Beauty around us / Florence
FLORENCE IS BEAUTY
For more than a thousand years, Florence has been a universal symbol of beauty.
And rightly so.
CITY OF FLOWERS
The city is named after "Florentia" or "city of flowers", "destined to bloom". Hence the city's symbol, the Florentine lily.
Florence has one of the oldest historical centres and some of the most famous museums, as well as one of the most iconic and distinctive landscapes in the world.
Everything here is spectacular: the streets, the shops, the surrounding hills, all the neighborhoods, the incredible historic center, and even the completely touristy areas.
“This is the fairest picture on our planet, the most enchanting to look upon, the most satisfying to the eye and spirit. To see the sun sink down, drowned in his pink and purple and golden floods, and overwhelm Florence with tides of color that make all the sharp lines dim and faint and turn the solid city to a city of dreams, is a sight to stir the coldest nature, and make a sympathetic one drunk with ecstasy.”
RENAISSANCE HEART
Florence is the capital of the province of Florence and the magical Tuscany. Located about 230 km northwest of Rome, it is surrounded by soft hills covered with vineyards and farms.
Florence was founded as a Roman military colony around the 1st century BC and once it was even the capital (1865-70) of Italy. During the 14th-16th centuries Florence achieved excellence in
trade and finance, science and especially the arts. An authentic cradle of the Renaissance.
Its historic centre was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982. The buildings there, such as the famous Duomo, are works of art that have even more works of art nestled in their bowels.
The grandeur of the city is sealed by the personalities of the mythical figures who worked great here. The geniuses of Florence were supported by wealthy maecenas and the city still bears witness to their
passions for religion, art, power or money. Among the most famous of the city's cultural giants are Leonardo da Vinci, Dante, Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Galileo. They all have tombs here and in fact the last three are buried here (inside Santa Croce). Leonardo is buried in the Chapel of Saint Hubert in France and Dante in Ravenna.
HOUSE OF SPLENDOUR
It is a wonder of history how this small town reached a position of enormous influence in Italy, Europe and beyond. Florentine eventually became the Italian language and the local currency, the Florentine,
became the global coin. Florentine artists, painters, architects and craftsmen began the period known as the Renaissance; and the name of a Florentine navigator, Americo Vespucci, is forever remembered
in history.
SANTA MARIA DEL FLORE
Santa Maria del Fiore is one of the largest churches in the world. The cathedral is 153 metres long, 90 metres wide and 90 metres high from the floor. The title "Santa Maria del Fiore" (Lady of the Flower) refers
to the name of the city. The first stone of the new cathedral was laid on 8 September 1296 and was consecrated with the completion of the dome by Pope Eugene IV on 25 March 1436.
GREAT PLAYERS PLACE
Carlo Lorenzini, also known as Carlo Collodi, was born in Florence in 1826 and wrote Pinocchio, the famous children's book about the wooden puppet.
Just opposite the Palazzo Pitti is where Dostoevsky stayed for nine months, when he gave birth to The Idiot.
This is also the home of Fiorentina.
This is where the inspiration for the Negroni cocktail came from and where the Ponte Vecchio, the Palazzo Vecchio, Michelangelo's David are located.
This is where the piano was invented and where Gucci was founded.
This is where gelato was born and the first city in Europe to be paved.
What a city!
Photographically, you will be "overwhelmed" by the incredible images that spring up before your eyes with every turn of the head, every hour of the day.
Special mention must be made of Uffizi, one of the greatest gems of human art. If you come to Florence for just one day, be sure to devote it to this precious, for mankind, museum. I promise to do a separate post about this immersive experience, which is the tour inside.
