"The Heart of an Old Empire" a Florence Travel Page by fishandchips

A trip to Florence is a trip to city with an interesting history and some great things to see. My top three places to see here are The Accademia, Uffizi Gallery and Duomo.

A visit to the Academia, not far from the main square containing the Duomo, will bring you face to face with Michelangelo's David. 13 feet or so of marble carved into a man. Cameras are not permitted but you can get a shot if you are quick (or can shoot from the hip like I managed to do).

The Uffizi gallery is also a good place to visit though it was the outside of the place that interested me the most. It is an interesting building with a great view back to the old world with its towers.

Around and in the Duomo you would be forgiven for thinking that the Piazza and its buildings are just pieces of art given how fancy they are. A must see when in Florence.

Florence was born in 59BC as a settlement for retired Roman soldiers. The place has been under Byzantine, Goth, Lombard and Frankish rule. The cities origins are apparently much older with prehistoric remains found by the Romans. Powerful families such as the Albizi and then the Medici came to dominate Florence over the years. Florence became a home to artists, sculptors, architects and musicians and these flavours can be seen as you wander around.

The Medici became hereditary dukes and Florence part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany but the end of their line in 1737 saw the city consumed by Austria. In 1859 it was swallowed by the kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont and just two years later Tuscany became part of the new country of Italy.

For six years (until Rome joined the union) Florence was the capital of Italy.

A quick list of those things that you should try to see in Florence (if you have the time) goes like - The Duomo, Palazzo Pitti, Santa Croce, Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Vecchio, San Miniato al Monte, Piazza Santissima Annunziata, Piazza della Signoria, Piazza della Repubblica, Orsanmichele, Dante?s District, Neptune Fountain, Palazzo Davanzati, Palazzo Strozzi, Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, Piazza Santa Croce, Forte di Belvedere.

There are a large number of very good galleria in Florence including Galleria degli Uffizi, the Accademia, Museo della Opera del Duomo, Museo del Bigallo, Museo dei Ragazzi, Museo di Storia della Scienza, Museo di Firenze com?era, Museo Marino Marini, Museo di Santa Maria Novella, Museo di San Marco, Museo Archeologico, Museo Horne, Museo Bardine