Florentin is a neighborhood in south of Tel Aviv, Israel named after David Florentin, a Greek Jew who purchased the land in the late 1920’s.
Like many other Tel Aviv neighborhoods, Florentin is in transition and is fast becoming one of the trendiest places in Tel Aviv to hang out in during the day and the night.
Alongside the many small shops, some of which have been here since the establishment of Israel in 1948, there are numerous coffee shops, bars, dance clubs that draw in people of all ages and from all walks of life to drink in the bohemian atmosphere and just enjoy.
Since the 1990’s, more and more people have been coming to live in the area with its narrow streets and quaint apartments and today it is a true melting pot where you’ll hear Hebrew, Russian, Arabic, English, French and many other languages as you walk through its streets and alleyways.
Levinski Street is explosion of scents, sounds and sights. Here you’ll find dozens of small shops and stalls selling an amazing variety of spices and herbs that infuse the air with a hodgepodge of fragrance.
Wolfson, Matalon and Herzl Streets are full of shops selling furniture, light fixtures, household goods. So many that you won’t know where to start – but hey, it’s a great sight!
Look out for a small lane between Vital and Stern Streets. It could almost be taken out of a fairy tale with its brick paving trees and flower hanging from every balcony. Just relax on one of the benches and drink in the sites and sounds.
The entire neighborhood is filled with small street side coffee shops where you can sit with the locals and enjoy a good cup of coffee and a cake. It’s the perfect place to sit watch the passersby, up-coming artists, young musicians, students, elderly couples who’ve lived here their entire lives, and the blue collar workers who still work in the many workshops that dot the neighborhood.
Florentin is a contrast of old and new. Trendy clubs, boutique shops selling cloths and accessories, pubs and bars with live entertainment alongside upholsterers, bakers, small grocery shops, synagogues that serve small ethnic communities and more.
And at night, the place explodes with neon and music as the bars and clubs greet the revelers whole dance the night away. If you’re lucky, you may also get caught up in one of the spontaneous street parties that seen to develop out of know where.
So young or old – you have to explore this amazing neighborhood!