Ponte Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy

Italy

Florence, Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy

The ultimate guide to Florence

Florence is the most beautiful city in the world (in my opinion). 

This city is the "Craddle of the Renaissance", it is the source of inspiration for great Renaissance artists, and of our time!

Everywhere you look there is history, art, architecture, culture, food and happiness!

If you are not so sure about visiting Florence, think again... I promise you are going to love it as much as I do! 

If you are already in Italy or Europe its easy to take a train from wherever you are! 

you will arrive to the train station SANTA MARIA NOVELLA, it is just a 10 minute walk to the Duomo. 

Tip #1: in Italy, it is very important to stamp your train tickets, in all stations there is a little machine where you can stamp them, because if you don't do it and they catch you, they can even take your passport.

If you arrive from another part of the world and you are flying to the city, you will arrive to the AMERIGO VESPUCCI AIRPORT, from there you can get to the center of the city by:

1. Bus:  the Volainbus has a route from the airport to the SANTA MARIA NOVELLA TRAIN STATION every 30 minutes. A one- way ticket costs about 6 Euros (6.46 USD aprox)

2. Taxi: The taxis have a fixed rate of 28 - 32 Euros (30 to 35 USD aprox) and they may charge you and extra Euro for every suitcase. 

Okay, now that we have that out of the way, let's go to the fun part!

I recommend going early in the morning to avoid all the tourists so you can enjoy the Duomo alone.  

This is the most impressive thing you will see in the whole world. In this "Piazza" you will find: 

The Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiore with the iconic dome, Il Battisterio di San Giovanni (The baptistery of San Giovanni), and Il Campanile de Giotto (the bell tower by Giotto). 

The most shocking thing is that it took 140 years to finish the whole square, going through wars, pandemics and famines. 

TIP: buy your tickets at the Duomo Opera Museum to avoid the lines. 

Tickets for the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore|Florence Cathedral

First, go up to Giottos Bell Tower, I hope everyone is fit because let me tell you, there are 414 steps... but go up! It is worth it, the views are incredible. 

This handsome guy is Giotto di Bondoni himself. 

Then, enter the "Battisterio di San Giovanni", but first see "The Gates of Paradise" by Ghiberti, one of the best Renaissance sculptors. (These are a replica, the real ones are inside the museum) 

FUN FACT: These doors were a contest, in which the main participating artists were Ghiberti and Brunelleschi, who lost, threw a tantrum and went to Rome. Ghiberti won and these doors became his life's work, since it took 21 years to finish them and he was not so young. 

Inside the baptistery, the ceiling has Byzantine mosaics. Here we can see the flat religious figures, this tells us thet the ceilings were made before the Renaissance. 

See this wonder, delight in its façade, its colors! This amazing architecture piece, is a Italian Gothic Cathedral, wich once was the largest in Europe, now it is in the top 5. It passed through several architects before it was finished, from Arnolfo di Cambio in 1296, continued by Giotto di Bondoni in 1331 to Brunelleschio in 1423.

The neo-gothic  façade was redesigned between the years 1864-1876 dedicated to the Virgin Mary, using white green and pink marbles. You can also see some niches with statues of the apostles and look at the center, there it stands the Madonna and Child made by Brunelleschi. 

FUN FACT: the original sculptures are exhibited in the Opera del Duomo Museum. 

The "Brunelleschi Dome" the greatest achievement and the beginning of the Reinassance. 

I highly recommend going up to the viewpoint, it is has complicated climb, but it is so worth it!

Do you remember our friend Brunelleschi? Well, this man was the genius and creator of this architectural masterpiece. 

Let me tell you the gossip: Cosimo de Medici was an art fan, but his daddy didn't let him persue his dream to be an artist (legend says he had a great talent) and forced him to be a banker just like him. So obviously, he was obsessed with these topics. When he was youg he was passing by the roofless Duomo every day and he was so sad and annoyed, so he decided to hold a competition in which he called the best architects in Italy and told them to solve this problem. 

The architects got together to solve the problem and they said pure nonsense like putting a central column to hold the weight. And then the incredible Mr. Brunelleschi arrived, made fun of them and smashed and egg on the table.

The way the dome was built was with two shells, one internal and one external with five segments where the weight is supported and the bricks are placed in a "herringbone" position, so each brick supports its own weight, that is why the Dome is egg-shaped. 

So when you go up, you will be climbing the 463 stairs between those to shells. 

The "Piazza della Republica" has been the center of commerce since the Middle Ages, connecting the main streets of the ancient Roman city. Then the market  was demolished and they built a bigger one. 

From 1865 to 1871, Florence was the capital of Italy, therefore, part of its traditional apperance was changed following an urban organization with wide spaces and boulevards, as in Paris. The area occupied by the old market was completely demolished and in its place the current square was built, surrounded by large palaces, prestigious shops and the Arch. 

In the square are some of the most famous shops and restaurants such as "Guibbe Rosse" a place where literary and intellectuals meet. 

Here are many nice and delicious restaurants and cafes where you can eat some pasta or pizza! And there is also a beautiful carousel! 

This palace was the Medici family residence. It was commissioned  by Cosimo de Medici to Michelozzo. And her they lived until they were exiled. 

In in 1655, they took up residence at the Palazzo Pitti and decided to sell their old home to the Riccardi family. 

The coolest things to see are the central patio with the archs and columns, the beautiful gardens and the three kings chapel. 

It is one of the most important churches in Florence. Cosimo I bought the Basilica of San Lorenzo and commisioned Michelangelo and Brunelleschi to create a magical place for the family to use as their mausoleum and place to rest. 

You are going to say: "Fer, this chuch doesn't look as one of the most important churches in Florence!" becuse the façade looks unfinished and has been for centuries. 

The Medici family had a dream of making the façade a spectacular thing, hiring Michelangelo to desing it... but guess what... he never finished the project! and this façade  was left like this forever. 

But go inside, the central nave is decorated with low columns that lead the way to large arches that reach the ceiling, this way it maintains the feeling of greatness and height while providing greater closeness to the divine. 

The Old Sacristy, designed by our friend Bruneleschi, here he designed a dome divided into 12 equal parts representing the 12 apostles, ending in a large final space representing the divinity to which the  12 go and arrive. The interior of the Sacristy was decorated by Donatello with 12 sculptures of the apostles. 

I also recommend going to the Medici Chapel, which has 50 tombs, 2 chapels, The New Sacristy designed by Michelangelo and the Princes Chapel designed by Buontalenti wich is decorated with marble and semiprecious stones, here Cosimo I  de Medici rests.  

The "Palazzo Pitti" was the residence of the Medici when they became nobles. In 1549 the wife of Cosimo I, Eleonor of Toledo, bought the palaces and decided to make many extensions such as the bridge that crosses the Ponte Vecchio. They also bought the land behind the palace and made the Boboli Gardens. 

When Florence was the Italian capital, the palace was owned by the House of Savoy where the King Victor Emmanuel II lived until 1871. 

3. The Museum of Costume and Fashion ( I was  not interested in this particular area, but if you are.. go ahead)

6. The Boboli Gardens (this are so beautiful, you wouldn't want to miss this) 

This Gallery was built between 1560 and 1580, desingned by Giorgio Vasari. 

It has collections from the Middle Ages to the Modern era. The collection of the Reinaissance paintings includes works of art by Giotto, Martini, Piero della Francesca, Beato Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Caravaggio, Boticelli, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, also several German and Flemish artists. 

Best Uffizi Gallery Tickets - Skip-the-Line, Guided Tours

1. The Annuncuation by Leonardo da Vinci:

Painted between 1475-1475. It is one of the first commisions that da Vici received when he was a STUDENT!! 

The Virgin Mary is represented on the right and the Archangel Gabriel on the left (as you can see, this way of arranging them is typical Florentine). What
is different about this Annunciation is that the scene is outside. The Virgin
Mary is sitting outside a palazzo with a calm face accepting her role as the mother
of God, dressed like royalty, and the archangel is kneeling before her with a
lily that represents purity. 

The ultimate guide to Florence

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