Palazzo della Signoria, or Palazzo Vecchio, as it appears today, is the result of at least three successive building stages between the 13th-16th centuries: the actual construction of Arnolfo's palace, overlooking the square and placed next to the Loggia dei Lanzi; the first alterations in Republican times, and the later restructuration carried out by Vasari, after the coming to power of Cosimo I de' Medici, who moved into the... [more info]

The most famous bridge in Florence and also the oldest, this structure with three stone arches replaced a wooden bridge which had crossed the Arno River at this spot since Roman times. The upper side of the bridge, known as the Vasariano corridor, was designed by Vasari to link the Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi Gallery to the Pitti Palace... [more info]

Also called the Loggia della Signoria, the Loggia was named the Loggia dei Lanzi when the Duke Alessandro de'Medici made it the camp of the Lanzichenecchi after the fall of the Florentine Republic.It was the Signoria which commissioned a great Loggia for public use in 1350. The job was started by Orcagna, but continued and finished by Benci di Cione and Francesco Talenti only in 1382. [more info]

The poet Dante Alighieri, who wrote the famous Divine Comedy (Divina Commedia) during the medieval times, may have lived in this house inence Flor. Dante's House is a small museum dedicated to Dante's work laid out in a historical progression of the poet's life. The museum is located in the historic center of Florence. [more info]

The monumentale complex of the Fortezza da Basso, built on the outskirts of a mediaeval city from a design by the great architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, with the help of Pierfranceco da Viterbo, is now the main exhibition centre in Florence, where all the most important trade fairs and shows are held. [more info]

The Uffizi Gallery covers an area of about 8.000 sq.m.. and contains one of the most important collections of art of all times, including classical sculpture and paintings on canvas and wood by 13th to 18th century Italian and foreign schools. The Gallery of the Uffizi was also the first museum ever to be opened to the public: in fact the Grand Duke granted permission to visit it on request from the year 1591. [more info]

The group of museums contained in the Pitti Palace were formed during five centuries of history. It is certainly the largest museum complex in the city (the building alone is 32.000 square metres in size) and perhaps can also be considered the most fascinating and complete of them all, partly for its size and partly for the wide variety of historical, artistic and naturalistic subjects that the curious visitor can find exhibited there. [more info]