Via de ‘Tornabuoni has always been the way of the world’s great fashion brands, luxury and stroll of the Florentines. Here you meet Palazzo Strozzi, the biggest of Florence, now an exhibition space for prestigious international exhibitions, while home of Salvatore Ferragamo boutiques is Palazzo Spini-Ferroni overlooking Piazza Santa Trinita.
At this point you have two choices: continue towards Piazza della Repubblica, which is overlooked by some historians coffee as the Giubbe Rosse, haunt of artists and writers. A little farther on the Mercato Nuovo: go from there if you want to go back to Florence! Legend has it, in fact, that those who caresses the snout of the wild boar, the statue of the Porcellino Fountain, returns to town. It’s this the reason why at that point the bronze glitters like gold!
The other choice is to follow the Lungarno and reach the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest of Florence and the only one not destroyed during World War II.
Nice view from here you can enjoy the river, but it is also nice, the fascinating light of sunset, enjoy the banks of the prospect of medieval shops that extend cantilevered Arno supported by corbels, called “sporti”.
At this point, after much wandering, you should
head for the air museum that is the Piazza della Signoria with Palazzo Vecchio, which still holds its original role as a town hall, dominated by the Tower of Arnolfo, the highest in the city. For centuries the square was a place of competitions and public festivals while today its protagonists are the statues of Perseus by Cellini, the Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna, the Fountain of Neptune by Ammannati, and the copy of Michelangelo’s David, while the original it is located in the Galleria dell’Accademia.
Rightful the visit to Uffizi, the oldest gallery in the world, created by Medici.
Of course it must be planned a visit to the Uffizi, the oldest art gallery in the world, created by the Medici family. Into building a horseshoe shape are placed absolute masterpieces such as portraits of Piero della Francesca to the Duke and Duchess of Urbino, the Holy Family or Tondo Doni by Michelangelo, the altarpiece Madonna d’Ognissanti by Giotto, the perturbing Venus of Urbino by Tiziano, the seductive Birth of Venus by Botticelli and many other works of the most important of the Renaissance. Also part of Uffizi is the Corridoio Vasariano, a suspended passage that connects Palazzo Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti, on the banks of the Arno. This sensational overlooking the city was designed by Giorgio Vasari in 1564 to allow the Medici and their guests to travel between the seat of power, offices, and private residence. Here over a thousand paintings and now you can visit are exposed through external agencies (www.florencetown.com) or by booking at the Uffizi. To underline that the Florence museum tickets can be purchased, as well as at the ticket, even online on www.b-ticket.com site.
Although the syndrome of Stendhal which was mentioned at the beginning (https://www.cittameridiane.it/en/beautiful-florence-1/) is still there, it is worth walking to the magnificent Gothic basilica of Santa Croce which Michelangelo and Galileo are buried. Built in the cloister next to the church is the Brunelleschi’s Cappella dei Pazzi, one of the masterpieces of Renaissance architecture.
Are you turning your head? Nothing to worry about you are in Florence!
