Florence is one of the most ancient and famous cities in Italy: it is as famous as Rome. The city is the capital of the Italian province of Tuscany.
The settlement got its name from the ancient Romans, who came to the valley of the Arno River in the spring and saw it in the multicolored grasses and flowers. Translated from Latin "Florence" and means "blooming". However, nowadays only the name remains of all this charm. The capital of Tuscany is called the cradle of the Renaissance. Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Boccaccio, Galilei, Machiavelli, Vespucci. It is not surprising that walks in Florence are so attractive for our contemporaries.
The main attraction of the city with such a rich history is architecture. Due to the abundance of masterpieces, it is called the Athens of Italy. By a happy coincidence, none of them suffered from numerous wars and an all-powerful time.
Architectural monuments
The most striking examples of medieval architecture in Florence are its temples. Among them, the most famous are:
- Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore - its construction began in 1296 and lasted until 1418. It took another 16 years to build a grandiose dome.
- The Church of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce) began to be built at the same time as the aforementioned cathedral. It was planned that this would be the greatest temple in Europe, but the plans did not come true - with great difficulty, the construction was completed only in the 19th century.
- The Baptistery of San Giovanni, the oldest building in Florence, was consecrated in the name of John the Baptist. Its foundation is the foundation of the building of the times of Ancient Rome. It is not possible to determine the exact time of its creation - this is approximately the 5th-7th century.
Florence museums
Florence's museums are another of its most important attractions. The most popular among tourists is the Uffizi Gallery. The building was built in 1586 at the expense of the Medici family - the dukes of Tuscany, and in 1737, together with the collection of artistic masterpieces stored there, collected by the ruling dynasty, was transferred to the ownership of the city.
It is not so easy to get to the museum because of the huge number of people interested. It is a little easier for organized tourist groups, but those who want to take a self-guided tour should book a ticket in advance, which indicates the exact date and time of visiting the museum. You should not violate the prescription, otherwise you will not be able to visit there. There is also a souvenir shop in the gallery - mostly they sell art albums, not cheap, but of very high quality.
Summer in Florence can be quite hot, so the largest number of tourists come here in late spring and early autumn.
