Who
is Florence’s most famous son? The genius Michelangelo?
Dante Alighieri, the father of Italian literature? Lorenzo
the Magnificent? Not to mention the contemporaries of
all of the above – Boccaccio, Machiavelli –
even Florence Nightingale was born here and hence named
after this mesmerising town! Having produced no fewer
that five popes and countless great artists, poets and
writers, Florence is generally considered the birthplace
and the epicentre of the great renaissance period which
swept through Europe after the middle ages, and therefore
the cradle of modern civilisation.
Today Florence is a thriving historical town with the
well preserved markings of the old republic quite clear
to see. Buildings from as far back as the 13th century
are still in use today – including that of the
Hotel Pierre! The Ponte Vecchio (‘Old Bridge’
in Italian) is the oldest bridge in Europe, the original
wooden structure also dating back to Etruscan times.
It’s said that when the German army retreated
through Florence in 1944 Ponte Vecchio was the only
bridge spanning the Arno that they didn’t destroy
– on the express orders of Hitler himself!
Other important landmarks include the Dome (Duomo)
of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, which is
visible from almost everywhere in the city and recognisable
by its distinctive orange colour. The dome was built
by another of Florence’s famous sons, the architect
Brunelleschi.
Michelangelo’s most famous sculpture, the Statue
of David, can be seen at the Accademia dell’Arte
del Disegno opposite the Palazzo Vecchio - the centre
of justice and administration of the great Florentine
Republic; while a priceless haul of renaissance art
can be appreciated today at the world famous Uffizi
Gallery – the first public art gallery in the
world.
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