Wanderlust Traveler: Florence, Italy (Sightseeing)

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!

View of the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River.

View of the Arno River and the Uffizi Gallery.

The Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio.

Ponte Vecchio

The crowded Ponte Vecchio.

View of the Arno River from the Ponte Vecchio.

Ponte Vecchio

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).

Florence's Duomo and Campanile.

Florence's Duomo.

Florence's Duomo and Campanile.

Florence's Baptistery, Duomo, and Campanile.

Campanile

Florence's Duomo and Campanile.

Interior of Florence's Duomo.

Detail from the dome of Florence's Duomo.

Interior of Florence's Duomo.

On top of the terrace of the Duomo in Florence.

View from the terrace of the Duomo in Florence.

View of the Campanile from the terrace of the Duomo.

On the terrace of the Duomo.

Looking up from the terrace of the Duomo to it's dome.

On the terrace of the Duomo.

View from the terrace level of the interior of the Duomo.

View from the terrace of the Duomo.

Statues that were once on the exterior of the cathedral. In amazing condition considering they were made out of paper!

Walking around the interior of the Duomo's dome.

View of Florence from the top of the Duomo's dome.

Standing atop the top of the Duomo's dome with a view of Florence.

View of Florence from the top of the Duomo's dome.

Walking around the interior of the Duomo's dome on our way back down.

Baptistery:
Directly in front of the Duomo and Campanile is the Baptistery, which is one of Florence's oldest buildings, built between 1059 and 1158. which is famous for its three gilded bronze doors. The doors were commissioned in 1401 to celebrate the end of the plague in Florence. I had visited the interior of the baptistery on my first visit to Florence five years earlier so we opted not to go inside.

The Baptistery of Florence.

The Baptistery's gilded bronze doors.

A view of the Baptistery of Florence.

Accademia Museum:
This art museum is home to Michelangelo's famous marble David, a must-see stop for every visitor to Florence. During my first visit to Florence, five years earlier, I had been absolutely mesmerized while seeing the 17-foot-tall David and knew that I would want Shyawn to do the same. Originally the David was supposed to stand atop the Duomo but ended up being placed in front of Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria. The statue stood there until the 19th century when it was moved indoors for conservation reasons. Now, a copy of the statue stands in its place in front of Palazzo Vecchio.

The museum also contains paintings by Florentine artists from the 13th to 16th centuries but the main draw for most will of course be the David.

Aim to arrive very early or late, or make reservations (small fee) for a specific time slot, otherwise, you will likely be waiting in a very long line. Be aware that unfortunately no photography is allowed inside the museum.

Galileo Science Museum (Institute and Museum of the History of Science):
This museum contains various scientific objects, including telescopes, clocks, globes, thermometers, barometers, and medical instruments/accessories from the 17th and 18th centuries. Additionally, the museum has large-scale reconstructions of Galileo's experiments including acceleration and velocity. It is also supposed to house the middle finger of Galileo, but unfortunately we couldn't find it during our visit.

Palazzo Pitti:
Palazzo Pitti is a beautiful palace that was initially built for the Pitti Family in 1458. The famous Medici family later bought the palace and its Boboli Gardens in 1549 from the Pitti's as they had gone bankrupt while building. It eventually became the official residence of the Medici where they lived until 1919. The palace contains several museums including the Palatine Gallery, Royal Apartments, Modern Art Gallery, Silver Museum, and the Costume Gallery. With the limited amount of time that we had, we toured the Palatine Gallery, Royal Apartments, and the Costume Gallery.

Photography is not allowed inside the building but I did manage to sneak a few pictures.

Palazzo Pitti

Standing in front of a statue at Palazzo Pitti.

Statue outside of Palazzo Pitti.

Palazzo Pitti

Courtyard of Palazzo Pitti.

Interior of Palazzo Pitti.

Courtyard of Palazzo Pitti.

View of Florence from Palazzo Pitti.

Boboli Gardens:

This expansive Renaissance garden is located directly behind Palazzo Pitti. The garden was laid out for the Medici family after they purchased the Palazzo Pitti in the mid-sixteenth century. The garden is filled with many cypress trees, statues, beautiful fountains, and lots of friendly wandering cats. It's a great place to unwind and relax after a long day of sightseeing.

Kitty friend at Boboli Gardens.

Shyawn and his kitty friend at Boboli Gardens.

Boboli Gardens

View of Palazzo Pitti from Boboli Gardens.

Boboli Gardens

The grotto at Boboli Gardens.

Shyawn being silly at Boboli Gardens.

Medici Chapels:
This small chapel is located within the Basilica of San Lorenzo and is the burial site of the Medici family. The tall domed chapel is ornately decorated with colored marble inlaid with pietra dura (a technique for using stones to create images). Unfortunately, photography is not allowed within the chapel. The chapel, although small, is quite impressive for its extensive use of colored marble and I encourage all visitors to stop in and take a quick look.

Piazza della Signoria:
This gorgeous and atmospheric piazza is located in the heart of Florence. The piazza is filled with many beautiful sights such as Palazzo Vecchio, the Loggia dei Lanzi and many prominent statues and buildings situated throughout the square. The piazza is always a hub-bub of activity and people and provides photographers with numerous photographic opportunities. In hindsight, I wished we had rented an apartment overlooking or near this square due to its central location.

Statues in Piazza della Signoria.

Piazza della Signoria

Looking up at Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria.

Statue in Piazza della Signoria.

Piazza della Signoria

Statue in Piazza della Signoria.

Piazza della Signoria

Loggia dei Lanzi (right) in Piazza della Signoria.

Statue in Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria.

Statue in Piazza della Signoria

Statue in Piazza della Signoria.

Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria.

Statue in Piazza della Signoria.

Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria.

Piazza della Signoria

Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria.

Palazzo Vecchio:
This beautiful palace is located within Piazza della Signoria. Building of the palace occurred between 1298 and 1314 as the seat for the government, but eventually became the the residence of Cosimo I de'Medici and his family during the 16th century.

Since 1872 the building has housed the office of the mayor and city council. I personally prefer this palace to the Pitti Palace as its interior has amazing gilded ceilings and gorgeous wallpaper. Although we didn't participate, I read in several guidebooks that a guided tour of the palace is highly recommended.

Palazzo Vecchio

Interior of Palazzo Vecchio.

View from Palazzo Vecchio.

Interior of Palazzo Vecchio.

View from Palazzo Vecchio.

Interior of Palazzo Vecchio.

View looking out from a window in Palazzo Vecchio.

Interior of Palazzo Vecchio.

Basilica of Santa Maria Novella:
This beautiful church is located very close to the Santa Maria train station in Florence. Building of the church began in the mid-thirteenth century and is one of the oldest churches in the city. I had visited the interior of the basilica of the church on my first visit to Florence five years earlier and found the interior to be rather average so we opted not to go inside. However, we did pass by the church every time we left our bed and breakfast so I couldn't help but photograph it on several different occasions.