Overview
The Duomo & Cathedral Complex
Uffizi & Renaissance Art
Signoria, Ponte Vecchio & Oltrarno
Tuscan Food & Day Trips
Florence (Firenze), the capital of Tuscany, is the birthplace of the Renaissance and one of the most concentrated treasuries of art and architecture on earth — a remarkably compact city of ochre stone and terracotta roofs set on the river Arno, easily explored on foot. Its skyline is defined by the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, whose colossal terracotta dome, raised by Filippo Brunelleschi in the 1420s and '30s, remains the largest masonry dome ever built; beside it rise Giotto's marble bell tower and the octagonal Baptistery with Ghiberti's gilded 'Gates of Paradise'. A few minutes away, the Galleria degli Uffizi — built as the Medici offices — holds the supreme collection of Renaissance painting, from Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus' and 'Primavera' to Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, while the Galleria dell'Accademia guards Michelangelo's 'David' and the Bargello the great Renaissance sculpture. The civic heart is Piazza della Signoria, an open-air sculpture gallery before the fortress-like Palazzo Vecchio and the Loggia dei Lanzi, and from it the Ponte Vecchio — the medieval bridge crowded with goldsmiths' shops and topped by the Vasari Corridor — leads across the Arno to the Oltrarno, the quieter left bank of artisan workshops, the vast Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens, the Brancacci Chapel's frescoes and the panoramic terrace of Piazzale Michelangelo. This was the city of the Medici, of Dante, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Galileo and Machiavelli, and their legacy fills its churches — the tombs of Santa Croce, the Medici Chapels at San Lorenzo, Fra Angelico's San Marco and the marble façade of Santa Maria Novella. Florence is also a city of pleasures: Tuscan cooking of bistecca alla fiorentina, ribollita and crostini, the lampredotto and gelato of its markets, and the Chianti hills and great cities of Tuscany — Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa and Lucca — all within easy reach. The historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, hugely popular and best enjoyed in spring and autumn, early and late in the day, with major museums booked in advance.
Discover Florence
Florence's defining monument is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Duomo — a vast Gothic church sheathed in green, white and pink marble, crowned by Filippo Brunelleschi's extraordinary dome. Raised between 1420 and 1436 without external scaffolding, using a self-supporting double shell and a herringbone brickwork that Brunelleschi devised himself, it was the largest dome built since antiquity and remains the largest masonry dome in the world; climbing its more than 460 steps, past Vasari's 'Last Judgement' frescoes inside the cupola, rewards you with a panorama over the whole city. Beside the cathedral stand Giotto's elegant marble Campanile (bell tower), which can also be climbed, and the octagonal Baptistery of San Giovanni, famous for its gilded bronze doors — Lorenzo Ghiberti's 'Gates of Paradise', whose original panels are displayed (with Donatello's 'Mary Magdalene' and Michelangelo's 'Bandini Pietà') in the superb Museo dell'Opera del Duomo across the square. The monuments share a single combined ticket, and timed entry to the dome climb books up early, so reserve ahead. Together they tell the story of a city that turned its civic pride and wealth into one of the boldest building projects of the age.
Florence (Firenze) is the capital of Tuscany and the birthplace of the Renaissance, one of the world's greatest concentrations of art and architecture. It is famous for Brunelleschi's dome on the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Uffizi gallery (with Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus'), Michelangelo's 'David' in the Accademia, the goldsmith-lined Ponte Vecchio over the Arno, and the legacy of the Medici, Dante, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Galileo. It is also the gateway to the wider art cities and wine country of Tuscany.
Two to three days let you see the essentials at a comfortable pace — the Duomo complex (and a climb up the dome or bell tower), the Uffizi and the Accademia for Michelangelo's David, Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio, the Ponte Vecchio and a wander through the Oltrarno to the Pitti Palace and Piazzale Michelangelo at sunset. With more time you can add the great churches (Santa Croce, San Lorenzo's Medici Chapels) and day trips into Tuscany. Florence is compact and walkable, so you cover a lot on foot.
Yes — for the Uffizi Galleries and the Galleria dell'Accademia (home of Michelangelo's 'David') booking a timed entry online well ahead is strongly recommended, as queues are very long and slots sell out in peak periods. The Duomo complex uses a combined ticket, with the dome climb in particular requiring a reserved time slot. Booking ahead lets you skip the longest lines and plan your day; arriving early or late also helps avoid the worst crowds.
Tourism & destination guides
Culture & festivals
Official site of the Gallerie degli Uffizi — the Uffizi, the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens — with collection highlights, opening hours and timed online tickets.
Official site of the Florence Cathedral complex — Brunelleschi's dome, Giotto's bell tower, the Baptistery and the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo — with the combined ticket and dome-climb reservations.
2 embassies based in this city, grouped by region.