Florence was one of the great stops on the Mille Miglia, and it is easy to see why the race came through. Drivers arriving from Bologna had crossed the Raticosa and Futa passes in the Apennines, a long, twisting run of hairpins that tested both engines and nerves, then dropped down into the Arno valley to the city where Brunelleschi's red dome rises above a sea of terracotta roofs. The dome, completed in the fifteenth century over the cathedral, was a feat of engineering that was done without a conventional wooden frame, and it still defines the skyline.
Riding into Florence from the north is a different thing from the old race. The city centre is small, dense and heavily restricted, with a ZTL traffic zone covering most of the historic core, and the camera system issues fines to anyone who enters without permission. The best plan is to leave the bike in a car park or on the outskirts, such as near Piazzale Michelangelo or in the suburbs, and walk. Cobbles and tram lines call for care, and summer heat can be fierce. The city is crowded from April to October, and the queues for the major museums, including the Uffizi and the Accademia, can be long, so book ahead.
For fuel, food and coffee, Florence has everything, and the outskirts have large petrol stations and supermarkets. Fiesole, on a hill north of the city, is a charming small town with Etruscan and Roman remains, an old cathedral and fine views back over the rooftops, and the road up to it is a pleasant short ride, with bends through cypress and olive groves. For a longer day, the roads south of the city into Chianti are among the best in Italy for relaxed riding, with gentle hills, vineyards and stone villages.
The food is robust and local. Look for bistecca alla fiorentina, a thick T-bone steak cooked rare over coals, ribollita, a bread and vegetable soup, and lampredotto, a tripe sandwich sold from street carts. Gelato was famously refined here, and the cafés still make it well.
Aim for early morning or late afternoon, when the golden light on the Arno is worth the effort.