
Under the wealthy Medici family, Florence became the artistic center of Renaissance Italy. Tourists flock here to see the famous cathedral and art museums. Sadly, rain and restrictions on photos in museums and churches kept us from taking many pictures.

The 1255 Bargello, formerly the chief magistrate's office, now houses a good sculpture museum

Florence's old town hall, the 1299 Palazzo Vecchio

The Duomo as seen from the roof of our hostel, PLUS Florence

Piazza Santissima Annunziata

Each major guild donated a statue of its patron saint for the exterior of the 1380 Orsanmichele church

An old Florentine guild house

Carving on the front of a Renaissance palazzo

Carving on the front of a Renaissance palazzo

The cathedral's belltower (campanile) seen down a side street

Michaelangelo's unfinished last sculpture, a Pieta intended for his own tomb

The face of Nicodemus is supposed to be a self-portrait of Michaelangelo

The 14th century duomo and campanile are faced in slabs of white, green, and pink marble


The front of the duomo is a 19th century version of Gothic style

The six-orb coat of arms of the Medicis

The cathedral's dome was an engineering marvel when it was finished in 1436