Florence in June: What to Do
June marks the transition from spring to summer in Florence. The city is busy, the days are long, and the heat becomes a factor you need to plan around if you are spending full days outside.
Average temperatures in June: 15-17 degrees at night, 28-30 degrees in the afternoon. Peaks above 34 degrees are not uncommon in the last ten days of June.
The upside is that June has some of the best cultural events of the year. The downside is that the main museums are at or near peak crowding for most of the month.
Florence in June: what to expect
June is a full-price, full-crowd month. The Uffizi, Accademia, and Duomo complex are all busy. Booking in advance is not just recommended, it is the only practical approach.
Daylight in June is exceptional. Sunrise is around 5:30, sunset around 21:15. You have the longest days of the year. This means you can start at 8:00, visit a museum by 9:00, and still have time for the Oltrarno and a sunset walk.
The heat in June is manageable with some basic adjustments. Unlike July and August, it rarely remains above 30 degrees past 20:00. Evenings are warm and pleasant rather than oppressive.
The city feels different in the evening in June. Piazza della Signoria, the embankment along the Arno, and the streets of the Oltrarno are all active until midnight. Florentines eat late, and many of the best outdoor tables only fill up after 21:00.
Cultural events in June
Calcio Storico Fiorentino is the highlight of June. This is a historic form of football played in Piazza Santa Croce on the feast day of San Giovanni (24 June) and on the two Sundays before. Four teams representing the historic quarters of the city compete in a brutal combination of football, wrestling, and boxing. Players wear 16th-century costume.
Tickets are sold via the Comune di Firenze and typically range from 25 to 80 euros depending on position. The matches are held on the afternoon of the final day (24 June) and two Sundays before. The atmosphere is extraordinary and unlike anything else in Italy.
Festa di San Giovanni (24 June) is Florence’s patron saint’s day. The city holds a fireworks display in the evening, usually launched from Piazzale Michelangelo. The best viewing positions are along the Lungarno embankments or from any elevated point on the south bank.
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino continues through June with opera, symphony concerts, and ballet at the Teatro del Maggio. Check the programme at maggiofiorentino.com for specific dates and prices.
Artigianato e Palazzo is a crafts fair held in the gardens of Palazzo Corsini al Prato (Via della Scala 115) usually in mid-June. It features around 80 artisan workshops from across Italy. Entry is around 12 euros. The setting in the private garden is worth the visit even if you are not shopping.
How to handle the heat
Museums are air-conditioned and are worth visiting in the hottest part of the day, between 13:00 and 16:00. This is the most sensible use of the June afternoon heat.
Plan outdoor activities for morning (before 12:00) and evening (after 18:00). The streets north of the Arno heat up faster than the Oltrarno, which gets more shade from the hills.
Stay hydrated. The drinking fountains scattered across the city (called nasoni) provide free, drinkable water. The one near the Baptistery in Piazza del Duomo, the ones along the Lungarno, and the ones in Piazza Santa Croce are all reliable.
Avoid the peak hours of 11:00-15:00 for outdoor sightseeing if the temperature exceeds 30 degrees. Churches are almost always cool inside and are free to enter with appropriate dress.
Wear light, breathable clothing. Cotton and linen work better than synthetic fabrics in humid city heat. A hat with a brim is useful for anyone spending hours in open squares.
Museums with fewer crowds
The main museums are crowded in June, but there are consistent exceptions.
Museo di San Marco (Piazza San Marco 3, open Tuesday-Friday 8:15-13:50, Saturday-Sunday 8:15-16:50, entry 4 euros) is one of Florence’s most beautiful and consistently overlooked museums. Fra Angelico painted a fresco in each monk’s cell of the Dominican convent. The museum is calm even in high season.
Museo Nazionale del Bargello (Via del Proconsolo 4, open Tuesday-Sunday 8:15-13:50, entry 10 euros) holds Donatello’s bronze David, the first freestanding nude figure since antiquity, plus early works by Michelangelo. Crowds are significantly lighter than the Uffizi.
Cappelle Medicee (Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini 6, open Tuesday-Saturday 9:00-17:00, entry 9 euros) contains Michelangelo’s sculptures for the Medici tombs, including Night, Day, Dawn, and Dusk. Rarely overcrowded.
Museo dell’Opificio delle Pietre Dure (Via degli Alfani 78, open Monday-Saturday 8:15-14:00, entry 4 euros) documents the Florentine art of inlaid stone. It is small, fascinating, and almost always quiet.
Outdoor evenings: where to go
Piazza Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno is the go-to square for an outdoor evening in June. Bars and restaurants ring the square, which has a relaxed neighbourhood feel even when it is full.
The Lungarno embankments are pleasant in the evening. A walk from Ponte Amerigo Vespucci to Ponte Vecchio along the north bank takes about 20 minutes and gives you views of the south bank lit up at night.
The area around Via de’ Benci, Piazza Santa Croce, and Piazza dei Peruzzi is livelier in June than most of the year. Open-air seating at trattorie here runs until 23:00.
The Estate Fiorentina programme brings open-air cinema and concerts to venues across the city from June through August. Check the current programme on the Comune di Firenze website for specific events and locations.
Where to stay
June evenings in Florence are worth making the most of. Staying central means you can walk home from Piazza Santa Croce or the Lungarno in under 20 minutes without needing a taxi. The Key is at Via Cittadella 22, 5 minutes from Santa Maria Novella station and close to the city’s summer social heart.
