Florence Tourist Traps

Lots of people like to buy the italian teams'football t-shirt.They are sell also in San Lorenzo's market but all of the are not original.If you search for the original you have to go into the shops(like soccertown that is close to the center,or in front of the stadium in campo di marte).Anyway the t-shirt must have a ticked as certification that they are original merchandising.You can chek orginal fiorentina football team t-shirt at www.violashop.it So you can have a look at the original t-shirts

Fun Alternatives: Go in to a sport shop(there are many around the center of Florence),and you'll find original football teams t-shirts

In every restaurant you enter,check that they have ther prices exposed.Don't order withouth knowing how much it costs,and it's your right to know it,so if they are not exposed(and you could call police for this),ask inside how much does the single dish cost. Pay attention expecially with the wine.The cost of bottles is a big range,so it can be cheap but also very expensive if you don't know which kind of wine you are buying

In the duomo area there are lots of sellers,expecially black men.They sell "not original"things,like Dolce&Gabbana jeans,or Prada shoes and bags,even if the objects are made really well(and they cost much less then the original).Pay attention to police,'couse here it's illegal to buy this kind of objects(even if we buy them anyway;-)).And anyway,don't buy at the price that sellers ask you..you have to contract,absolutely.

Walking around Florence (and also in other towns), we saw several posters and announcements for a Leonardo Da Vinci invention exhibit. When we finally stumbled upon the actual exhibit, we entered (first into the reception/shop area) and, after looking at the shop a bit, decided to pay the 5 Euro entrance fee to visit the museum. This was pretty much a waste of time as it is composed of only 2-3 rooms with small plaques describing machines made based on Da Vinci's drawings and sketches.

The worst part of this exhibit was that the real one was happening at the Uffizi (where the entrance fee was 12.50 Euros each). The real exhibit was much much better.

Fun Alternatives: Go to the Uffizi for the real thing.

Either do your research before you go or if you ask a concierge about a local trip, insist that he or she give you information on local travel, i.e., public busses or trains. In a weak moment I bought an expensive tour to Siena instead of spending next to nothing on the bus. I was stuck on the tour's timetable with a group of people who were taking films of maps in their tourist guidesbooks. Also some towns should just be skipped depending on time of year.

Unique Suggestions: Skip the tour that they give you and just ask them when and where you should meet them at the bus.
Do not eat at any restaurant they recommend to you. If you can get away from the tour group, travel any local streets that look less travelled. Watching some of them more outrageous tourists can be interesting too.

Another idea is to stay over a night instead of just for the busiest part of the day.

Fun Alternatives: Learn to be independent or skip being lazy as I was.

History impressive but is literally a street for buying overpriced jewllery. It is more impressive from a distance.

Unique Suggestions: You must visit but don't build it up to be more than it is. The history is more interesting than the modern reality.

Our Segway Tour of Firenze was an absolute delight, highly informative and personalized. The Segway is a joy to ride and the thoughtful, professional staff makes the experience unique and unforgettable. We are telling all of our friends. Of all the things we did in Italy, we had the most fun, and learned the most, on the Segway Tour of Firenze!
www.segwayfirenze.com

There are dozens of people in the Piazzas selling their hand made goods. Make sure you have a price in mind that you want to pay. Have that exact amount in one pocket. That way, when you are haggeling over the price, you take out all the money from that pocket, and say that is all you have. WALK AWAY if they say NO. They will chase you. You will get your price. Make sure you are not offering too low, but you will find out if you are.