Okay, this is a city I know very well. Now the good news about Florence is that it's a city rich in history, a feast for the eyes, a feast for the soul, and as far as food goes-well, a feast. And the bad news about Florence is that it's a city rich in history, a feast for the eyes. well, you get the picture.
There is so much to do and see that it can be overwhelming, but the good news is that you can take a walk down one of the stone streets in the old city and chances are you'll run into a piece of antiquity, a carving on a building made by a master.
Florence is a jewel set in Tuscany, the Chianti region of Italy, famous for its spectacular beauty, its superb wines and its incomparable olive oil. This is the city of Dante. It's said to be the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, and the modern Italian language. A third of the most important Renaissance artists in Europe worked there at some point during their lives. Florence is a city so full of art and beauty that you could find yourself, like the French author Stendhal, overwhelmed to the point of illness. So my advice is to take it easy. Go slow and walk and let yourself soak in the town that the Medici's built!
Florence owes much of its stature and its beauty to the Medicis, a wealthy banking family who `ruled' Florence for several generations starting in the 1400's. The Medicis were good at business and obviously had style. They spent their money on beautifying the city of Florence by commissioning architects and artists to create new buildings and palazzos. You'll see their family crest on buildings all over the old city. As well, they were serious art patrons, creating an environment in the city that attracted and supported some of the most significant artists of the Renaissance. The Uffizi was once one of their homes.
Food is an art form all of its own in Florence. There are a number of specialties associated with Tuscany and Florence. And the good news is that you don't have to hit a fancy restaurant to enjoy the best that Tuscany has to offer. There is joy to be had even at a coffee bar.
Some of the best known Florentine dishes are la Bistecca Alla Fiorentina, La Ribollita, a soup made of vegetables simmered with leftover bread, Papa al Pomodoro, a tomato soup thickened with rustic bread, Trippa alla Fiorentina, a dish made with tripe. And of course beans. Beans are big in Tuscan cooking, so you'll see them used in all kinds of dishes.
There is so much to see in Florence: The big, big, don't miss attraction is the domed cathedral known as the Duomo, aka Santa Maria del Fiore, built by Filippo Brunelleschi. The Ponte Vecchio, the bridge designed by Vasari and mandated by royalty to only sell jewelry; the Uffizi, the art gallery donated by the Medici's, impressive enough from the outside (just standing outside in the long narrow cortile between the two arms of the building and looking out towards the Arno is something special), and home to Botticelli's Primavera and Birth of Venus, and Leonardo's Adoration of the Magi. The Galleria dell'Accademia, where you'll find Michelangelo's David. Piazza Della Repubblica, surrounded by elegant cafes and high end and designer boutiques that line the Via della Vigna Nuova and the Via Vacchereggia.
This page in particular will be evolving in the weeks to come. I'm going to give you a list of some of my favourite places, and design a few walking tours to guide you down some of those ancient alleys.
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