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