Florence for The Solo Traveller: a Friday-to-Monday weekend

Walk once around the cathedral, the Baptistery and the Bell Tower to get your bearings; the Baptistery's bronze doors are the detail to study.

The elegant bridge with a good view of the Ponte Vecchio, and a good place to watch the evening begin on your own.

Sit at the wine bar's counter, order three small glasses and a plate of cheese and cured meats, and talk to whoever is next to you.

Be there at opening on a timed ticket and see Botticelli's Birth of Venus before the tour groups arrive at ten; closed Mondays.

A counter at the market for a lampredotto or bollito roll, standing among the market porters since 1872; cash is easiest.

The tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli, with Giotto's frescoes in the side chapels; audio guides are worth the few extra euros.

A food hall with a stall for every craving, shared tables and no need to book; it is the easy way to eat alone.

Climb the ramps from San Niccolò before breakfast and have the terrace to yourself; the light on the Duomo is at its softest.

Two floors of scientific instruments, including Galileo's own telescope lenses and his preserved finger; an hour is enough.

The schiacciata with porchetta, eaten at the street counter among locals, is the solo traveller's best lunch in town.

Walk through the Hall of the Five Hundred, then up the tower for the sunset-side view; a short queue on Sunday afternoons.

Take the first entry slot to climb the dome with the fewest people; the narrow stairs are easier before the groups arrive.

A canteen inside the Sant'Ambrogio market with a few shared tables and a daily pasta; it closes at 14:30, so arrive early.