Florence

Florence is a popular student city, the largest city of Tuscany and one of the main cultural cities of Europe as it is the birthplace of renaissance. There are many people that consider Florence among the most beautiful cities in the world. Julius Caesar established the present city of Florence as a settlement for his veteran soldiers in 59 BC.

Over the next centuries Florence grew steadily and became the capital of Tuscany around the year 1000. And from the 14th to the 16th century Florence was even one of the largest cities in Europe and a leading city in politics, economy, and culture. Much of the wealth in the city was created by the Italian banking family de’ Medici who played a prominent role in the development of architecture and art.

An abundance of other prominent historical persons like Brunelleschi (one of the founding fathers of the Renaissance), Donatello, Leonardo Da Vinci (an early Renaissance sculptor), Niccolò Machiavelli (one of the founders of modern political science), Michelangelo (sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance), Galileo Galilei (astronomer, physicist, engineer, philosopher, and mathematician), Dante Alighieri (a major Italian poet of the late Middle Ages) en Bartolomeo Cristofori (maker of musical instruments and the inventor of the piano) are from Florence and all contributed to the evolution of this city in their own way.

Florence attracts every year millions of tourists as it is renowned for its culture, monuments, renaissance art and architecture. And as a result of its history has Florence numerous museums and art galleries. The Uffizi Gallery is one of the most famous and important museums in the world. The famous Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze is home to sculptures of Michelangelo like the original David sculpture, but it also has paintings and sculptures of other artists. Other museums are Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Museo Galileo and Palazzo Pitti. Tickets for The Uffizi and Accademia are regularly sold out, but can be purchased online prior to visiting Florence.

Other interesting structures are the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (il Duomo di Firenze), Florence Baptistery, Basilica di San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella, Basilica di Santa Croce, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Ponte Vecchio and its Corridoio Vasariano. There are two copies of the David sculpture of Michelangelo in Florence. The first is in the historical city center at the Piazza della Signoria. The second is at the Piazzale Michelangelo and from here you also have a great view over parts of the city.

We can imagine that you also want to do some fashion shopping when you are in beautiful Florence. The high-end fashion stores can be found at Via de’ Tornabuoni, Via del Parione and Via Roma. And people with a real passion for fashion should also bring a visit to the Gucci museum as the famous brand is founded in Florence. And don’t forget to taste the delicious Florentine cuisine and their tasty ice cream.