Animated Journeys : Florence

" Wherever you go, go with all your heart"

Florence is a beautiful city, bathed in architectural beauty, artistic charm and centuries of history. It is the capital of Tuscany region as well as its cultural capital. It is home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. The small historic city can be travelled on foot. We took a walking tour which covered many historical sites.

Duomo, the cathedral is the identifying land mark of the city. Its construction started in 1296 in the Gothic style. The exterior of the cathedral is faced with marble panels of various shades of green, pink and white.

The dome of this cathedral has an interesting story. The walls of the cathedral below the would be dome had been built in an octagonal manner. The technology at the time for building a dome 150 feet wide and which was to start at 180 feet above the ground was non-existent. A competition was held with the prize of 200 gold florins and eternal fame. The project by a Goldsmith and not an architect was approved and given a go ahead. His name was Filippo Brunelleschi. The dome was constructed without any scaffolding, in the shape of a double dome, one inner and one outer with regular courses of herring bone brickwork. and the dome was held in place by binding the walls with a string of stone, iron and wood so that it would not collapse or crack under its immense weight. It remains till date the biggest brick dome ever constructed. The dome took 16 years to complete and was completed in 1436. Today one can go up the dome by climbing an extremely narrow space of about 3 feet between the two walls of the dome and there are about 464 steps and is hence quite claustrophobic. Not recommended for those with claustrophobia and fear of heights.

The Duomo with its dome in the backdrop

Ufizzi Gallery :

The Uffizi Gallery is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence. The gallery occupies the whole of first and second floors of a large building constructed between 1560-1580 and designed by Giorgio Vasari. It is famous worldwide for its outstanding collection of paintings and ancient sculptures. The masterpiece paintings of Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raffaell and Caravaggio are the main attractions.

Piazza della Signoria is the Historic Centre of Florence. Just outside the palace is the copy of the statue of David by Leonardo Da Vinci, the original being in a museum nearby.

The famous "Ponte Vecchio" meaning "Old Bridge" with rows of shops of jewellery, art and souvenirs, on the Arno river is also nearby.