We spent two days in Florence during our trip to Italy in September of 2011.
Below I have described each of the sites we saw while in Florence. Be forewarned that this post is very long and photo heavy!
Ponte Vecchio:
Florence's most famous bridge is the oldest in the city, having been built in 1345. The bridge is lined with overpriced gold and silver shops, lots of tourists, and street musicians. I personally wasn't impressed with the bridge nor the hoards of people on it but if you find yourself needing to cross a bridge in Florence, you might as well walk across the Ponte Vecchio!
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| View of the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River. |
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| View of the Arno River and the Uffizi Gallery. |
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| The Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio. |
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| Ponte Vecchio |
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| The crowded Ponte Vecchio. |
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| View of the Arno River from the Ponte Vecchio. |
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| View of the Arno River from the Ponte Vecchio. |
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| Ponte Vecchio |
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| Ponte Vecchio |
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| Jewelry for sale on the Ponte Vecchio |
Piazza del Duomo:
This famous piazza contains three of Florence's most visited sights; its Duomo, Campanile, and Baptistery, all of which are listed on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
Duomo (Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore):
Florence's colorful Gothic cathedral is one of the largest churches in the world. Building of the cathedral began in 1296 but took nearly 140 years to complete. The unique pink, green, and white marble facade was added in the 19th century to replace the original which had been torn down in the 16th century. Although the exterior of the church is both impressive and gorgeous, its interior is neither. In fact, it is rather bland and quite disappointing especially when compared to other famous churches in Italy such as St Peter's Basilica.
The Duomo's beautiful and striking dome was designed by Brunelleschi in 1463 and inspired many other domes throughout the centuries in Europe as it was the largest in its time to be built without scaffolding. We climbed 463 sweat-induced steps to the top of the dome and were provided with an amazing view of the city.
Although entrance to the Duomo is free, there is a charge to climb to the dome. I read multiple warnings that visitors to the Duomo would want to arrive early (no later than 8:30) or else be forced to wait in a massively long line. Sure enough, on our first day in Florence we saw the horrendously long line. However, I had also read that there was a way to avoid standing in line by signing up for a
Terraces of the Cathedral and Dome tour. This tour allows individuals to bypass the entrance line to the Duomo all-together, includes a guided tour of the interior of the Duomo and its normally gated-off exterior terrace, and finally the entrance fee to the dome. Tickets can be purchased at the nearby
Duomo Museum which is located directly behind the Duomo. I found this tour to be extremely interesting, especially the time we spent up on the terrace where we had an uncrowded view of the piazza and nearby buildings. Additionally, having the ability to walk straight into the cathedral instead of waiting for an hour or more in line more than made up for the cost of the tour.
Campanile:
Directly next to the Duomo is the Campanile (bell tower) which is just slightly shorter than the dome and was completed in 1359. Visitors can climb 414 steps to the top of the tower to be rewarded with a view of the city, however, be forewarned that the metal bars make taking photographs difficult. Instead, if you want a good unobstructed view of the city, climb to the Duomo's dome (see above).
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| Florence's Duomo and Campanile. |
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| Florence's Duomo and Campanile. |
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| Florence's Duomo. |
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| Florence's Duomo and Campanile. |
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| Florence's Baptistery, Duomo, and Campanile. |
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| Campanile |
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| Florence's Duomo and Campanile. |
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| Florence's Duomo and Campanile. |
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| Interior of Florence's Duomo. |
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| Interior of Florence's Duomo. |
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| Detail from the dome of Florence's Duomo. |
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| Interior of Florence's Duomo. |
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| On top of the terrace of the Duomo in Florence. |
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| View from the terrace of the Duomo in Florence. |
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| View of the Campanile from the terrace of the Duomo. |
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| View of the Campanile from the terrace of the Duomo. |
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| On the terrace of the Duomo. |
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| Looking up from the terrace of the Duomo to it's dome. |
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| On the terrace of the Duomo. |
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| View from the terrace level of the interior of the Duomo. |
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| View from the terrace level of the interior of the Duomo. |
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| View from the terrace level of the interior of the Duomo. |
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| View from the terrace level of the interior of the Duomo. |
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| View from the terrace level of the interior of the Duomo. |
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| View from the terrace of the Duomo. |
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| View from the terrace of the Duomo. |
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| View from the terrace of the Duomo. |
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| View from the terrace of the Duomo. |
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| Statues that were once on the exterior of the cathedral. In amazing condition considering they were made out of paper! |
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| Walking around the interior of the Duomo's dome. |
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| View of Florence from the top of the Duomo's dome. |
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| View of Florence from the top of the Duomo's dome. |
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| View of Florence from the top of the Duomo's dome. |
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| View of Florence from the top of the Duomo's dome. |
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| View of Florence from the top of the Duomo's dome. |
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| Standing atop the top of the Duomo's dome with a view of Florence. |
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| View of Florence from the top of the Duomo's dome. |
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| Walking around the interior of the Duomo's dome on our way back down. |
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