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The river divides the city into two parts.
The local economy is based on tourism, industry (textiles and clothes, metalwork, optics, chemistry, pharmaceuticals, glass and ceramics) and on Florentine handicrafts (embroidery, jewellry, products made from straw).
The climate is temperate but rather variable, with humid and breezy winters characterized by periods of intense cold, and hot and muggy summers.

Tourist areas
Near the City
- FIRENZE and surrounding area
- FIESOLE and surrounding area ( Distance 4 Km / 2 Miles )
- PRATO and surrounding area ( Distance 16 Km / 10 Miles )
- PISTOIA and surrounding area ( Distance 31 Km / 19 Miles )
- SAN GIMIGNANO and surrounding area ( Distance 38 Km / 24 Miles )
- MONTECATINI TERME and surrounding area ( Distance 40 Km / 25 Miles)

Informations
Region: TOSCANA
Province code: FI
Zip code: 50100
Phone area code: 055
Distance from ROMA 274 Km / 170 Miles
Elevation: 50 mt / 164 feet

Tourist Office
Address: Via Manzoni, 16
Phone: 055-23320

Historical Information
Founded by the Romans in the first century B.C., "Florentia" reached its highest point of civility between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries, as a free State, balancing the authority of the Emperors with that of the Popes, overcoming the problems of internal fighting between Guelphs and Ghibellines. In the fifteenth century Florence was ruled by the Signoria of the Medici.
They subsequently became the Granduchy of Tuscany. This was the city's most splendid period, for art, culture, politics and economics. The Granduchy of the Medici was followed by that of the Lorena in the eighteenth century, until in 1860 Tuscany joined the Kingdom of Italy, with Florence as the capital from 1865 to 1871.

Art and culture
Florence contains an exceptional artistic patrimony, glorious testimony to its secular civilization. Cimabue and Giotto, the fathers of Italian painting, lived here, along with Arnolfo and Andrea Pisano, reformists of architecture and sculpture; Brunelleschi, Donatello and Masaccio, founders of the Renaissance; Ghiberti and the Della Robbia; Filippo Lippi and l'Angelico; Botticelli and Paolo Uccello; the universal geniuses Leonardo and Michelangelo. Their works, along with those of many generations of artists up to the masters of the present century, are gathered in the city's many museums.
In Florence, thanks to Dante, the Italian language was born; with Petrarch and Boccaccio literary studies were affirmed; with Humanism the philosophy and values of classical civilization were revived; with Machiavelli modern political science was born; with Guicciardini, historical prose; and with Galileo, modern experimental science.
Up to the time of Charlemagne, Florence was a university town. Today it includes many specialized institutes and is an international cultural center. Academies, art schools, scientific institutes and cultural centers all contribute to the city's intense activity.

How to arrive in Florence
By Plane
Amerigo Vespucci Airport, 5 kilometers from the center, has both domestic and international lines.
Daily flights regularly connect Florence to Milan's Linate Airport and Rome's Fiumicino Airport.
By Train
The central station in Florence, at Santa Maria Novella, constitutes an important focal point for national and international traffic.
The city is connected to the major train lines and thus to the most important locations in Italy and abroad. Connections to Milan, Bologna, Genoa, Rome and Pisa are especially convenient.

How to get around in Florence
Public Transportation
The most convenient way to travel in Florence is without a doubt the buses, which allow one to reach the historical center, closed to private traffic. Tickets can be acquired at bars, tobacco stands, or the urban ATAF bus offices; prices are low and are valid throughout the urban transport system.

By Taxi
The radio-taxi service is convenient, but naturally much more expensive than public transportation, especially where traffic is intense. Authorized taxis are white with yellow signs and the fare is indicated only by the meter. There is a supplement for night travel and for baggage. The telephone numbers for calling radio-taxis are the following: 4798, 4242, 4390.

Shops and Markets
The center of Florence is crowded with shops selling everything from stylish clothing to used books. Generally stores are open from 9 to 13 and from 15:30 to 19:30 in the winter; in summer afternoons they open at 16:00 and close at 20:00.

Most larger stores accept credit cards and Eurochecks, while smaller shops prefer cash.

Big fashion names like Gucci and Coveri are found in via de' Tournabuoni, but also in via della Vigna Nuova, where Armani and Valentino have opened up shops.There are also many shops for shoes and leather goods, from the classy and always elegant Ferragamo, in via de' Tornabuoni 14r, to the more affordable Cresti, in via Roma 9r. Across the Arno, in via di Santo Spirito 62r, one finds the little shop Francesco, with hand-made shoes and sandals at low prices. The Piazza Santa Croce area is rich in shops for leather goods.

Besides shops, Florence is rich in open-air markets. The Market of San Lorenzo, situated at the center of the city, is the preferred destination of tourists. The New Market, where one can acquire leather goods and souvenirs, is sheltered under the sixteenth-century Loggia del Porcellino (pig) . At the Flea Market one can make good deals on small antique items. The last Sunday of every month except July, the market expands into the adjacent streets.

Events
Throughout the year a series of exhibitions to satisfy the most varied interests takes place in Florence. Above all, in the city where modern melodrama was born, are musical events ranging from Florence's "May of Music" (Maggio Musicale) to its summer and winter lyric seasons.

The Florentine center of "la Moda Italiana" organizes many commercial exhibitions throughout the year. There are international shows for ancient as well as contemporary art. Characteristic traditional exhibitions include the Soccer Games in Costume and the Festival of San Giovanni. Florence is famous for high-class handicrafts and elegant creations. From straw, a typical Florentine product used for pretty and original clothes and decorative objects, to leatherwork renowned for its refinement and skilled workmanship, from ceramics to glass, from woodwork to metalwork, a large number of desirable objects offer the opportunity to make purchases adapted to all tastes, ages and interests.

Florence's handicrafts and fashionable apparel are of exceptional grace and originality; notable are its linens and precious embroideries.
Especially appreciated, in the town where Benvenuto Cellini was born, are silver and gold products, filigrees and typical stone mosaics.
Particularly sought out are objects from large and small antique shops, for which Florence is a major trading center.

Food
Florentine food is praised for its solid peasant traditions: It is based on a few fundamental genuine ingredients: olive oil, tomatoes, beans, herbs, ham and salami.
Among the first courses of the "poor style" cuisine worth mentioning are "ribollita" (a soup based on black cabbage, beans, and other vegetables), "bruschette" (toasted bread with garlic and olive oil, sometimes covered with liver patè , anchovy paste or olives), beans "Uccelletta" style, minestrone soup with boiled beans, cooked in oil with tomato sauce and sage.
Among the second courses, the most famous is surely the "beefsteak Florentine style", cooked rare, without salt, flavored with herbs. Among the less noble second courses the most characteristic is "tripe Florentine style," covered with tomato sauce and an abundant sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese. Game dishes worth mentioning include boar and rabbit with their typical sauces.
The most common cheeses are pecorino and ricotta.
Desserts are simple; in Italian they are called "poor," the most characteristic being "cantucci" (cookies sweetened with almonds, for dunking in "Vin Santo") and "schiacciata Florentine style" (a pastry covered with vanilla sugar and flavored with lemon).
Tuscany is a region famous also for its wines, reds and whites ranging from table wines to wines of great prestige and universal fame. The most famous reds are "Brunello di Montalcino," "Nobile di Montepulciano" and Chianti produced in the hills and bottled by the Sangiovese vinyards. Most of the white wines come from Trebbiano vinyards, like the light and sparkling "Galestro" and the simple "Tuscan white." The "Vernaccia of San Gimignano," obtained from Vernaccia grapes, is very flavorful, as is the "Montecarlo," from the Lucca region. Among the characteristic sweet wines is the "Vin Santo" made with raisins from Trebbiano and Malvasia, aged for several years in small casks and then bottled.

Nightlife
Besides being rich in art and history, Florence offers numerous opportunities for entertainment, with many clubs and discotheques where one can dance to any type of music, or listen to groups playing live late into the night.

To listen or dance to progressive, techno or underground, we recommend the Meccano in via degli Olmi 1, the Full Up in via della Vigna Vecchia 21-r, the Central Park in via Fosso Macinante and the Andromeda in via dei Cimatori 13; for popular music, Jackie'O in via dell'Erta Canina 24/A, Villa Kasar in Lungarno Colombo 23r and the Tenax in via Pratese 46 are all excellent; at The Mood in Corso Tintori 4 they play house music, soul and funky. There are also many places to listen and dance to Latin-American rhythms. At the Caracol in via Ginori 10-r and the Girasol in via del Romito 1r, one can hear Mexican music; at the Maracanà in via Faenza 4, Brazilian music.

Things to see - Churches

The Baptistry
Located in Piazza San Giovanni beside the Duomo and Giotto's belltower, the Baptistry is one of the oldest buildings in the city. Some say it was built in the eleventh century; some even say it dates to the fifth century, the site of a Romanesque building. Its octagonal shape is outlined by white and green marble strips and pillars with horizontal bands. On the upper part, three arches per side outline the window frames on each side; above stands the attic from the thirteenth century, supporting the pyramid-shaped covering. The precious bronze doors are famous. The oldest is the South Door, by Andrea Pisano (1330-36), which is divided into 28 finely-sculpted panels. The North Door, also divided into 28 panels, was completed by Lorenzo Ghiberti and illustrious collaborators such as Donatello, Paolo Uccello and Masolino (1403-24). The East Door, called "of Paradise" because Michelangelo referred to it in this way, is Ghiberti's most famous work, completed with the help of Michelozzo, Gozzoli and others (1424-52). The interior of the Baptistry, which is rather austere, is paved in marble flooring decorated with fine inlay. The dome is entirely covered with precious Byzantine mosaics from the thirteenth and fourteenth century. Numerous works of art are housed here, including some by Donatello and Michelozzo.

Basilica of San Lorenzo
The ancient church was consecrated in 393 by Ambrogio, bishop of Milan. It assumed its Romanesque shape around the year 1000, was then rebuilt as it appears today by Brunelleschi around the middle of the fifteenth century, and was finished by his student Antonio Manetti.
Two pulpits by Donatello, an elegant marble tabernacle by Desiderio da Settignano, plus works by Bronzino, Sogliano, Filippo Lippi and Rosso Fiorentino make the basilica especially precious. Beside the church stands the splendid Old Sacristy, designed by Brunelleschi in 1420 and decorated by Donatello, and also the New Sacristy, built by Michelangelo in 1524 as a funerary chapel for the Medici family.
The New Sacristy, together with the baroque Chapel of the Princes, planned by Matteo Nigetti, constitute the Museum of the Medici Chapels. To the left of the church one finds the Medici-Laurenziani Library, planned by Michelangelo to conserve the copious collection of ancient manuscripts that belonged to the Medici.

Basilica of Santa Croce
The gothic basilica of Santa Croce, built between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries according to the plans of Arnolfo di Cambio, has a grandious and austere appearance.
It is well known because some of the most famous Italians in history are buried here. Among the most important monuments are the tomb of the Alfieri, built by Canova; that of Leonardo Bruni, by Rossellino; and that of Carlotta Bonaparte, by Bartolini.
The interior is enhanced by radious frescoes painted at the beginning of the fourteenth century by Giotto and his pupil Taddeo Gaddi. Incorporated in the cloister next to the church is the Pazzi Chapel by Brunelleschi, a masterwork of Renaissance architecture. The other monastic buildings around the cloister house the Museum of the Works of Santa Croce, of great interest for the celebrated art that it contains: the Crucifix of Cimabue, the frescoes of Taddeo Gaddi and Andrea Orcagna, and the large golden bronze of San Lodovico of Tolosa, the work of Donatello in 1423.

Belltower by Giotto
Giotto's belltower, 85 meters high, a masterpiece of gothic art, stands in the Piazza San Giovanni beside the Duomo. Planned by Giotto in his final years (1334-37), it was continued by Andrea Pisano and finished by Francesco Talenti in 1359. The rectangular base is divided into two sections. The first is decorated in bas reliefs by Andrea Pisano and Luca della Robbia, representing the Arts and human works; the second in allegorical figures by artists from the school of Andrea Pisano. Above these carvings, niches were created to contain statues of the Prophets and Sybils. These statues and carvings have been replaced by copies and the originals have been transferred to the Museum of the Works of the Duomo. The belltower rises even higher, above two floors of mullioned windows and a third floor opening onto triple columns which support the balustrades. A stairway with 412 steps rises to the upper terrace, offering an ample view over the city.

Brancacci Chapel
Situated within the thirteenth-century chapel of Santa Maria del Carmine, the Brancacci Chapel is famous for its frescoes, considered masterpieces of Renaissance painting. Masolino began the work in 1425, but many of the painted scenes were done by his pupil Masaccio, who died before completing the cycle. Filippo Lippi finished the work fifty years later, in 1480.

Church of the Holy Annunciation
Situated in the piazza of the same name, this church was founded by the Serviti order in 1250 and was then rebuilt by Michelozzo between 1444 and 1481. The little Votive Chapel and the Chapel of the Dead contain frescoes by Andrea del Sarto, Rosso Fiorentino, Franciabigio and Pontorno. Within the small temple of the Annunciation, designed by Michelozzo, there is an image of the Madonna reputedly capable of performing miracles.

San Miniato al Monte
Just above the Piazzale Michelangelo, one finds the church of San Miniato al Monte, whose facade of white and green marble is one of the most interesting examples of Florentine Romanesque. Built between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, the church contains works of great value, including the chapel of the Crucifix by Michelozzo and the Chapel of the Cardinal of Portugal, surrounded by decorations by Luca della Robbia. The frescoes of Spinello Aretino showing the stories of Saint Benedict are splendid.

Santa Maria Novella
The church was built by the Domenican friars between 1279 and 1357. The Romanesque-Gothic facade in white and green marble was completed by Leon Battista Alberti, who designed all of the upper part. The grandious interior, with three naves divided by pillars of various styles, contains splendid works of art: Masaccio's Trinity, Filippo Lippi's frescoes, frescoes by Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel, Giotto's crucifix and Brunelleschi's wooden crucifix. Adjacent to the church is the entrance to the Santa Maria Novella Museum, which contains the splendid Green Chapel. Its name derives from the color dominanting the cycle of Biblical frescoes by Paolo Uccello. In the Capitolare ("Capitulation") Room, also known as the Spanish Chapel (Cappellone degli Spagnoli), one can see a well'known fresco by Andrea di Bonaiuto (mid fourteenth century) that portrays the Domenicans in the semblance of dogs ("cane"): "domini canes." Annexed to the Green Cloister are the Cloister of the Dead and the Strozzi Chapel, the latter decorated with fourteenth-century frescoes.

Holy Trinity ("Santa Trìnita")
The original church, built in the second half of the eleventeenth century by Vallombrosian monks, was very sombre and reflected the austerity of the order, founded in Florence in 1092 to restore the frugality of monastic rules. At the beginning of the fourteenth cenutry the church was enlarged and transformed to the gothic style. The facade, in hard stone ("pietra dura"), was built according to the plans of Buontalenti at the end of the sixteenth century. Within is the Sassetti Chapel, with its fresco cycle showing the stories of Saint Francis of Assisi and a tablet showing the Adoration of the Shepherds by Domenico Ghirlandaio.

Holy Spirit ("Santo Spirito")
The neighborhood of Santo Spirito in Oltrarno, an area typified by its artisans, restorers and antique dealers, owes its name to the church Santo Spirito. Planned by Brunelleschi and begun in 1444, it was completed only at the end of the fifteenth century, much after his death. Within, the harmony of its proportions has been somewhat altered by the elaborate baroque canopy over the main altar, finished in 1607 by Giovanni Caccini. The church has 38 side altars, decorated with Renaissance sculptures and paintings from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Also of special interest is the sacristy, built according to the designs of Giuliano da Sangallo in 1489.

Convent of San Marco
Founded in the thirteenth century, the convent was restored and enlarged by Michelozzo in 1437, according to the wishes of Cosimo the Elder. The simple cloisters and unadorned cells serve as backdrop to a cycle of devotional frescoes painted by Beato Angelico between 1438 and 1445. Inside the convent one finds the elegant Library planned by Michelozzo in 1448, containing ancient miniature codicils. This was the first public library of the Renaissance.

Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore)
Situated in Piazza San Giovanni in front of the ancient basilica of Santa Reparata, the gothic cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was begun in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio and was consecrated in 1436. The exterior was finished in the second half of the fourteenth century, perhaps by Francesco Talenti. The contrast between the main body of the nave and the octagonal end section is quite notable. The grandious structure of the dome, 114 meters high, shows a magnificent architectural plasticity that greatly surpasses the limits of the gothic. The dome was finished in 1436 according to Brunelleschi's plans. On the sides of the church, the "Almond Door" (relief by Nanni di Banco) and the "Canonical Door" are especially worth noting. The present facade, a modest work by De Fabris, was done in 1887. Arnolfo's original facade was demolished in the sixteenth century, but fragments of his sculptures remain in the Museum of the Works of the Duomo. The interior, in the shape of a Latin cross with three naves, is of the purest and most majestic lines. Among the numerous works of art, the frescoes done for G. Acuto (by Paolo Uccello) and for Niccolo da Tolentino (by Andrea del Castagno) are especially noteworthy. The windows by Paolo Uccello, Andrea del Castagno, Ghiberti and Donatello are also very beautiful. The polychrome marble flooring, completed between the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries, is attributed to Baccio d'Agnolo and Francesco da Sangallo.

Orsanmichele
The oratory of Orsanmichele (its name is derived from the Garden - "orto" - of Saint Michael and refers to a garden now long forgotten) is located in via Calzaioli, which connects the piazza of the Duomo to the piazza of the Signoria. Its construction, planned by Arnolfo di Cambio, dates to 1337. Made as a loggia for the granary market, soon after completion it was transformed into a church. Its external walls, decorated by magnificent triple mullioned windows by Simone Talenti, contain 14 niches, each holding a statue of one of the patron saints of the Arts and Corporations. Inside rises the stupendous gothic tabernacle by Andrea Orcagna (1349-59), decorated with cherubs, inlaid with polychromic marble and glass and decorated in bas reliefs.

Things to see - Palaces

Medici Riccardi Palace
This is the most typical example of a civil Renaissance palace. It was constructed according to an austere plan drawn up Michelozzo for Cosimo the Elder in 1444. Home of the Medici for 100 years, it was then acquired by the Riccardi family and today is the seat of the Prefecture and the Provincial Administration. Inside one finds an elegant courtyard, a small garden in the Italian style, and Benozzo Gozzoli's celebrated chapel, which he decorated in frescoes, representing the Appearance of the Magi (1459).

Pitti Palace
This is the most grandiose Florentine palace. Its grounds cover more than three hectares at the summit of the Boboli hill. It was built for the banker Luca Pitti according to plans attributed to Brunelleschi, towards the mid-fifteenth century. The grandiosity of the building demonstrates Pitti's determination to rival the Medici family.
The banker's failure led to suspension of construction, but it was revived again a century later, after which the Medici themselves bought the palace and made it their own residence. The huge courtyard and two side wings dating from 1560 were planned by Bartolomeo Ammannati. In 1621, under Cosimo II dei Medici, the work of expanding the vista and reorganizing the piazza began, following to the plans of Giulio and Alfonso Parigi.
The building passed into the hands of the Lorena family and then was embellished with two wings, finished by Paoletti and Poccianti in the first half of the nineteenth century, together with the smaller palace of the Meridiana.
Some of the most important Florentine museums are now located in the palace and in the Boboli gardens behind it: the Palatina Gallery (on the first floor), the Silver Museum (ground floor and mezzanine), and the Gallery of Modern Art (final floor); while in the Little Palace of the "Cavaliere" on the far side of the garden is the Porcelain Museum and in the Little Palace of the Meridiana, the Costume Gallery.

Rucellai Palace
The palace was built between 1455 and 1458 by Bernardo Rossellino, following the plans of Leon Battista Alberti, on behalf of Giovanni Rucellai. It is one of the most richly decorated Renaissance buildings in Florence. Presently it houses the Alinari Museum, dedicated to the history of photography.
First of its kind in Italy, it is the only national institution dedicated exclusively to photography exhibits.

Strozzi Palace
A masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, the Strozzi Palace in via de' Tornabuoni was initiated by Benedetto da Maiano in 1489 upon the request of Filippo Strozzi the Elder. The work was continued by Rosselli and Cronaca up until the sixteenth century. The magnificent large cornicework which outlines two rows of mullioned windows separated by scalloped cornices is by Cronaca. On the ground floor the doors are framed by rectangular windows. The embossed external decoration adds to the monumentality of the entire structure.

Old Palace (Palace of the Signoria)
Situated in Piazza della Signoria, the Old Palace was built between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries by Arnolfo di Cambio. It was completed in 1322 when an enormous bell, used to call the citizenry to assembly, was raised atop the tower.
It is the largest civil building of the city, seat of the Priory of the Arts, of the Signoria and ducal residence.
Much of the interior was reconstructed by Vasari when Cosimo I of the Medici moved into the palace in 1540. The many frescoes (1563-65) glorify Cosimo I and his foundation of the Granduchy of Tuscany.
The sixteenth-century Salon, the study of Francesco I, the section of the Elements and the Room of the Gigli are all worth visiting. The fourteenth-century courtyard, decorated by a gracious fountain with a small angel (a copy of an original by Verrocchio) was later rebuilt by Michelozzo. The Old Palace was the seat of the Italian Parliament between 1865 and 1871; today it houses the Municipality.

Things to see - Museums and places

Accademia Gallery
This is one of the most well-known museums in Florence because it contains famous sculptures by Michelangelo, including the world-famous David.
Here also are many of the paintings gathered by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo to aid young artists in their studies at the Arts Academy, which is still located beside the Gallery.

Uffizi Gallery
The Gallery is located in the impressive Uffizi Palace built in the mid-sixteenth century by Giorgio Vasari and finished after his death by the architects Parigi and Buontalenti.
The Uffizi, in a horseshoe shape, extends from the Piazza della Signoria to the Arno river and is connected to the Palazzo Vecchio by a footbridge. The building was designed to contain the "Offices" (Uffici) of justice: hence the name.
Since their origins, however, certain rooms on the third floor were dedicated by the Medici for prestigious art collections of later centuries. In 1737, thanks to the foresightful generosity of Anna Maria Luisa, last survivor of this family renowned for its art collections and patronage, the Uffizi became a public trust.
The Gallery today contains masterpieces of Italian and international artists of the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries, including Cimabue, Giotto, Masaccio, Beato Angelico, Leonardo, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Piero della Francesca, Raphael, Caravaggio, Rubens, Rembrandt, Durer, Goya and many others.
The Vasari Wing, leading from the Ufizzi to the Pitti Palace, holds a famous collection of self-portraits which is the only one of its kind in the world.

Bardini Museum
The Museum is located in the palace built by Stefano Bardini at the end of the nineteenth century. It was given to the Commune of Florence by the same owner.
Bardini was a famous antique dealer who besides procuring the finest pieces from foreign museums, gathered for himself objects of art of every period and value.
The rooms are bursting with an odd mixture of sculptures, paintings, armory, musical instruments, ceramics and antique furniture. Among the numerous masterpieces of painting and sculpture are the works of Nicola Pisano, Tino da Camaino, Pollaiolo and Donatello

Museum of the Works of the Duomo
Situated in the piazza Duomo, the museum contains artworks gathered from the exteriors of the Baptistry, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the belltower of Giotto, in order to protect them.
The collection is therefore the most tangible testimony of a typically Florentine plastic tradition, formed from various phases of construction of the Duomo and evolving over centuries in its workshops.
The most significant works are the Pietà of Michelangelo, the Magdalene and the Cantorium (choir balcony) of Donatello, Boniface VIII by Arnolfo di Cambio, the Cantorium of Luca della Robbia.
National Museum of the Bargello
The National Museum is housed in one of the oldest public palaces of Florence. Its construction dates to 1255.
Erected as the office for the Captain of the People, it was later seat of the Podestà (Mayor) and then of the Captain of Justice or Bargello, from which its name is derived.
For the entire eighteenth century it was used as a prison and capital punishments took place there. After impressive restorations it became the National Museum in 1865. It houses a superb collection of sculptures from the Florentine Renaissance, with works by Michelangelo, Donatello, Giambologna and Cellini, as well as a collection of Mannerist bronzes.

Piazza della Signoria
The Piazza of the Signoria, inaugurated between the thirteenth and fourteenth century, has always been the political center of Florence.
The citizens gather here when called to public assemblies. The statues, some of which are not originals, commemorate the city's most important events, many of which are connected to the rise and fall of the Florentine Republic.
Savonarola was burned at the stake here. The piazza, with the fountain of Neptune (sixteenth century) at its center, holds the Old Palace and the Loggia of the Signoria, better known as the loggia of the Lanzi. This was built in the fourteenth century in gothic-Renaissance style, designed for public ceremonies. It houses various sculptures, among which the Perseus in bronze by Cellini and the Rape of the Sabines by Gianbologna.

Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge")
This is the oldest bridge of Florence, built in 1345 probably by Neri di Fioravante. It is the only one that was not destroyed during the Second World War.
The bridge is formed by three arches resting upon two robust pillars with spurs in the form of ships' prows. Upon it are two rows of typical jewellry shops, some of which extend over the edges of the bridge, sustained by supports called "sporti". On the high part of the bridge on the east side passes the Vasariano corridor, uniting the Uffizi to the Pitti Palace.
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