The skyline of Florence is one of the great products of unintentional town planning. The vast bulk of the cathedral dome, towering over the low red roofs of the city, makes for an unforgettable sight.
The best way to see the city is by foot. The centre is small and may of the streets are pedestrianised, with intriguing alleys and narrow thoroughfares branching off from imposing squares. Within the city's limits, sprawled on either side of the river Arno, the visitor can wander from the Cathedral to the famous Uffizi gallery.
Florence owes much of her wealth to the Middle Ages. Banking became big business on the back of the city’s profitable wool trade and, in 1235; Florence minted the florin, the first gold coin to become standard currency across Europe. In their turn, these bankers commissioned some of the finest art and architecture in the city. The names Strozzi, Rucellai and Pitti can be found all over Florence but it was the Medici family, who led the city for over 300 years, off and on, that nurtured the greatest flowering of Renaissance art. The paintings of Botticelli, the sculptures of Michelangelo and the rusticated palaces of Michelozzo all flourished under their rule.
Then, as now, most of the action in Florence took place between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Signoria, the city’s civic heart. Here, in the historic centre, Dante, forefather of the Italian language, first glimpsed his muse, Beatrice. Here, the Florentine Republic rose and fell. And here, Savonarola’s Bonfire of the Vanities blazed. Florence, for all her timeless charm, is no stranger to destruction.
Florence in the hot summer months of July and August can be unbearably sticky and the prospect of trailing around museums becomes unappealing. Early autumn however, when the countryside glows with mellow fruitfulness, is the best time to visit, avoiding the heat and the queues and capitalising on the soft light, empty streets and the abundance of wild mushrooms and just-pressed olive oil.
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