Florence (Firenze)

Traveling to Florence Italy?

Experience the wonders of this magnificent city at your own pace, on your schedule and according to your interests. Unlike other audio guides, Great Discoveries "Personal Tour Guides" take you into the buildings and point out the most significant works of art and other items of historical interest. As you view the carefully selected treasures our professional narrators, accompanied with historically appropriate background music, will delight you with enchanting stories that bring history to life. Learn about Florence's artwork, stunning buildings and unparalleled cultural heritage with informative descriptions, photos, maps, building diagrams and suggested itineraries.

Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, may be a small city but she is indeed one of the most picturesque in the world. For centuries her stunning buildings, spectacular artwork, and unparalleled cultural heritage have enchanted tourists and scholars alike. It is estimated that 60% of the world’s most important art is located in Italy and that more than half of it is in Florence. All these qualities combine to make this one of the world’s most magnificent cities and a favorite tourist destination.

Florence bewitches one's senses in a way that few cities can. Few are immune to the sight of Brunelleschi’s dome rising majestically above the red, green, and cream marble facade of the cathedral. The city is packed with glorious Renaissance buildings, including breathtaking churches and striking palaces. Its streets are steeped in history, culture, and atmosphere. One feels the spirits of the fathers of Italian art, Cimabue and Giotto, along with Andrea Arnolfo and Pisano and the founders of the Renaissance, Ghiberti, Della Robbia, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Paolo Uccello, and of course, the genius that was Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Ones eye cannot travel far without falling upon a glorious building created by one of the reformists of architecture and sculpture, Brunelleschi, Donatello or Masaccio.

Dante, the great Italian poet, whose work, “The Divine Comedy,” codified and established the Italian language lived here. Machiavelli, forever renowned for his infamous skepticism, gave birth to modern political science here. Another famous Italian, Galileo, who created the first telescope and revolutionized our view of the universe, was born in Florence and is buried here, in the Santa Croce Basilica. As you stroll through its dark and narrow streets and visit its treasure crammed churches, its formable galleries and its striking palaces overflowing with masterful works of art, you will realize that Florence’s culture and atmosphere have not changed much since the 16th century.

Florence is truly a city designed for pedestrians. A brief five-minute walk separates the city’s spiritual heart, the Piazza del Duomo, from the city’s political heart, the Piazza della Signoria. From this historic center all other attractions are just a short walk away, including the Galleria degli Uffizi, the Galleria dell’ Accademia (David), Santa Croce Basilica, San Lorenzo Basilica, Santa Maria Novella Basilica, the Pitti Palace, the Palazzo Vecchio, and the Bargello (National) Museum.  Along the way, as you travel through Florence's narrow cobbled streets, you will trod in the footsteps of Michelangelo, Galileo, Dante, Donatello, Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci. Here in the city's center, the Florentine Republic rose and fell; and here Savonarola’s Bonfires of the Vanity blazed.

Florence, the capital city of the Tuscany region and one of the countries most important and historic cities, was founded by the Romans in 59 B.C. but didn't come into prominence until the 11th century A.D. when banking became a huge business spurred on by the city’s profitable wool trade. In 1235, Florence minted the florin, the first gold coin to become the standard currency across Europe. During this period, several banking families, the Strozzi, Rucellai, Pitti, and Medici, achieved great wealth, and in turn, they commissioned the finest art and architecture in the city. During the 14th century, the Medici family achieved dominance and subsequently controlled the fortunes of Florence for over 300 years. The Medici’s were great patrons of the arts who nurtured the greatest flowering of the Renaissance.

Florentines who deal with masses of tourists on a day-to-day basis can appear haughty and standoffish toward visitors, but there are many who will offer the visitor a warm smile and a helpful gesture. During the summer, July and August, at the height of the tourist season, Florence is generally packed with tourists, and some would say it is uncomfortably hot. But Florence is a tourist city, and its artistic attractions are indoors, so the town is really an all-year-round destination. Florence is never completely without tourists, but visiting during the off periods should make the crowds a little smaller and the lines a little shorter.

The energy of Florence, the regions superb food and wine, the lasting beauty of its architecture and the splendor of its treasures will without a doubt continue to educate, excite and be-dazzle its visitors.

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