The best neighbourhoods for students in Florence

Santa Maria Novella

This neighbourhood is part of the historic centre and District 1 of Florence, located to the west of it. Its vibe is more residential than other more central neighbourhoods, being a little on the outskirts. However, it’s still one of the best neighbourhoods for students in Florence.

It’s a dynamic and lively neighbourhood, with a large number of shops and markets, as well as bars and restaurants that are frequented by students.

Santa Maria Novella combines history and modernity perfectly. In its streets there are several beautiful places to see, such as the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella and other Renaissance buildings, such as the Palazzo Strozzi. Among the museums it has, we highlight the Novecento Museum and the Ferragamo Museum. It’s also home to several art galleries.

Santa Maria Novella itself doesn’t have green spaces to enjoy, but it’s very close to the Parco delle Cascine, one of the largest parks in Florence.

It’s one of the neighbourhoods with the best transport connections, being home to Santa Maria Novella Train Station, one of the most important in the city, and with several bus and tram lines.

Novoli

Novoli is a more residential area, where not many tourists get to, so it has a calmer atmosphere. In fact, being further away from the city centre, rents here are usually more affordable. You can reach the most central areas in a short time by public transport.

It’s an ideal neighbourhood to live in, especially for students who are going to go to the Polo of Social Sciences of the University of Florence, since it’s right there.

In reality, Novoli doesn’t have a wide variety of cultural sites to visit compared to the historic centre. However, a building that stands out is that of the Santa Maria Church. In addition, it has a shopping centre that’s definitely one of its attractions.

As for green areas and parks, this neighbourhood is home to San Donato Park (Parco San Donato), an ideal green area for walking or exercising outdoors.

Novoli is a little further from the city centre, but it has good connections through tram and bus lines. In fact, you can reach the historic centre in approximately 20 minutes.

Santa Croce

Santa Croce is another one of the best neighbourhoods for students in Florence. It’s part of the historic centre of the city, extending to the east of it, and it has an unmatched charm. Of course, this also makes rental prices higher. However, many students choose Santa Croce to live in, so it has a young and dynamic atmosphere.

Some of the faculties of the University of Florence are located here, such as those of Psychology and Architecture.

It’s a neighbourhood with a lively nightlife, with a varied offer of bars and restaurants. One of the areas in which young people meet for an aperitif is the Plaza Sant’Ambrogio and its surroundings.

As expected, being part of the old town of a historic city like Florence, in Santa Croce there are multiple notable cultural sites and monuments. For example, you have to visit the famous Basilica di Santa Croce with the graves of Michelangelo and Galileo (which attract many tourists to the area). There are also interesting museums, such as the Casa Buonarroti or the Museo Pietro Parigi.

The truth is that in this neighbourhood there are no green areas to enjoy the outdoors, although it does have some small gardens and squares. However, keep in mind that by crossing the river Arno, gardens like Terzo Giardino and Giardino Dell’Iris can be easily accessed. The latter has some of the most beautiful views to watch the sunset in the city from Piazzale Michelangelo.

Santa Croce has some bus lines that connect with the rest of the city, and one of its advantages is that the city centre is easily reached on foot.

San Marco and San Lorenzo

These two neighbourhoods are next to each other, and they extend north of the historic centre of Florence. A negative point is the number of tourists that arrive or stay in these areas. However, by hosting so many students every year, these neighbourhoods are full of bars and restaurants full of young people. Of course, since it’s also a tourist area you have to identify which places charge higher prices for visitors.

The main campus of the University of Florence is located in San Marco, with buildings that house faculties and departments such as Human and Training Studies, and Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences.

Both neighbourhoods have cultural sites to visit. On the one hand, San Marco is home to sites such as its Basilica (Basilica di San Marco), the Gallery of the Academy in Florence (Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze), and museums like the Museum of San Marco or the Museum of Geology and Paleontology (Museo di Geologia e Paleontologia). On the other hand, San Lorenzo hosts sites such as its Basilica containing tombs of the famous Medici family (Basilica di San Lorenzo), Renaissance palaces (such as Palazzo Medici Riccardi or the Palazzo Ginori Conti), and museums (including the Museum of Art Sant'Orsola Florence). Besides, San Lorenzo is home to the Central Market of Florence, a shopping centre in the city.

In these two neighbourhoods there are some gardens and squares, but there’s no large outdoor space where you can have picnics or go out to exercise.

From San Marco and San Lorenzo you can surely get everywhere by walking or cycling. In addition, there are some bus and tram lines that connect the neighbourhoods with the rest of the city.

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