{"id":1616,"date":"2016-02-01T22:34:30","date_gmt":"2016-02-01T21:34:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cortonamia.com\/newsite\/en\/?page_id=1616"},"modified":"2026-03-12T18:57:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T17:57:24","slug":"guide-florence","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.cortonamia.com\/en\/guide-florence\/","title":{"rendered":"Guide Florence"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Full guide to Florence<\/span><\/h1>\n

A complete guide of Florence we will cross with you the main tourist destinations as churches, monasteries, squares and museums and learn about the great \u201cFiorentini\u201d masters.<\/span><\/p>\n

History<\/h3>\n

Early Italian History<\/strong> Florence had a standard early Italian history: Etruscan roots<\/strong> (in the shape of Fiesole, a town in the hills above Florence) and then time as a Roman colony<\/strong> (Florentia<\/strong>, established in 59 bc by Julius Caesar). It emerged from the Dark Ages as an independent city state at the beginning of the 12th century. Fighting between noble factions continued apace as it did in much of the country. Despite internal strife, however, the city prospered through banking, trade<\/strong> \u2013 in wool and cloth particularly \u2013 and the conquest of neighbouring towns.<\/p>\n

Political Development<\/strong> It then passed through various periods of rule, first by mercantile elements (the Primo Popolo) and then by leading guilds (the Secondo Popolo). By 1293, though, it had developed a sophisticated form of republicanism, the Signoria<\/strong>, a council drawn from the major guilds.<\/p>\n

The Medici Era<\/strong> Many towns in the 14th century gradually came under the sway of a single clan. In the case of Florence it was the Medici<\/strong>, a banking family who exerted political control over the city through several generations. Giovanni<\/strong> was its patriarch, the man responsible for making the initial fortune. His financial legacy conferred legitimacy on his son Cosimo<\/strong>, who with his grandson, Lorenzo il Magnifico<\/strong> (1449-92), provided the enlightened patronage that formed one of the motors of the Renaissance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Historical Transitions<\/strong> The last Medici died in 1737, and under the terms of a family treaty, handed Florence to Francesco of Lorraine<\/strong>, the future Emperor Francis i of Austria. The city remained under the Austrian yoke until Unification in 1860<\/strong> (bar an interlude of 15 years, when it was controlled by Napoleon).<\/p>\n

Modern History<\/strong> Subsequent events stood out for the wrong reasons. First came the events of 1944<\/strong>, when the retreating Nazis dynamited all but one of the city's bridges. Then came the famous flood of 1966<\/strong>, when three days of rain on top of a wet autumn saw the Arno burst its banks. The ensuing deluge killed several people and ruined countless artistic treasures.<\/p>\n

Florence Today<\/strong> Florence is a city-sized shrine to the Renaissance<\/strong>, its churches, palaces and museums crammed with enough art to last a lifetime. The two main squares are points of departure: Piazza del Duomo<\/strong> leads to the duomo and Baptistery, Piazza della Signoria<\/strong> to the main galleries and points south of the river (the Oltrarno).<\/p>\n

Major Galleries and Churches<\/strong> Amongst the galleries, three main ones stand out: the Uffizi<\/strong> (paintings), the Bargello<\/strong> (sculpture) and the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo<\/strong> (sculpture). Key church interiors contain individual works of genius, notably Santa Croce<\/strong> (Giotto), San Marco<\/strong> (Fra Angelico), San Lorenzo<\/strong> (Michelangelo), Santa Maria del Carmine<\/strong> (Masaccio and Masolino) and Santa Maria Novella<\/strong> (Masaccio, Ghirlandaio and Filippino Lippi).<\/p>\n

Other Key Sights<\/strong> Other key sights include the Accademia<\/strong>, home to Michelangelo's David; the Romanesque jewel of San Miniato<\/strong>; the sculpture-filled facade of Orsanmichele<\/strong>; and the jumbled collection of the city's second-ranked picture gallery, the Palazzo Pitti<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Visitor Information<\/strong> As in Venice, the sheer crowds and difficulty in finding a bed, especially if you arrive late in the day, mean you should think about seeing Florence as a succession of day trips. Somewhere like Arezzo<\/strong> makes a good base, just half an hour and a few thousand lire away by train.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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\"dome-of-florence\"<\/p>\n

The Duomo<\/em><\/p>\n

Florence\u2019s duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore, is Europe\u2019s fourth largest cathedral. Started in 1294 to a design by Arnolfo di Cambio, it was only consecrated in 1436 after the work of several more architects, in particular Filippo Brunelleschi, who tackled the thorny problem of raising one of the largest domes ever built. The finished product was a miracle of medieval engineering, and stands as one of the city\u2019s symbols, still the dominant feature of the Florentine skyline.
\nThe facade is almost as impressive, but it\u2019s largely a 19th-century copy of a Gothic model, albeit one that uses the same stone as the original (white marble from Carrara, red from the Maremma and green from Prato). The free-standing campanile was designed by Giotto in 1334, though later architects altered his specifications and only the first storey is as originally planned.
\nThe interior appears empty, impressive more for its size than any works of art, most of which have been removed to the Museo dell\u2019Opera del Duomo (see below). Its two main paintings, however, defy movement, both being painted on the wall. One commemorates Sir John Hawkwood (1436), a famous English mercenary, painted by Uccello (on the left wall); the other \u2013 just beyond \u2013 is a portrait of Niccolo da Tolentino (1456) by Castagno. The panel beyond them is Michelino\u2019s Dante Explaining the Divine Comedy (1465).
\nBe sure to climb the dome (463 steps), an occasionally back-bending experience that has you weaving between its two stone shells. The views, needless to say, are superb (daily 10 am\u20145 pm); entrance on the left wall close to the transept.<\/p>\n

\"The-Baptistery-of-florence\"<\/p>\n

The Baptistery<\/em><\/p>\n

Florence\u2019s oldest building, the octagonal Baptistery (Battistero) stands immediately in front of the duomo. It dates from around the 6th century, though Roman fragments incorporated inside are clearly from an earlier era (legend has it this was the site of a Temple to Mars). Inside the main features are a marvellous marble floor and 13th-century mosaic ceiling (created by Venetian craftsmen, because the mosaic art had \u2018died out\u2019 in Florence). Also outstanding is a prized early Renaissance tomb of 15th-century Pope John xxm by Donatello and pupils (Mon\u2014Sat 1\u20146 pm. Sun 9.30 am\u201412.30 pm and 2.30\u20145.30 pm; free).
\nThe building\u2019s best known feature, however, is its bronze doors, considered by many to mark the start of the Florentine Renaissance. One set of the three doors required was already in place (cast in 1336 by Andrea Pisano). A competition was then announced to design the remaining pair. The 20-year-old Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455) produced the winning entry, fighting off challenges from five other sculptors (including Brunelleschi and Siena\u2019s Jacopo della Quercia). The
\nresulting bronzes now decorate the north and east doors. (Note that the panels are replaced by replicas and the originals moved to the Museo dell\u2019Opera del Duomo.)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

The Museo dell\u2019Opera del Duomo<\/h3>\n

The Museo dell\u2019Opera is one of the city\u2019s finest collections of sculpture, containing works removed from the duomo, campanile and baptistery You\u2019ll find it by leaving the duomo from the right aisle exit and turning left towards Piazza del Duomo (Mon-Sat 9am-7.30pm, Sun 10am-lpm). Pride of place on the mezzanine goes to a Piet\u00e0 by Michelangelo, one of the artist\u2019s last works, a sculpture he once attacked with a hammer, removing Christ\u2019s left arm and leg in the process. A pupil patched things up, completing the figure of Mary Magdalen (notice the distinct contrast in styles \u2013 and ability). Signs of the artist\u2019s frenzy, though, are still evident.
\nUpstairs the star turn is Donatello\u2019s Maty Magdalen, a tortured, naked figure wrapped in her own hair, and a pair of contrasting cantorie (choir-lofts) by Donatello and Luca della Robbia.<\/p>\n

\"firenze-paint-signoria\"<\/a>Piazza della Signoria<\/em><\/p>\n

Florence\u2019s main square, Piazza della Signoria, leads on to three key Florentine sights \u2013 the Palazzo Vecchio, Uffizi and Orsanmichele. The piazza itself, though, is rather spoilt by some doughty 19th-century buildings. It\u2019s also had a traumatic few years of restoration: .the chances are that the piazza\u2019s rubble, fences and building site will still be there when you visit.
\nIt was here in 1497 that the famous \u2018Bonfire of the Vanities\u2019 took place, a sermon in which Savonarola urged his followers to cast off and burn their worldly possessions. Less than a year later he himself was burned as a heretic \u2014 a bronze plaque marks the exact spot of execution. Otherwise look out for the Loggia della Signoria at the square\u2019s western edge and its two famous statues \u2013 Benvenuto Cellini\u2019s celebrated Perseus and Giambologna\u2019s equally flamboyant Rape of the Sabine \u201cWomen. Other statues around the square are less successful, in particular Ammanati\u2019s Neptune Fountain, proof that size isn\u2019t everything and that Florence isn\u2019t without its duds.<\/p>\n

\"Piazza-della-Signoria-Firenze\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Palazzo vecchio<\/em><\/p>\n

Not one of the city\u2019s most graceful buildings, the Palazzo Vecchio and campanile on the east side of Piazza della Signoria date from 1299, built to house the signoria, the heads of the seven major guilds and top tier of the city\u2019s government. Each guild took a month in office: the palace\u2019s rooms served as living quarters during each monthly shift. Most of the paintings and interior decoration date from the Medici\u2019s nine-year tenure in 1540. Cosimo I then moved on to the Palazzo Pitti (weekdays 9 am\u20147 pm, Sun 8 am-1 pm).
\nMany of the palace\u2019s rooms are worth a look, but the main interest revolves around the Salone dei Cinquecento and Vasari\u2019s second-rate murals (1570). The Sala dei Gigli features frescoes by Ghirlandaio and a newly-restored Judith and Holofernes by Donatello.<\/p>\n

\"Orsanmichele_Sant_Anna-florence\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Orsanmichele<\/h3>\n

The church of Orsanmichele lies two blocks off Piazza della Signoria on Via dei Calzaiuoli, one of the city\u2019s main streets, and the principal promenade for its passeggiata. The church\u2019s interior contains a vast and gorgeously detailed 14th-century Gothic tabernacle by Andrea Orcagna, but it\u2019s the exterior that commands most attention. Once a granary, the building became a trade hall for the city\u2019s guilds, and then in 1380 was given over primarily to religious functions. Each guild, however, undertook to decorate one of the new church\u2019s fourteen exterior niches. Most of the resulting sculpture is outstanding, in particular Ghiberti\u2019s John the Baptist and Donatello\u2019s St Mark.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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