Florence

F

irenze with its museums, palaces and churches houses some of the most important artistic treasures of the world. Among the places d’ the most famous art and cult of the city are certainly there’ other the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Battistero, the Uffizi Gallery, the Bargello and the Galleria dell’ Accademia. He asked her to Santa Maria Novella e Holy Cross then they are real galleries d’ art, as well as the Laurentian Medicean Library it's a’ exceptional expression of Michelangelo's architectural genius. We advise you to reserve a little’ of time to visit the important and varied collections preserved in Palazzo Pitti.

When you feel tired of seeing museums and art galleries, go to all’ open and you will discover that in Florence it is also nice to just walk through the beautiful streets of the historic center. Walk until you reach the’ Arno, dwell on the romantic Old Bridge and continue until’ Oltrarno, the most part “new” from Florence. Spend a day at Boboli gardens or go up the hill behind piazzale Michelangelo and reach the Church of San Miniato al Monte to enjoy a’ incredible view over Florence.

Florence, cradle of the Italian Renaissance, appears to most first-time visitors, a real open-air museum. The squares and the buildings themselves represent a testimony of history, of the art and architecture of past eras: many of the cathedrals, of the churches and palaces of Florence were designed and built by some of the most illustrious artists of all time, gives Brunelleschi to Michelangelo, and can be safely contemplated from the outside, completely free of charge.

If you want to get to know Florence thoroughly, if you want to explore its most hidden treasures, then you have to enter and visit at least one or two museums of the many present. You will be astonished at the sight of the works preserved in these places of artistic cult, fruit of the creative genius of some of the most brilliant minds ever in the world.

The beating heart of Florence is Piazza del Duomo, with the monumental complex of Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore – surmounted by the majestic dome of Brunelleschi -, the Baptistery of San Giovanni – magnificent example of Florentine Romanesque -, Giotto's bell tower – a masterpiece of Florentine Gothic architecture.
Behind the Duomo stands the Museum of the Opera of Santa Maria del Fiore, where it is possible to admire a precious collection of works from the Cathedral, from the Baptistery and the Bell Tower.

Piazza della Signoria it represents the historical center of civil life and houses the fourteenth-century Loggia dei Lanzi, the Fountain of Neptune and the Palazzo della Signoria or Palazzo Vecchio, one of the symbolic monuments of the city, in front of which there are some famous statues including a copy of the famous David by Michelangelo.
Next to the square there is the majestic Uffizi Gallery, home to one of the most important museums in the world, which includes works by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and many other great artists. Architectural element of particular importance of the Gallery is the Vasari Corridor designed by Vasari in the mid-sixteenth century that connects the structure with Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti.

Between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Signoria there are architectural treasures such as the Church of Orsanmichele and the thirteenth century Bargello Palace, today National Museum, among the most important in the world for 15th-16th century sculpture. Do not miss the sixteenth-century Loggia del Mercato Nuovo, also called Loggia del Porcellino for the characteristic bronze statue, actually depicting a boar, considered a good luck charm, and the grandiose Palazzo Strozzi, from the late fifteenth-early sixteenth century, with a magnificent internal courtyard.

Of particular interest is the medieval quarter of Holy Cross, dominated by the homonymous Basilica, famous for Giotto's frescoes and for guarding the tombs of many illustrious Italians, including Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. The extraordinary monumental complex of San Lorenzo and the convent of Santa Maria Novella, with the church which preserves famous frescoes and precious works of art and the Museum, including the famous Green Cloister and the Cappellone degli Spagnoli.

Through the ancient and evocative Old Bridge, scattered with historic goldsmith shops, you reach the Oltrarno district, where you meet the scenic square dominated by Palazzo Pitti, the imposing and sumptuous palace that was the residence of the Medici and Lorraine, with the wonderful park, the Boboli's Garden, splendid example of an Italian garden.
Still in the Oltrarno, do not forget the panoramic view Piazzale Michelangelo, favorite destination for tourists for the wonderful view of Florence and the surrounding hills, and the Church of San Miniato al Monte, one of the best examples of Florentine Romanesque.

Discover also…