Known as "the Athens of the Middle Ages", Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance. This city served as the capital of the Kingdom of Italy from 1865 to 1871. Florence was a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of that era. Currently, it acts as the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany with 383,084 inhabitants in 2013, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area, which makes it the most populous city in Tuscany. Besides that, Florence plays an important role in Italian fashion and is ranked in the top 15 fashion capitals of the world.

Other than that, Florence also is famous for its The Florentine dialect and it became the language of culture throughout Italy due to the prestige of the masterpieces by Dante Alighieri, Niccolò Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini as well as Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio. The city attracts millions of tourists each year and UNESCO declared the historical Centre of Florence a World Heritage Site in 1982. In addition, the city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo Pitti, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics. Forbes has ranked it as one of the most beautiful cities in the world due to Florence's artistic and architectural heritage.

Best time to fly from Cebu to Florence

The best time to visit Florence is during spring season when the temperatures usually warm and not too hot for outdoor activities. Spring season has a daily average temperature of about 24 degree Celsius from mid- April to mid-May. The peak months, which also the busiest and expensive are April, May, June, September and October. During this time, hotels and flights are usually expensive and limited. Therefore, visitors need to book as early as possible.

Main airports available in Cebu and Florence

Mactan–Cebu International Airport – The Mactan–Cebu International Airport is an international airport serving the city of Cebu and handles many destinations to many countries. Located in Lapu-Lapu City on Mactan Island, it is the second busiest international airport in the Philippines. This airport consists of two different terminals and various facilities such as convenient stores and eateries. Among the airlines that operate in this airport are Philippine Airlines, AirAsia Philippines, PAL Express, Cebgo and Cebu Pacific.

Florence International Airport – This airport is the international airport that serves Florence, the capital of the Italian region of Tuscany. It is the second-busiest Tuscan airport in terms of passengers after Pisa International Airport and also known as Amerigo Vespucci Airport. In late 1999, a renovation and expansion of the terminals, aircraft parking areas, and other facilities began. The airport was among the first in Europe to obtain UNI EN ISO 9001/2000 certification for the quality of its services in 2001. It has a single runway, and the main taxiway is situated at the end of Runway 5, with an overshoot/holding area at the end of Runway 23.

Climate pattern in Cebu and Florence

Florence experiences a humid subtropical climate and categorized as a transitional Mediterranean climate. The climate is characterized by hot, sunny, and moderately dry summers and mildly cool, rainy winters. Florence also experiences all four seasons annually and the best season in Florence is spring.

Highlights attractions in Florence

• Uffizi Gallery - Located at the Piazza della Signoria, this gallery is well known as one of the world’s greatest art museum. It is the home to the offices of the city magistrates and was built in 1560. It was designed like a palace and evolved into an art gallery to showcase its stunning collection of Renaissance art treasures. After it opened to the public since 1765, the museum offers thousands of artworks by masters like Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Titian.
• Boboli Gardens - The Boboli Gardens were created by the Medici family in the 16th century and located behind the Palazzo Pitti, The gardens are comprised of a large number of statues and fountains. After several stages of enlargement and restructuring work, there is an addition of an outdoor museum of garden sculpture that includes Roman antiquities as well as later works.
• Loggia dei Lanzi - Situated adjacent to a corner of the Piazza della Signoria, Loggia dei Lanzi consists of Renaissance art and architecture which are on full display at this ceremonial building. One of the highlights is Benvenuto Cellini's bronze statue of Perseus holding the head of Medusa, which becomes famous here. Besides that, carved from a single block of white marble, the “Rape of the Sabine Women” by Giambologna is awe-inspiring as well.