FIRENZE

Florence boasts an exceptional amount of art history and heritage, a splendid example of its illustrious centuries-long history.

Many notable figures lived in Florence, like the fathers of Italian painting, Giotto and Cimabue; figures who renewed architecture and sculpture, like Arnolfo and Andrea Pisano; the first exponents of the Renaissance, such as Brunelleschi, Donatello and Masaccio; Ghiberti and the Della Robbia; Filippo Lippi and L’Angelico; Botticelli and Paolo Uccello; and the universal geniuses Leonardo and Michelangelo.
The works of these great men and artist, sling with those from the generations that followed until today, are gathered in numerous museums throughout the city.

The Uffizi Gallery is the most famous in the world; the Galleria Palatina is famed for its works from the ‘golden eras'; the Bargello is visited for its Renaissance sculptures; the San Marco Museum is famed for its works by Angelico; the Accademia, Cappelle Medicee and Casa Buonarroti for the masterpieces by Michelangelo; the Bardini, Horne, Stibbert, Romano, Corsini Museums, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Opera del Duomo Museum, the Museum of Argenti and the Museum of Pietre Dure.Many monuments are also examples of the important artistic and creative history of Florence, among the most noteworthy are the Baptistry and its mosaics; the cathedral and its sculptures; the medieval churches and their cycle frescoes; the city’s private and public palazzos, like Palazzo Vecchio, Palazzo Pitti, Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, Palazzo Davanzati; the monasteries and cloisters; the convents and last suppers; the Certosa of Florence. Moreover, the Etruscan civilization is well documented in the city’s Archeological Museum.Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, the historic centre of Florence, closed off by a network of larger roads that follow the ancient walls, gathers some of the most important cultural and artistic works in the city. Bordered by the city walls, built in the 14th century for as a sign of the city’s economic and commercial importance, Florence reached its maximum splendour in the 15th and 16th centuries.The historic centre can be best appreciated from the nearby hillsides, particularly fromForte Belvedere, Piazzale Michelangelo, which boasts the Romanic basilica of San Miniato al Monte, and the Fiesole hillside. These areas offer beautiful views of the city and the surrounding Arno valley.