Travel

Firenze

Capital of the Tuscany region and rich of invaluable artistic treasures of painting, architecture and sculpture, Firenze attracts every year millions of visitors from all over the world. The month of October is one of the best to enjoy the city, and wander through its narrow streets and “piazze,” being struck by the harmonious blending of medieval public buildings and Renaissance churches and palaces, visiting museums (such as the Uffizi Gallery or the Accademia), and tasting Florentine cooking. The weather in October is still mild and agreeable. Information about Firenze can be found, among others, at the following websites:

• Wikipedia Firenze
• Official Tourism Board of Firenze
• Lonely Planet Firenze

Visa

Italy has joined the Schengen system giving total freedom of movement within all the territories of the Schengen agreement signatory states.  Admission to Italian territory for nationals of all the countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area is  permitted if in possession of a valid passport or  another travel document recognised as valid by the Italian government. Nationals of any other states outside the Schengen Area should check the visa requirements for admission to Italian territory at: www.esteri.it.

Trasportation

• By plane
  • Firenze International Airport “Amerigo Vespucci” (IATA code: FLR) is connected to the main European cities. Information is available at: www.aeroporto.firenze.it . It is located 4 km (2.5 miles) from Firenze and it can be reached by taxi (20 minutes) or by the shuttle bus Vola in bus, a special connection service from/to the Vespucci Airport and Santa Maria Novella train station. For additional information call “Pronto ATAF” toll free no. 800 424500 (from Italy).
  • Pisa International Airport “Galileo Galilei” (IATA code: PSA) is connected to the main European cities. Information is available at: www.pisa-airport.it . It is 60 km (38 miles) from Firenze and can be reached in 1 hour by train from Santa Maria Novella train station: 3 trains per hour are scheduled daily from/to  Pisa Centrale and Pisa Airport from 06.00 a.m. to 22.00 p.m.
  • Bologna International Airport “Guglielmo Marconi” (IATA code: BLQ) is connected to the main European cities. Information is available at: www.bologna-airport.it. It is 93 km (58 miles) from Firenze and can be reached in 30 minutes by train (plus 15 minutes by bus/taxi) from Santa Maria Novella train station: 4 trains per hour are scheduled daily from/to Bologna Centrale from 06.00 a.m. to 22.00 p.m.
• By train
  Fast trains “Freccia Rossa” connect Firenze to the main cities in Italy: Milan (2h10′), Rome (1h 40′), Bologna (30′). Train timetable and online ticket purchase can be accessed at www.trenitalia.com . Firenze has four train stations:
  • Firenze Santa Maria Novella Central Station (main city station): 80 metres from the Conference venue at Istituto degli Innocenti  
  • Firenze Rifredi (most “Freccia Rossa” trains stop here; shuttle trains to SMN station run every 10′): 2 km away (1.2 miles)
  • Firenze Campo di Marte: 2 km away (1.2 miles)
  • Firenze Statuto 1 km away (0.6 miles)
• By car
  An efficient motorway network connects Firenze to the rest of Italy and Europe. Routes, maps and travel distances can be found at www.viamichelin.it. The Conference venue at Istituto degli Innocenti is just 14 km (7.7 miles) from the Firenze Nord exit of the main Italian motorway A1 “Autostrada del Sole”, and 8 km (5 miles) from the Firenze Sud exit. Two large car parkings are just 800 metres away.

Weather

Time

Official time in Italy is UTC/GMT +1 hour. Current local time, together with current weather and weather forecast  of Firenze, are available at: www.timeanddate.com.

Other useful information

Additional useful information can be found in brief on staying in Firenze.