Florence Firenze
Florence Firenze
Photo from Italy by Giuseppe Baldassarri
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The beating heart of Florence is Piazza del Duomo, with the monumental complex of the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore - surmounted by the majestic dome of Brunelleschi -, the Baptistery of San Giovanni - a magnificent example of Florentine Romanesque -, Giotto's Bell Tower - a masterpiece of Florentine Gothic architecture.
Behind the Cathedral stands the Museo dell’Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, where you can admire a precious collection of works from the Cathedral, the Baptistery and the Bell Tower.
Piazza della Signoria 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 Michelangelo's famous David.
Next to the square 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. An architectural element of particular importance in the Gallery is the Vasari Corridor designed by Vasari in the mid-sixteenth century which 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 Palazzo del Bargello, today the National Museum, among the most important in the world for fifteenth-sixteenth 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, of the late fifteenth-early sixteenth century, with a magnificent internal courtyard. .
Of particular interest is the medieval district of Santa Croce, dominated by the Basilica of the same name, 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 are also worth a visit, with the church that 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 suggestive Ponte Vecchio, 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 wonderful park, the Boboli Gardens, a splendid example of an Italian garden.
Still in the Oltrarno, do not miss the panoramic Piazzale Michelangelo, a 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.
Florence: The Paintings & Frescoes, 1250-1743
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