Florence is the capital city of Tuscany, a region in Italy.

It was a huge centre for medieval trade and finance and is where the Italian Renaissance began.

The historic city centre was declared a World Heritage Site in 1981, fulfilling the first five criteria of UNESCO’s checklist for the honor.  It’s worth having a look at these cultural criteria as they encapsulate all that is magical and unique about Florence.

World Heritage Site UNESCO Cultural Criteria met by Florence:

I.            To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius

II.            To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design

III.            To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared

IV.            To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history

V.            To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change

Florence Nightingale, Gucci, Roberto Cavalli and Galileo are just a few of the people who were born there.  If you’re considering a vacation in Italy, Florence has to be on your short list!

A Brief History

It’s not easy to condense such a lengthy history, which is, after all, what makes Florence so special.  So here are the main points which would enhance a visit and highlight the best places to see.

• Julius Caesar first established Florence in 59 BC and called it Florentia which means ‘the flourishing’. The main roman roads crossed over at the present day site of Piazza della Repubblica.
• From 400 AD, the city was ruled by Bishops, Ostrogoths (an East Germanic Tribe), the Byzantines (Romans) and the Lombards (Germanic people from Northern Europe).
• In 774, Charlemagne (King of the Franks who conquered most of Western and Central Europe) conqured Florence and it became part of the Duchy of Tuscany but Lucca was the capital.
• In around 1000 AD, Hugo the Great, Margrave of Tuscany, decided to live in Florence instead of Lucca and this simple choice began the golden age of art in the city. In 1013, building began on the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte.
• Before the plague hit in 1348, around a third of people in Florence made their living in the wool industry. In the mid 1300′s, the wool combers revolted because they didn’t belong to a guild and the rest of the textile industry did. The carders were suppressed and the Albizzi family – bitter rivals of the Medici’s – took over Florence for the next fifty years.
• In 1415, Cosimo de’Medici took over, although he ruled from behind the scenes and never held office.

The Medicis were a powerful and influential family in Florence from the 14th to 18th century. The family produced three popes, many rulers of Florence and notable women such as Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, and Marie de Medici who married a French King.  Many members of Spanish, French and English royalty descended from this family. The Medici’s sponsored some of the most famous works of Renaissance art, including pieces by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli.

The Medici Bank was one of the most wealthy and widely respected institutions in Europe. Accountants today can thank the Medici’s for the system of double-entry bookkeeping which they developed.  The Medici’s were the richest European family for a lengthy period.  This gave them political power in Florence and then in both Italy and Europe.

Medici rule ended in 1494 when the French King, Charles VIII invaded Northern Italy and a republican government was installed.

• A contemporary monk, Girolamo Savanarola blamed the Medici downfall on what he saw as decadence and attachment to material wealth. He went too far when he publicly accused Pope Alexander VI of corruption and was eventually burnt at the stake in the Piazza della Signoria in 1498.
• Niccolò Machiavelli was employed by the Medici’s and lobbied for their successful return to power but the people overthrew them again and a republic was declared in 1527. However, the Medici’s won the support of the Emperor and the Pope. In 1537 they were made hereditary dukes of Florence and in 1569, declared Grand Dukes of Tuscany. They ruled for the next 200 years.
• The Medici family became extinct in 1737 and Florence briefly came under Austrian rule and then a province of Italy in 1861.
• Florence became the capital of Italy in 1865 and tragically, the old market in the Piazza del Mercato Vecchio and numerous medieval houses were torn down to make way for new buildings. This was stopped by a few outraged British and American people who lived in Florence and a museum recording this disaster is nearby.
• In 1871, Rome took over as the capital of Italy.
• The Germans occupied Florence from 1943 to 1944. There are war cemeteries outside the city holding Allied troops who finally drove the Germans out. The retreating Germans blew up bridges along the Arno River to prevent troops crossing after them. Hitler forbade them to blow up the Ponte Vecchio as he said it was too beautiful. Sadly, an historic area of streets including some of the Corridoio Vasariano was destroyed by mines. The bridges have since been restored to their original designs but the building were rebuilt with a mix of old and new.
• As they retreated, the Germans killed many freedom fighters and opponents publicly in the streets, including Piazza Santo Spirito.
• In November of 1966, the river Arno flooded the city centre and damaged many treasured works of art. Although they knew the flood was forecast, the authorities only notified a jeweller on the Ponte Vecchio. There are plaques on the walls showing where the waters reached.

Places to visit

The Cathedral Complex

The Duomo also called The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

The domed cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore is the best known building in Florence.  Six hundred years after it was finished, the dome is still the largest one in the world that was built from bricks and mortar.  The Cathedral was competed in 1436 and is extremely beautiful.  The exterior is clad in pink and green marble.  The cathedral complex includes the Duomo, the Baptistry and Giotto’s Campanile.

The Battistero of San Giovanni also called the Florence Baptistry or Baptistery of St. John

This is an octagonal basilica in the Piazza del Duomo and is one of the oldest buildings in Florence.  It was constructed between 1059 and 1128.  Michelangelo called the broze doors of the Baptistry “the Gates of Paradise” because they were, and still are, so beautiful.  Until the end of the 1800′s, all Catholics in Florence were baptized here.  This included members of the Medici family and important Reneaissance figures.

Giotto’s Campanile

This is a beautiful free-standing bell tower adjacent to the Baptistry and Duomo.  It is 84.7 metres / 277.9 feet high and (along with the Duomo dome) gives the best view of Florence, so it’s worth the climb.

The Ponte Vecchio

This medieval bridge spans the Arno River and still has shops along it, as was common in the Middle Ages.  The first shop keepers were butchers but now it has jewellers, art dealers and souvenir vendors.  It is 30 metres / 98 feet long and 32 metres / 100 feet wide.

Palazzo Vecchio

The name is Italian for ‘Old Palace’ and this is Florence’s Town Hall.  It overlooks the Piazza della Signoria and has a copy of Michelangelo’s David.  It was home to a Medici Duke.

Palazzo Pitti also called Pitti Palace

This is a huge Renaissance Palace on the South of the Arno, not far from the Ponte Vecchio.  The middle of the Palace dates back to 1458 and was the Town House of Luca Pitti who was a banker.  The Medici’s then bought it in 1549 andit was where they kept their extensive art and jewelry collection.  In the late 1700′s, Napoleon stayed there.  It was given to the people in 1919 by King Victor Emmanuel III and now it houses the art collection of the Medicis and is a huge tourist attraction.

Uffizi

This art museum is one of the most famous in the World and is the reason that many people visit Florence.  It was built for Cosimo de’Medici, with construction beginning in 1560 and ending in 1581.  Medici wanted it to house the best works of art from the huge family collection.  Vasari, who was the architect of the building, also wrote a book called Lives of the Artists which was published in 1550 and again in 1568.  He noted that artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo met at the Ufficzi “…for beauty, for work and for recreation.”

In 1993, a car bomb damaged parts of the palace and killed five people.  The worst damage was to the room housing classical sculptures which have now been restored.  Sadly, the frescoes on the interior were damaged beyond repair.  The Sicilian Mafia were thought to have been responsible.

In peak season (July), the waiting time to get into the Uffizi can be up to five hours so visitors are strongly advised to reserve a ticket in advance.  You can buy them online from the Uffizi website here.

Just a few of the many world famous paintings at the Uffizi

• Caravaggio (Bacchus, The Sacrifice of Isaac, Medusa)
• Sandro Botticelli (Primavera, The Birth of Venus, The Adoration of the Magi and others)
• Leonardo da Vinci (The Annunciation, The Adoration of the Magi)
• Michelangelo (The Doni Tondo)
• Raphael (Madonna of the Goldfinch, Pope Leo X with Cardinals Giulio de’ Medici and Luigi de’ Rossi)
• Titian (Flora, Venus of Urbino)
• Parmigianino (The Madonna of the Long Neck)
• Rembrandt (Self portrait as a young man, Self portrait as an old man, Portrait of an old man)

Boboli Gardens

These formal gardens date back to the 1500′s and are behind the Pitti Palace.  They were made for the wife of Cosimo de’Medici and contain avenues, elaborate statues, fountains, grottos and temples.  A conduit was built to carry water from the Arno to the irrigation system contained within the gardens.

So little time…so much to see!

There is so much to see in Florence that it is impossible to cover it all here. 

Other major tourist attractions include the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the Basilica of Santa Mario del Santo Spirito, the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, San Miniato al Monte, the Basilica of Santa Croce and Santa Maria del Carmine.

Florence is a magical and unforgettable city so please, try and see it!

Planning a visit to Florence is easy if you book through  Expedia.com! . You can book flights, hotels and car hire quickly and easily online.

After taking in the sights on the Ponte Vecchio we arrived at the Pitti Palace and the majestic Boboli Gardens.

These beautiful formal gardens are situated behind the Pitti Palace which was the property of the Medici family.  This stunningly beautiful palace is the 2nd largest museum in Florence.

The gardens cover and area approx 45,000 metres and include statues from the 16 and 17th century.  There are many areas where you can sit and relax before continuing on your stroll through the many twists an turns.

I have read a number of reviews about the gardens and some have not been very encouraging saying they are drab and because the people went in July (summer) nothing was flowering.   However,  we were enamoured of the surroundings and we also went in July when it was hot.

The gardens are set out in such a way that there are fountains and statues hidden away in little grotto’s and every now and then you just happen upon an amazing piece of sculpture and this makes it interesting as you wander around.

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We are so excited to be here in Florence so we rise early and head down to partake of a very tasty buffet breakfast.

Everything, as usual in Italy,  is cooked to perfection, proscuitto, eggs – scrambled, poached and fried, an assortment of cheeses, breads, jams, little Italian sausages and fresh tomatoes gently grilled to perfection.

The breakfast room is abuzz with tourists from many countries all quickly downing a hearty feed before setting off for an exciting day of exploring.

Our first stop is the Ponte Vecchio on our way to the Pitti Palace of the Medici’s and the Boboli gardens.

The Ponte Vecchio is full of the hustle and bustle of tourists all taking in the amazing array of jewellery on display.

Hmmm I wonder if my husband would notice a new piece of jewellery, maybe I could tell him I have had it for years and he just hadn’t noticed it.

We arrive back at the hotel and park the car. It looks so tiny in the parking space when we look down at it from our hotel room window.

There is il negozio di alimentari (grocery store) just down the road from our hotel so we set off to buy some food for dinner and lunch the next day. It reminds me very much of the corner shop from my childhood. The air is filled with the aroma of food and hessian sacks. It doesn’t take long to make our decision as there isn’t a great deal of variety, so armed with tomatoes, deli meat, bread, a variety of cheeses and some biscuits, we make our way to the counter to pay.
The lady huddled behind the counter seems more intent on carrying on a loud discussion with a man who is rearranging items on the shelves, than attending to us. However, eventually she adds up the total and we make our payment of something like 1 million lira.

Back at the hotel, we eat and drink before settling in for the evening. We have a lot to do tomorrow and we want to make an early start.

So much to do and so little time. We are already regretting having only booked 5 days in Florence.