Overtourism in Florence and Italy's cities of art
Overtourism in Florence: the data on visitor numbers, short lets and residents, and how to experience Tuscan art while avoiding the queues.
Talking about **overtourism in Florence** doesn't mean complaining about a few extra queues in front of the Uffizi. It means reckoning with numbers that have changed the very face of the city. In 2025 the Tuscan capital counted over 11 million official overnight stays against around 362,000 residents: nearly 13 tourists for every inhabitant. It's this imbalance, more than the absolute number of visitors, that defines the phenomenon.
Short lets
The main engine is the short-let market. According to the Regional Tourism Observatory, in 2025 the registered short-term tourist rentals in Florence numbered around 16,900 and covered 56% of all beds in the city. Listings went from around 150 in 2012 to over 12,000, 84% of them entire apartments and more than 70% concentrated in the historic centre. The study coordinated by Professor Filippo Celata (Sapienza), commissioned by the City Council, captures extreme peaks: in the Coste area, properties used for tourism reach 473% relative to homes on traditional long-term rent.
The consequences fall on those who actually live in Florence. In twenty years the centre has lost around 30,000 residents. An IRPET note (38/2024) estimates that every +10% of Airbnb listings in the historic centre pushes residential prices up by around 82 €/m²; today an under-35 can end up putting 60% of their salary towards rent. And the income is concentrated: the association Progetto Firenze calculated in 2025 that 8% of hosts manage 41% of listings, debunking the figure of the small owner.
The City Council's moves
Faced with this data the City Council has stepped in. After a first resolution in 2023 struck down by the regional administrative court on a formal flaw, in July 2024 a ban was approved on registering new short lets in the UNESCO area. The comprehensive regulation, in force from 31 May 2025, added five-year authorisations, a ban on keyboxes on façades and a three-year exemption for those already active in 2024. In 2026 the block was extended to nine outer zones (from Campo di Marte to Rifredi) to counter the spillover effect towards neighbouring districts. Measures pioneering in Italy, but whose real impact is still being debated.
Florence is not an isolated case: it's the prototype of the Italian city of art under pressure, like Venice and, on a different scale, Pisa or San Gimignano. The good news is that the concentration of flows is also an opportunity. The crowd thickens on a very few spots — the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, Piazzale Michelangelo — leaving breathing room for everything else.
Art far from the queues
Within Florence itself there are masterpieces just steps from the queues. The Chiostro dello Scalzo, with its monochrome cycle by Andrea del Sarto, and the botanical garden and courtyards of San Marco, a stone's throw from the Accademia, show another city. Those who want art without timed tickets will find ideas in our guide instead of the Uffizi.
Widening the view to Tuscany, art is spread across a vast territory. Our collection instead of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the itinerary among Tuscan villages beyond the classic destinations gather dozens of concrete alternatives. One example for all: the roofless Gothic abbey of San Galgano, with its sword in the stone, restores a sense of discovery that the centre of Florence struggles to offer in high season.
The Maremma and the tufa
Moving south, the Maremma and the tufa area are the counterpoint to the cities of art. The free thermal springs of Saturnia at dawn, before the coaches arrive, the Etruscan corridors of the Vie Cave of Sovana and the less-photographed face of Pitigliano tell of a plural region. More secluded, the walled village of Pereta and the delirious Orientalist castle of Sammezzano in the Valdarno complete the picture.
For those wanting to plan a different trip, two useful starting points: the Etruscan itinerary across Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria and, in autumn, the festivals of chestnuts, mushrooms and truffles. Visiting Florence remains legitimate and beautiful: the point is when to go (low season changes everything) and how much space to leave for the territory around it. Spreading out your steps is already a way of caring for the city.
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Practical info
When is the best time to visit Overtourism in Florence and Italy's cities of art?
The recommended time is April, May, June, September and October, when it is less crowded.
Where is Overtourism in Florence and Italy's cities of art?
Overtourism in Florence and Italy's cities of art is located in Italy.
