Living in Florence: rentals, tourists and residency in the historic center

Florence is a small city carrying a very large number of visitors. For an American who wants to live there rather than pass through, that pressure shapes almost everything: which apartments are on the long-term market, how the comune treats holiday lets, how crowded the center is in which months, and how city services are organised for residents versus tourists. This guide covers the rules the Comune di Firenze has put in place, what they change for a renter or buyer, and the residence, health and consular services you will use once you live there.

The short-term rental rules in the historic center

The comune regulates locazioni turistiche brevi, defined in its rules as residential leases of no more than 30 days with an exclusively tourist purpose. Its regulation entered into force on 31 May 2025 (council resolution no. 27 of 5 May 2025) and was extended by council resolution no. 28 of 4 June 2026.

Three points from the comune's own page matter to anyone looking at property:

• Every short-term tourist rental needs an authorisation issued to the owner, valid for five years, for each unit. The activity is allowed only in properties that meet the standards of a civil dwelling.
• In the Nucleo Storico, the UNESCO area defined as Zone A, subzone A1, no new short-term tourist rentals can be started. The number is limited to units that were already regularly used for that purpose during 2024.
• From 21 June 2026 the same block applies to subzones A3 and A4, the first ring of neighbourhoods around the center.

According to the comune's press release on the 2026 change, the extension covers areas including Campo di Marte, San Jacopino, Gavinana, Statuto and Rifredi, Libertà, Oberdan and Savonarola, among others. The release gives 35,593 homes in subzone A1 and 67,780 in subzones A3 and A4, with the A3 and A4 area covering 11.21 square kilometres.

Units that were already regularly used as short-term rentals in 2024 are excluded from the new rules for three years from the entry into force of the regulation.

What this means if you want to rent long term

For a resident, the practical effect is that a flat inside the UNESCO core or the first ring cannot be switched to a new holiday let. Owners in those zones who want rental income have to look at ordinary leases. That does not guarantee you a cheap or easy apartment, but it does mean the regulation is pushing in the direction of residential use.

When you view an apartment, ask directly whether it is currently authorised as a short-term rental. If it is, the owner is earning on a 30-day-or-less model, and a long-term lease offer from you is competing with that income. If it is not, and it sits in subzone A1, A3 or A4, the owner cannot open a new holiday let there under the current rules.

You can check the zone of any address yourself. The comune's page explains how: open the city planning map (Piano Operativo), choose the map for land use and settlements, type the street and house number or the cadastral references, and click the information icon over the highlighted location.

What this means if you want to buy

If your plan is to buy a flat in the center and rent it to tourists while you are away, read the regulation before you make an offer. Inside the blocked subzones, a property that was not already a regular short-term rental in 2024 cannot start one. A property that was operating in 2024 benefits from the three-year transitional exclusion, which is time-limited. Any purchase decision built on holiday-let income should be checked against the zone map and the current text of the regulation, which the comune publishes as a downloadable file on the same page.

Registering as a resident in Florence

Life as a resident starts at the anagrafe, the registry office. The comune runs appointments for registry, electoral and related services through an online booking calendar for its service points. Plan for this in your first weeks, together with the residence permit steps that apply nationally.

Once you are registered, the comune can issue your electronic identity card. Florence's CIE page is specific on a point Americans often miss: for foreign citizens, whether from the EU or outside it, the identity card can be issued only as not valid for travel abroad. Your US passport stays your travel document; the CIE is your Italian ID and your key to online public services. For foreign minors, only one parent needs to attend, because the card is issued not valid for travel and no consent form from the absent parent is required.

The page also notes that from 30 July 2026, people who are already 70 when they apply receive a CIE with unlimited validity as an identity document. The digital authentication certificate on the card still lasts at most 10 years from issue.

Getting around as a resident

Florence publishes its mobility services in one section of the city site, covering parking, traffic, cars and public transport. Two resident-facing programmes appear there:

• The Bonus Ti Porta Firenze, a promotion on annual public transport passes covering bus, tram and the city train. The comune lists 5 to 10 euro per month for students and new subscribers, and 10 to 20 euro per month for existing subscribers, with the annual Firenze Urbano pass split into four quarterly instalments. The application window it lists runs from 25 August 2026 to 12 November 2026, while funds last.
• A contribution toward buying an e-bike or cargo bike with pedal assist, reimbursing up to 80 percent of the purchase, for purchases made within the window the comune sets.

Several city services, such as requesting temporary use of public land for a move, are available only online with SPID, CNS or CIE authentication. That is one more reason to get the CIE early.

Health care in the Florence area

The local health authority for Florence and the surrounding area is the Azienda USL Toscana Centro, which also covers Empoli, Pistoia and Prato. Its interactive guide explains voluntary enrolment in the regional health service for non-EU nationals on an elective residence permit, meaning people who live in Italy on their own means without working.

The guide states the contribution is 7.5 percent of income up to 20,658.28 euro and 4 percent on the portion above that, up to 51,645.69 euro, with a minimum of 2,000 euro, paid only by F24 form. Documents listed include passport and visa, codice fiscale, residence permit (or the postal kit receipt for a first issue), income certification for the previous year or a signed self-declaration, and the name of the doctor you choose. For residents or those domiciled in Florence and the listed nearby comuni, the guide says to send all documents in a single PDF by email; for the Empoli Valdelsa, Prato or Pistoia areas, it says to call 055 545454 for an appointment.

The US consulate in Florence

The US Consulate General in Florence is part of the US Mission to Italy. Its district covers Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, except the provinces of Parma and Piacenza, with major cities including Florence, Bologna, Pisa, Siena, Lucca, Livorno, Prato, Arezzo, Modena, Ravenna, Ferrara and Rimini. The consulate describes itself as the smallest US post in Italy. Its consular section handles the welfare of US citizens living and travelling in the district, along with passport and other citizen services by appointment.

Living with the crowds

The comune's own policy language explains why the rental rules exist: the regulation is framed as protecting the city and residential life. In practice, the historic center is where tourist pressure is highest, which is exactly where the block applies. Many residents choose neighbourhoods outside the center for daily life and come into the core for work, culture and errands. Whichever area you pick, check the zone, register at the anagrafe, get your CIE and sort health enrolment early; those four steps make Florence work as a home rather than a destination.

Common questions

Can I rent my Florence apartment to tourists while I travel? Only with the comune's five-year authorisation, and in the UNESCO core (subzone A1) and in subzones A3 and A4 no new short-term tourist rentals can be started unless the unit was already regularly used that way in 2024.

How do I check if an address is inside the blocked zones? The comune's short-term rental page explains how to use the city planning map: enter the address or cadastral references in the land-use map and click the information icon on the highlighted location.

Can I use an Italian identity card instead of my US passport for travel? No. Florence states that identity cards for foreign citizens are issued only as not valid for travel abroad. Use your US passport for travel.

Which US consulate covers Florence? The US Consulate General in Florence, whose district covers Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna except Parma and Piacenza.