What is the best time of year to visit Florence, Italy

Asks Natasha

A. The summer months are the most crowded and hot - so best to avoid the city then unless you're happy to queue to enter all the sights, museums and even restaurants. The best time to visit is in early spring - March and April - when the temperatures are cool, prices are cheaper and the streets are less crowded.

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Q. What region is it in and is it a popular holiday destination

A. Florence is in the increasingly popular and expensive Tuscany, and sits on the banks of the River Arno. It is a beautiful city to visit, steeped in history with lots to pack in if you're on a tight schedule - and it is one of the most popular places to visit in Italy.

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Q. What sights would you recommend visiting

A. There are lots of must-see's in Florence - so make sure you see at least three of the following during any trip there:

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Santa Maria Novella: is one of the city’s most famous churches and dates back to the 13th Century. The interior of the church has been painted (with frescoes and paintings) by many of the Italian greats including Lippi, Masaccio and Ghirlandaio - not to mention Brunelleschi's carved Crucifix in the chancel.

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Santa Croce: although an imposing and lavish church in its own right, Santa Croce is more well known for the dead bodies it houses than its splendid architecture. It has over 280 tombstones on the floor of the church itself and houses the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli among many others.

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Piazza della Signoria: is the most famous square in Florence as it is home to Michelangelo's David (the statue is a copy of the original - the real thing is housed in the nearby Accademia Gallery) and was once the centre of political life in the city and the town hall - the Palazzo Vecchio and its impressive tower - is one of the oldest and impressive buildings in the city - it dates back to 1320.

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Uffizi Gallery: if you're a big art fan you can spend days here and not see the rest of the city as it has one of the most impressive collections (particularly of Renaissance art) in the world. Its collection includes Michelangelo's Holy Family and Botticelli's Birth of Venus.

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The gallery itself takes a lot of patience to visit as you often have to queue for hours to get in, even in low season, and then a lot of the art is poorly presented - badly lit and behind dirty glass - and it only has one set of toilets for thousands of people.

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Accademia Gallery: was first opened in 1784 as Florence's first Academy of Drawing - and is famous today as the home of Michelangelo's David.

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Ponte Vecchio: is a famous bridge, particularly as it was the only one in Florence to survive the bombing during WW2, that dates back to the early 14th Century.

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Bargello Museum: is home to some of Italy's great works of sculpture, including Michelangelo's Bacchus and Donatello's David.

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B�boli Gardens is a great place to get away from the city crowds - but it can be busy in summer as it's the only significant green parkland in the city centre.

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Q. What is the population of Florence

A. It is approximately 480,000.

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Q. Is it easy to get around the city

A. Most tourist attractions can be accessed on foot within a half-mile radius, other than that a good bus service that serves the city (tickets can be purchased from newsagents and vending machines near bus stops) is easy to get the hang of and taxi's are aplenty.

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By Karen Anderson