Florence without the crowds – a post-lockdown guide to the glorious city

Florence is now largely reopened and crowd-free CREDIT: GETTY

Museums have reopened, opera is back but the crowds are absent. Go now to see the Tuscan city at its best, says Nicky Swallow

If you were to take a walk through Piazza Santo Spirito in Florence’s Oltrarno neighbourhood at the moment, you could be forgiven for thinking that post-lockdown life is pretty much back to normal. Granted, many people are wearing masks (they are mandatory in shops and other public closed spaces), but market stalls are doing a brisk trade, café and restaurant terraces are mostly full while mums with bambini gather around the central stone fountain for chat and play....