Walking Florence with FOG
Most cities are too big to complete. The centro storico is not, which makes Florence unusually satisfying to uncover.
A centre you can measure
The historic centre of Florence is roughly a kilometre and a half across, bounded by the ring of avenues that replaced the old walls. Inside it a fragment of the Roman grid still shows around Piazza della Repubblica, straight and square, and everything else grew around it as medieval lanes: narrow, stone paved, walled in on both sides and often with no pavement at all. The Arno runs through with the Ponte Vecchio and four other central bridges over it.
South of the river is the Oltrarno, Santo Spirito and San Frediano, the same density with fewer crowds and more workshops still open on the street.
A loop worth doing
Start at Santa Croce and work west through the lanes to the Duomo, then down Via dei Calzaiuoli to Piazza della Signoria. Cross the Ponte Vecchio, turn right into San Frediano and wander the streets around Santo Spirito. Come back over Ponte alla Carraia and finish through San Lorenzo and its market. Only about four kilometres of distance, but it takes most of an afternoon and it lights up a startling number of separate streets.
For height, walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo from Ponte alle Grazie. It is a proper climb, and the view back down shows you exactly the area you have been filling in.
One of the few cities you can finish
With a few weeks of walking you can realistically light every street inside the centro storico. That is a rare thing to be able to say about anywhere, and the city percent moves visibly every time you go out, which most large cities never give you.
The catch is that alley density cuts both ways. There are so many short streets that a single skipped turn leaves a gap you will spot later and have to go back for. Walking one small quarter thoroughly beats crossing the whole centre in a straight line, even though the straight line covers more distance.
Stone, scooters and summer
The paving is flagstone and river cobble, hard on the feet over a long day and slippery in rain. Many lanes have no kerb at all, so scooters and delivery vans share the width you are walking in, and you learn quickly to listen behind you.
Florence sits in a basin and holds heat. July and August regularly pass 35C with no breeze at all in the narrow streets, and the middle of the day is best spent indoors. Spring and October are the good months. Winter is cold, damp and quiet, which for walking purposes is not a bad trade at all.
How FOG works
The whole world map starts hidden. Streets are revealed only where you have physically walked, and they stay revealed. Walking, running and riding all count, and background exploring keeps recording with the app closed and the screen off.
No account, no sign-up, no cloud, no analytics, no ads, no tracking. The map never leaves your phone and you can export your data. Free to explore, and one purchase of USD 5.99 unlocks unlimited ranks, every character and history import from Google Timeline exports or GPX files. There is no subscription.
Questions people actually ask
Can I really light the whole historic centre?
Inside the ring of avenues, yes, over a few weeks of steady walking. It is small and dense, which is exactly the combination that makes the percentage move.
Do the narrow lanes cause problems?
Tall stone streets can make a recorded track wander slightly, the same as any dense old core. Open ground like the piazzas and the river bank records cleanly.
Can I import a trip I took years ago?
Yes, if you have a Google Timeline export or GPX files. History import turns them into cleared fog, and it is part of the one-time unlock.
What does FOG cost?
Free to explore. A single USD 5.99 purchase unlocks unlimited ranks, every character and history import. No subscription.
Start with a dark map.
FOG is free to explore. No account, no subscription, and your map never leaves your phone.
free to explore · one purchase unlocks everything · never a subscription