Florence
“the birthplace of Renaissance”
Founded by the Romans as the colony Florentia, it later became the cradle of the Renaissance, shaping European culture through its influential art, architecture, and literature, and nurturing figures like Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo under the Medici family.
Rise
Completed in 1436, Brunelleschi’s dome was the largest ever built, a remarkable engineering achievement constructed entirely without traditional scaffolding.
Red
Its modern façade, from the 19th-century, features several portrait busts of thinkers and artists tied to Florence, not just saints, such as Brunelleschi, Dante Alighieri, Galileo Galilei, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raffaello, among others.
Homage
The dome’s interior features a fresco of the Last Judgment by Vasari.
Heaven and Hell
Dante Alighieri was best known for The Divine Comedy, a poem that shaped Italian literature and envisioned the realms of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.
The poet
Born in Florence, Dante was active in its politics but was exiled in 1302, never returning, though the city remained central in his masterpiece.
Legacy
The Palazzo Vecchio is Florence’s historic town hall, today it is a museum.
Rook
The Ponte Vecchio, Florence’s oldest bridge, crosses the Arno with rows of jewelry shops. It also forms part of the elevated Vasari Corridor, connecting the Palazzo Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti.
Passage
his replica of Michelangelo’s David stands in Piazza della Signoria, where the original remained for nearly four centuries before being moved to the Galleria dell’Accademia to protect it from weathering and damage.
Replicate
The Baptism of Christ, painted by Verrocchio with contributions from his student, the young Leonardo da Vinci.
Crown
Leonardo da Vinci’s Adoration of the Magi is an unfinished painting depicting the Three Wise Men presenting gifts to the infant Jesus. It was left incomplete when Leonardo was called to Milan.
Unfinished
Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation depicts the angel Gabriel announcing to the Virgin Mary. Her arm appears slightly long because Leonardo was experimenting with perspective.
Message
Tondo Doni by Michelangelo highlights the sacred unity of the Holy Family, and the spiritual importance of family. In contrast, the nude figures in the background represent the pagan world before Christianity, symbolizing the shift from classical beliefs to the new Christian era.
Round
Madonna of the Pomegranate is a painting by Botticelli that depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, surrounded by angels. The pomegranate symbolizes Christ’s future sacrifice and resurrection, as well as eternal life.
Symbol
Caravaggio’s Medusa depicts the severed head of the mythical Gorgon.
Gorgon
Lavinia Fontana is regarded as the first female career artist in Western Europe, as she relied on commissions for her income.
Circle
The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence by Bernini is believed to have been completed when he was just 15 years old.
Carve
Perseus with the Head of Medusa by Cellini is displayed at the Piazza della Signoria.
Bronze
Located about 1 hour by train from Florence, Pisa is a must visit.
Ring
This 12th-century marble bell tower is renowned for its tilt caused by the unstable, water-saturated subsoil underneath.
Tilt
Alla prossima!