Looking for a symbol of the Renaissance city, you can without hesitation point to Florence. This dome of the local cathedral proudly towering over the city's buildings is one of the first buildings to be built in this style. Around the church stretches the Old Town full of palaces, ornate tenements and picturesque squares, while several bridges have been moved over the Arno River, the most famous of which is the built Ponte Vecchio.
Although the origins of Florence date back to the Etruscan and Roman periods, its most famous monuments are much later. Numerous churches and palaces began to arise here from the 11th century, first Romanesque, later Gothic and Renaissance. The cathedral here was actually designed as a gothic work, and so is its facade. The protracted construction led to the fact that the dome designed by Brunelleschi was already the first premise of the new architectural style. In the vicinity of the cathedral stands the 85-meter bell tower, whose plans were created by Giotto. Not far from here is another symbol of the city, the Romanesque baptistery, in which the famous Door of Paradise is located.
From the 13th century in Florence palaces of the most important magnate families of Italy began, including the Medici, Pitti and Strocci. They were powerful patrons of culture, who ordered paintings and sculptures from the most important artists of the Gothic and Renaissance. They can now be admired at the famous Uffizi Gallery, including the works of Michelangelo, Titian, Rafael and Botticelli.
