Saturday, March 1, 2008

Florence

Florence is credited with the birthplace of the Renaissance . Every imaginable variation of Florence walking tours includes a trip to the Duomo. A wondrous and overwhelming sculpture in the center of town, its giant golden dome is visible all through Florence .It is layer upon layer of gray. The best way to see Florence is to wander the ancient streets, enter little churches, and boutiques that abound. You are sure to find a unique souvenir. While you are in Florence, allow a day for an excursion into the Tuscany countryside, visiting the small village of San Gimignano - still as it was in the 15th Century - and beautiful Siena, home of the Palio.

Weather is definitely important, however, because Florence walking tours are a fundamental part of a visit to this city. During the summer the extensive masonry raises the temperature within city limits a good 5 degrees, while in the winter even the afternoon sky is thick, moist and threatening. But inside these daunting, military-style buildings, the vast artistic treasures stand second to none, while nearby restaurants in Florence Italy are always on call to fortify your stomach for your next journey into the city.

Sightseeing in Florence:
Uffizi Gallery
The Uffizi Gallery, founded in Florence in 1581, bequeathed to the city by the Medici family. It is the oldest museums in the world. Valuable art collections and important works of notable artists such as Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli are kept here. It is the largest existing collections of Tuscan Renaissance paintings.

Santa Maria del Fiore The DuomoPiazza del Duomo
Another significant feature of Florence's skyline is the dome of the cathedral (Duomo), Santa Maria del Fiore. The work of the dome was started by the sculptor Arnolfo di Cambio . Various local artists continued to work on it during the following century and a half. Its sturdy bell tower was designed by painter Giotto, the massive octagonal cupola by Filippo Brunelleschi, and the third pair of these doors, by Lorenzo Ghiberti.


Ponte Vecchio
The Ponte Vecchio is the oldest surviving bridge in Florence. It is the only bridge in Florence that survived World War II.Cross the Arno River at Ponte Vecchio before ending your stroll in the Boboli Gardens, an idyllic resting spot originally designed for the Medicis.


A complete tour of Florence Italy can be finished in a day or in a month. It depends on how much you enjoy the myriad art exhibits at your disposal. The Academia has a wide arrangement of striking sculptures and other works, but they are more like an afterthought next to the gallery's main attraction: Michelangelo's David. Florence seems to birth replicas of David overnight, as smaller scale versions of the masterpiece seem to pop up in almost every piazza or town square throughout the city.