Visiting Florence, capital of the Reinassance

Florence is a magnificent city, considered the birth place of the Italian Renaissance, and a must see while in Italy. It is the capital of its province, with a population of about 450 thousand inhabitants. It lays in a valley in central Tuscany, along the Arno River surrounded by beautiful hills, including those of the ancient Etruscan city, Fiesole. It is a short train ride to other famous cities such as Pisa, Siena and Lucca, and it is well equipped with a public bus system to travel easily around town, although most of the attractions are quite accessible by foot in the historic center. Florence, also a university town, receives visitors from around the globe every year, which enjoy not only the art and history, but also the many excellent restaurants and stores, and a lively night life.
Florence was built by the Romans after conquering Fiesole in the 1st century BC. It flourished in the middle ages and then bloomed under the rule of the Medici family, becoming the center and birth place of Renaissance Europe. As a center of art and culture first in the middle ages and then more so in the Renaissance, writers such as Francesco Petrarca, Dante Alighieri and Giovanni Boccaccio and artists such as Giotto, Filippo Lippi, Filippo Brunelleschi, Donatello, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Michelangelo Buonarroti, to name only a few, called the city home and filled it with their works of art. In fact, there is so much to see, there are endless possibilities to explore.

Just walking down the streets of Florence is breathtaking. The sights and sounds of the city vividly help the visitor imagine what the city must once have been like in the past. One should walk along the Arno River, on to the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence and the only one spared during World War II, and enjoy the sights of its many jewelry shops. If you continue up to the Piazzale Michelangelo, there is a breathtaking view of the entire city below you. Just strolling through the city one encounters numerous works of art at every corner. Be sure to take a bus up to nearby Fiesole where you can enjoy not only the view, but visit the Roman ruins and the church of Saint Francis as well.