Are the banks of the Arno in Florence a good place to stroll or to relax?

I wouldn’t say the banks of the Arno are a good place to relax. Nearby Boboli Gardens is much more relaxing. There is traffic sound along the Arno that seems like it’s amplified by the topography. The building at 46 Via dei Bardi faces the street and it looks like a construction site is right next to the building in the Google Maps satellite view. No idea if construction continues.

I personally think you are making a big deal out of everything. The Florence city center is virtually closed to traffic everywhere, so unlike the 1980’s when via de’ Bardi was a total traffic nightmare, now nobody can drive there except for some sporadic residents who have a permit. It is not a super busy area with pedestrians either, and in December, when you are going, nearly nobody will be walking there past 8pm. The Lungarni (that is what the streets along the river Arno are called) have little traffic as well. In December practically none after dinner time. Music at night on Ponte Vecchio? Maybe in summer you might have some hippy travelers trying to pay for his/her vacation by playing music on the bridge. But no. 46 is far enough that you will hardly hear it, and in December nobody will be playing late at night. I’m not saying Florence is dead in December, as people will be strolling in the evening, but it won’t be like June for sure. Just find the accommodations you like, get there, and relax!

I personally think you are making a big deal out of everything.

Thank you for your analysis.

I know myself. I am sensitive to noise and seek as quiet a place within the urban fabric of the cities I visit. Surrpisingly, I've been able to find very quiet places in ior near Campo Santa-Margherita, Montparnasse, St. German-des-Pres (rue de l'Universite), or even in the Koukaki neighborhood of Athen. The trick seems to lie in finding apartments that are set within an inner courtyard and, thus, do not directly face a (busy) street.

The Ponte Vecchio and from what I can see of the banks of the Arno do seem to get what I consider a fair amount of traffic, at least during the datyime. There seem to be motorcycles parked around there, too. I don't know if the apartment has double-paned glass windows, which would also mitigate noise.

I wouldn’t say the banks of the Arno are a good place to relax. Nearby Boboli Gardens is much more relaxing. There is traffic sound along the Arno that seems like it’s amplified by the topography. The building at 46 Via dei Bardi faces the street and it looks like a construction site is right next to the building in the Google Maps satellite view. No idea if construction continues.

Thank you Kenko for your comments. I don't think any of my guidebooks indicate whether the banks of the Arno are a good place for a stroll, passeggieta, etc. I think my thinking was "going" towards the notion that the Arno is to Florence what the Seine is to Paris, especially with the bridges of yesteryear, but the analogy may be a fairly weak one, today.

Denny, the ‘banks’ of the Arno do not have formal walking areas. There are what look to be rowing clubs that have apparatus on the banks, but little else. The Arno is not like the Seine. The streets-lungarni-as Roberto mentioned are full on traffic streets. We stayed in an apartment with a beautiful view of the Arno and across the river to Piazzale Michelangelo, but the street between the apartment and the river was noisy from early to late. Agreed though, that December is going to be much quieter. We used the river front streets to walk to the train station as they were more direct than winding through the Piazzas, but they were not quiet.
You may want to try looking for a place in the Oltrarno. Definitely quieter and not as busy as Florence proper. I will be staying on that side for 3 nights this May in what I hope will be quieter than the apt on the Arno. Also, you might find something quieter in the Sant ‘Ambrogio area.
Florence is very walkable, so staying a bit outside of the historical center will not be a disadvantage.

As for Via de’ Bardi-just having all those motorcycles parked out front would be enough to tell me it will NOT be quiet. Move further into the Oltrarno.

Denny, the ‘banks’ of the Arno do not have formal walking areas. There are what look to be rowing clubs that have apparatus on the banks, but little else. The Arno is not like the Seine. The streets-lungarni-as Roberto mentioned are full on traffic streets. We stayed in an apartment with a beautiful view of the Arno and across the river to Piazzale Michelangelo, but the street between the apartment and the river was noisy from early to late.

Thank you so very much, SJS, for confirming my suspicions. People vary so much in their suseptibility/sensitivity to urban noise. I find Paris for the most part dreadfully noisy with all the motorcycle, car, and truck noise in the street, but, obviously, some people are more or less oblivious to it.

It doesn't sound like there are "park benches" along the Arno to relax and enjoy the view!

Walking along the Arno does not sound like a very pleasant, albeit, doable affair. My own memories of trying to walk along the Tiber are rather indistinct now, but I don't think it either is a particularly pleasant experience (there were outdoor cafes, though, as I recall). Nonetheless, the view must be quite beautiful at sunset.

This image was taken in January 2022, in the afternoon. The 46 via Bardi is the door immediately to the right of the Credit Agricole Bank.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/TKwRWrKkjukEesEb6

This is the same street, taken toward the opposite side. Still January afternoon.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/saye6CjixcEZ65gg9

As you can see traffic is minimum because the street is within the ZTL (Limited Traffic Zone). Only residents with permit (and mopeds) can enter, along with emergency vehicles and taxis. The only buses which go through there are the electric minibuses (basically vans), you can see one upcoming far in the background of the second image. At night there will be even less traffic. Obviously there might be the occasional noisy moped passing through, but I can't think of many streets where that will not happen. Unlike cars, mopeds can enter in most streets within the ZTL without resident's permit, that is why so many Florentines, of all ages, have one.

If you think that would be too noisy for you, you'll need to find accommodations in an alley. Try the hotel here. It's nearby but it's in an alley with zero traffic whatsoever. I've stayed here a few times, and it's very quiet. But even in the darkest alleys, you might encounter the occasional moped or vespa. That's a fact of life in Florence.

Lungarno alle Grazie and Lungarno della Zecca Vecchia (across the river from Piazzale Michelangelo) are NOT part of the ZTL, so obviously there will be traffic there. You can't compare that Lungarno with the ones inside the ZTL. The Lungarni east of the bridge Ponte Alle Grazie are outside the ZTL, as well as the Lungarni west of the Ponte Vespucci (except for the portion near the US Consulate which is closed to everybody for security reasons and where you will be shot if you try to drive in).

As someone interested in history, the OP's innocent use of the phrase 'banks of the Arno' still conjures images of the 1966 flood. The geology hasn't changed since then and the Arno still acts as a funnel draining a huge basin. Fortunately Italy is now very attuned to the danger. YouTube collage: https://youtu.be/Q63De7bXczg?si=YmBiahp8wynj_u-T

If you walk along the Arno towards the Ponte A. Vespucci there are some small bars/caffe where you can get a beverage and a snack then sit at tables and enjoy the view of the river...watch rowers go by...very peaceful. I had no idea of these small bars after many stays in Florence. A local friend took me there once and it was lovely!

Thank you both Roberto and June for sharing your knowledge of Florence. The guide-books are so superficial, though useful in giving basic information and comprehensive in that way.
But for those who have read Stendhal or Henry James, we're looking for something slower and more "intimate," for lack of a better word. We return to the places we've visited, been fascinated by, and even love.

This means leaving the tourist "fast-track" very quickly. I hope that some of the Old(er) Florence still exists but realize that Florence is also in danger of becoming a Disneyland/amusement park just as Venice has become, if it has not already done so (for the most part!). In which case, heading to Siena or elsewhere in Tuscany would make better sense, after an obligatory few days in Florence.

I would still like to see the Bargello, Palazzo Medici-Ricardi, Convent of San Marco with its Fra Angelico frescoes, and the St. Matthew and Four Slaves of Michelangelo in the Accademia...

Quality over quantity, please...