San Lorenzo holds the market's roar: Mercato Centrale upstairs for food stalls, downstairs for produce and butchers. Leather markets crowd the streets; basilicas anchor history; Accademia with the David pulls queues around the corner. The Medici Chapels add marble and silence, while Biblioteca Laurenziana hides Michelangelo's staircase.
By night, student bars and trattorie fill with quick pasta and carafes of red. San Marco's square gives a small pause with monasteries and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. The Botanical Garden and university buildings bring young crowds, protests, and cheap panini shops.
It's practical, noisy, and essential if you want to eat like you live here, and it rewards early visits before the stalls open with clang and shout. Street art, spice shops, and students keep the edges alive even after vendors pack up.