Travel Eye on Florence (Italy)

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Overview:

Glorious Florence, arguably Italy's most beautiful city, is an essential destination for any serious art lover, who'll be overwhelmed by the quantity, let alone the quality, of some of the most important examples of western art anywhere in the world, concentrated into one small, beautiful city. The works of Botticelli, Michelangelo, Bruneschelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Boccaccio, Alberti, Masaccio, Donatello, Vasari and Fra Angelico imbue the city with the magnificence of their contribution to art and life. The city itself is muse to some and home to many stylish citizens who titivate the cobbled streets and fashionable piazzas with their inimitable Italian flair.

Locality:

The principal Tuscan city of Florence (Firenze) nestles below the wooded foothills of the Apennines, along the banks of the Arno River. Situated in the northwest of Italy and surrounded by the lush wine-growing hills of Chianti, the enduring image of Florence, reproduced on myriad postcards and paintings, is of the terracotta dome of the city's great cathedral hovering above the mediaeval rooftops.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

The heart of the city, where everyone from tourist to tout seems to congregate, is the Piazza de Duomo and the Piazza della Signoria. The statues dominating the Piazza della Signoria commemorate major historical events of the city's life and the magnificent Palazzo Vecchio still performs its original role as Florence's town hall. The adjacent Uffizi is the oldest gallery in the world with a collection of the greatest works of the Renaissance commissioned largely by the Medici family. The man who founded the great long-ruling Medici dynasty was Cosimo il Vecchio. His legacy is imprinted in the city's northern area marked by the churches of San Lorenzo, San Marco and the Palazzo Medici Riccardi.

The Western stretches of the city are formed by Florence's railway station at one end and the Ponte Vecchio at the other. The quaint Ponte Vecchio bridge was built in 1345 and was one of the few areas to emerge unscathed from the wartime bombs. Little workshops that used to belong to butchers, tanners and blacksmiths, peer onto the river from their timber supports. Santa Maria Novella also rises from the city's western boundaries in true gothic splendour preserving some of the most important works of art in Florence.

The Oltrarno (meaning 'over the Arno') area became the place from which the Medici ruled from the Palazzo Pitti. The magnificent Boboli Gardens were designed and laid out around it. The area surrounding Via Maggio and Piazza di Santo Spirito boasts a collection of other palazzi built during the late 16th and 17th centuries.

Of course, like many other cities, Florence suffers from too much traffic (although efforts have been made to restrict it from the centre of town), too many tourists, and an historic old centre tainted by cheap-looking fast food restaurants.

The city is undoubtedly expensive - so pick your hotel and restaurant carefully, and as far away from the main sights as is practical. But it is those sights that make Florence such an unforgettable destination.

The chapels, galleries and museums capture the spirit of the Renaissance more fully than any other city in Italy: no visitor could fail to be impressed.

The 14th-century Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge, is still home to many quaint shops selling gold and the place to get a great view of the River Arno at dusk.

But for a view you'll never forget, take a bus, or, if you're feeling fit, walk up to the Piazzale Michelangelo, perched up on a hill. From here, Florence can be seen in one splendid panorama, to be permanently imprinted on your heart.