UqBar

Santa Maria Novella

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Grab a vintage pew between book- and bottle-lined shelves inside the city's most dynamic independent bookshop, select a glass of well-chosen wine, and tuck into a tasty 'slow food' lunch that changes daily. Outside of lunch hours (12.30pm to 3.30pm), enjoy fresh coffee and homemade cakes in the company of a good book. Aperitivo, from 6pm, is the other hot date.

The hybrid cafe–wine bar is named after UqBar, a fictional place in a short story by Argentinian writer Jorges Luis Borges. Reservations essential at weekends.

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Nearby Santa Maria Novella attractions

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Don't allow the Renaissance to distract you from Florence's fantastic modern art museum, at home in a 13th-century pilgrim shelter, hospital and school. A…

3. Chiesa d'Ognissanti

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4. Street Levels Gallery

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Take a break from Renaissance art with this pioneering urban street-art gallery. Exhibitions showcase the work of local street artists, including street…

5. Via de' Tornabuoni

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6. Palazzo Antinori

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One of Florence's most beautiful 'small' palazzi, this golden abode was built in 1465 for Giovanni Boni, a very rich member of the Money Changing Guild,…

7. Palazzo Strozzi

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This 15th-century Renaissance mansion was built for wealthy merchant Filippo Strozzi, one of the Medici's major political and commercial rivals. Today it…

8. Basilica di Santa Trinità

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Built in Gothic style and later given a mannerist facade, this 14th-century church shelters some of the city's finest frescoes. Right of the main altar,…