Florence

The huge duomo towers over the rest of Florence
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Though very crowded during the late July holiday season when we visited, Florence was a hugely rewarding place to see. The city is world renowned for its rich artistic history and is considered to be the heart of the Renaissance. Masterpieces of sculpture and painting by Michaelangelo, Dante, Machiavelli and Medici are just a few of the famous works on display in the numerous galleries and museums.

On our first evening in the city we walked across the Arno River and checked out the Ponte Vecchio – the one original bridge to survive WWII. Apparently Hitler held the beauty of this bridge in such high regard that he ordered it to be spared from the wartime bombing raids. The bridge is now occupied across its entire length with a cluster of goldsmiths shops and was certainly not much to look at from along the river. Returning later however once it was floodlit and reflecting off the water you got an idea of why Hitler wanted to save it.

a skyline dominated by the fourth largest cathedral in the world

The front facade of the duomo
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The skyline of the city is dominated by a monster of a dome which sits atop the fourth largest cathedral in the world. With no taller buildings for miles, the massive structure looks as if it had been dropped there. The sculpted facade of the cathedral is just as impressive. Inside, the ceilings and stained glass windows were all the work of famous artrists.

Not as big but just as interesting was the Chiesa di San Firenze, another cathedral which houses the remains of Michaelangelo, among others.

The Ponte Vecchio by night
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Luckily we didn’t have to queue for too long before getting inside the crowded Galleria dell’Accademia to see what is probably the most famous sculpture in the world. The massive marble sculpture of David by Michealangelo is awe inspiring in its perfection. The fact that it was carved from a single block of marble is just unbelievable. We joined the crowds of tourists young and old who were just standing around the room gazing up at the statue, taking in all the details of this incredible piece of art.

One of several copies of Michaelangelo's David on public display in the city
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However, we weren’t so lucky at the Uffizi Gallery. This is the home of such Renaissance masterpieces as Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Da Vinci’s The Annunciation. The queues were stretching out the door and all the way to the end of the block and showing no signs of moving. We were advised by a helpful notice board that the waiting time was approximately two and a half to three hours. So we decided to give that one a miss, hopefully we will get another chance to visit in the off-season.

A detail of the gold doors facing the entrance to the duomo
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Once we hit saturation point with all the churches and museums, we found a couple of brilliant little back street restaurants serving delicious Tuscan food. The local chianti (red wine) also deserves special mention.