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This is the city of "rebirth" and "humanism", the "Flourishing city". Florence's ideas of beauty through

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6000 different kinds of plants! |
Via Pier Antonio Micheli, 3 Florence 50121 Italy |
The creation of the Giardino dei Semplici or Botanical Gardens (Orto Botanico), was ordered by Cosimo I de'Medici in the mid 16th century and planned by Niccolo Tribolo. It was one of the first of its kind in the world. The Gardens were planted by famous botanists, one of whom, Pier Antonio Micheli, made additions in the following century. Today the collection comprises 6,000 plants of different kinds from all over the world. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Great works by Pontormo |
Via Senese, 206-208r Florence Italy +39 55 204 9217 |
Both architecturally and artistically unique, this monastery commissioned in 1342 by Niccolò Acciaioli, viceroy of the Kingdom of Naples, was originally home to Carthusian monks. Today Cistercian monks (who have lived here since 1958) give visitors a guided tour of the complex's treasures. The tour winds its way through the monastery, taking in the Chiostrino dei Monaci e il Capitolo, a cloister featuring Albertinelli's 1506 work The Crucifixion. Other architectural works, completed in different periods, make up the Certosa complex. Free admission. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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War Memorial |
West of Via Cassia Florence, Florence 50144 Italy +39 55 230 2033 (tourism office) http://www.abmc.gov/ |
The Memorial is a beautiful spot amidst wooded slopes, near the Greve River and approximately 5 miles from the historic center. Green courts with white crosses, on either side of a pylon, consist of 4,398 graves of soldiers who died for their country. The names soldiers is written upon the Tablets of the Missing, which serves as a reminder of sacrifice and loyalty. A staff member is on site at all times to answer questions and assist relatives to the graves. Achievements of the American Armed Forces in this region can be viewed in the north atrium of the memorial. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Paintings, Sculptures and Michelangelo's David |
Via Ricasoli, 60 Florence 50122 Italy +39 55 238 8609 http://www.polomuseale.firenze... |
The Accademia Gallery is perhaps best-known for Michelangelo's David, removed after four centuries from Piazza Signoria, now exhibited in a specially constructed hall. Other works by Michelangelo include some of his Slave series and his sculpture of San Matteo. Also featured is an impressive collection of paintings from the 13th to 16th Centuries. Among the gallery's most important works: a Sienese school Crucifix from the 13th Century, 24 panels by Taddeo Gaddi representing scenes from the life of Christ and St Francis and Giovanni da Milano's Pietà. Admission: EUR 6. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Former Royal Garden |
Piazza Pitti, 1 Florence 50125 Italy +39 55 265 1838 http://www.polomuseale.firenze... |
Inside this garden lies the Buontalenti grotto (1583-1593). Decorated with Mannerist-style scenes from Greek and Roman mythology, the grotto includes copies of Michelangelo's famous Slave series, the originals of which were transferred to the Galleria dell'Accademia. In the 17th Century, the garden was extended as far as the Porta Romana, adding the Vasca d'Isola (pond) at the centre with a fountain and a statue of Neptune. In the late 18th century, Zanobi del Rosso built the Kaffehaus pavilion. Admission: EUR 6 and includes entry to the Museo delle Porcellane, Galleria del Costume, Museo degli Argenti and the Museo e Galleria Mozzi Bardini. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Historical residence |
Via Cavour, 1 Florence 50129 Italy +39 55 276 0340 |
This building was constructed between 1444 and 1460 by Michelozzo Michelozzi on the orders of Cosimo il Vecchio. It represents the prototype of the Florentine Renaissance style, characterized by mullioned windows of every size. Halfway through the 17th century it was sold to the Marchesi Riccardi family who enlarged it, adding the gallery which has Baroque frescoes by Luca Giordano. The Riccardi family held onto the palazzo until 1814 when it became the site of the Ministry of the Interior and, from 1871, the Prefecture. Inside there is a beautifully porticoed courtyard where there are many Roman remains gathered as well as various sculptures. The Chapel which was designed by Michelozzi is also noteworthy. There you will find frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli which show the journey of the Magi to Bethlehem (1459). Within them, there are various famous people of the period including Lorenzo the Magnificient and Galeazzo Maria Sforza. Go early - only 8 guests permitted in at once! Admission: EUR 5. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Fantastic view over the city |
Piazzale Michelangelo Florence 50100 Italy |
Renowned for its panoramic views of Florence and the Arno valley, this terrace is a popular spot with locals and tourists. Created as part of major restructuring of the city walls, Giuseppe Poggi's sumptuous terrace is typically 19th century. In 1871, Poggi designed a monument base dedicated to Michelangelo. The monument itself was to be composed of copies of Michelangelo's works, including David and the Medici chapel sculptures from San Lorenzo. When the terrace was finished, Poggi designed the hillside building, now a restaurant, as a museum for Michelangelo's works. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Florentine icon |
Ponte Vecchio Florence 50125 Italy |
Best known of all Florence's treasures, this glorious bridge was the only one of six spared by the retreating Germans on 4 August 1944. Over the centuries flooding unfortunately took its toll; few traces of the 10th-century bridge remain. Today's bridge, built in 1345, was filled with butcher's shops which would routinely discard the carcasses into the Arno causing quite a stench. Grand Duke Fernandino I issued an edict to replace the butchers with goldsmiths to eradicate the smell and gentrify royalty's route to Palazzo Pitti, reached via the Vasari Corridor that passes over the bridge. Also, do not padlock anything to the statue of Benvenuto Cellini, often practiced by lovers who padlock a lock to the gate of the statue and toss the key into the river - otherwise face a fine of EUR 50! Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Basilica and sanctuary |
Piazza SS. Annunziata Florence 50122 Italy +39 55 239 8034 |
This basilica is also a sanctuary because one of its chapels contains the picture of the Annunciation. According to legend, this appeared on the wall at the time of the Virgin Mary. The devotional chapel was decorated with precious marble columns through the wishes of Piero di Cosimo, the father of Lorenzo the Magnificent. The church is entered from the Piassa SS.Annunziata. At the entrance there is a portico which dates back to the seventeenth century. Past the portico, one enters the Chiostrino dei Voti which is frescoed by Masters of the Florentine school over two centuries: Andrea del Sarto, Franciabigio, Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino. The "Chiostro dei Morti" (Cloister of the Dead) can also be visited on request. Admission: Free. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Complex of churches in Baroque style. |
Piazza San Firenze Florence 50122 Italy |
The church is part of a complex known as San Firenze, on which work began in 1645 after a commission by Filippini, who recieved the old church of San Fiorenzo as a gift from pope Urban VIII. The building was in the area between Borgo de'Greci and Via dell'Anguillara. The project to actually start building from the church of San Filippo Neri which stood to the left side of the complex was conceived by Pietro da Cortona and carried out by Pier Francesco Silvani. The church with seventeenth and eighteenth century decorations and furniture and facade from 1715 (Ferdinando Ruggieri) recalling the architecture of Buontalenti, are amongst the most significant examples of florentine art of the period. The complex was finished by Zanobi del Rosso who built an oratory in the opposite side of the church with a facade which was symmetrical to that of the church, uniting the two buildings into one block in which he developed the convent with a central courtyard. The Oratory and the monastery building are difficult to visit because at present they are used as the Tribunal offices. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Medici family church |
Piazza San Lorenzo Florence 50123 Italy +39 55 21 6634 |
Encompassing the Biblioteca Laurenziana (the Laurentian Library - one of the most prestigious libraries in Italy) and the Cappelle Medicee, this basilica is a testimony to the political power and patronage of the Medici family. Its origins date back to 393 when St. Ambrose consecrated it in memory of the martyrdom of St. Lawrence. Adorned with fabulous artwork, including the marble Altar of the Sacrament carved by Desiderio da Settignano, the basilica features major artists of the period, including Donatello, Verrocchio, Filippo Lippi and Brunelleschi. This church contains the tombs of many members of the Medici family as well as that of one of their favorite artists, Donatello. Admission: EUR 4. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Cosimo the Elder's monastery |
Piazza San Marco, 1 Florence 50121 Italy +39 55 238 8608 |
This complex was enlarged in 1437 by Michelozzo to accommodate Dominican monks who had moved to the city from nearby Fiesole. Traces of frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries remain today, although some parts of the structure were modified during the Counter-Reformation and the facade was finally completed in the 17th century. One of the oldest pieces of artwork on display is the crucifix by an artist whose style is similar to Andrea Orcagna's, while at the far end of the church on the main altar is Fra'Angelico's "Crucifix." Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Romanesque church on the Florentine hills |
Via Monte alle Croci, 34 Florence 50125 Italy +39 55 234 2768 |
San Miniato is one of the most striking examples of Florentine Romanesque architecture, characterized by its bicoloured (white and green) marble façade. The altar, pulpit and transept recess feature fine marble décor, while the floor, in keeping with the Romanesque style, is decorated with symbolic ornamental motifs. Halfway along the nave on the left is another chapel, the Cappella del Cardinale Portogallo, which was designed by one of Brunelleschi's pupils, its architectural and decorative style resembles one of Brunelleschi's first creations, the Sagrestia Vecchia (Old Sacristy), which can be seen in San Lorenzo church. Admission: Free. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Franciscan basilica |
Piazza Santa Croce Florence 50122 Italy |
The construction of the Basilica of Santa Croce began in 1294. Giotto's frescoes in the chapels at the head of the transept are considered to be some of the finest examples of 14th century painting, while the 19th-century architect Niccolò Matas is responsible for the church's distinctive green and white marble façade. The church contains the tombs of the intellectual, artistic and religious figures from Italy's past, including Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Gioacchino Rossini, Galileo and Ugo Foscolo. Although exiled from Florence and buried in Ravenna, Dante, father of the Italian language, is honored with a cenotaph. Admission: EUR 5. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Italian Architecture with Gothic Strains |
Piazza Santa Maria Novella Florence 50123 Italy |
This church was built in 1278 by architects (Fra Sisto and Fra Ristoro) who were part of the Dominican order, the work was carried on by Fra Jacopo Talenti and Fra Giovanni da Campi, and was constructed in a Gothic style. The church still bears evidence of the Gothic style in the lower part of the façade in its avelli (grave niches) with its pointed arches, which are clad in green and white marble these colours are to be found in the upper part of the façade elegant with its classical motifs, designed by Leon Battista Alberti in the 1470s at the request of Giovanni Rucellai (whose name is prominently displayed on the façade). The left side of the façade which leads to thecloisters of Santa Maria Novella. The most important and interesting objects of art are to be found in the chapels of the prized and famous families. The Rucellai chapel is on the right of the church, with a marble sculpture of Madonna and Child by Nino Pisano. The Cappella Bardi is the second on the right and was the resting place of the famous Maestà by Duccio, which is in the room of the Uffizi. The chapel adjacent is that of Filippo Strozzi and is decorated with stories of San Filippo by Filippino Lippi in the 1590s, and sculptures by Benedetto da Maiano. The chapel of Giovanni Tornabuoni has wonderful scenes of political and cultural life of the times with illustrious men, humanists and famous Florentines. The frescoes depict the life of the Madonna and Saint John the Baptist and were created by Domenico Ghirlandaio as well as his young apprentice Michelangelo in 1485-90. After the cappella maggiore is the Cappella Gondi with its wooden cross by Brunelleschi framed by Giuliano da Sangallo's architecture, and the Capella Gaddi encrusted with stones and marble. The Cappella Strozzi is to be found on the left side of the church and is decorated with 14th century frescoes of Heaven, Hell, and Judgment Day by Nardo di Cione, the brother of Orcagna, the author of the altar piece with Cristo risorto (Christ risen), completed in 1347. The sacristy and its furnishings can be seen on the left side of the church as you descend the steps from the Capella Strozzi, you can purchase books and religious objects from here. Finally, you can see the glorious fresco of the Trinity by Masaccio (circa 1427), can be found along the left side of the aisle, this is the fresco of the Madonna, St John and the fresco's patrons, the Lenzi family. Admission: EUR 3. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Renaissance church and chapel |
Piazza del Carmine, 14 Florence 50124 Italy +39 55 21 2331 |
This 2nd-century church is found in the Oltrarno. It was completely destroyed by a fire and rebuilt in the 18th Century by Ruggieri and then Mannaioni. The Brancacci Chapel is the most precious part remaining from the fire. It was frescoed by Masolino and Masaccio beginning in 1424 and was finished by Filippino Lippi after 1480. Inside, two particular scenes frescoed by Masaccio stand out: "The payment of tribute" and the Purge from Paradise. These constitute an example imitated throughout the renaissance, especially in the ways in which naked bodies were studied at close quarters, both in their proportions and in their volumes. The chapel has a separate entrance where a charge is applicable. Admission: EUR 4. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Near to the Santa Trinita bridge |
Piazza Santa Trinita Florence 50123 Italy |
This building was originally erected in the middle of the 11th Century and after modifications spanning three centuries, the church finally took the form of the plans drawn up by Neri di Fioravante at the end of the 14th century. The façade however was the work of Bernardo Buontalenti. Inside, the only chapel to preserve its original 15th century decorations is the fourth in the right-hand nave. It was Lorenzo Monaco who, between 1420-1425, painted the series of frescoes telling the story of the Virgin Mary and the altar-piece with the Annunciation. The first chapel on the right, in the apse walls, was owned by the Sassetti family who commissioned Domenico Ghirlandio to paint the series of frescoes telling the stories of St Francis of Assisi which depict aspects of 15th century life with particular realism. Ghirlandaio also worked on the altar-piece with the sweet Shepherd's Worship, dated 1485. Admission: Free. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Sir Harold Acton's former villa |
Via Bolognese, 120 Florence 50100 Italy |
This private villa can only be visited following a written request. The alley running from the entrance gate to the villa itself is lined with cypress trees and although the villa was built in the 16th century, it was completely renovated by the architects, Fontana and Ruggieri for the Capponi family in the 18th century. One of the villa's recent owners was Sir Harold Acton, an art historian who put together his own art collection here; it was subsequently bequeathed to an American university. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Grand Duchess D'Asburgo's splendid villa |
Piazzale del Poggio Imperiale Florence 50125 Italy +39 55 22 6171 |
This 17th-century villa stands on the Imperial Hill, so called because of its connections with the imperial D'Asburgo family through the Grand Duchess Maria Magdalena, wife of Cosimo II de' Medici and sister of the Emperor Ferdinand II. The original building designed by Parigi was altered during the 18th and 19th centuries by the designs of Paoletti, Poccianti and Cacialli, who created a neo-classical style which was particularly welcomed by the Grand Duchess. In the second half of the 19th century it was used as an educational center. Now under state control, only some ground floor rooms of the villa may be visited, namely those containing paintings by Matteo Roselli and other 17th-century Florentine painters, which depict subjects chosen by the Grand Duchess D'Asburgo. On the top floor, however, a room of Albertolli statues may also be visited. Please telephone for an appointment. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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