Rome vs Florence: Choosing Your Perfect Italian Destination

For those fascinated by ancient civilizations, Rome is the ultimate destination. The city is a living testament to the power and glory of the Roman Empire, with awe-inspiring monuments like the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon lying in wait around every street corner. Walking through these ruins, you’ll be transported back in time to an era of gladiators and emperors, of great statesmen, brutal dictators and honey-tongued poets. If ancient history is your passion, then Rome is the number one city in the world you need to visit.

Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance and home to many of its most iconic buildings and artworks – just think of Michelangelo’s David for starters. The city itself feels like an open-air museum, with its stunning churches and palaces featuring brilliantly preserved sculptures and frescoes. The Uffizi Gallery, meanwhile, houses an array of masterpieces by every great Renaissance artist to have ever lived, including Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo. Of course, Rome is no slouch in this regard – the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael Rooms in the Vatican alone are iconic exemplars of Renaissance mastery – but things are indescribably different in Florence – here the Renaissance feels alive. Visit it with an expert guide with us.

Where Rome really distinguishes itself is its amazing array of landmark Baroque art and architecture – a period not well represented in Florence. Rome boasts some of the most magnificent Baroque landmarks in the world, including the opulent St. Peter’s Basilica, the dramatic Trevi Fountain, spellbinding Piazza Navona and the gorgeous Spanish Steps. Walking through Rome, you’ll encounter grandiose churches and lavish palaces chock-full of masterpieces by Bernini, Caravaggio and all the rest. If you enjoy the OTT theatrics of the Baroque era, then Rome will leave you in awe at every turn.

Florence’s compact size makes it the perfect destination for a short trip. With most of its key attractions – like the Duomo, the Uffizi Gallery, and the Accademia – within easy walking distance of each other, you can easily explore the city’s rich history and art in just a couple of days – without relying on public transport or taxis. Even in a brief visit, you’ll get a true taste of the extraordinary flowering of the Renaissance in Florence. This is in contrast to Rome, which is large and sprawling – you’ll need to allow for much more time than you think to get around and travel between the sites, meaning planning is everything. You will in all likelihood feel rushed if you only have a couple of days here.

If you’re looking for a varied travel experience, however, Rome is the clear winner. While Florence offers an incredibly immersive deep dive into the Renaissance, Rome offers windows into every timeframe imaginable. Just think that you can explore the Colosseum and Roman Forum one day, then head to Vatican City the next for a completely different experience. Fancy lounging around instead in leafy parks, or going to see some cutting-edge contemporary art? Rome has you covered with the Villa Borghese and Maxxi. If you want a destination where every day brings a new adventure, then Rome is the ideal choice.

Both Rome and Florence are strategically located on the Italian peninsula – neither too far north or south, both cities are within easy striking distance of numerous other must-visit destinations. That being said, Florence gets our vote as a brilliant base for day trips. From here it’s an easy train ride to Pisa and Siena, while the fabulous medieval hill towns and rolling vineyards of the Tuscan countryside are no more than an hour or two away.

You might be surprised to learn that the seaside is easily accessible from Florence too. The Tuscan coastline is magnificent – particularly lovely is the Maremma region in the south, and the island of Elba. Although located in neighboring Liguria, the jaw-dropping towns of the Cinque Terre are also easy to visit on a day trip from Florence – just over 2 hours away by train.

Again, the choice here is a tough one. Florence is a mecca for leather goods and artisan boutiques, and the Made in Florence label is a byword for quality. The city’s markets are a real treat for bargain hunters, too. But Rome is one of the great shopping capitals of the world. Every single major label and designer has a flagship outlet (and often headquarters) in the city, many of them clustered along swanky Via Condotti at the base of the Spanish Steps.

For those with a more modest budget, the city features an array of great vintage stores (check out the Monti neighborhood in particular) as well as excellent markets – the weekly flea market at Porta Portese is vast and overwhelming, and something you should try to experience on your visit to Rome.

It’s not possible to visit a region in Italy that doesn’t boast its own strong local wine tradition, and Rome and Florence are no exceptions. That being said, Tuscan wine is one of the world’s biggest hitters, and if you’re serious about your vino then Florence is a city you need to visit. The city is surrounded by world-renowned wine regions like Chianti, Montepulciano and Montalcino, and making a day-trip or two to the vineyards outside the city to indulge in tastings of Italy’s finest reds is a must for any wine-conscious traveler.

Even if you don’t have time to travel out to wine country, you’ll be easily able to taste the best there is in Florence’s plethora of superb wine bars – often paired with delicious Tuscan cuisine.

With over 3 million inhabitants, Rome is one of Europe’s great metropolises. It’s a huge, bustling chaotic mess that never stops moving. The streets are always busy, the piazzas buzzing and the bars packed, making for an always thrilling – but sometimes exhausting – experience. You’ll never be short of things to do or places to go, and the Eternal City is also surprisingly cosmopolitan.

Rome’s various immigrant communities, from Bangladeshi and Filipino to Eritrean and Senegalese, have made the city their own, and visiting ethnic restaurants, shops and cultural events can showcase a very different side of the historic old city. By contrast, Florence is more contained in every way, and not nearly as cosmopolitan.

Florence unfolds on a much more modest frame than Rome, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Florence’s small, compact layout makes it one of the most walkable cities in Europe. Compared to the traffic-clogged thoroughfares of Rome, Florence’s largely pedestrianized historic center is a delight. Strolling through Florence’s picturesque streets and piazzas, whether you are aiming for a specific site or are wandering aimlessly, is a wonderfully tranquil experience, especially outside of the tourist-heavy summer months – just feel your blood pressure going down as you move through the city, serenaded by church bells instead of car horns!

Florence unfolds on a much more modest frame than Rome, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Florence’s small, compact layout makes it one of the most walkable cities in Europe. Compared to the traffic-clogged thoroughfares of Rome, Florence’s largely pedestrianized historic center is a delight. Strolling through Florence’s picturesque streets and piazzas, whether you are aiming for a specific site or are wandering aimlessly, is a wonderfully tranquil experience, especially outside of the tourist-heavy summer months – just feel your blood pressure going down as you move through the city, serenaded by church bells instead of car horns!

We’re not even going to try to differentiate Rome and Florence based on their gourmet offerings. Put simply, these are two of the finest foodie destinations in the whole world – but each city offers up a very different cuisine. We find ourselves unable to choose between carbonara and wild boar ragu, between polpette alla romana and bistecca alla fiorentina, or between carciofi alla giudea and ribollita. Whichever city you choose, you can be sure that you will eat like a king!

If you do have time to visit both cities on your itinerary, then you’ll be pleased to know that it’s very easy to travel from one to the other. High-speed rail links mean that the journey only takes about 90 minutes, and both Termini station in Rome and Santa Maria Novella in Florence are centrally located. Maybe you can squeeze them both into your trip to Italy after all!