Florence is the capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, is home to many tourist attractions including masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture.
One of its most iconic sights is the Duomo, a cathedral with a terracotta-tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi and a bell tower by Giotto, and a whole lot of other breath-taking sights. Let’s take a look at some of them
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and Piazza Duomo
Piazza Duomo and the group of buildings that form its cathedral complex gather some of Italy’s greatest artistic treasures into one relatively small area.
As you tour the baptistery, the bell tower, the cathedral, and its museum, you’ll see some of the best-known masterpieces of art and architecture by the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance — Ghiberti, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Giotto, and Michelangelo.
Begin by walking around the square to admire the intricately inlaid marble exteriors, then step inside each one to look more closely at the stained-glass works of art that greet you wherever you look.
Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistery of St. John)
From any angle, inside or out, the 12th-century octagonal baptistery is a consummate work of art. Its marble façade, the intricate mosaics of its interior, and the artworks it holds all merit a place high on your list.
But the magnificent bronze panels that Ghiberti created for the doors facing the cathedral trump them all. Nowhere has bronze been worked with such exquisite expression as in these Gates of Paradise. For a closer look, and to see some of the treasures that have been made for the baptistery, visit the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, the cathedral’s museum.
Piazzale Michelangiolo
So often misspelled as Piazzale Michelangelo that even city tourism material occasionally slips up, this terrace above the city is an obligatory stop for tour buses and the spot from which all those postcard shots of the cathedral are taken.
During busy tourist seasons, the best time to enjoy it in relative peace is late afternoon or early evening; it’s especially lovely at sunset.
Although you can get a 360-degree panorama of Florence from the dome of the cathedral, only from this terrace can you fully appreciate how Brunelleschi’s dome dominates the city center?
Nor can any other height give you this sweeping city view that encompasses the Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Croce, and other landmarks.
Uffizi Palace and Gallery
Few would argue the Uffizi’s place among the handful of the world’s top art museums.
Its collections are simply staggering in their diversity and quality, and even if art is not your main interest, you should see the highlights of the paintings here.
You’ll come away understanding a lot more of how Florence’s 14th- to 16th-century painters changed the face of western art, as you see the transition from the stilted Byzantine images to the life-like figures and landscapes of the Renaissance artists.
The vast building stretching along the river was one more of the Medici palaces but was intended not as a residence, but to house governmental offices, scientific studies, and part of their growing art collection.
One of its loveliest spaces, the octagonal Tribuna, was commissioned especially to display the most prized paintings and jewels of Francesco I de’ Medici.
Neptune Fountain, Piazza Della Signoria
This broad square has been the center of power in Florence since its 14th-century origins – and perhaps even before, as Etruscan and Roman remains have been found below its pavement.
Today, it is the social center as well, a favorite meeting place filled with tourists and locals. At its center is the Neptune Fountain, at one side the Palazzo Vecchio, still housing the city’s government.
Against the wall of the Uffizi, which forms one end of the piazza, is the Loggia Dei Lanzi, an outdoor sculpture gallery with several notable pieces.
Most widely recognized of these is Benvenuto Cellini’s best-known work, Perseus with the Head of Medusa. In front of the Palazzo Vecchio is a copy of Michelangelo’s David.
