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Beautiful Florence

Florence is one of the most charming cities in Italy. The city has so much to offer in terms of history, architecture and art that it's impossible not to like it. It's also a starting point for visiting the beautiful Tuscany region.

Piazza del Duomo is the central square of Florence and home of the imposing Florence’s cathedral. It was our starting point in visiting the city. We didn't visit the famous Duomo, as it was a long queue waiting to do that, we just admired it from the outside.

Instead, we visited Campanile or Giotto's Bell Tower there in Piazza del Duomo. We climbed the 414 steps to the top of the tower to see the spectacular views over the city from there. It's worth the effort.

We also visited the Baptistery, the beautiful octagonal basilica with marble facade, bronze doors and mosaic ceiling.

We next had a look in the beautiful courtyard of Strozzi Palace. We did not get inside the palace, we just admired this fine example of Renaissance architecture. The palace hosts permanent and temporary art exhibitions.

Galleria dell’Accademia is one of the many art museums in Florence. It houses one of the most famous workarts, such as Michelangelo's sculpture David.

We arrived at the heart of the city, in charming Piazza della Signoria with many historical building and monuments around it, the most impresing one being Palazzo Vecchio.

We paid a visit to Palazzo Vecchio, the fortified 13th century palace. We admired the famous Hall of Five Hundred, the immense hall with big frescoes of battles on the walls.

And we ended the day with a walk on the famous and fantastic Ponte Vecchio, the old covered bridge of Florence. We would return here the next day as well.

We started the second day where we ended the previous one to admire it in the morning light as well. The medieval arched bridge over River Arno is probably the most photographed place in Florence. We took a walk along the river to view it from different angles.

Uffizi Gallery is one of the most important art galleries in the world housing an impressive collection of Renaissance artwork from great artists like Leonardo, Raffaello, Michelangelo or Caravaggio. You have to book way in advance to visit.

Once home to the Medici family and later Italian royalty, the Renaissance palace of Palazzo Pitti now houses important art collection. In front of the palace, there's a nice area where people use stop to sit and rest.

We ended our weekend in Florence with a visit in Piazzale Michelangelo. From the terrace of the square there's the best view of the city. We stayed for a while admiring the view.