FLORENCE

Florence (Firenze) (approximately 400,000 inhabitants, around 1,000,000 the metropolitan area) is the capital city of Tuscany, the city is considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and is also famous for its magnificent art and architecture. Built on the site of an Etruscan settlement, Florence, the symbol of the Renaissance, rose to economic and cultural pre-eminence under the Medici in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its 600 years of extraordinary artistic activity can be seen above all in the 13th-century cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore), the Church of Santa Croce, the Uffizi and the Pitti Palace, the work of great masters such as Giotto, Brunelleschi, Botticelli and Michelangelo. Cimabue and Giotto, the fathers of Italian painting, lived in Florence as well as Arnolfo and Andrea Pisano, renewers of architecture and sculpture; Brunelleschi, Donatello and Masaccio forefathers of the Renaissance, Ghiberti and the Della Robbias, Filippo Lippi and Angelico; Botticelli, Paolo Uccello and the universal genius of Leonardo and Michelangelo. Unesco has inserted in the World-Heritage list the Historic Centre of Florence in 1982.

Florence main attractions: The best-known site and crowning architectural jewel of Florence is the domed cathedral of the city, Santa Maria del Fiore, known as The Duomo, this magnificent dome was built by Filippo Brunelleschi. The nearby Campanile tower (designed by Giotto) and the Baptistery buildings are also highlights. The heart of the city is Piazza della Signoria, it is the focal point of the origin and of the history of the Florentine Republic, this splendid open-air museum evokes centuries of greatness and power. The impressive 14th century Palazzo Vecchio is still preeminent with its crenellated tower. Other highlights in the square are the Loggia della Signoria, the Uffizi Gallery, the Palace of the Tribunale della Mercanzia (1359), Bartolomeo Ammanati's Fountain of Neptune, and the Uguccioni Palace (16th c.). The Uffizi housing one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the world the museum contains several masterpieces of Cimabue (Maestà), Duccio (Maestà), Giotto (The Ognissanti Madonna, Badia Polyptych), Simone Martini (The Annunciation), Paolo Uccello (The Battle of San Romano), Piero della Francesca (Diptych of Duke Federico da Montefeltro and Duchess Battista Sforza of Urbino), Fra Filippo Lippi (Madonna with Child and Two Angels), Andrea del Verrocchio (The Baptism of Christ), Hugo van der Goes (The Portinari Triptych), Sandro Botticelli (Primavera, The Birth of Venus, The Adoration of the Magi and others), Leonardo da Vinci (The Annunciation, The Adoration of the Magi), Piero di Cosimo (Perseus liberating Andromeda), Albrecht Dürer (The Adoration of the Magi), Michelangelo (The Doni Tondo), Raphael (Madonna of the Goldfinch, Pope Leo X with Cardinals Giulio de' Medici and Luigi de' Rossi), Tiziano (Flora, Venus of Urbino), Parmigianino (The Madonna of the Long Neck), Caravaggio (Bacchus, The Sacrifice of Isaac, Medusa). In addition to the Uffizi, Florence has other world-class museums: The Bargello concentrates on sculpture, containing many priceless works of art created by such sculptors as Donatello, Giambologna, and Michelangelo. The Accademia collection's highlights are Michelangelo's David and his unfinished Slaves. The museum of San Marco with Angelico's works. Across the Arno is the huge Pitti Palace with his Palatina gallery containing part of the Medici family's former private collection. In addition to the Medici collection the palace's galleries contain a large number of Renaissance works, including several by Raphael and Titian as well as a large collection of modern art, costumes, cattiages, and porcerlain. Adjoining the Palace are the Boboli Gardens, elaborately landscaped and with many interesting sculptures. The Basilica of San Lorenzo contains the Medici Chapel, the mausoleum of the Medici family. The Basilica of Santa Croce church contains the monumental tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Dante (actually a cenotaph), and many other notables. Other important basilicas and churches in Florence include Santa Maria Novella, Santo Spirito, San Miniato al Monte, Ognissanti, and Orsanmichele. The Arno river, cuts through the old part of the city, one of the bridges in particular stands out as being unique, The Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), whose most striking feature is the multitude of shops built upon its edges, held up by stilts. The bridge also carried Vasari's elevated corridor linking the Uffizi to the Palazzo Pitti.

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Public transportation in Florence: The principal public transportation network within the city is run by the ATAF, with tickets available at local tobacconists, bars, and newspaper stalls. The main bus station is next to Santa Maria Novella train station. No subway services are available in the city, an urban tram network called the TramVia is currently under construction.

Climate in Florence:

Florence enjoys a seasonal, temperate climate, with warm, dry summers and cool to cold winters with a short rainy season early in winter. Choose spring or early autumn for visit Florence. Tuscany has been praised for its light, which has clear golden quality most noticeable when the intensely sunny days of high summer begin to shorten. Spring and autumn days are still warm, with plenty of hours of sunshine to enjoy. July and August are the hottest, driest months, these are the least confortable months for sight-seeing. Autumn is the wettest time in Florence, with heavy downpours which can last for days, especially late in the season. Annual rainfall varies from 800 to 850 mm.  Late summer storms often bring relief from the intense heat. Winter and spring usually have fairly low rainfall.