Florence Tourist-Attractions

Florence Tourist-Attractions information

The Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore)

Florence's magnificent cathedral was begun in 1294 and consecrated in 1436. The massive dome is a masterpiece of 15th-century engineering, famously designed by sculptor-turned-architect Filippo Brunelleschi, his example revolutionising architecture for the next few centuries. Giotto designed the detached campanile. Among the artworks contained within the main building are Vasari's stunning fresco of The Last Judgment and delicate enamelled terracotta reliefs by della Robbia at the entrances to the two sacristies. Under the nave, in the crypt, are remnants of the present Duomo's predecessor, dating back to Roman times. West of the cathedral, the separate baptistry (Open: Mon-Sat 13h00-18h00; Sun 09h00-12h30) is believed to be the oldest surviving building in the city and is well worth a visit. Piazza Duomo. Cathedral open: Mon-Sat 10h00-17h00; Sun 13h30-16h45. Admission to both the cathedral and baptistry is free. Dome open: Mon-Fri 08h30-19h00; Sat 08h30-17h40. Admission: EUR6.

Duomo Art Museum

Located just behind the east end of the Duomo, the cathedral's Art Museum (Museo dell'Opera del Duomo) contains a wealth of priceless works of art, including Michelangelo's unfinished masterpiece Pietà as well as a Madonna by Annolfo di Cambio. Also on display are works by Donatello (notably his sculpture of the prophet Habbakuk), Luca della Robbia and Pisano. Piazza Duomo, 9. Open: Mon-Sat 09h00-19h30; Sun 09h00-13h40. Admission: EUR6.

Pitti Palace

Dominating Piazza Pitti, Florence's largest palace, Palazzo Pitti, was designed by Brunelleschi for the Pitti family, rivals of the more famous Medici clan. Not ones to be outdone in anything, the Medicis later usurped the palace for themselves. Today the building's Palatine Gallery (Galleria Palatina) houses much of the Medicis' huge collection of art, with works by Raphael, Rubens, Tintoretto, Titian and Veronese on display in sumptuous rooms. Open: Tue-Sun 08h15-18h50. Admission: EUR6.50 (fees increase during special exhibitions). The palace also contains a gallery of Modern Art, an intriguing costume collection and an exhibition of luxury artefacts misleadingly known as the Museo degli Argenti ("Museum of Silverware"). Modern Art Gallery open: Tue-Sun 08h15-13h50. Admission: EUR5. Museo degli Argenti open: Tue-Sat 08h15-16h30. Admission: EUR4.

The Uffizi

Across the road from the Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi ("Offices") were originally just that: government offices built in 1560. Vasari, the architect responsible for the upper gallery on the Ponte Vecchio, designed the buildings. The upper storey was used to house Francesco I's art collection, which subsequent generations of the Medici family added to over the centuries. The last surviving member of the family, Anna Maria Lodovica, left it to the people of Florence for perpetuity. Although many of the sculptures have been moved to the Bargello, what's left - the Galleria degli Uffizi - is arguably the best collection of art in Italy, chronologically arranged to illustrate the story of Florentine art. Masterpieces on display include Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Michelangelo's Holy Family and Titian's Venus of Urbino. Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6. Open: Tue-Sun 08h15-18h50. Admission: EUR6.50. A reservation fee of EUR3 is payable to book your visit in advance, which is advisable in peak months. Additional charges may apply for special exhibitions.

La Galleria dell'Accademia

Originally an academy of drawing, the gallery was transformed into a general arts academy in the 1760s. 20 years later Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo founded the nearby Galleria dell'Accademia with a collection of paintings from suppressed religious foundations, along with altarpieces from Florentine churches. The Accademia's pièce de resistance is Michelangelo's David, the world's most famous sculpture, carved in 1504 when the artist was just 29 years old. Via Ricasoli, 60. Open: Tue-Sun 08h15-18h50. Admission: EUR6.50. A reservation fee of EUR3 is payable to book your visit in advance. Tel: +39 055-238-8609.

The Bargello Museum

Located behind the Palazzo Vecchio, on the via del Preconsolo, is the Bargello Museum (Museo Nazionale del Bargello). Housed in the stupendous Bargello Palace (Palazzo del Bargello), built in 1255, the museum contains the most wide-ranging collection of medieval and Renaissance sculpture in Italy. On show are pieces by Michelangelo (including his first major sculpture, a drunken Bacchus, completed when he was just 22), another David (this one by Donatello) and pieces by della Robbia, Verrocchio and Ghiberti. Via del Proconsolo, 4. Open: Tue-Sun 08h15-13h50. Admission: EUR6.

Palazzo Vecchio

Located in the busy Piazza della Signoria, the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence's town hall, was started in the 14th century. The building was remodelled and redecorated two centuries later when the Medicis added open-air sculpture galleries and several beautiful fountains. Among the more interesting rooms are the Salone dei Cinquento, a huge assembly hall, the Sala d'Udienza, once the audience chamber of the republic, with a gilded ceiling by da Maiano, and the Sala dei Gigli, containing Donatello's restored Judith and Holofernes. Piazza della Signoria. Open: daily 09h00-19h00 (until 14h00 Thu). Admission: EUR6. Last entry one hour before closing.

The Ponte Vecchio

The Ponte Vecchio, one of the world's most famous bridges, was built in 1345 to replace an earlier wooden structure, and only narrowly missed being destroyed by retreating Nazi forces in 1945 - the only bridge in the city to be spared. The roofed structure is inhabited with crazy extensions leaning, seemingly haphazardly, out over the water. A 16th-century gallery runs on the upper level of the bridge connecting the Uffizi and Palazzo Vecchio on one side of the river with the Palazzo Pitti on the other. Lined with shops, predominantly jewellers', the Ponte Vecchio is one of the city's most recognisable attractions.

Santa Croce

Begun in 1294, the Franciscan church of Santa Croce is a beautiful building in its own right, but is equally famous as the burial site of many of Florence's most notable citizens. The walls are adorned with monuments, and more than 276 tombstones line the aisles. Among the residents are Michelangelo, Galileo, Macchiavelli, and Rossini. Famous Florentine Dante also has a tomb here but his bones are yet to return from the exile imposed on the writer in life. The church also contains works by Giotto and della Robbia and is a sumptuous monument to the arts as well as religion. Piazza Santa Croce. Open: Mon-Fri 09h30-17h30; Sun 13h00-17h30. Admission: EUR4.

San Lorenzo

Not far from the Duomo is the Medici family's parish church of San Lorenzo, founded way back in the 4th century, although most of the current building, designed by Brunelleschi, dates from 1425. Among the highlights are a chapel constructed by Michelangelo, some magnificent sculptures by the same artist made for the tombs of Giuliano and Lorenzo, and two striking bronze pulpits by Donatello. There's also a stunning staircase by Michelangelo in the adjacent Laurenziana Library. Piazza San Lorenzo. Open: Mon-Sat 10h00-17h00. Admission: EUR2.50.

Archaeological Museum

Located on the via della Colonna, the Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico) contains the best collection of archaeological artefacts in Northern Italy. There's a large collection of Etruscan discoveries, along with Greek and Roman exhibits. The 4th-century BC Etruscan bronze Chimera is the most famous treasure of the museum, but the excellent Egyptian collection, containing a rare Hittite chariot dating from the 14th-century BC, shouldn't be overlooked. Via della Colonna, 38. Open: Mon 14h00-19h00; Tue, Thu 08h30-19h00; Wed, Fri-Sun 08h30-14h00. Admission: EUR4.

Santa Maria Novella

One of the first great Florentine churches, Santa Maria Novella was built between the 13th and 14th centuries, and ranks among the city's most attractive buildings. The ornate black and white marble facade, completed in the 1400s and resembling intricate mosaicwork, is the church's most immediately appealing feature, but the interior, like many of the city's institutions, serves as a repository for numerous works of art. Arguably most significant among these - at least for those interested in the history of art - is Masaccio's Trinity, one of the first paintings to employ the use of perspective, and therefore one of the great cornerstones of the Renaissance. Piazza Santa Maria Novella. Open: daily 09h00-17h00 (13h00-17h00 Fri & Sun). Admission: EUR2.50.