TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: WHAT TO VISIT IN FLORENCE FLORENCE, TUSCANY, ITALY

 

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TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: WHAT TO VISIT IN FLORENCE

The most famous attraction of Florence is the cathedral of the city with its cupola, Santa Maria del Fiore, its magnificent dome was built by Filippo Brunelleschi. The nearby bell tower (designed by Giotto) and the Baptistery are also primary attractions.

The heart of the city is the Piazza della Signoria, the focal point of the city's origins and history of the Florentine Republic, this beautiful open-air museum evokes centuries of grandeur and power. The majestic Palazzo Vecchio (14th century) still dominates the square with its crenellated tower. Other attractions in the square are the Loggia della Signoria, the Galleria degli Uffizi (one of the most important museums of the world), the Palazzo del Tribunale della Mercanzia (1359), the fountain of Neptune (called by Florentines as Biancone) by Bartolomeo Ammannati, and the Palazzo Uguccioni (16th century). 

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 museums of world importance: The Galleria dell'Accademia houses the famous David of Michelangelo and his unfinished Slaves. The Museum of San Marco houses masterpieces by Beato Angelico. The Bargello presents numerous sculptures, contains many masterpieces of sculptors like Donatello, Giambologna, and Michelangelo.

Crossed the Arno at Ponte Vecchio, one reaches the enormous Palazzo Pitti, with the Palatine Gallery, which contains the private collection of the Medici family. In addition to the Medici collection Palazzo Pitti also contains a large number of Renaissance masterpieces including works by Raphael and Titian as a great collection of modern art, costumes, and porcelain. Around Palazzo Pitti is the Boboli Gardens, with beautiful landscape and numerous sculptures. 

The Basilica of Santa Croce contains the monumental tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Dante (only a cenotaph), and many other famous Italians. The Basilica of San Lorenzo home to the Medici Chapels, the mausoleum of the Medici family. Other important basilicas and churches of Florence are Santa Maria Novella (Cappella Tornabuoni, Cappella Strozzi), Santo Spirito, Santa Maria del Carmine with the Masaccio's frescoes of the Cappella Brancacci, San Miniato al Monte, Ognissanti, and Orsanmichele. The river Arno, cut in two the old city, one of the bridges that cross is the famous Ponte Vecchio, rich in gold shops. The bridge also houses the famous Vasari Corridor that connects the Uffizi with Palazzo Pitti.