Culture of Florence. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

Of course, Duomo remains the most vivid architectural landmark of Florence. No monument of the past can match with the beauty of this great place. In addition to the magnificent cathedral, visitors of the city must see Baptistery, which facade is lined with delicate marble tiles. The baptistery’s facing was made yet in the 12th century and two centuries later the dome of the building was decorated with beautiful Byzantine mosaics. The gate in front of the building is also decorated with panels with bas-reliefs, which depict John the Baptist.

The center of the city is the location of another prominent religious attraction - the Basilica of Santa Croce. This church was built in Gothic style, and its rooms are decorated with beautiful frescoes by Giotto. The basilica is the location of several tombs of great figures of the country. The beautiful church of Santa Maria Novella is located next to Grand Central Station. This place also attracts travelers with its unusual architecture and luxurious interior decoration. Dominican monks began to build the church in the 13th century, but the building ended with the erection of the shrine only 200 years later. Perhaps, Uffizi Gallery is the most famous and attractive cultural institution of the city. This place is certainly worth visiting regardless of the fact whether you are a connoisseur of art or just a tourist.

House of Dante is surely a vibrant cultural attraction of the city. A beautiful old mansion - the birthplace of the world-renowned poet – has been turned into a museum. Modern Art Gallery, which exhibits a collection of works by Italian artists of the Renaissance, can simply not be ignored. The gallery often hosts exhibitions by young artists. In the famous Palatine Gallery you can see priceless works of Botticelli, Van Dyck, Caravaggio and Rubens. The gallery is opened in the beautiful Pitti Palace, which is also a prominent landmark of the city. The project of the palace was developed by architect Filippo Brunelleschi - one of the best masters of the 19th century. Bargello Castle, built in 1255, is a no less impressive architectural landmark of the city. In 1859 it was decided to open the National Museum in the palace. Therefore, now its spacious halls exhibit the collections of ancient sculptures and paintings. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Acquaintance with the cradle of Renaissance will be incomplete without admiring the statue of David by Michelangelo. This is one of the landmarks of the city, along with Battistero di San Giovanni, Palazzo Vecchio and Duomo. Among other monuments are interesting memorials to the great people who were either born or simply at some point lived in the city – the rulers of Florence, “Medici”, among which stands the monument to Cosimo I, as well as the monument to Dante Alighieri. Many sculptures are associated with antiquity, like the compositions “Patroclo e Menelao”, “Ercole e Caco”, “Perseus”. Sure to capture everyone’s interest is a statue depicting boars (this is one of the symbols of the hometown of Donatello) called Fontana del Porcellino. It is believed to bring good luck.

Campanile di Giotto, the majestic creation of the great architect, deserves an up close look. All 414 steps are worth every climb, where upon reaching the top you get to receive your reward, which is a magnificent panorama of the hometown of Sandro Botticelli. Another interesting construction is Cupola del Brunelleschi; there are more steps here (a total of 463). The building is the highest observation platform of the city. Torre di San Niccolo, isolatedly towering over the city and the river, draws the attention of tourists, and for a good reason. The place is definitely worth a visit, if not for any reason but the fact that it is one of the oldest structures of the city (built in the beginning of the XIV century).

Florence is a common place for shooting historical films. Among them – “Inferno” (Giardino di Boboli, Corridoio Vasariano, Santa Maria Novella), “Piazza della Signoria”, and, of course, the series “Medici: Masters of Florence”, here the hometown of Machiavelli became a site for almost all the episodes of the movie. The same goes for the game “Assassin’s Creed”, in which you can easily discover the streets of Florence. It is worth noting that the location of the shooting of the movie is interesting not only because of this fact, but also on their own – after all, Florence is some kind of an independent landmark.

A wonderful fortification can be found on Via del Forte di san Giorgio. This is about the Forte di Belvedere o di San Giorgio Firenze, built in the late 16th century by the order of Ferdinand I de’ Medici, for the protection of the city and Palazzo Pitti, the residence of the rulers of Tuscany. This is a truly historic place – it was from here that Galileo Galilei watched the stars. Also, while in the hometown of Roberto Cavalli, you should take a stroll through Piazza Santo Spirito, Piazza San Marco, discover the country residence of the great dynasty Villa Medicea di Castello, and learn about the Roman past of Florence when you see Porta Romana.