Florence is an excellent destination for sightseeing by force of its solid heritage and valuable tourist assets consisting of museums and galleries, historic edifices, religious establishments and architectural climaxes displayed its the sundry piazzas. However, sightseeing is complemented by other leisure opportunities, such as golfing, though wine tasting, clubbing, dancing, and various other nighttime activities – such as attending to cultural events – yield, at their turn, a generous range of nightlife opportunities. Nightlife is, consequently, split into several scenes, as it were.

Clubbing in Florence

The clubbing, dancing and live music scene is, some tend to believe, rather impervious and less flexible than expected, though certain venues do stand out in sharp relief as being highly recommendable in this respect. Yab (5 Via Sassetti) is one of the oldest dance clubs in Florence, and despite its rather lapsed dash, it is still a top choice by force of its central location. Universale (77 Via Pisana) is, dimensionally speaking, largest venue one can visit in Florence in terms of nighttime buzz, though besides DJ officiated parties, this establishment also offers a restaurant and a pizza joint. Space Electronic (37 Via Palazzuolo) is advisable for those who enjoy a rather miscellaneous crowd, given the club is highly frequented by both locals and foreigners, by both teenagers and adults under 30. Full-Up (25 Via della Vigna Vecchia) is a definite noteworthy presence in the picture of nightlife opportunities, given its popularity grounded on the thematic music and dancing nights. One should always tick off Strizzi Garden (3 Via G. Mariti) to attend at least to one of the many events held here pretty regularly.

Florence Pubs and Bars

The bars and pubs scene is overtopped by several excellent establishments such as Fiddler's Elbow (7 Piazza Santa Maria Novella), The Lion’s Fountain (34 Borgo Albizi) and The Old Stove (4 Via Pellicceria), excellent for drinking in the company of a variegated crowd consisting mainly of Americans, British and Italians. William Pub (Piazza Santa Croce) makes its way through as an exquisite venue serving an incredibly large range of beer, which is why enthusiasts are advised to pay a visit to this pub. La Fiaschetteria (47 Via de' Serragli), La Mescita (70 Via degli Alfani), and I Fratellini (38 Via dei Cimatori) top the bill when it comes to wine bars, but even more exquisite venues of this kind refer to Pitti Gola e Cantina (16 Piazza Pitti) and Il Volpe e L'Uva (Piazza de' Rossi), where wine lovers can make excellent oenological experiences.

Teatro Comunale Florence

The cultural scene is pegged out by the presence and the contribution of Teatro Comunale (12 Corso Italia) which puts up opera, concerts, ballet, plays and symphonies, being complemented by Teatro Verdi (99-101 Via Ghibellina) which occasionally hosts the performances of the Orchestra della Toscana. Church concerts are also advisable for those who want to get a different kind of nighttime thrill, and the fact that these concerts comprise organ performances, choirs and chamber music means music lovers have plenty of options to choose from.

Florence Gay Bars

The gay and lesbian scene is fairly well represented in Florence, though some tend to consider it rather unsatisfactory. All in all, Flamingo Bar (26 Via Pandolfini), Crisco Bar (43 Via Sant’Egidio) and Tabasco Bar (3 Piazza Santa Cecilia) – which is, as a noteworthy feature, the first gay club in Italy – as well as Silver Stud (9 Via della Fornace) offer certain reasonable getaways, though limited by specific opening hours. Besides music and dancing proper, these venues occasionally put up cabaret performances, or transgender shows.

Adults may also find in Florence establishments dedicated exclusively to their satisfaction, such as Sexy Disco Excelsior (185 Via Pistoiese, San Donnino), Showgirls (11 Piazza Matteucci) and Rex. Another type of entertainment for adults is provided by Beautiful Dance (95 Via di San Bartolo a Cintoia), Sala Conchiglia (8 Via Antonio d’Orso) and El Pueblo (78 Via Puccini, Calenzano), which offer tourists and locals alike ballroom dancing, recreation and socialization opportunities.

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