Florence, nestled in the heart of Tuscany, surrounded by green mountains and vineyards, enchants everyone who travels through Italy. What to see in Florence? Here are 25 places every tourist should visit when visiting this beautiful city.
Plaza Santa Croce
It is best to start your tour of the historical part of Florence in Piazza Santa Croce. This place is loved by citizens and guests of the city, festivals and holidays are held here. Since the 13th century, the main decoration of the square has always been a basilica with the same name. This cathedral is especially attractive for tourists, as it is the largest Franciscan temple and the Florentine pantheon. To the left of the entrance to the basilica, a monument to the great native of Florence, Dante Alighieri, rises on a pedestal, he is depicted in a white cloak with a laurel wreath on his head.
Basilica of Santa Croce
In this cathedral, the great Italians, who are proud of the whole world, found their last refuge:
- Michelangelo Buonarroti, sculptor and painter;
- Niccolo Machiavelli, writer, thinker;
- Galileo Galilei, mathematician and astronomer;
- Gioacchino Rossini, composer;
- Leonardo Bruni, historian;
- only about 300 famous people who glorified Florence.
In the Basilica of Santa Croce (Holy Cross) there is a cenotaph of the brilliant creator of the Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri, although he is buried in Rovenna (Emilia-Romagna region).
The interiors of the basilica are a real museum of works by outstanding Italian masters. Even the entrance to Santa Croce is paid, like in a museum. This is not surprising, the ancient temple is decorated with 16 chapels, which were decorated by famous masters of different eras.
Here you can see the frescoes of the XIV century by Giotto and Taddeo Gaddi, the paintings of the XVI century by Giorgio Vasari and Ludovico Cigoli, Giorgio Vasari is also the author of the tomb of Michelangelo.
In the basilica there are sculptural works of famous masters:
- Bernardo Rosselino;
- Donatello;
- Antonio Rosselino;
- Antonio Canova and others.
One of the chapels was designed by the famous Florentine architect Filippo Brunelleschi.
Bargello Museum
From Piazza Santa Croce, through the narrow streets of Florence, it is not far to walk to the Bargello Palace. This medieval castle with a tower, erected at the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, served as a public building for six centuries. In the Middle Ages, it was the residence of the head of the Florentine state, then the city council met. The Bargello Palace was given over to the barracks, the police prison. In the middle of the 19th century, the National Museum settled in this building, and it still operates in this capacity today.
The Bargello Museum is worth a visit to get acquainted with the magnificent sculptures. Here are the Italian masters of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The real gems of the museum collection are:
- “David” by Donatello;
- bust of Cosimo de’ Medici by Benvenuto Cellini;
- “Brutus”, “David-Apollo”, “Bacchus” by Michelangelo.
Duomo Square
If you ask yourself: what can you see in Florence in one day, then the most important place will be the Cathedral Square – Piazza Duomo. It’s not far from the Bargello. But you will have the opportunity to admire the main Florentine Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the majestic dome of which is visible everywhere in Florence.
The bell tower of the cathedral, known as Giotto’s campanile, creates a unique architectural ensemble of the main square of the capital of Tuscany. Complements the architectural splendor of the area of the Florentine Baptistery and the three-storey building of the Opera del Duomo.
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
The grandiose building of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was laid by the end of the 13th century. Thanks to the incredibly large dome, 42 meters in diameter, the cathedral has become the main symbol of Florence. The famous Florentine architects Filippo Brunelleschi and Giotto worked on his project.
In addition to Brunelleschi, the construction of this cathedral was carried out by Arnolfo di Cambio and other architects. The construction of Santa Maria del Fiore lasted 140 years. The cathedral has become the fourth largest temple in Europe, its size is amazing – 8300 square meters. This is a striking example of Quattrocento.
Being next to the cathedral on Duomo Square, it is worth walking along the walls and carefully examining their design. Outside, the walls of this majestic temple are decorated with pastel shades of multi-colored marble panels – pink and light green with a transition to milky color. This creates the incredible beauty of such an ancient building. No wonder the name of the cathedral in translation means St. Mary in Flowers. The bronze doors of the majestic temple are also surprising with sophistication.
The interior of the cathedral is more modest and concise than its exterior cladding. But it is worth going there to admire the grandiose dome of Filippo Brunelleschi inside, where the famous Renaissance artist Giorgio Vasari, together with Federico Zuccari, created a multi-tiered painting of the Last Judgment. Her beauty is simply breathtaking.
In the cathedral you can admire:
- stained glass windows with Old Testament themes;
- frescoes of the 15th century;
- sculptures;
- busts of famous people of Florence.
The cathedral is decorated with a unique clock created by master Paolo Uccello in the middle of the 15th century. Their unusualness lies in the fact that the hands count time in the opposite direction. The ancient mechanism is still working, the clock still shows the time today.
It was in this majestic cathedral that its creators found their last refuge. The prominent architects Giotto and Filippo Brunelleschi are buried here. Tourists can climb the dome of the cathedral to see beautiful Florence from its height with its many red-brown tiled roofs. The panorama of the city there is simply amazing.
Campanile Giotto
At a distance of three dozen meters from the cathedral, a bell tower rises on the Piazza Duomo. It is customary to call it Giotto’s campanile, after its creator, designer and architect Giotto di Bondone. The height of the bell tower is almost 85 meters, it was founded in the 13th century, it took a little over 60 years to build.
The beauty of this campanile, decorated, like the cathedral, with polychrome marble panels, as well as its height, amaze the imagination. After the death of Giotto, according to his drawings, the construction of the bell tower was carried out by Andreo Pisano. The top three tiers were built by the architect Francesco Talenti.
I would like to take a long look at the colored marble panels in the form of rhombuses and hexagons in the lower tiers of the bell tower, its Gothic windows and bas-reliefs created by Giotto. There are also statues in the decor of the campanile, their authorship is attributed to Donatello. The cathedral bell tower is used as an observation tower, from where you can see not only the whole of Florence, but also the magnificence of the natural landscapes of Tuscany surrounding it.
Baptistery of San Giovanni
A baptistery is a free-standing round or multifaceted building intended for baptism.
The oldest building of the baptistery is located next to the cathedral, it is made in the form of an octahedron. The exterior decoration of the building with light greenish marble is in harmony with the neighboring cathedral. The date of its construction is attributed to the XI-XII centuries.
Inside the baptistery, ancient Byzantine frescoes of the 13th-14th centuries are attractive to tourists; they frame the vault of the dome, one of the frescoes, with a picture of the Last Judgment, is of particular interest.
The Florentine Baptistery is famous for its bas-relief paneled doors. The southern doors, dedicated to John the Baptist, were created by Andrea Pisano. The author of other doors in the 15th century was the sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti.
It is known that the oriental doors with gilded panels depicting biblical scenes were very much liked by the brilliant Michelangelo. The great sculptor called them “Gates of Paradise”. It is curious that four centuries later a copy of these “heavenly gates” was installed on the north side of St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
Opera del Duomo Museum
On Cathedral Square, in an old yellow building, there is the Opera del Duomo Museum. You should definitely visit it, its exposition contains real masterpieces that cannot be seen anywhere else.
It is within the walls of the museum that are stored:
- “Pieta” by Michelangelo;
- “Mary Magdalene” from wood by Donatello;
- authentic gilded “Gate to Paradise” from the baptistery of Lorenzo Ghiberti.
Yes, the “Paradise Gates” that delighted Michelangelo are exhibited in this museum, and the current doors in the baptistery building are their copy.
Basilica of San Lorenzo
From Piazza Duomo not far to the Basilica of San Lorenzo – another creation of Filippo Brunelleschi of the 15th century. The basilica became the tomb of a dynasty of Florentine rulers from the Medici family. Great Italian masters worked on its interior decor.
The main attractive part of this temple was the chapel at this basilica, designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti for the tombs of Giuliano and Lorenzo Medici, as well as his creation – the Laurentian library with old manuscripts, now the state library of the country.
The chapel amazes visitors with its interior decoration, the real masterpieces in it are the sculptures by Michelangelo decorating the tombstones of the representatives of the Medici family:
- Madonna and Child
- allegories of Night, Morning, Day and Evening;
- images of saints.
Palazzo Medici
Near the Basilica of San Lorenzo and Piazza Duomo, there is the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, the ancestral home of this famous dynasty. To take a look at this Renaissance palazzo, you need to go to Cavour Street. Designed by the architect Michelozzo, this 15th-century three-storey building with various types of masonry is now used as the Riccardian Library.
The palazzo has a square patio. It is decorated with sculptures, there is a garden with flowers and lemon trees. It was with the light hand of the Medici that such small courtyards began to decorate the palaces of the Italian nobility.
Santa Maria Novella
The church of Santa Maria Novella is located on the square of the same name, a good landmark is the main railway station of Florence, it is within walking distance from it. The facade of this small basilica immediately attracts attention with its amazingly beautiful decoration and unusual architecture.
Santa Maria Novella is part of a large Dominican monastery complex. The temple was erected from the end of the 13th century, in the middle of the 15th century the architect Leon Batista Alberti undertook its restructuring. It was he who created the magnificent portal and decorated the top of the building with marble squares.
The interior of the church is decorated with lancet vaults and columns. There is a large collection of valuable works of art:
- tombstones by Ghiberti and Rossellino;
- bust of St. Antonin in red terracotta;
- “Madonna” by Giorgio Vasari;
- the crucifix in the altar by Giambologna;
- ancient Greek frescoes;
- Brunelleschi’s crucifix on the altar wall.
Near the facade of the church is the entrance to the monastery courtyard, from there you can get into the large monastery courtyard, its walls are painted with frescoes by Florentine Renaissance masters.
Academy Gallery
What you need to see in Florence in two days is the gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts – a museum of Florence popular with tourists. You can easily get there from Cathedral Square if you walk along Ricasoli Street. The Academy is the oldest institution in Europe where painters and sculptors were trained; it was opened by the ruler of Florence, Cosimo I Medici, in the middle of the 16th century.
Over time, a gallery was created at the Academy of Fine Arts, where samples of the works of the great Italian masters of the Florentine school were collected. They served as a teaching aid for students of the Academy. Then the gallery of the Academy became a museum, it gained particular popularity when the statue of David by Michelangelo, the sculptural pearl of the Renaissance, was moved here.
The desire to look at this famous work of genius Buonarroti attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world. The gallery also contains other works by Michelangelo – sculptures of four slaves moved from the Boboli Gardens, as well as the Evangelist Luke, St. Matthew, Pieta Palestrina.
In the Accademia Gallery, you can also enjoy other creations of the great Italian masters of the Renaissance – Giambologna’s sculpture “The Rape of the Sabine Women”, paintings:
- Sandro Botticelli;
- Andreo del Sarto;
- Filippino Lippi;
- Pietro Perugino.
Museum of Leonardo da Vinci
A two or three minute walk from the Accademia Gallery on the cozy street Via dei Servi, 66 is the Leonardo da Vinci Museum. Here are the mechanisms recreated according to the drawings of this Renaissance genius, his drawings related to the anatomy of the human body.
Visitors to the museum will obviously be surprised by the engineering projects of Leonardo:
- artillery gun;
- Submarine;
- wheeled rowing vessel;
- bike;
- parachute;
- automobile.
The Hall of Mirrors, which repeatedly copies the images of museum visitors, is also an invention of the great genius; here you can get acquainted with copies of the famous works of da Vinci.
Dante House Museum
In Florence, tourists usually go from Duomo Square to Via Santa Margherita, 1, where the Dante House Museum is located. True, this building should not be called his home, it is simply built on the site where the Alighieri family once lived. But to visit the Museum of the great poet and thinker of the Renaissance, the author of the “Divine Comedy” is a must.
On each floor of the museum there are interesting expositions about Florence in the era of Dante, about his belonging to the guild of pharmacists. The poet’s room has been recreated, documents related to his exile are exhibited. Copies of the poet’s published books during his lifetime, clothes of noble people of Florence are widely represented.
Signoria Square
If you move from the House Museum of Dante towards the Arno River along Via del Calzaiuoli, this street will definitely lead to one of the most magnificent places in Florence – Piazza della Signoria. There are so many unique attractions concentrated here that it simply takes your breath away from their magic and unique beauty:
- equestrian statue of the Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I Medici by the sculptor Giambologna;
- Fountain of Neptune by sculptor Ammanati;
- building of the Palazzo Vecchio;
- loggia of Lanzi with a gallery of sculptures.
At the entrance to the palace, attention is drawn to the copy of Michelangelo’s “David” and the sculpture “Hercules defeating Cacus” by Baccio Bandinelli. There are also copies of Donatello’s Judith with the Head of Holofernes and a lion with a shield. All these magnificent statues with allegorical overtones were supposed to influence the Florentine rulers when they walked to the Palazzo Vecchio.
The amazingly beautiful sculptures by Italian masters next to the palace give the Piazza della Signoria an unusual charm. The building of the famous Uffizi Gallery faces here.
Palazzo Vecchio
This most luxurious palace in Florence was built by the architect Arnolfo di Cambio at the very end of the 13th century. For two centuries it served as the residence of the rulers of the Florentine Republic. In the 16th century, the palace became the residence of the Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo I de’ Medici. Then jewels and costumes for important ceremonies were stored here. From the second half of the 19th century, the administration of the city again entered the Palazzo Vecchio.
A visit inside the Palazzo Vecchio is very worth it to admire the magnificent staircase designed by Vasari and the main hall of the Cinquecento with frescoes and ceiling paintings. There are many sculptures in the niches of this hall, one of them is the “Genius of Victory” – the creation of Michelangelo. The palace houses Amati and Stradivari violins.
The inner chambers of the palace are amazingly beautiful:
- Hall of Hercules;
- Hall of the Elements;
- dining room;
- boudoir of Eleanor of Toledo.
Here you can enjoy the views of Florence from the terrace of Saturn and take a look at the House of Lions – the place where the Duke of Medici staged fights of predators. Surprisingly good and the courtyards of the Palazzo Vecchio, decorated with sculptures, fountains and frescoes by master Giorgio Vasari.
Loggia Lanzi
Attractive building of the 14th century, the Loggia of Lanzi on Piazza della Signoria is a covered gallery with arched openings. During the reign of Cosimo de Medici, it served as a representative function and served as a place for noble people during receptions and holidays.
Today it is something like a museum hall with ancient sculptures from the Uffizi Gallery in the fresh air. Here are:
- ancient Roman female figures;
- antique statue “Menelaus with the body of Patroclus”;
- a copy of the “Rape of the Sabine Women” by Gianbologna and other sculptural works.
But the main pearl of the Loggia of Lanzi is the original work “Perseus with the Head of Medusa” by the famous sculptor Benvenuto Cellini.
Fountain of Neptune
An amazing creation of the Florentine master Bartolomeo Ammanati in Piazza della Signoria – the fountain of Neptune was created for a whole decade in the 16th century. Its opening took place for the wedding of the ruler of Tuscany, Francesco I Medici, and it became the first public fountain in the city.
Ammanati decorated the central part of the sculptural group of the fountain with a powerful figure of the ruler of the seas, made of white marble, surrounded by nymphs, mermaids, satyrs. Neptune is depicted on a chariot drawn by a quadriga of seahorses, decorated with unusual shells.
Uffizi Gallery
In the list of what you can see interesting in Florence in 3 days, the Uffizi Gallery should be in the first place. This is a world-famous museum that keeps within its walls stunning examples of painting and sculpture of the Italian Renaissance. Here you need to spend most of the day to see all its countless artistic treasures.
The gallery was founded by Cosimo I de’ Medici in 1581. This is the oldest European museum, which is located between Piazza della Signoria and the embankment of the Arno River. The building of the Uffizi Gallery is an architectural ensemble of two longitudinal buildings with three floors, located parallel to each other, they are connected on one side by a transverse building.
It is in this gallery that the world-famous masterpieces of painting are exhibited:
- “The Holy Family with the Young John the Baptist” by Michelangelo;
- The Birth of Venus and Spring by Sandro Botticelli;
- “Adoration of the Magi” and “Annunciation” by Leonardo da Vinci;
- “Madonna and Child with Two Angels” by Filippo Lippi;
- “Venus of Urbino” by Titian.
Here you can see the works of Giotto, Rubens, Caravaggio, Verrocchio, Bronzino, other famous painters and valuable sculptures.
Ponte Vecchio Bridge
The oldest bridge in Florence across the river Arno Ponte Vecchio or the Old Bridge was built in the middle of the 14th century by the architect Neri di Fioravanti. The length of this famous Florentine arched footbridge is 95 meters. It is located in the historic center, next to the Uffizi Gallery.
The construction of the bridge, consisting of three arches, made it possible to make it a place of brisk trade. Houses were attached directly to the bridge from the outside above the river, in the old days they were butcher shops, then they were replaced by jewelry stores. These shops still sell jewelry and souvenirs.
This place is extremely popular with those who come to Florence. Standing at the arched span in the center of the Old Bridge and watching the sunset is a great pleasure. But this ancient building has its own secret. Back in the 16th century, the ruler of Tuscany, Cosimo I Medici, ordered a corridor to be attached to the bridge, this task was completed by the architect Giorgio Vasari. Through this corridor, the duke could safely move across the river from the old palace (Palazzo Vecchio) to the new palace – Palazzo Pitti. And the superstructure was called the Vasari Corridor.
Today, this corridor has been turned into a gallery of original self-portraits of famous artists from all over the world:
- Raphael Santi;
- Rubens;
- Velasquez;
- Orest Kiprensky;
- Boris Kustodiev.
There are 1400 paintings in total. You can get into the Vasari corridor with a guided tour with a Uffizi Gallery ticket.
Boar Porcellino
Every tourist strives to get to the bronze sculpture of the Porcellino boar in the loggia of the New Market (Mercato Nuovo) on the left bank of the Arno River. Porcellino is said to grant wishes by rubbing his nose and throwing a coin into the grate at his front hooves. Tourists do it with pleasure. In addition, the lattice has an inscription that the funds raised go to the improvement of Florence. So do not feel sorry for the coin.
A wild boar appeared on this site in the 17th century with the light hand of Cosimo II Medici and became a symbol of Tuscany, where there were many wild boars. The bronze sculpture was made by the master Pietro Tacca. Then, after the death of Cosimo II, the boar sculpture was converted into a fountain, water began to flow from its mouth. Therefore, a tradition arose to put a coin in the mouth of a wild boar so that the water would take it to the bars.
In the house adjacent to the loggia of Mercanto Nuovo, where various goods are now briskly traded, in 1868-1869 the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky worked on the novel The Idiot, as a memorial plaque on the building says. Dostoevsky wrote: “Our windows overlooked the market under porticos, with beautiful granite columns and arcades, and with a city fountain in the form of a gigantic bronze boar, from whose mouth water is beating …”.
Palazzo Pitti
The house where Dostoevsky lived is located on Pitti Square, the main attraction of which was the three-tier Pitti Palace, built here on a sloping slope in the middle of the 15th century by architects Filippo Brunelleschi and Luca Francelli.
First, this grandiose palace complex was built for the banker Luca Pitti. The magnificent building has become a real monument of the Quattrocento and the largest palace in Florence. Later, the Medici family bought the palace from the descendants of the Pitti, and it became the new residence of the rulers of Tuscany.
Today, most travelers who come to the main city of Tuscany seek to get into this museum complex. Several interesting objects are concentrated in this building at once:
- Porcelain Museum;
- Carriage Museum;
- Gallery of Contemporary Art;
- costume gallery;
- Silver Museum.
But the main aesthetic value of this place is the famous Palatine Gallery, which contains world-class picturesque masterpieces, paintings by great Italian masters.
No major art gallery in the world can boast such an extensive collection of works by Rafael Santi as the Palatina Gallery. 11 works of this genius are presented here at once, including the canvas “Donna Velata”. In the halls of the gallery you can see the famous works of painters:
- Van Dyck;
- Giorgione;
- Rubens;
- Caravaggio;
- Andrea del Sarto;
- Tintoretto;
- Murillo;
- Titian’s “Penitent Mary Magdalene”
Tourists are amazed by the luxurious interior design of the Palazzo Pitti. Everywhere white marble, stucco with gilding, an abundance of frescoes, tapestries, silk, antique furniture. The painting of the halls of Apollo, Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Saturn by Pietro da Cortona is amazing.
Boboli Gardens
If we talk about what it is desirable to see in Florence on your own, these will be the Boboli Gardens, which can be seen from the windows of the Palazzo Pitti. The garden and park ensemble of the 16th century unfolded next to the palace on an area of 4.5 hectares. The gardens were laid out on a hillside called Boboli at the request of the wife of Cosimo I de Medici Eleanor of Toledo and became the best thing that left landscape gardening art in memory of the Renaissance.
The decoration of the gardens was:
- grottoes;
- garden temples with colonnades;
- sculptures with fountains;
- gravel-strewn axial paths;
- stone decor.
And all this in the midst of the splendor of greenery. Immediately behind the Palazzo Pitti, an amphitheater was built, rising to Boboli Hill. In the center of it is an ancient Egyptian obelisk.
Once the amphitheater was a platform for opera performances. Famous Italian masters Niccolo Tribolo, Bartolomeo Ammanati, Giorgio Vasari, sculptor Bernardo Buontalenti had a hand in the arrangement of unique gardens.
Bardini Garden
From the Boboli Gardens, you should go to the neighboring green park of Florence – the Bardini Garden. Here, in the summer, the splendor of blooming irises and roses pleases the eye. The paths of the garden, like a gazebo, are covered from above with blooming wisteria.
The Bardini Garden is not as refined as the Boboli Gardens, it has retained the spirit of a medieval city, but it was clearly created for romantics and lovers of solitude and silence. In addition, the terrace of this garden, decorated with sculptures, offers a magnificent view of the Arno River, as well as the historic center of Florence.
Piazza Michelangelo
Piazzale Michelangelo is located next to the Bardini Gardens. It was built on the left bank of the Arno River in the 19th century by the architect Giuseppe Poggi. The central part of the square is decorated with another copy, this time in bronze, of “David” and copies of four figures (Night, Morning, Day and Evening) by the great master Michelangelo Buonarotti, the originals of which are in the Basilica of San Lorenzo.
But the main thing that attracts tourists to this square is a magnificent observation deck, from where a panorama of Florence opens with all its beauties. It is here that the best panoramic shots are obtained in memory of the beautiful capital of Tuscany.
Florence is one of the most charming cities in Italy. This is a mecca for lovers of Italian art from different eras. The flow of tourists there does not dry out all year round, which is quite natural. Florentine galleries and museums hold true treasures of painting and sculpture. The architecture of this city is also a world value.