Florence

This is the oldest bridge in Florence: it was first built in the Roman era. Since then it has been damaged and destroyed several times when the Arno has flooded.

After the construction of the "lungarni" - the avenues on the banks - in 1345, the bridge was rebuilt on a design by Fioravanti, with three sections supported by lowered arches, with rows of craftsmen's shops along the sides.

The Duomo, or Cathedral, of Florence dominates the city with its pink marble façade and its famous dome.
The considerable differences in the various parts of the Cathedral are evidence of the clear changes in style over the long period of time from the laying of the foundations to completion of the work.
In fact, Arnolfo di Cambio began the construction of the Cathedral in 1296, but it was finished almost two centuries later, except for the façade which was completed much later.

When Florence was the capital of Italy, in 1865, the architect Giuseppe Poggi created the staircase leading from Porta di San Niccolò to Piazzale Michelangelo and the Basilica of San Miniato sul Monte alle Croci.
The steps start at the mid point of Via San Niccolò and end at the San Miniato churchyard.

Palazzo Vecchio is in Piazza della Signoria and it has been the seat of the Comune of Florence since 1872.
Inside the Palace there is a museum with works by Michelangelo, Bronzino and Giorgio Vasari.
Initially known as Palazzo della Signoria, it was given the name of Palazzo Vecchio in 1565, when Duke Cosimo I moved to Palazzo Pitti.

Hotel degli Orafi is located near Palazzo degli Uffizi and Uffizi Gallery, one of the most important museums in the world for its marvellous collection, was started by Giorgio Vasari in 1560, on commission to Cosimo I de' Medici, and finished by Buontalenti.

Palazzo Pitti was built around 1440 from a design by Filippo Brunelleschi for the merchant Luca Pitti.
Cosimo I de' Medici bought it in 1550 for his beautiful wife Eleonora di Toledo, to use as his family residence.
Ammannati was commissioned to carry out the works for the porticoed courtyard and the large windows, and Buontalenti was asked to created the Boboli Gardens on the land behind Palazzo Pitti.