Florence

The principal Tuscan city of Florence nestles below the wooded foothills of the Apennines, along the banks of the Arno River. The works of Botticelli, Michelangelo, Bruneschelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Boccaccio, Alberti, Masaccio, Donatello, Vasari and Fra Angelico imbue the city with the magnificence of their contribution to art and life. This icon to the renaissance leaves visitors amazed at its abundance of architecture and art, indeed French writer Stendhal was so overcome by its beauty that he became physically ill!.

The heart of the city, where everyone heads for, is the Piazza de Duomo and the Piazza della Signoria. The statues dominating the Piazza della Signoria commemorate major historical events of the city's life and the magnificent Palazzo Vecchio still performs its original role as Florence's town hall. Outside stands David, a replica, Michelangelo's original was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia in 1873 to protect it from ravages of time and weather. The adjacent Uffizi is the oldest gallery in the world with a collection of the greatest works of the Renaissance commissioned largely by the Medici family.

The Western stretches of the city are formed by Florence's railway station at one end and the Ponte Vecchio at the other. The Ponte Vecchio bridge was built in 1345. The little workshops that used to belong to butchers, tanners and blacksmiths are now host to an array of exquisite shops. Santa Maria Novella rises from the city's western boundaries in true gothic splendour preserving some of the most important works of art in Florence.

The Oltrarno (meaning 'over the Arno') area became the place from which the Medici ruled from the Palazzo Pitti. The magnificent Boboli Gardens were designed and laid out around it. Further along the Piazzale Michelangelo is famed for its magnificent roof top views of the city, relax here drinking in the views and maybe a little Chianti!

Tours

Tour of Tuscany.