Florence
The city of Florence is large and busy. The streets are crammed with cars and scooters; everyone trying to get to somewhere before anyone else! However, Florence is the "ART " center of Italy featuring the Accademia Gallery (key features are Michelangelo’s “David” and “Prisoners”), Duomo Church (aka Brunelleschi’s Dome- Santa Maria Del Fiore), Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Vecchio (home of the Medicis), Ponte Vecchio and Piazzale Michelangelo. Did I mention the resturants?

Florence (Italian: Firenze) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy.
From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. Florence lies on the Arno River and has a population of around 400,000 people, plus a suburban population in excess of 200,000 persons. The greater area has some 956,000 people. A center of medieval European trade and finance, the city is often considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and was long ruled by the Medici family. Florence is also famous for its magnificent art and architecture. It is said that, of the 1,000 most important European artists of the second millennium, 350 lived or worked in Florence. The city has also been called the Athens of the Middle Ages.

The historic Center of Florence was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1982.

Click here to view slideshow of Florence
The slideshow is set to a concerto for viola and strings.
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