Cradle of the Renaissance

A travel guide to help you plan the perfect trip to Florence, Italy

Top Sights
Favorite Hotels
Reid's List
Free Sights
Planning FAQ So you say you want some Renaissance, eh? Well hows about Michelangelo's David for starters? Then we can move on to Giotto's frescoes in Santa Croce, or maybe Brunelleschi's massive, ingenious dome over the Duomo (cathedral). And let's not forget the Uffizi Galleries, the world's mightiest congregation of Renaissance paintings, with highlights like Botticelli's Birth of Venus.

From the late 14th through late 16th centuries in Florence, an era of humanist thought, classical ideals, and the ascendancy of a powerful ruling family called the Medici—who also happened to be great lovers of art—initiated a creative boom that resounded throughout Europe, rang the death knell of the Middle Ages, and would eventually come to be called the Renaissance, a "rebirth" of culture, thought, art, and music.

But Florence doesn't force you to stick to the Renaissance 24 hours a day. When you're art-sick and museum-weary, treat yourself to a Tuscan feast with copious quantities of Chianti wine from the hills around Florence. Or delve into the medieval heart of the city that gave birth to Dante and Boccaccio, two of Europe's great early poets.

Shop 'til you drop on high fashion and fine leather in the city that brought the world Gucci, Pucci, Ferragamo, and Beltrami. Pisa and its Leaning Tower and Tuscan hill towns like Siena and San Gimignano all lie within easy daytrip distance. Or just relax in the Boboli Gardens and let the green hills and lazy sunshine inspire you to write your own poetry or paint your own Renaissance. Spend at least two days here, three if you can swing it, a lifetime if you can.

Top Sights 1 Uffizi Galleries 2) The Duomo 3) Piazza della Signoria 4) The Accademia (David) 5) San Lorenzo leather market 6) Ponte Vecchio 7) Bargello 8) Pitti Palace 9) Santa Croce 10) Santa Maria Novella » more	Free Sights 1) Free? In Florence? You're joking, right? 2) Duomo 3 ) Baptistry Gates of Paradise 4) Piazza della Signoria 4) Ponte Vecchio 5) San Lorenzo market » more	Reid's List 1) Museo dell'Opera del Duomo 2) Fiesole 3) I Fratellini 4) Il Latini » more
Fave Hotels • Albergo Azzi [cheap] • Hotel de' Lanzi [moderate] • Palazzo Niccolini [splurge] » more	Best Eats • Dining in Florence • Il Latini [meal] • I Fratellini [snack] » more	Planning FAQ • Getting to Florence • Florence itineraries • Getting around Florence » more

Best hotels in Florence

- Reid's 19 favorite hotels in Florence in every price range, from campgrounds, hotels, and a cheap pensione packed with baroque art and designer furnishings to Renaissance palazzi in the heart of the old center and a frescoed castle in the hills with stunning Florence views. » Full Story

The top sights in Florence - From Michelangelo's David in the Accademia to the world's greatest collection of Renaissance paintings in the Uffizi gallery (Giotto, Fra' Anelico, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Boticelli, Titian), and Brunelleschi's Dome to the gold shops of the Ponte Vecchio and leather market of San Lorenzo. » Full Story