Photo © Gianluca Moggi at Pressphoto, Florence
Small and compact, Florence has an ancient grid-like heart laid out by the Romans. Today it's sophisticated and elegant, showing off some of the world's best Renaissance architecture at every turn. The city also boasts possibly the greatest collection of Renaissance art in the world, and it doesn't do too badly on medieval stuff either. Among this wealth of creativity are some of the world's most famous artistic images; David by Michelangelo, Birth of Venus by Botticelli's and Titian's acclaimed Venus of Urbino are really just the beginning of an endless list of artistic greats. Small wonder some seven million tourists a year crowd into this tiny city, most of them drawn by the heavyweight attractions of the Uffizi, the Accademia, the Bargello, and the Palazzo Pitti. But don't miss out on Florence's other delights; the quiet cloisters, the small churches, the stunning frescoes, fabulous food markets, and views across the river Arno. It's also a city of contrasts, with super-chic stores invading the cobbled streets of its Renaissance core as well as artisanal shops in the crooked streets of Oltrarno, south of the river, which cuts a swathe through the center of the city.
