Florence (Tuscany): what to see


post-title

What to see in Florence, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria.


Tourist information

Capital of Tuscany, Florence represents one of the Italian cities with the greatest artistic content, boasts an immense art heritage, made up of paintings, sculptures, palaces and churches scattered throughout its historic center.

It is crossed by the Arno river, sadly famous for having caused a disastrous flood in 1966 which also caused significant damage to important artistic works.


In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries it was under the rule of the Medici family and, in various eras, it has always been an important cultural, commercial and financial center.

The Renaissance originated in Florence, a period that saw the emergence of a new ideal of life and the revival of humanities and fine arts, and also for this reason it has always been recognized worldwide as a heritage for art and architecture thanks to the numerous buildings of historical importance, exceptional monuments and notable museums including the Uffizi Gallery, the Palatine Gallery, the Bargello and the Pitti Palace.

Piazzale Michelangelo, Forte Belvedere or Fiesole offer an evocative panoramic view of the historic center of Florence, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.


The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, in Italian Gothic style, was built on the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and built on the foundations of the ancient Cathedral of Florence, or the Basilica of Santa Reparata.

It is dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore, the foundation stone was laid on September 8, 1296, the original project underwent numerous modifications and the Cathedral today is the result of 170 years of work. The facade was built in neo-Gothic style according to a design by Emilio De Fabris, between 1871 and 1887.

Brunelleschi's dome, one of the most famous structures in the city, was built between 1418 and 1434.


The bell tower of the cathedral was designed by Giotto, its construction began in 1334, after Giotto's death the works were carried out by Andrea Pisano and completed, with some modifications on the original project, by Francesco Talenti in 1359.

Basilica of San Lorenzo, is one of the oldest churches in the city, was consecrated by San Ambrosio in 393.

Recommended readings
  • Artimino (Tuscany): what to see
  • San Galgano (Tuscany): what to see
  • Poggibonsi (Tuscany): what to see
  • Castiglione di Garfagnana (Tuscany): what to see
  • Tuscany: Sunday day trips

Enlarged and rededicated in 1059, the Basilica was the parish of the Medici family, who in 1419 funded the expansion works on a project by Filippo Brunelleschi, who had already built the Old Sacristy and another chapel there, while the New Sacristy , where there are the tombs of the Medici family and the Laurentian Library were the work of Michelangelo.

The works were always financed by the Medici, who wanted a burial place for the members of their family, the Medici Chapels, and a place to store their precious books and manuscripts, the Laurentian Library.

Palazzo Vecchio is located in Piazza della Signoria, it took this name when in 1565 the family and the court of Duke Cosimo I dei Medici moved to the new palace, Palazzo Pitti.

The construction dates back to the end of the thirteenth century on a project by Arnolfo di Cambio, was the seat of the Signoria, formed by the city council, headed by the priors, and by the gonfalonier of justice.

The current building is the result of various extensions following the first construction phase ended in 1315.

In the second half of the 16th century, important extensions and prestigious decorations were made in the palace.

It was Duke Cosimo I de 'Medici, who lived there temporarily, who entrusted Giorgio Vasari with the task of adapting the building to the needs of the ducal court.


The palace is an art treasure chest, the result of the work of extraordinary artists such as Donatello, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio, Bronzino, Salviati, Verrocchio, Vasari.

When Florence was the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, from 1865 to 1871, Palazzo Vecchio was the seat of the government, after this period it returned to be the seat of the municipality of Florence, as it is today. Inside there is a museum that allows you to visit a large part of the palace.

Palazzo Pitti, located in the Oltrarno district and home to various museums, was built in the second half of the 1400s at the behest of Luca Pitti, a rival of the Medici family, following the project of Luca Fancelli, pupil and collaborator of Brunelleschi.

The Pitti family, finding themselves in financial difficulties, was forced to sell the building, which was purchased by Cosimo I de 'Medici and his wife Eleonora di Toledo, who made it their residence, commissioning Bartolomeo Ammannati to carry out an expansion, corresponding almost to the current size of the building.

The land adjacent to the palace was purchased, used to create the Boboli Garden, designed with the aim of creating pretty gardens within the city.

Since the area of ​​Oltrarno is less crowded and more airy than the city center, Eleonora was considered the most suitable for alleviating the health problems affecting her and her children.


The palace, affected by various interventions over the centuries, after the extinction of the Medici dynasty and before becoming the property of the Italian state, was the palace of the Lorraine and Savoy families.

The Palazzo Pitti complex includes the Palatine Gallery, the Modern Art Gallery, the Costume Gallery, the Silver Museum, the Porcelain Museum, the Boboli Gardens.

At the beginning of 1560 Cosimo I de 'Medici entrusted Giorgio Vasari with the task of designing a building, the current Uffizi Gallery, which would allow the offices of the Magistrates of the Florentine arts to be brought together in a single location, as well as the new government headquarters. , to be placed between the south side of piazza della Signoria and the lungarno.

The feat was completed in 1580, by Bernardo Buontalenti, on behalf of Francesco I de ’Medici.

Previously, in 1565, on the occasion of the marriage of Francesco I with Giovanna of Austria, Duke Cosino I commissioned Vasari to also build an elevated link between Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti, the famous Vasari Corridor, which passes through the Galleria degli Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio.

The duke, who had his residence in Palazzo Pitti, could thus freely and safely reach the government building.

In 1581, Francesco I began the collection of the Gallery with collections already started in 400 '.

Over the centuries, the members of the Medici family have commissioned or purchased numerous works of art which today are part of a great artistic heritage.

The last heir of the Medici family recognized that the collections belonged to the city and imposed a law that prohibited their export. During the rule of the Habsburg-Lorraine house the museum was opened to the public.

New arrangements were made, and some collections were fundamental for the formation of other museums in Florence. Over time, new works were acquired from churches and convents and purchased from other important museums, in order to document all Italian painting well.

To cite some extraordinary artists, the gallery houses works by Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Leonardo, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Filippo Lippi, Raffaello, Andrea del Sarto, Tiziano, Antonio and Piero del Pollaiolo, Andrea Mantegna., Jacopo Pontormo, Caravaggio . Of note is the collection of ancient sculpture, mostly from the Roman era.

What see

The Ponte Vecchio was built in 1345 with three low-arched crossings, after a flood had wiped out the previous one, dating back to 1170.


Already in Roman times there was a bridge across the Arno at the same point.

The shops of the bridge before hosting the goldsmiths and jewelers were occupied by beccai, or butchers, who had been assembled on the Ponte Vecchio in order to move the meat processing away from the city center, but when the Vasari Corridor was built, which passes also above the shops on the east side of the bridge, Duke Ferdinando I, who made that route, in 1593 had the shops of the bridge occupied by goldsmiths, since he did not like the smells coming from the less noble meat trade.

At the center of the bridge there are two panoramic terraces, on the west side there is the monument to Benvenuto Cellini, famous goldsmith, sculptor and Florentine artist.

Palazzo Medici was built in the mid-1400s by Cosimo the elder, patriarch of the Medici, who commissioned the architect Michelozzo to build this building, often taken as a model for all civil architecture of the Renaissance.

In the palace, sober and elegant, as well as the residence of the Medici family, an environment very favorable to the development of art was created, where the most illustrious Florentine artists of the Renaissance were trained.

In 1659 the palace was purchased by the Riccardi, who carried out numerous renovations, decorations and extensions, keeping the style of the old part outside, while for the interiors they adapted to the Baroque style of the time.

In 1814 the building was sold to the Lorraine family, later it became state property and when Florence became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy it hosted the Ministry of the Interior until 1874, when it was purchased by the Province of Florence, which still owns the property.

The National Museum of San Marco is located in the Convent of San Marco, an ancient Dominican convent where excellent representatives of fifteenth-century Florentine culture and art worked and lived.

Since 1300 there was a church and a convent in the place where Cosimo il Vecchio, on the advice of the Vicar general of the Dominican order Antonino Pierozzi, had the new complex built.

The task was entrusted to Michelozzo, a trusted architect of the Medici family, while the direction of the pictorial decoration was entrusted to Fra Angelico who was a friar in the Convent.

The facade of the church was built in 1777-78 in neoclassical style.

In addition to Beato Angelico, Antonino Pierozzi, Fra ’Bartolomeo and Fra’ Girolamo Savonarola, a Dominican preacher friar, condemned and executed for heresy in 1498, lived in the Convent.


The museum is famous for the precious collection of paintings on wood and the extraordinary cycle of frescoes by Fra Angelico.

Other masters are also present with their works, including: Domenico Ghirlandaio, Fra ’Bartolomeo, Baldovinetti, Poccetti, Vignali, Sogliani.

Piazza della Signoria is located in the historic center, overlooking it Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall.

In Piazza del Duomo, which constitutes one of the largest monumental complexes in Italy, there is the Cathedral, famous for Brunelleschi's Dome, Giotto's Bell Tower and the Baptistery of San Giovanni.

Baptistery of San Giovanni is beautifully decorated both outside and inside with the signatures of renowned city workers, famous for the door of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti.

Piazza della Repubblica is a nineteenth-century-style square where important cafes and luxury hotels are located.

Piazza Santa Croce, together with the basilica of the same name, was the scene in the Renaissance of knightly jousting, festivals, shows and typical popular competitions, including costume football.

Piazza San Lorenzo, known above all for the daily food market, is dominated by the basilica of the same name with the large dome of the Cappella dei Principi in the background.

Piazza Santa Maria Novella is dominated by the facade of the church of the same name and represents one of the main squares in Florence where the central station is also located.

Piazza della Santissima Annunziata is one of the first European examples of urban planning.

Piazza Santo Spirito is a frequent home of markets as well as being full of restaurants and night clubs often a meeting place for many Florentines.

Piazzale Michelangelo is a convenient observation point to admire the city panorama of Florence.


Palazzo Rucellai, a typical example of fifteenth-century Florentine architecture, was designed by Leon Battista Alberti.

Palazzo Strozzi, located halfway up via Tornabuoni, is considered one of the masterpieces of Florentine civil architecture of the Renaissance.

Santa Maria Novella, which stands in the square that bears the same name, preserves priceless works of art inside, including frescoes by Masaccio, Paolo Uccello, Filippino Lippi and Domenico Ghirlandaio, while the remarkable façade, by Leon Battista Alberti.

Santa Croce, one of the largest Franciscan basilicas, represents one of the greatest achievements of the Gothic style in Italy.

The Church of Santo Spirito, the work of Filippo Brunelleschi, is characterized by the combination of open spaces and full volumes, flooded with natural light.

The Chiesa del Carmine is the church that has become famous all over the world for the Brancacci Chapel, frescoed by Masaccio and Masolino.

Santa Trinita, the first Gothic church in Florence, preserves works by Domenico Ghirlandaio and frescoes in the Sassetti Chapel.

Alternative daily routes

1) In the morning visit to Piazza del Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore with excursion on the grandiose dome of Brunelleschi, Giotto's bell tower and Baptistery. In the afternoon visit of Palazzo Pitti with the Argenti museum, museum of modern art, museum of paintings, Boboli garden and Forte Belvedere.

2) In the morning visit of the Uffizi Gallery museum, with the nearby Palazzo Vecchio and the characteristic Ponte Vecchio on the Arno river.

In the afternoon visit to the Bargello museum, Loggia del Porcellino and Piazza della Repubblica.

3) In the morning visit to the Fortezza Da Basso with the nearby gardens. In the afternoon visit of Medieval Florence including Dante's house, the Red Door, the Santa Trinità bridge and Davanzati square.

4) In the morning visit of P.za S. Marco with the nearby museum, the Accademia Gallery and the Church of Santo Spirito. In the afternoon visit to the Medici Chapels, the Laurentian Library and the Brancacci Chapel.


5) Excursion from morning to evening in the most typical places of Chianti including Strada in Chianti, Greve in Chianti, Panzano in Chianti, Radda in Chianti and Castellina in Chianti.

6) In the morning visit to the Last Supper of Ghirlandaio, the Piazza del Carmine and the Archaeological museum. In the afternoon climb to Piazzale Michelangelo with the Church of San Miniato.

7) In the morning visit to the grandiose Cascine park, the Porta Romana and the Oltrarno area. Afternoon to devote to purchases in the exclusive shops in the center and at the stalls of the S. Lorenzo market.

10 Important Things to Know Before Visiting Florence (March 2024)


Tags: Tuscany
Top