Photo © Rob Zand

The historic center of Florence, a World Heritage Site

A walk through history among works of art that are unique in the world

An open-air museum, rich in architectural masterpieces and unique works of art. The historic center of Florence, enclosed within the ancient traces of the medieval walls, houses the city’s most important cultural assets and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, with further enlargement in 2021.

Piazza del Duomo is overlooked by the symbols of the Renaissance: the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, typical Italian Gothic architecture, flanked by Giotto’s famous Bell Tower and topped by the imposing Brunelleschi’s Dome. Opposite the Duomo is the Baptistery, a combination of Romanesque and early Christian architecture, with Lorenzo Ghiberti’s splendid Gates of Paradise.

We then move on to Palazzo Medici Riccardi, the first Renaissance building in Florence, designed by Michelozzo. Nearby, you can visit the Basilica of San Lorenzo, designed by Brunelleschi by order of the Medici family, where you find the Medici Chapels, with monumental sepulchers sculpted by Michelangelo with Allegories of Time and portraits of Dukes. To complete the journey among Buonarroti’s Florentine masterpieces, a visit to the Accademia Gallery, where the David is preserved in all its magnificence, is not to be missed.

Florence as seen from above

Ponte Vecchio

Brunelleschi’s Dome

Bardini Gardens

Cellini’s Perseus

The Cathedral

The San Miniato Church

The Opera del Duomo Museum - Photo © MIDA Mostra Internazionale dell'Artigianato

Botticelli’s Birth of Venus at the Uffizi

Michelangelo’s David

Medici Chapels

The Baptistery

Florence as seen from the Rose Garden

The Santa Maria Novella Church

Passing along Via dei Calzaiuoli, you come to Piazza della Signoria, the political and cultural heart of the city where Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi Gallery flank each other, protecting masterpieces of Renaissance painting and more. Here, admire the works of Botticelli, such as the Venus and Primavera, as well as Titian, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Cimabue, Giotto, Filippo Lippi and many other great masters.

Among the splendid churches not to be skipped in the historic center is the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, with its splendid marble façade, where Masaccio’s Trinity and Giotto’s and Brunelleschi’s famous crucifixes are located. Make time for the Basilica of Santa Croce where Machiavelli, Galileo and Michelangelo are also buried.

Crossing Ponte Vecchio, enter the Oltrarno district, where it is still possible to find small historic workshops that avail of the techniques of the past in their creations and thus experience the ancient Florentine tradition of craft stores.

Now is the time to go and explore the area replete with monuments for which World Heritage recognition was extended in 2021 and that, among other things, offer up the most spectacular views of Florence. Begin at Le Rampe, a spectacular path of fountains and waterfalls designed in the late 19ᵗʰ century by architect Giuseppe Poggi, winding up from the Lungarno to Piazzale Michelangelo. Below the Piazzale are the scents and colors of the Iris Garden and the Rose Garden, where Jean-Michel Folon’s sculptures peep out from among the approximately 400 varieties of roses.
Finally, climb to the San Salvatore Church and the Abbey of San Miniato a Monte, a masterpiece of Florentine Romanesque architecture.