Tour n° 1: The city presents itself

First Stage

Piazza Santa Maria Novella, dominated since the 13th century by the large Dominican complex of the basilica and convent, to which not only the square but also the district itself owes its name. The large basilica of Santa Maria Novella, now a museum that can be visited, houses among its many works the famous frescoes by Domenico del Ghirlandaio, Masaccio’s The Trinity, and Brunelleschi’s wooden crucifix.

Second Stage

Piazza del Duomo, the religious centre of the city, where stands the magnificent cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, built from 1296 onwards, a true expression of the power and grandeur of Florence, which by the end of the 13th century could already be considered one of the most important in the world. Dominating the cathedral is the enormous dome, an admirable creation of the Renaissance engineering genius Filippo Brunelleschi. The square is crowned by Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Baptistery, one of the oldest churches in the city, an admirable example of Romanesque art, a church mentioned by Dante, with its famous one that Michelangelo did not disdain to call ‘of Paradise’.

Third Stage

Piazza della Signoria, theatre, over the centuries, of the city’s great historical events, has always been its true political heart. Dominating the square is the great Palazzo della Signoria, once the seat of the government of the Priori, symbol of the Florentine Republic, then the residence of Cosimo I dei Medici, and today the seat of the Comune and an extraordinary museum. Numerous masterpieces decorate the square, such as Giambologna’s The Rape of the Sabine Women, Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus, B. Ammannati’s Neptune. Ammannati as well as a copy of David and others, which amplify the political and civic significance of the square.

Fourth Stage

Ponte Vecchio, the city’s oldest bridge, a precious testimony to medieval architecture and one of the best-known images in Florence.