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Basilica of Santa Croce
The Basilica of Santa Croce is one of the largest Franciscan churches and one of the greatest Gothic achievements in Italy.
Santa Croce is a prestigious symbol of Florence, the meeting place of the greatest artists, theologians, religious people, men of letters, humanists and politicians, who determined, through good times and bad, the identity of the late medieval and Renaissance city. Famous figures from the history of the Church such as Saint Bonaventure, Peter of Giovanni Olivi, Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Bernardino of Siena, Saint Louis of Anjou also found hospitality inside. It was also a welcoming place for popes such as Sixtus IV, Eugene IV, Leone X and Clemente XIV.
In the church there are the tombs of the greatest artists that Italy has given to the world.
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Museo Nazionale del Bargello
Masterpieces from the Renaissance and Mannerist periods can be found in the Bargello. We will see four of Michelangelo's most significant sculptures: Tondo Pitti, a stunning example of the renowned "non finito," Bacchus, Brutus, and David-Apollo. Important parallels can also be made with other pieces in the collection, such as the bronze David sculptures by Donatello and Verrocchio.
Duration: 40 minutes
3
Piazza della Signoria
Piazza della Signoria is the main square of Florence, seat of civil power and heart of the city's social life. It is located in the central part of medieval Florence, south of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. In the past it has taken on various names, such as Piazza dei Priori or Piazza del Granduca.
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Loggia dei Lanzi
The Loggia dei Lanzi, also known as Loggia della Signoria, is a structure that stands next to the Uffizi Gallery in Piazza della Signoria. It is made up of large arches that face the roadway. With Corinthian capitals, the arches are supported by a cluster of pilasters. Because the Florentine patrons found the wide arches so appealing, Michelangelo suggested encircling Piazza della Signoria with them.
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Palazzo Vecchio
Florence's town hall is called Palazzo Vecchio, or "Old Palace". It looks over Piazza della Signoria, as well as the nearby Loggia dei Lanzi's statue gallery.
This building was originally known as Palazzo della Signoria, however, due to the palace's varied uses over the course of its lengthy history, its name changed many times (Palazzo del Popolo, Palazzo dei Priori and Palazzo Ducale). After the Medici duke's home was relocated inside Palazzo Pitti across the Arno River, the structure was given its current name.
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The church of Orsanmichele is a historic building in the center of Florence. It was originally a loggia built for the storage and market of grain, later transformed into a church of the Arts, the ancient Florentine guilds. Today on the upper floors it houses a museum, with the originals of the sculptural cycle of its external niches and the famous statues of Donatello and Ghiberti.
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Santa Maria del Fiore is one of the largest churches in the world. The plan consists of a triple-nave basilica with the presbytery area nested within, dominated by the large octagon of the immense dome, around which are three radial apses, each consisting of five chapels. The cathedral is 153 meters (502 feet) in length, 90 meters (295 feet) wide at the transept, and 90 meters high from floor to base of the dome lantern. The title “Santa Maria del Fiore” (Our Lady of the flower) alludes to the name of the city, "Florentia", or “city of flowers”, “destined to bloom”, and to its emblem, the Florentine lily.
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Our next stop will be the Opera del Duomo museum, where we will see the Palestrina Pietà, one of Michelangelo final creations, which is a piece of art that is impossible to see in person without being touched and moved. This Pietà, which Michelangelo carved for his own tomb, captures the agony and suffering of his latter years.
You will also see the original Gates of Paradise inside the museum, the main gate of the Baptistry of Florence (Battistero di San Giovanni), located in front of the Cathedral.
The Porta del Paradiso, in Italian, was created by Florentine goldsmith and sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti between 1425 and 1452 and installed in the eastern portal of the Baptistery.
The Gates have been praised by generations of artists and art historians for their compelling portrayal of scenes from the Old Testament.
Over time, the seventeen-foot-tall, three-ton bronze doors became an icon of Renaissance, one of the most famous works of art in the world.
Duration: 40 minutes
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Visiting the New Sacristy at the Medici Chapels, where the exquisiteness of the tombs of some Medici family members will wow you, is a must-do for any Michelangelo tour of Florence. You will discover during this encounter how much the artist and his works were influenced by the Medici family.
Duration: 40 minutes
10
Galleria dell'Accademia
The last stop on the tour will be the renowned Accademia Museum, home of Michelangelo's David, one of the most well-known statues in existence. There will be time set out to comprehend this sculpture as well as to view another of his creations, "Prisoners," which was begun but never completed when it was commissioned for Pope Julius II's tomb.
The tour will end here, although those who want to continue exploring this beautiful museum will be welcome.
Duration: 40 minutes
