2 · 28mm · f/3.5 · 1/250s · ISO 100 🔖 License this image — ref. FLO-04

📷 Leica Q3 · 28mm · f/5 · 1/125s · ISO 100 🔖 License this image — ref. FLO-05

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4. The Arno at Dusk

📍 Lungarno / Ponte alle Grazie (43.7676, 11.2585)

From the bridges and embankments downstream, the Arno mirrors the whole golden skyline with the Ponte Vecchio glowing at its centre. Look for a riverside sculpture or a lamp to anchor the foreground, and use a long exposure to smooth the water at blue hour.

Best time: Blue hour, from Ponte alle Grazie or the Lungarno embankments.

📷 Sony A7R V · 24mm · f/16 · 4s · ISO 100 (tripod) 🔖 License this image — ref. FLO-06

📷 Leica Q2 · 28mm · f/7.1 · 3s · ISO 50 (tripod) 🔖 License this image — ref. FLO-07

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5. The Uffizi Gallery

📍 Uffizi Gallery (43.7678, 11.2553)

The Uffizi is a photograph as well as a museum. Stand in the great colonnaded courtyard and shoot through the end arch to the Arno and the hills beyond, then cross the river to catch the gallery's long façade lit up and reflected in the water at blue hour.

Best time: Dawn for the empty courtyard; blue hour for the river façade.

📷 Leica Q2 · 28mm · f/2.8 · 1/250s · ISO 100 🔖 License this image — ref. FLO-08

📷 Leica Q2 · 28mm · f/1.7 · 1/50s · ISO 2000 🔖 License this image — ref. FLO-09

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6. Val d'Orcia: Podere Belvedere

📍 Podere Belvedere, San Quirico d'Orcia (43.0686, 11.6093)

An hour and a half south of Florence lies the Val d'Orcia, the rolling Tuscan dreamscape. The lone farmhouse of Podere Belvedere, crowned with cypress trees on its little hill, is the most photographed house in Tuscany — and at misty sunrise it is pure magic.

Best time: Sunrise, ideally with valley mist. Worth the early drive from Florence.

📷 Sony A7R V · 62mm · f/9 · 6s · ISO 100 (tripod) 🔖 License this image — ref. FLO-10