HOW TO REACH ARCETRI
By car
From the "Autostrada del sole" (higway) exit at: Firenze Certosa. Follow directions for downtown Firenze for about 3 Kilometers up to the crossroad pointed to by an arrow in the city map (it is the fourth crosslight). Turn right along Viale del Poggio Imperiale and then left. In 200 meters you'll be in front of the entrance gate.
By train
Get off at Firenze S.Maria Novella railway station. There you can catch a taxi (about 15 minutes).
Otherways, the bus number 36 or 37 (ATAF service) is available in Piazza della Stazione (on the left side getting out the station) to Porta Romana, where you can take the bus number 38 (every 40 min.) that drops you just in front of the main gate.
Alternatively, you may catch the bus number 11 (every 10 min.) in Piazza S. Maria Novella (close to Piazza della Stazione) and get off at the crossroads marked by an arrow in the city map (GELSOMINO1 stop). Walk up Viale del Poggio Imperiale, turn left at the end and arrive at the main gate (about 10 min. walk). From the main gate to the Dipartimento di Astronomia e Scienza dello Spazio, you must walk uphill until you arrive at the first main building on the left-hand side.
By plane
"Useful" airports to get to Firenze are: Firenze A. Vespucci, Pisa G. Galilei, Bologna G. Marconi, Roma L. da Vinci, Milano Malpensa e Milano Linate.
* The airport Amerigo Vespucci in Firenze is connected with many European and italian main cities, and with the two italian intercontinental airports (Roma and Milano).
From the airport you may take a taxi to downtown (20 min.) or to the Osservatorio di Arcetri (30 min.). Otherways you can get a bus shuttle to the S. Maria Novella railway station (VOLAINBUS). And follow the directions given above.
* The airport Galileo Galilei in Pisa is also connected with European and Italian main cities and with the intercontinental airports in Roma and Milano.
From Pisa airport a direct train connection will bring you to the Firenze S. Maria Novella railway station in about one hour (Trenitalia).
* From Bologna Marconi airport you can get a bus shuttle to the Bologna Centrale railway station from where you'll get to Firenze S. Maria Novella in about one hour.
* From the Roma L. da Vinci airport you can reach by train the "Roma Centrale" railway station from where you can reach Firenze S. Maria Novella in less than two hours by an "Eurostar" fast train.
* From Milano-Malpensa airport you can take a shuttle train which brings you to the "Porta Garibaldi" railway station in Milano. Unfortunately no connections to Firenze are available at this station; you must reach the "Milano Centrale" station by underground (a few minutes) from where you can take an "Eurostar" fast train to Firenze (about 3 hours).
Alternately from the airport you can use a bus shuttle which reaches directly the "Milano Centrale" station, but the minimum travel time is 1 hour and can be quite worse in heavy traffic conditions.