"Florence -"Cradle of the Renaissance" " a Florence Travel Page by mallyak

Florence (Firenze) is the regional capital of Tuscany, in the centre of Italy. A town with a turbulent and action-packed history, Florence is now packed with tourists being shepherded around the city's museums. The town is situated on the river Arno, which is spanned by the famous Ponte Vecchio, the only of Florence's bridges not to be blown up in the Second World War. Florence's most striking landmark is Brunelleschi's dome on the Duomo, and its most reproduced sight is Michelangelo's statue of David.

Florence is not a good destination if you are on a budget. There is very little in town for the hard-up tourist. Unlike Rome, where churches and monuments are free of charge, or Venice, where the city itself is the main attraction, Florence will empty your wallet. The Florentines have mastered the art of extracting money from visitors; museums and churches can be very expensive, with few joint/combined tickets on offer. Statues and artworks have been removed from the streets and free churches, and placed in expensive galleries. Of course there is justification for this: tourists swamp the city and it seems fair that the city should profit, but all the same, the constant expenditure is a drain which can leave a nasty taste in the mouth. Tourists may feel especially aggrieved when they find that museums will close down rooms and galleries without advance notice, pleading staff shortages. Prize exhibits may be missing; on loan elsewhere, and few museums are well planned and signed: explore stairways and dark corners and make sure you don't miss anything important.

Florence has an attractive historic centre, with some interesting architecture, including fine Renaissance palaces and the famous shop-covered bridge, the Ponte Vecchio. But Florence's most popular, most famous and most unique tourist attractions are those on display in the town's museums and churches. From Michelangelo's iconic and kitsch-ified David to the delicate paintings of Botticelli, Florence is home to some of the world's finest art. The birthplace of the Renaissance is now a crowded tourist honey pot packed with visitors being shepherded from one masterpiece to another