Florence, Italy- Historic, Romantic and Timeless

Banks of the Arno, seen from the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), Florence (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Santa Croce (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Typical houses by the river of the Arno, Florence, Italy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Garden Folly in the Boboli Gardens, Florence. Now the Pitti Palace porcelaine Museum. Photographed by Giano who releases all rights into the public domain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Coat of Arms of Florence, Italy, traced off of File:Firenze-Stemma.png (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: View of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo: Arno River, Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Maria del Fiore, Ponte Vecchio. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By []Glenn Aitelli
If you haven't been to Florence, Italy, you are missing out on one of the most beautiful masterpieces in the world, quite literally.  Florence was home to many famous artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci and contains some of the world's most beautifully designed buildings and landmarks.

The panoramic views from Boboli Gardens or Piazzale Michelangelo offer breathtaking views of the city of Florence and the mountainous surrounding landscape.  Piazzale Michelangelo is a tribute to Florence's favorite son and has a copy of the David in the center of the Piazza. You can take a picnic lunch and enjoy the serene beauty of the River Arno and the four bridges that cross it.

Tuscany is famous for its wonderful wines and cuisine. The restaurants, markets and bars of Florence will showcase all that is unique to this area in a delicious smorgasbord of flavors, aromas and complexity.

Florence is also known for Cathedrals, Basilicas and Museums, which house some of the most famous works of the Renaissance period and everything through modern day.

Michelangelo's tomb is in Santa Croce basilica, the Medici Chapel houses the Medici royal family tombs and many of the other cathedrals also hold the tombs of some of the most famous Florentine artists and royalty. The Duomo and the Giotto Bell Tower are famous landmarks of Florence that you can see from almost anywhere in town.

You can climb to the top of the Giotto Bell tower and stare straight across at the red dome of the Duomo, another famous landmark. You must visit the Piazzas, which host some fun events such as the Chocolatiers Fair or the Calcio Storico which is a wild, almost modern day gladiatorial contest between two teams combining rugby, soccer and wrestling. It is held annually at the Piazza Santa Croce between June 24-28. Also located in Piazza Santa Croce are leather shops that offer fine authentic Italian leather goods.

You can tour the Accademia, The Uffizi, and Bargello or some of the palaces that also house museums such as the Pitti Palace, which has several different galleries.

The Boboli Gardens which were originally built for royalty, have fascinating fountains and statuary, along with Grottos and an amphitheatre.  You can stroll the trails that wind along the bluffs of the River Arno and get away from the crowds.

Many people visit multiple historic landmarks in a day but you will get much more out of your trip if you take your time and do just one per day.  The Ponte Vecchio Bridge is a historic landmark that is lined with shops, and the Vasari corridor goes across the River Arno on the upper level of the bridge.  The bridge connects the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens to the town center of Florence.

You will be able to feel the greatness of its past citizens as you marvel at the detail of the original sculptures that are everywhere you go. Besides containing some of the world's most treasured works of art and architecture, Florence is truly a magical place that stands the test of time with its ambiance and beauty. http://www.Travel-To-Florence.com is owned and operated by Glenn and Jeanne Aitelli. We have traveled extensively throughout Europe but our passion is Italy. Both of us are graduates of the International Tour Management Institute in San Francisco and we are both certified Tour Directors. It is our hope that our site will not only help you plan your trip but enhance it.

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Top Must See Attractions in Fabulous Florence

English: Photograph of Ponte Vecchio at night. Florence, Italy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By []Giovanni Balboni

Florence must surely be one of the most famous cities in all of Tuscany. Villas here offer you the opportunity to stay in one of the region's most renowned cities, offering classic sights wherever you look.

While it is hard to narrow down the best sights Florence has to offer, we've tried to do just that. Here's a taste of what you can look forward to when you are in Florence.

A Brief Guide To Florence - Italy

Image via Wikipedia

Author: Matthew Talbot

Florence
This opulent city situated on the River Arno is the capital of the province of Florence and the Italian territory of Tuscany. Florence (Firenze in Italian) is significantly known as the "Jewel of the Renaissance", it was the centre of European finance and trade during the medieval time. The historic centre of Florence is one of the most popular destination in Italy for good reason, and was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1982. With a Eurail pass you can experience the diverse culture of Florence. You'll drown in the city's abundance of food, music, art, science, philosophy, fashion and religion.

Top 5 Historical Sites in Florence

Image by clare_and_ben via Flickr
Author: Kristel van Winkel

1. The Duomo

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is the cathedral church or Duomo of Florence and is absolutely worth a visit. The building process begun in 1296 and was completed in 1436. The Duomo has a Gothic style and is a design of Arnolfo di Cambio. The complex includes the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile. The three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Duomo is one of Italy's largest churches and has the largest brick dome ever constructed. It is located at Piazza del Duomo, which is a very nice square, with terraces and shops. You could walk the stairs all the way to the top of the tower Giotto's Campile and have an amazing view over Florence.

Florence Holidays

Image via WikipediaBy Madhumay Mallik
The quieter side of Florence is found on the south bank of the Arno River. To reach it, one must cross over the Ponte Vecchio. It's short walk to the Pitti Palace.
Built for the wealthy merchant Luca Pitti and later sold to the Medici family, who ruled Florence for nearly 400 years, the Pitti houses five museums. The Galleria Palatina displays hundreds of 16th and 17th-century masterpieces once belonging to the Medicis. The Raphael collection is exceptional. A modern art gallery includes Italian paintings ranging from Neoclassic to Impressionist. Additional museums highlight historical fashions, silver, furnishings and carriages.
Behind the Pitti Palace, the elegantly landscaped Boboli Gardens spread over expanses of lawn graced with fountains and statuary. Footpaths lead to hidden grottoes.

As a grand finale visitors often catch a taxi up the hill to the Piazzale Michangelo for a glorious view overlooking the red-tile rooftops of Florence. One of the city's two copies of Michangelo's 'David' stands in the centre of the Piazzale, this one in bronze.

In the movie Field of dreams, a mysterious voice says, "If you build it, he will come." In Pisa, they bulldozed the Field of Miracles - the Campo dei Miracoli - and they are coming. By the thousands. No mystery though, just lots to see.

Pisa's thoughtful designers have conveniently bundled most of its top attractions on the campo. There's the Leaning Tower, of course, seemingly eager to careen earthward but reasonably stable for the moment.

The tower is only a miracle. Another is the dazzling cathedral, a fine-art wonderland housing Giovanni Pisano's ornate pulpit and swath of Gothic reliefs. There's also a baptistery, whose acoustics are said to hold a snug note for minutes. No rap demos, please. Next door is the Campo Santo, an elongated white walled cemetery built by the crusaders in the 12th century, now housing stone coffins and frescoes. Across the street, the Museo delle Sinopie displays masterly preliminary sketches for frescoes, which were discovered after World War II. The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, behind the tower, sports works by Pisano and Guardi, as well as area archaeological finds.

Just below the Piazzale Michelangelo is one of Florence's most fragrant enclaves, the Giardino dell'Iris, or Iris Garden. The garden is home to some 2,500 varieties of flower that has been the symbol of Florence since 1251 and that is even displayed on the city's coat of arms.

The iris blooms for only about a month each year between May and June; in May, the annual International iris Competition elicits bulbs from all over the world to be judged by an international jury.

The Greeks were the first to cultivate the purple, violet scented flowers; they planted them on women's graves in the hope that the messenger goddess Iris, embodiment of the rainbow, would lead the women's soul to the Elysian Fields.

Visitors who arrive before May or after June can still enjoy the fragrance of the Florentine iris in a variety of commercial perfumes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Madhumay_Mallik

The Exotic Travel Destination in The World: Enjoy InThe Toscana

The Exotic Travel Destination in The World: Enjoy InThe Toscana

Beautiful Toscana, Italy
Tuscany (Italian: Toscana) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. The capital is Florence, and it has an area of 22,990 km² and about 3.6 million inhabitants. Known for its landscapes and its artistic legacy, Tuscany is considered by some to be the most beautiful region in Italy. Six Tuscan localities have been made UNESCO protected sites: the historical center of Florence (1982), the historical center of Siena (1995), the square of the Cathedral of Pisa (1987), the historical center of San Gimignano (1990), the historical center of Pienza (1996) and the Val d' Orcia (2004).
Tuscany is a region of Central Italy, bordering Emilia-Romagna north, Liguria to the north-west, Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, Umbria and Marche to east, Lazio to the south-east. The territory is two thirds hilly and one fourth mountainous. The remainder is constituted by plains, that form the valley of the Arno River.
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