The Duomo
The climb to the top is not for the faint-hearted, but if you manage to negotiate the 463 narrow steps from the inside, you will be greeted with extraordinary views of the city. A sea of terracotta roof tiles spreads across the city’s vista, like a handmade canvas painting.
The orange-tiled Duomo changed the skyline of Florence forever. Designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, and completed in 1436, it is a ground-breaking engineering feat that draws inspiration from the Pantheon. A goldsmith with no formal architectural training, he went on to single-handedly create a brilliant and risky octagonal structure that would become the quintessential symbol of the Renaissance. Brunelleschi received a princely sum of 200 gold florins for his ingenuity and completion of the project.
Santa Maria del Fiore
A walk through a maze of tiny alleys leads you to the cathedral named in honour of Santa Maria del Fiore. The magnificent exteriors of the church, especially the doors, will leave you gasping. It consists of 10 rectangular panels. Michelangelo famously called them the ‘gates of paradise’.
Entrance into the cathedral remains free, but you will find long queues to get in. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the tallest building in the city and the fourth largest church in Europe, completed in 1471 in the Gothic style. The cathedral complex includes the Baptistery with its famous bronze doors and Campanile (tower) designed by Giotto, clad in white, green, and pink marble. According to legend, it took two centuries for the church’s completion.
The frescos
You will experience a kaleidoscope of iconographic subjects from the Last Judgment and Dante’s Divine Comedy, on the ceiling of Duomo. The vivid subjects are carefully painted along the dividing lines of rows and segments, so that the theological pattern can be followed vertically and horizontally. The scenes of the Last Judgment painted on the inner dome by Vasari and Zuccari are among the largest paintings on Earth. Vasari completed only one-third of the work before he died. To complete the rest, the Grand Duke called upon Zuccari. Both painters had antagonistic styles of painting and interpreting art. Vasari followed the Tuscan tradition and was a conservative painter with delicate and ornate descriptions. Zuccari “imported” the Roman style of painting, which had an innovative colour palette and a grandiose final effect.
Pitti Palace
Palazzo Pitti, also called the Pitti Palace, is situated on the southern side of the River Arno. The vast display of precious objects reflects the family’s opulent lifestyle. As you walk on the palace grounds, look for a glimpse of the Duomo and the Tuscan hills in the horizon. The palace was originally built for the banker, Luca Pitti, who wanted to outdo the Medici family through a display of wealth and power. However, in a reversal of fortune, the construction bankrupted Pitti’s heirs, and later the Medicis purchased the palace and made it their main residence in 1550. Today, Pitti Palace’s richly decorated rooms display treasures from the Medici collections, such as paintings by Raphael, Rubens, Titian and others. Apart from the Royal Apartments, it houses a Silver Museum, Porcelain Museum, and a Costume Gallery.
Ponte Vecchio
If you wish to recover from the art overload, then wander around to the riverside of this ancient bridge. Ponte Vecchio, the 14th-Century bridge, houses jewellery shops. The stores easily have a museum’s worth of high-quality goods. The storefronts have remained unchanged for centuries and produce jewellery.
Most of the shops lined along the bridge belong to families of goldsmiths who have traded here for generations, at least since 1345. As you walk past, you will find Florence holds its history with great pride. Tuscan tanneries are renowned and there is no better place to buy leather bags, shoes and other goods. Make sure you have enough space in your bag to carry these goodies. This, indeed, is a paradise for shoppers.
Arno river
The city still trembles each time the river rises. When it is calm, the narrow boulevards and its many bridges and sunsets make for a splendid sight. You will find many eateries and shops along the river. While walking around, you are instantly transported to the medieval ages. Since the first recorded floods in 1177, the river has inundated Florence 56 times. Flood water, sludge and debris caused lasting damage to the treasured buildings and artworks of the Florence historic centre. Besides being a source of destruction, the river has an inseparable link with the history of Florence. It provided work to its people, served as a recreational tool during festivals and, since ancient times, acted as an important transit route and contributed to the economic development of Florence between the 12th and 14th centuries.
Boboli Gardens
Can gardens be works of art? The Boboli Gardens leave no doubt in mind. Lose yourself amid the greenery of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in the Pitti Palace and spread across 111 acres. As you meander through the serene gardens, you will see stunning contrasts and forms, an amphitheatre, boxed hedges clipped into symmetrical geometric patterns, groves of cypress trees, countless statues and fountains — all creating an extravagant visual theatre. The pomp and privileged lives of the Medicis are at display here. They commissioned Niccolo Pericoli known as Tribolo to design the gardens. While the palace is stern, imposing and enormous with the weight of wealth, it is the stepped terraces behind the palace that make Boboli Gardens a destination for nature enthusiasts and garden lovers from around the world.
Buontalenti Grotto
Among the most beautiful places in the Boboli Gardens is the Grotto of Buontalenti, which reproduces natural elements of a cave in a picturesque style known as Mannerism. The Large Grotto has three sections decorated with remarkable examples of Mannerist sculptures. The first creates the illusion of a natural grotto, a refuge for shepherds to protect themselves from wild animals. It originally housed the Prisoners by Michelangelo, which is now housed in the Accademia Gallery. The third and furthest hall in the grotto contains Giambologna’s famous Bathing Venus and the second section contains Paris and Helen by Vincenzo de’ Rossi. At the end of your walk as you exit near the palace, don’t forget to wave bye to the court dwarf Morgante who rides a tortoise.
The David
If there is one statue that epitomises Florentine society, it would be David, sculpted by Michelangelo between 1501-1504. The S-curved statue stands with one leg holding its full weight and the other leg forward, standing relaxed but in an alert pose. The perfect proportion of the human anatomy is captivatingly depicted, with watchful eyes, pulsing veins on the back of the hands, taut torso, flexing thigh muscles and the almost invisible slingshot David carried over his shoulder to kill Goliath. This imposing 17-foot masterpiece made of gleaming Carrara marble, the whitest of all marbles in the world, weighs 5,660 kg. It is one of the most intensely studied and zealously guarded statues housed in the l’Accademia dell’Arte, one of the main museums in town.
