Florence- my favorite city!!

Aerial view of Florence

Glad to be back for my fourth visit to a favorite city!!

Lovely hill town with amazing architecture

Ponte Vecchio

After great flood in 60's, dams were build along the Arno River

Spectacular synagogue in Florence

Another view of the synangogue

David by Michelangelo at Galleria dell'Accademia

Florence is the capital city of Tuscany. It is the most populous city in Tuscany. Florence was a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of that era. It is considered the birthplace of the  Renaissance and has been called "the Athens of the Middle Ages." A turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici  family and numerous religious and republican revolutions. From 1865 to 1871 the city was the capital of the recently established Kingdom of Italy.

The city attracts millions of tourists each year, and the historic center of Florence  was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. The city is noted for its culture, Renaissance art and architecture  and monuments. The city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics. Due to Florence's artistic and architectural heritage, it has been ranked by Forbes as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I agree!!

Tuscany, Italy

Tuscany is know for its exquisite landscapes, its rich legacy and its influence on high culture. It is regarded as the birth place of the Italian Renaissance and has been home to some of the most influential people in the history of arts and science such as Petrarch, Dante, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Amerigo Vespucci and Puccini. The region has major art museums such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace in Florence and other galleries in smaller towns and villages. The area also has a great culinary tradition and is famous for many wines, including Chianti, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano and Morelino de Scansano.

Six localities have been designated as World Heritage sites: the historic center of Florence, the historic center of Siena, the square of the Cathedral of Pisa, the historic center of Pienza and the Val d'Orcia. In addition, 120 natural preserves have been protected, making Tuscany and its capital Florence a very popular tourist destination with millions of tourists coming here every year.

In the next few posts, I will tell you about the towns I visited.