Images from Florence, Tuscany

Florence (Firenze in Italian) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany (Toscana), and among the most artistically rich cities in the world, thanks to the many artists that lived and worked there especially in the Renaissance period. The historic centre of Florence is a Unesco World Heritage site.

Among the most famous monuments are the Palazzo Vecchio - the town hall and also an art museum - in Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi Museum, Palazzo Pitti, Palazzo Medici Riccardi and many other palaces, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, with its unmistakable dome and belltower that dominate the Florentine skyline and, in front of the cathedral, the San Giovanni Baptistery.

Other not to be missed sights are the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, with works by Masaccio, Paolo Uccello, Filippino Lippi and Domenico Ghirlandaio; the Franciscan Basilica of Santa Croce, the burial place of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile, Rossini and Marconi; the Basilica of San Lorenzo, with the sepulchres of members of the Medici family.

And innumerable other sights, as the Ponte Vecchio and the whole Lungarno, the many streets and alleys of the historical centres with their fine shops and typical restaurants. [The photos below were taking during a walking tour on 26 april 2010.]

More on Italian regions