Destination: Tuscany & Florence | |||||||||||||||||||||||
What To See Tuscany & Florence Florence + Florence Sights Tuscany + Tuscany Lucca + Lucca San Gimignano + San Gimignano Siena + Siena Walk/Drive Food&Drink In The Know Did You Know? ' Beautiful The city lies along the ample vale, Cathedral, tower and palace, piazza and street, The river trailing like a silver cord ' ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING (1806-61), Aurora Leigh |
Florence
Florence is a city-sized shrine to the Renaissance, its streets filled with churches and monuments, its galleries overflowing with some of Europe's greatest paintings and sculptures. Five centuries ago the city was almost without equal, its artistic and intellectual ferment unparalleled, its wealth virtually unsurpassed. Patronage from families such as the Medici provided the spur for innovation, creating an atmosphere in which creativity and individual genius flourished as never before. Yet Florence today is far more than a vast museum. The Giardino di Boboli provides welcome green space; bustling street markets offer life and colour; and tiny back alleys hide intimate medieval nooks and artisans' workshops. Tree-lined squares harbour sun-drenched cafés, while restaurants and ice-cream parlours abound, as alluring as any painting or sculpture. |
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