By: Kirk G.
Florence (Firenze), known as the birthplace of the renaissance, is a city of personality. From the dashing waves of the Arno River to the remarkable scale of Il Duomo, to the famed Ponte Vecchio, Florence has plenty of sights to see. The cobblestone streets are often flooded with foot traffic by travelers and locals alike, periodically intervened by cars and horse-drawn carriages attempting to navigate through the crowd. Of the many sights in Florence, those that were most awe-inspiring to me were the Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo di Pitti, and Il Duomo.
Standing three stories tall overlooking the Arno River, the Uffizi Gallery boasts a macroscale collection of works from the renaissance period and earlier including over one-hundred busts of Roman emperors, and thousands of paintings including and dating as early as Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece “Annunciation”, completed in 1472 A.D.
The Palazzo di Pitti or Pitti Palace was created by Luca Pitti in 1468 A.D., but was later inhabited by the Medici Family during their reign in 1549 A.D. The palace has been museumized to contain hundreds of artworks and sculptures of the renaissance period. Behind the palace lies the Boboli Gardens, encompassing a massive size of one-hundred eleven acres! If Boboli Gardens isn’t impressive enough, the views it offers overlooking Florence are sure to take your breath away.
Il Duomo (which translates to “the cathedral” from Italian) is assuredly the most incredible cathedral you will ever see. Its gothic exterior is meticulously designed. The facade of the cathedral is clad in green, white, and red marble and adorned with arches and ribs to add visual texture. The dome of the cathedral, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, is the tallest structure in the city reaching a height of 114.5 meters (375.7 feet). With a line over an hour long to enter, Il Duomo is the definition of a tourist attraction, and a must-see for anyone planning to visit the city known as “the birthplace of the renaissance”.
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