Travel Reports

Uffizi Gallery And Duomo In Florence, Tuscany - Discovering Renaissance Florentine Architecture

Like hardly any other Italien city, Florence impresses the visitor with a diversity of spectacular architecture, extravagant historical sights and magnificent art treasures from different centuries.

Florence, the capital city of Tuscany, is home to a wide range of the most different ancient churches, palaces, museums and bridges. The historic old town of Florence was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1982.

One of the most noteworthy examples of Early Italian Renaissance architecture is the Duomo (”Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore” or “Il Duomo”) at Piazza del Duomo. Designed by the famous Florentine sculptor and architect Filippo Brunelleschi, the cathedral church was built between 1296 and 1469. The outer appearance of the church is breathtaking. The neo-gothic, richly ornamented facade in red, white and green marble and the three huge bronze doors with reliefs, sculptures and mosaics leave the visitor speechless because of their enormous dimensions and excessive decorations.

The bell tower (”Il Campanile”) designed by the famous Italian architect Giotto di Bondone, complements the extravagant exterior architecture of the Duomo. The interior of the cathedral, however, is not less spectacular. Visitors get the impression of getting lost in the vastness of the nave and the dome. The interior boasts with architectural decoration in Baroque, Renaissance, Gothic and Romanesque style. The height of the arches, columns and pilasters and the length of the aisles is overwhelming. The green, pink and white marble panels, the busts, the statues and the pavement in colored marble are a delight for the eye. Besides some important artworks, the church also hosts frescos designed by some of the greatest Florentine artists such as Domenico di Michelino, Andrea del Castagno and Paolo Uccello.

Another impressive historical sight is the Ponte Vecchio (literally: “old bridge”) built in 1345. Designed by the famous Italian painter and architect Taddeo Gadd, this Medieval stone bridge spans the Arno river between the Piazza Vecchio and the Piazza Pitti. It is famous for the multitude of shops built upon its edges where local jewelers, souvenir sellers, goldsmiths and art dealers sell their products to the tourists. Whether you are looking for a bargain deal on souvenirs or for high class jewelery, you´re sure to find what you´re looking for right here.

Art lovers will be fascinated by the Uffizi Gallery (”Galleria degli Uffizi”) located in the nearby Palazzo degli Uffizi, one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the world. Built by the Italian architect Giorgio Vasari between 1560 and 1581 to house the artwork collection of the Medici family, the Uffizi Gallery is an outstanding masterpiece of Italian Early Renaissance architecture and impresses the spectator with its breathtaking facade, roof cornices, frescoes, hallways and ceiling paintings in neo-classical style.

The most important collection of paintings displayed in the Uffizi Gallery nowadays includes works such as the “The Annunciation” and “The Adoration of the Magi” of Leonardo da Vinci, “The Adoration of the Magi” of Albrecht Dürer and “The Doni Tondo” of Michelangelo, just to mention a few. Further world-renowned art museums in Florence are the Bargello and the Accademia dell´Arte del Disegno.