Florence cathedral is a monument you should see when you visit Florence. It’s one of the protagonists of the city skyline. That is not only because it’s tall but also because its light color makes the cathedral noticeable among all the other buildings.
The facade that you can see now is not the original one made but anyway it’s really fascinating. If you want to see how the cathedral originally was, you can visit the Museum of Opera of Saint Maria of Fiore. The original one was removed in 1587 because Grand Duke Francesco I de Medici dreamed of a renaissance-type facade.
You can visit the Florence Cathedral with access to Brunelleschi’s Dome and Giotto’s Bell Tower.
Giotto’s Bell Tower
From Giotto’s Bell Tower you can see Florence from above. The only problem you can have visiting the Bell Tower is that in the busiest times the line can be very long and slow. Because the stairs are narrow they don’t let many people enter all together.
Then you should remember that there isn’t an elevator and you must use the stairs.
What is a very interesting thing about Giotto’s Bell Tower is that you can arrive at the very top of the tower where there is the roof. All along the four sides, there is an aisle protected by a safety net. In this way, you can walk in this aisle and see Florence in all its directions.
Usually, we observe the Florence cathedral from down to up, from the Bell Tower instead you can observe it from up to down.
Florence cathedral: Brunelleschi’s Dome
You can have an amazing view of Florence also from Brunelleschi’s Dome. You can visit it, go up to the top and see Florence from a balcony.
10 Top things to do in Florence Italy. Visit Florence! – In Italy, there is a lot to visit and it isn’t easy to decide which city to visit. Florence is famous in the world but you may wonder: Is Florence Italy worth seeing? Should I visit Florence? The answer is yes for more than one reason. Let’s see 10 unforgettable things to do in Florence Italy.
10 Top Things to do in Florence
Now we see the 10 Top Things to do in Florence that are:
Center of Florence and Ponte Vecchio
Uffizi Museum
View from Piazzale Michelangelo
Brunelleschi’s dome
Academy Museum
Giotto’s Bell Tower
Terraces of the Cathedral
Palazzo Vecchio
Leonardo’s Museum
Dante’s house
Things to do in Florence: visit Florence and admire art
Florence is worth seeing just for the city itself. Its monuments make the city different from all the others. Its old bridge, the white well-decorated cathedral, the shape of Palazzo Vecchio, and the white famous statues in the square make Florence unique.
Things to do in Florence Italy
Video Visit Florence Italy
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1 – Center of Florence and Ponte Vecchio
The first thing you should do in Florence is to walk along the river Arno and see Florence’s profile. Along the Arno, you’ll find also the famous Ponte Vecchio or Old Bridge. From here go into the city center to start admiring the beauty of Florence’s monuments.
Florence from the walk along the river Arno:
Old Bridge Florence
2 – The Uffizi museum
Florence is worth seeing especially for those loving art. Art is visible all around the city, but the most precious artworks are located in the museums.
When you visit Florence visiting the Uffizi is one of the things to do in Florence. The Uffizi museum is very important for its history and for what it preserves. In this museum, you can find artworks of Raffaello, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Giotto, Caravaggio, and many other famous artists.
A very famous Raffaello’s artwork, the “Portraits of Agnolo Doni and Maddalena Strozzi”, is an iconic painting of the artist. It’s a revolution in the thinking in the world of portraits.
In the Uffizi are
exhibited some Leonardo da Vinci works too. The most famous are: The Baptism of
Christ, The Adoration of the Magi and The Annunciation.
The baptism of Christ is an artwork of Leonardo’s master, Andrea del Verrocchio. In fact, Leonardo has done the profile of the angel, the shaded background, and Christ’s body.
The Adoration of the Magi and The Annunciation is instead completely done by him. The first one was never completed entirely, in fact, the characters in the painting are partially done.
The Announcement is the only artwork entirely made and completed by the artist, it represents the announcement from the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin in a Renaissance palace. It was made for a lateral altar in a church.
The most famous work exhibited in the Uffizi is the Birth of Venus by Botticelli. It was made after the request from Lorenzo the Magnificent. There are represented Venus in the center, Zefiro on her left, and Ora on her right, while she was giving her a dress.
The unknown meaning of
the painting is the celebration of the birth of a new humanity.
Another important artist is Piero Della Francesca, who made the “Double portrait of the dukes of Urbino”. The artwork can be dated between 1465 and 1472.
3 – Piazzale Michelangelo
Piazzale Michelangelo is a square and a balcony upon Florence. The view from Piazzale Michelangelo is really amazing and it’s completely free. You don’t have to pay to have this amazing view. It’s only 20 minutes on foot from the Florence city center.
4 – Brunelleschi’s dome
Brunelleschi’s dome gives you the best Florence view you can have. At the top of Brunelleschi’s Dome, there is an amazing 365° balcony where you can admire all of Florence. You are in the middle of the city and you can see all its moments around you.
The best view you can have on Brunelleschi’s dome is any way where you can find in front of you the amazing Giotto’s Tower. To go up to the Dome you need to climb 463 steps, then the effort is big but the view is really worthy of your effort.
5 – The Accademia Gallery
The Uffizi is not the only important museum in Florence. When you visit Florence you should visit also the Accademia Gallery. This is the museum where you can see the magnificent original statue of David made by Michelangelo.
It’s the same statue you can see in Piazza Della Signoria in front of Palazzo Vecchio. The only small and big difference is that in the square where it was placed at first there is now only a copy.
Things to do in Florence Italy
The Statue was removed from the square in 1872 to preserve it. When it was in the square it was too exposed to the dangers. During its history, the statue had to be repaired more than one time. The David of Michelangelo is too precious to allow something to damage it. That’s why they decided to move it from the square and place it in a safer place.
The David of Michelangelo is important not only because is a masterpiece work of art but also for its meaning.
David is a young man who has to fight against the giant Golia. In his hand, he has the sling because he’s represented soon before his fight. The young man well represents the new republic instituted in Florence. The David was made in fact a few years before the new republic was instituted. The republic took the place of the dominion of De Medici’s family. This young republic had to fight against big giants. An example could be the papacy of that time.
Another curiosity is that the David had originally to be placed on the Duomo as one of its decorative statues and not in the square.
6 – Giotto’s Bell Tower
8 – The Palazzo Vecchio or Old Palace
10 – Dante Alighieri’s house
House where Dante Alighieri is thought to have lived. The original house has been modified and extended. The Casa di Dante Museum, therefore, does not contain particular objects that belonged to the poet but its purpose is to spread the knowledge of Dante’s life and works and of the medieval Florence he lived.
Shopping and food
Art has always been of great value but the food and the shopping can make us very happy. When you visit Florence you can also relax and enjoy the food.
In Florence in fact there are a lot of good restaurants and you can have very good food. The salami, the pasta, and the meat are delicious and are even better with a good glass of red local wine. The main specialty is the famous “Bistecca alla Fiorentina” for those very hungry. If you like truffle there are many restaurants that have dishes with it on their menu.
Things to do in Florence Italy
After all this food you can go through the streets and find out all the shops where you can buy very cute leather bags and clothes. Shopping is one of the best things to do in Florence before leaving.
Things to do in Florence: shopping
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How many days to spend in Florence Tuscany? How many days do you need? That’s a good question and it’s up to what you want to visit. Anyway I raccomend to spend at least 2 days in Florence.
What to visit in Florence
You need time to visit the city itself, the museums and taste the food.
Spend time in Florence during the day and in the evening.
You should spend time walking in the city where you can see the 3 most characteristic buldings.
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
The Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria
Florence Old Bridge
It’s facinating to see them during the day and then in the evening. They are beautiful in different ways.
Florence from above
Then you can arrive to Piazzale Michelangelo to see all the city from above. It takes 24 minutes from Ponte Vecchio to Piazzale Michelangelo if you walk along the River Arno. There is also a shorter road but the one along the river is better for what you can see.
Spend time in the Florence museums
You can’t leave Florence without visiting at least a museum. In Florence many famous artists lived and worked such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raffaello Sanzio and many others. The most important museum is the Uffizi where you should spend half a day.
If you want to see the original statue of David you should visit the Accademia Gallery.
Enjoy your time in Florence
In Florence there are many tipical good restaurants so you should dedicate time for your lunch or dinner. The most famous dish here is the “Fiorentina”: it is sold by weight and it could be even 2,5 lb! You can’t eat it fastly 😉
In addition to the food there is the wine. It’s a pleasure to relax and taste it.
What about shopping? We can’t resist to enter in a shop and buy a leather bag or jacket.
How many days to spend in Florence?
In conclusion, you should spend at least 2 days in Florence but if you’re planning to dedicate a lot of time to the restaurants and shopping maybe you need more days.
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