Fabulous Unforgettable Florence!
Because of its art, history, food, and beautiful landscape, Tuscany is an Italian dream and must-see! Florence is the treasure of Tuscany and one of my favorite places in the world! When you think of fields of flowers, rolling hills, tall Cyprus trees, and charming country villages, it’s Tuscany.
Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, and Luca are just a few other magical places in Tuscany, but we’ll concentrate on Florence.
Florence is the capital of Tuscany. The Etruscans settled in this area first, then the Romans in 59 BC, the Lombards in the 6th century, followed by an independent period in the Dark Ages.
By the 13th century, Florence was a major trading hub of wool and textiles backed by banking power. Political control was held by guilds, the Florentine Republic, and in time, influential noble families–especially the Medici.
Florence gave us the gift of the Renaissance–the artistic and cultural reawakening of the 15th century which spread all across Europe. For three centuries, the Medici family, an incredibly wealthy banking dynasty, created an artistic growth explosion of art, architecture, and science.
The paintings and sculptures of Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, and Botticelli filled churches, palaces, and streets. (Hint: I’m not talking about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles here).
Pieta by Michelangelo (1550-55) in the Duomo Cathedral Museum
Writers and poets such as Dante and Machiavelli combined literary works to make Florence one of the world’s greatest artistic capitals. Never has a city had such an impact on art!
My plan was to separate this travel blog into “Florence attractions” and “Florence art;” however, they are intertwined. With an abundance to explore, the division is now Florence “Part One” and “Part Two.”
My travel tips and suggestions originate from friends asking for Italy tips and a trip we took with Monograms Independent Travel and AAA. In each major city (ours were Rome, Florence and Venice), Monograms takes care of all the details, provides sightseeing tours, optional excursions, and on-site help for planning.
We arrived by train from Rome and spent the first afternoon getting the lay of the land. The historical center of Florence is compact and one of the most walkable cities on earth.
The heart of Florence is organized around grand squares, little piazzas and charming neighborhoods. In “Fabulous Unforgettable Florence, Part One,” we’ll begin with the Piazza del Duomo.
The Duomo, Baptistry and Campanile in the Piazza de Duomo
The Florence Cathedral complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, includes not only the richly decorated Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo) but the Baptistery and Giotto’s Campanile (an Italian bell tower).
The Duomo (Italian for “Cathedral”)
The Duomo (1296) is a Minor Basilica, the city’s tallest building, and a Gothic masterpiece faced in white, green, and reddish-pink Tuscan marble (the same colors of the Italian flag).
Its orange-tiled dome by Brunelleschi is the famous symbol of Florence. Brunelleschi’s dome was the largest of its time to be constructed without scaffolding.
Without using iconic flying buttresses, no one actually knew how to build a dome that size. The church sat incomplete and without a dome for over 100 years until 1418, when an architectural contest was held for ideas to complete it. Filippo Brunelleschi won the contest with his genius engineering ideas based on the shape of an “egg.” The dome and the church were finally complete in 1436.
For an extra fee, climb the 463 steps to the top of the dome for spectacular views of the city and some aerobic activity for all the pasta and gelato you will eat! Below is a glimpse of the ancient staircase. . . behind the scenes.
A thicker inner-shell of the Dome acts as a platform and supports the outer shell. Once you climb up to the dome, you’ll ascend between those two shells to get to the top. (Below: my sister-in-law and daughter on the way down inside the dome).
The Gothic interior of the Duomo is free to visit. After a flood in 1966, many art pieces were either lost or moved to the Opera del Duomo Museum. It is known for its 44 stained-glass windows from the 1300s. Part of the Crypt is open to the public and includes the tomb of Brunelleschi, the Duomo’s architect.
The church might appear quite empty; however, look down and then up! The 16th century colorful, intricately inlaid marble flooring is stunning.
The photo below was taken from our Dome climb. Before reaching the top of the dome, you’ll “skirt” around a walking ledge inside the Cathedral overlooking the church.
The interior of the dome is also a showstopper. The Last Judgment frescoes (1572-4) were started by Giorgio Vasari and completed by Federico Zuccari. You get a great view on the Dome climb.
Note: my engineer husband is afraid of heights, but his desire to see how the cathedral and the dome were built got him to the top!
Below: From the top looking toward Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Croce and across the river to the neighborhood of Oltrarno.
A view of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Medici Chapels, and a maze of streets.
Looking down from the top of the Dome will give you a whole new Florence perspective.
If you choose to do the Duomo Climb, book your tickets in advance. The Duomo interior is free to visit, but you may experience long lines. http://duomo.firenze.it
The Campanile – Bell Tower
Also clad in white, green, and pink Tuscan marble is the 276-foot Bell Tower (1334) by Giotto, who was the construction superintendent of both the cathedral and bell tower. Bell towers marked time and called worshippers to church and city activities. (Photo taken from the top of the Duomo).
In medieval times, the center of the city was a huge labyrinth of of narrow streets and alleys filled with artisan workshops (leather workers, bakers, peddlers, silk weavers, dyers, innkeepers, and other merchants). The bell tower panels near the street level were designed to feature and celebrate those laborers. You can climb to the top of the Campanile too!
The Baptistry of Saint John the Baptist
The ancient building has been in this plaza since the 4th century in several capacities. It later represented its religious and civic identity as a baptistry– important because no one could enter a church without first being baptized.
It even served as the city’s cathedral until the 12th century. Until World War II, all babies born in Florence were baptized at the green and white marble octagonal baptistry dedicated to St. John the Baptist.
It is renowned for its bronze east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti named the Gates of Paradise, his north doors, and the south doors by Andrea Pisano. Ghiberti won the contest to make them and spent decades working on the 3D panels. These are copies; the originals can be found in the Bargello Museum.
The Baptistry also boasts the massive tomb of Antipope John XXIII by Donatello and the colorful 13th century ceiling mosaics illustrating The Last Judgment (artist unknown).
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The Basilica of San Lorenzo
Since the Medici family dominated for 300 years in Florence, check out the Medici Chapels at the Basilica of San Lorenzo to understand the big picture of their importance. The Medici’s were patrons of the church and the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. They’ve also been called the greatest Patrons of the Arts.
San Lorenzo was the parish church of the Medici. The chapels are divided into three parts: the crypt, the Chapel of the Princes and the New Sacristy. In 1419, Brunelleschi was commissioned to rebuild the original church and the Old Sacristy in the Classical Style of the Renaissance. In the Chapel of the Princes are the tombs of six Medici grand dukes.
Almost 100 years later, Michelangelo designed the New Sacristy, the Medici tombs, and a library to house the family’s collection of manuscripts. The family mausoleum, the Chapel of the Princes, was commissioned in 1604.
Three groups of statues, all carved by Michelangelo between 1520 and 1534 surround the walls. Near Michelangelo’s statue Madonna and Child are the simple tombs of Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother, Giuliano.
Note: none of the Medici were actually princes; they were all Dukes. But, their family did produce four popes: Leo X, Clement VII, Pius IV, and Leo XI.
Note: Netflix has a 3-season series about the Medici and Florence with an amazing cast including Dustin Hoffman, Richard Maden, Bradley James, Daniel Sharman, Sean Bean, and so many more. Check it out! It helps to connect the dots of the Medici dynasty and the Renaissance.
The Galleria dell’ Accademia
The Academy of Fine Arts (1563) was the first, and is still the oldest, European school created specifically to teach techniques of sculpture, drawing and painting– founded by Cosimo I de Medici.
Michelangelo’s David (1504) is clearly the most famous work of art displayed to provide Realism material for students to study and copy. The statue is a massive 17 ft. nude of David, the Biblical hero who killed the giant Goliath. At age 29, the David made Michelangelo a famous sculptor.
The sculpture was commissioned for the Piazza della Signoria by the City. In 1873, the original was moved to the Academy to protect it from weather and to keep it safe. A copy now stands in the plaza, and another copy is in Piazzale Michelangelo.
Four other sculptures, most-likely unfinished by Michelangelo, named The Four Prisoners or Slaves (Quattro Prigionieri) are displayed in the Academy of Fine Arts. They were created for the tomb of Pope Julius II. Leonardo, Michelangelo’s nephew, presented them to the Medici family in 1564.
Also worth seeing is the plaster model for the stunning marble sculpture of Giambologna’s The Rape of the Sabine Women (1580). The original is housed under the Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria. The enormous sculpture offers multiple viewing points and features three figures carved from one large block of marble.
More than sculptures, the Galleria has an extremely valuable collection of artwork and paintings by Paolo Uccello, Perugino, Filippino Lippi, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Botticelli.
Our Monograms Travel tour included a skip-the-lines visit to the Academy.
The Ponte Vecchio
The Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) was the only bridge spared from destruction during World War II. It is Florence’s oldest bridge and arches over the Arno River. It’s known for the 13th century medieval shops built along it. Butchers, tanners, and farmers first occupied the bridge shops, but today’s tenants are jewelers, art dealers, and souvenir shops.
Walk it! It is one of the most interesting bridges in the world! Midway it opens up to fantastic views of the Arno River.
Running above the shops on the Ponte Vecchio is a special hallway (the Vasari Corridor) built in 1565 by Giorgio Vasari for the Medici to secretly connect from the Palazzo Vecchio, through the Uffizi Gallery, and all the way across the river to their home at the Palazzo Pitti. It is over a half-mile long. The Medici could cross Florence safely, and it kept them from being in public with the people they ruled.
If you are not in Florence for the wonder of its architecture and art, take advantage of the food and wine!
Italy has been the biggest wine producer in the world for over 4000 years, and Tuscany is the second largest wine producer in Italy. Sangiovese is the thriving grape variety in this area, famous for Chianti.
Consider planning a wine tour or taking a cooking class from a local family while in Florence or Tuscany.
Unique to Tuscany, and throughout Florence, are wine windows, called Buchette del vino (translating to little wine doors) or Doors of Paradise. Although very few are still in use, there are almost 150 wine windows all across Florence.
In the Middle Ages, most noble families living in Tuscany were also winemakers. From 1559, Cosimo de Medici allowed those families to sell wine directly to customers from their homes and palaces. Not wanting the public in their homes, they installed little “hatches” (or windows) big enough to pass a flask of wine through to sell. When not “open for business,” the hatch was closed up.
Wine windows evolved in the 1600s during the Bubonic Plague. Shops used these tiny openings, known as sportellos, to distribute food and wine with minimal contact. Sound familiar? Today, we call this “social distancing.” In 2020, because of the pandemic, vendors put these little wine windows back to work to sell wine, gelato, coffee, and even food.
You can find vino windows all over the city center and across the river in Oltrarno.
And, Florence is a food haven! Everything is flavorful, and fresh, and delicious!
Be sure to eat pizza in Florence! Gustapizza was on our list to try, but we didn’t make it to the restaurant. However, all the pizza we devoured was amazing!
The city is also known for its Florentine steaks, called Bistecca alla Florentina. If you are a meat eater, take advantage of this large t-bone cut.
We had a wonderful meal at Il Porcospino; they blessed us with food and made us feel like family. You can choose pizza, Florentine steaks, as well as yummy Caprese salads, Crostini, and fresh Pappardelle, Ravioli, and seafood choices with pasta.
And don’t pass on Florence’s gelato. We began eating gelato twice a day in Rome and Positano and continued our new routine in Florence.
A few of our favorites: Gelateria dei Neri (seems like it was near the Uffizi), Vivoli – Florence’s oldest (1929) near Santa Croce, and Perché No! (since 1939). I was addicted to lemon and/or black cherry gelato! It’s so, so good!
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Stay tuned for Fabulous Unforgettable Florence Part Two next week! I’ll cover Florence’s Piazza della Signorina and its famous statues, Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi (Italy’s greatest art gallery), The Logia dei Lanzi, the Basilica of Santa Croce, the Bargello Museum, and the Oltrarno district with Palazzo Pitti, Boboli Gardens, and Piazzale Michelangelo.
There is much to see and do and eat in Florence! Ciao for now, and until then, keep exploring!
Resources:
https://aaa.com
https://monograms.com
To climb the dome: https://duomo.firenze.it
To see The David: https://galleriaaccademiafirenze.it
traveltipsbytami.com [email protected]
Tami Kooch
Tami,
Lovely and informative! Thank you. You should offer your photos for sale! You have a great eye for photography. The green landscape in the second photo is a work of art!
Pat
Thanks Pat! Lugging around a good camera (as opposed to using our cell phone cameras) is well worth the outcome, especially for my “wall of art.”
While this Italy trip is one of my favorite trips we have taken to date, Florence is one of my favorite locations we visited. Florence is a very friendly city and the sights are magnificent. The city is easy to navigate and a great location to reach other towns in the region. As noted in this blog, the Duomo is an engineering marvel. While my fear of heights was triggered, the engineering ingenuity captured my attention. The intermediate walkway around the dome was breath taking. Viewing the dome frescoes from the walkway allowed a deeper appreciation for the masterpiece. From the walkway up to the top of the dome is tight and narrow but well worth the effort to get a 360 degree view of Florence and the surrounding area. The landmarks, views and food are unforgettable.
I think it was Florence that won over your heart for travel abroad, and I’m so grateful!