Florence for The Three Generations: a Friday-to-Monday weekend
The Renaissance, still within walking distance of lunch.
A weekend everyone can keep up with. Flat routes and places to sit, a boat or a funicular for the view, one highlight a day that works at eight and at eighty, and dinners with a long table.
Friday: A bench in the square
- Piazza della Signoria
A flat open piazza with benches, statues and a gelato stand; there is enough to watch without any walking.
- Il Latini
The long communal tables suit three generations: pass the plates, order the steak to share and let the hams on the beams entertain the children.
Saturday: One great gallery
- Uffizi Gallery
Timed entry with lifts, wheelchair access and benches in the corridors; closed Mondays, so take the Saturday slot and a short route to Botticelli.
- Trattoria Mario
Shared tables and plates that arrive fast suit every age; go at 13:30 as the first sitting thins out, and bring cash.
- Piazza della Santissima Annunziata
A flat, arcaded square by Brunelleschi's Innocenti, with benches in the shade and space for the children to run.
Sunday: Afloat on the Arno
- Renaioli
A short ride on a traditional flat-bottomed boat past the Ponte Vecchio; the boatmen help everyone aboard.
- Trattoria Cammillo
A long Sunday lunch at an old-style Oltrarno trattoria with plenty of seats and a calm room for the grandparents.
- Basilica di Santa Croce
A flat, ramped entrance and benches in the nave and cloister; the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo make a good story for older children.
Monday: A terrace over the dome
- Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
Lifts take everyone to the terrace for the close view of the dome; the Pietà and the Gates of Paradise are on the way.
- Trattoria Za Za
Long tables near the market, ribollita and a plain pasta for the children, and no hurry; a short stroll from the Duomo.