firenze

Firenze, capital of Italy’s famous Tuscan region, “cradle of the Renaissance” in the 15th and 16th Centuries, and even today, with its impressive architecture and public art, its museums and galleries, remains a cultural goldmine that attracts millions of visitors. Not quite the theme park that is Venezia, Firenze is still very much a tourist town and the crowds are a necessary price of admission to its treasures: from masterworks by local artists Michelangelo, Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci to the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo of Firenze), Palazzo Pitti and the Palazzo Vecchio, indeed the entire historical center of the city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And for those less culturally inclined there is the usual array of luxury brand stores, the tiny jewelry shops lining the Ponte Vecchio and the dozens of stalls around town selling budget leather goods and typical kitsch souvenirs.