Florence
Visit, explore and enjoy with our tours the capital of the Renaissance.
Between the XV and XVI Century, a lot of great artists lived and worked here like Brunelleschi, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, just to mention the main ones.
Florence is a little jewel. Surrounded by enchanting hills, its city center is small but full of beauty, from churches to old palaces, fantastic museums to charming bridges. It was declared a UNESCO site in 1982.
Founded by the Romans, it grew and became a rich city in the Middle age, thanks to trade and the banking industry. But Florence definitely owes its luck to the main family that ruled the city for 3 centuries: The Medici.
It was a family of bankers that imposed its power from the XV century to the XVIII century.
They encouraged the development of all kinds of art and they invited the most important philosophers and personalities of that time to Florence. They loved to be surrounded by artist as well. Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were protected by the most famous man of the family: Lorenzo il Magnifico.
Renaissance Art
But art and culture were also used as methods of propaganda for their power.
When you walk in the streets of Florence you can breathe all of this in. The amazing Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore was the symbol of the richness of the city in the Middle Ages. The Florentine people wanted to build the biggest cathedral in the world!
However, the dome, built by Brunelleschi, represents the genius of the artist of that time who was sponsored by the Medici. From Brunelleschi’s dome, the view of Florence is breathtaking!
The Renaissance revolution started here. As a matter of fact, in front of the cathedral you can see the baptistery with the famous doors of Ghiberti. In 1401 for the first time in history, the city of Florence organized the first competition to choose an appropriate artist to make the door. Ghiberti won. That year is considered by art historians to be the very beginning of the Renaissance.
But art and culture were also used as methods of propaganda for their power.
When you walk in the streets of Florence you can breathe all of this in. The amazing Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore was the symbol of the richness of the city in the Middle Ages. The Florentine people wanted to build the biggest cathedral in the world!
However, the dome, built by Brunelleschi, represents the genius of the artist of that time who was sponsored by the Medici. From Brunelleschi’s dome, the view of Florence is breathtaking!
The Renaissance revolution started here. As a matter of fact, in front of the cathedral you can see the baptistery with the famous doors of Ghiberti. In 1401 for the first time in history, the city of Florence organized the first competition to choose an appropriate artist to make the door. Ghiberti won. That year is considered by art historians to be the very beginning of the Renaissance.
Museums, Art, Shooping and more…
The political center is not far from the Piazza del Duomo. Palazzo Vecchio, the city hall, built in 1299, is still the headquarters of the mayor of Florence. The piazza or square where it’s located, Piazza della Signoria, is an open-air museum: most of the statues there are original works: the beautiful Neptune fountain by Ammannati, the innovative Rape of the Sabine Women by Gianbologna and the fantastic Perseus by Cellini.
There’s also a replica of Michelangelo’s David there: the original one is at the Accademia gallery.
Next to Piazza della Signoria, there’s the most famous museum of Florence, the Uffizi Gallery, where you can admire original paintings, like Botticelli’s Venus and Primavera, Leonardo da Vinci’s works and the only painting on wood of Michelangelo, the famous Tondo Doni.
The Arno river, the main river of Florence, can be crossed over by the most important bridge of the city: Ponte Vecchio, the Old Bridge, the first bridge in the Florence and the only one that survived World War II.
Florentine jewelry stands have been there since the late XVI Century.
Don’t be shy, cross the Old Bridge and explore the other side of the Arno River. The area there is commonly known as the Oltrarno area. Other fantastic museums are there like Pitti Palace and the Boboli gardens, but that’s the district of the Florentine people, where you can still find the artisans and fantastic restaurants.
Yes, because Florence is also food, good wine and nightlife! If you like shopping, don’t forget that Gucci was born here and Ferragamo established his main factory and shop in the city!
If you want to know more about that see our articles in the blog!
Otherwise, what are you waiting for? Come to Florence for a tour to enjoy and experience all these beautiful things!
