Attractions

Piazza del Duomo
Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore)
Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria
Via Tornabuoni
Ponte Vecchio
Palazzo Medici-Riccardi
Palazzo Pitti
Church of San Miniato al Monte
Piazzale Michelangelo
Basilica della SS Annunziata
Piazza della Repubblica
Basilica of Santa Croce


Florence is packed with sights. From the Middle Ages onward the Florentines have been very busy constructing palazzi, churches and convents. For more than 400 years it has been one of the leading cultural cities in Italy.


Piazza del Duomo

The Piazza del Duomo, with the Gothic battlements of the Cathedral and the inside of the cupola painted with Zuccari's Last Judgement, and the Baptistry of San Giovanni Battista, patron saint of the city, is possibly the queen of Florence's open spaces. Born of the encounter of art and faith, the cathedral was marked by the inspiring genius of, among others, Filippo Brunelleschi, Leon Battista Alberti, Giotto and Michelangelo. The splendid vault has been recently restored. The area comprised between Piazza della Signoria and Piazza San Firenze, the Duomo, Via Tornabuoni and the Lungarni, encloses a dense weft of streets and squares pulsating with the city's history and reflecting that sophisticated elegance which is appreciated the world over.


Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore)

Situated in Piazza San Giovanni in front of the ancient basilica of Santa Reparata, the gothic cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was begun in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio and was consecrated in 1436. The exterior was finished in the second half of the fourteenth century, perhaps by Francesco Talenti. The contrast between the main body of the nave and the octagonal end section is quite notable. The grandious structure of the dome, 114 meters high, shows a magnificent architectural plasticity that greatly surpasses the limits of the gothic. The dome was finished in 1436 according to Brunelleschi's plans. On the sides of the church, the "Almond Door" (relief by Nanni di Banco) and the "Canonical Door" are especially worth noting. The present facade, a modest work by De Fabris, was done in 1887.
To the right of the cathedral rises the Bell Tower, or Campanile,
designed by Giotto in 1334. The square tower is covered with red, green and white marble inlays, decorated with panels and carvings, and made graceful by double- and triple-windows. Opposite the Cathedral stands the green and white marble Baptistery of San Giovanni (1128), a masterpiece of Florentine Romanesque architecture. The interior of the dome is decorated with mosaics.


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Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria

This is the most important civil building in the city. Construction, to plans by Arnolfo di Cambio, was begun in 1299. It was the seat of the Priori delle Arti, of the Signoria and the ducal residence. Over the centuries it was remodeled several times. The 14th century courtyard, graced with the fountain with the "putto", a copy of Verrocchio's original, was later modified by Michelozzo. Inside, it is worth seeing the Salone dei Cinquecento, the study of Francesco I, the room of the Elements and the Sala dei Gigli.
The Loggia della Signoria or "dei Lanzi" overlooks the square, where there are several important statues including "Perseus" by Cellini and the "Rape of the Sabine Women" by Giambologna. Works by important 20th century artists are housed in the Raccolta d'Arte Contemporanea A. della Ragione, which is also located in Piazza della Signoria.


Via Tornabuoni

This is considered one of the most beautiful streets in Florence, always thronging with tourists and Florentines who stroll amidst the sparkling glamour of the windows of the exclusive shops and the severe elegance of the palazzos. Truly splendid, Palazzo Larderel or Giacomini, with its wide portal and lovely tympanum windows, on the left Palazzo Corsi, rebuilt by Architect Bonaiuti in 1875 over the old Palazzo Tornabuoni, with its inner courtyard still standing. On the right at the crossroads of Via della Vigna Nuova, Via Federighi and Via della Spada, the imposing Rucellai buildings, work of Leon Battista Alberti. Very interesting, the Loggia dei Rucellai (1460-66), and to the right, austere Palazzo Rucellai, erected by B. Rossellino to the design of Leon Battista Alberti. On the corner of Via Strozzi, the palazzo of the same name considered the most beautiful Renaissance building in Florence.


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Ponte Vecchio

This is the oldest bridge of Florence, built in 1345 probably by Neri di Fioravante. It is the only one that was not destroyed during the Second World War.
The bridge is formed by three arches resting upon two robust pillars with spurs in the form of ships' prows. Upon it are two rows of typical jewelry shops, some of which extend over the edges of the bridge, sustained by supports called "sporti". On the high part of the bridge on the east side passes the Vasariano corridor, uniting the Uffizi to the Pitti Palace.


Palazzo Medici-Riccardi

This is the most typical example of a civil Renaissance palace. It was constructed according to an austere plan drawn up Michelozzo for Cosimo the Elder in 1444. Home of the Medici for 100 years, it was then acquired by the Riccardi family and today is the seat of the Prefecture and the Provincial Administration. Inside one finds an elegant courtyard, a small garden in the Italian style, and Benozzo Gozzoli's celebrated chapel, which he decorated in frescoes, representing the Appearance of the Magi (1459).


Palazzo Pitti

This is the most grandiose Florentine palace. Its grounds cover more than three hectares at the summit of the Boboli hill. It was built for the banker Luca Pitti according to plans attributed to Brunelleschi, towards the mid-fifteenth century. The grandiosity of the building demonstrates Pitti's determination to rival the Medici family. The banker's failure led to suspension of construction, but it was revived again a century later, after which the Medici themselves bought the palace and made it their own residence. The huge courtyard and two side wings dating from 1560 were planned by Bartolomeo Ammannati. In 1621, under Cosimo II dei Medici, the work of expanding the vista and reorganizing the piazza began, following to the plans of Giulio and Alfonso Parigi. The building passed into the hands of the Lorena family and then was embellished with two wings, finished by Paoletti and Poccianti in the first half of the nineteenth century, together with the smaller palace of the Meridiana.
Some of the most important Florentine museums are now located in the palace and in the Boboli gardens behind it. The Palatina Gallery (on the first floor), the Silver Museum (ground floor and mezzanine), and the Gallery of Modern Art (final floor). In the Little Palace of the "Cavaliere" on the far side of the garden is the Porcelain Museum and in the Little Palace of the Meridiana, the Costume Gallery.


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Church of San Miniato al Monte

Just near the road to Monte alle Croci, we come to the steep steps up to S. Miniato al Monte, from where it is possible to enjoy a splendid view over the whole of Florence. Truly magnificent, the Church of S. Miniato al Monte, originally a chapel in the fourth century, owes its present-day structure to the will of Bishop Ildebrando. The lower part of the fa?ade still conserves the decorations in the arches, while the upper part boasts a beautiful twelfth-century mosaic of Christ between the Madonna and S. Miniato. The interior has three naves and a trussed ceiling with magnificent thirteenth and fourteenth-century frescoes. Remarkable, the crypt and the raised presbytery with a parchment from 1207 and richly inlaid ligneous choir stalls. The church, together with its unfinished sixteenth-century bell tower (damaged during the 1530 siege on Florence), Palazzo dei Vescovi, fortifications, and Monumental Cemetery all rise up on the hill above Piazzale Michelangelo.


Piazzale Michelangelo

Piazzale Michelangelo was built in 1869 to plans by Giuseppe Poggi. It offers a splendid panorama of the city. In the middle of this plaza stand bronze copies of Michelangelo's "David" and the four statues on the tombs in the Medici Chapels.


Basilica della SS Annunziata

Situated in the piazza of the same name, this church was founded by the Serviti order in 1250 and was then rebuilt by Michelozzo between 1444 and 1481. The little Votive Chapel and the Chapel of the Dead contain frescoes by Andrea del Sarto, Rosso Fiorentino, Franciabigio and Pontorno. Within the small temple of the Annunciation, designed by Michelozzo, there is an image of the Madonna reputedly capable of performing miracles.


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Piazza della Repubblica

Piazza della Repubblica, the ancient heart of the city, is the site of the Giubbe Rosse cafe where intellectuals and artists met in the early years of the century, at a time when culture was in creative ferment in the city. Close by is Piazza della Signoria, with Palazzo Vecchio, the Loggia dei Lanzi (finally re-opened to the public) and the Piazzale degli Uffizi. This is the throbbing heart of the city, stretching out in an articulation of streets like Via dei Calzaiuoli (which links the Duomo to the Signoria), Por Santa Maria, and lesser-known squares.


Basilica of Santa Croce

Reaching the broad, luminous Piazza of Santa Croce, the statue of Dante frowns down on you from above, in front of the Basilica.
The gothic basilica of Santa Croce, built between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries according to the plans of Arnolfo di Cambio, has a grandious and austere appearance.
It is well known because some of the most famous Italians in history are buried here from Michelangelo and Machiavelli to Foscolo. Among the most important monuments are the tomb of the Alfieri, built by Canova, that of Leonardo Bruni, by Rossellino and that of Carlotta Bonaparte, by Bartolini. The interior is enhanced by frescoes painted at the beginning of the fourteenth century by Giotto and his pupil Taddeo Gaddi. Incorporated in the cloister next to the church is the Pazzi Chape by Brunelleschi, a masterwork of Renaissance architecture. The other monastic buildings around the cloister house the Museum of the Works of Santa Croce, of great interest for the celebrated art that it contains, the Crucifix of Cimabue, the frescoes of Taddeo Gaddi and Andrea Orcagna, and the large golden bronze of San Lodovico of Tolosa, the work of Donatello in 1423.