UFFIZI GALLERY (GALLERIE DEGLI UFFIZI)
Address: Loggiato degli Uffizi 6 Tel: 055 238 8651 Website: www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei/uffizi Open: Tue-Sun 08:15-18:50 Admission: €9.50

This world-renowned art museum houses the finest collection of Renaissance paintings and sculptures in the world. The extensive collection comprises thousands of masterpieces including works by universally acclaimed Italian artists such as Botticelli, Caravaggio, Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Mantegna, Michelangelo and Raphael as well as various works by Dutch and Flemish masters. The absolute must-sees are Boticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation and Michelangelo’s Holy Family. Don’t miss the Vasari Corridor, a passageway stretching across Ponte Vecchio to Pitti Palace, adorned with 17th century paintings and artists’ self-portraits.

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ACCADEMIA GALLERY
Address: Via Ricasoli, 58-60 Tel: 055 238 8609 Website: www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei/accademia Open: Tue-Sun 08:15-18:50 Admission: €9.50 (€6.50 in winter)

The Accademia Gallery exhibits some of Michelangelo’s best-known sculptures, including The Slaves, St Matthew and the most famous of them all, the statue of David. Transferred from Piazza della Signoria to the gallery in 1873, the statue of David is the gallery’s main attraction. Although somewhat overlooked, the gallery also displays an impressive collection of paintings by Michelangelo’s contemporaries.

PONTE VECCHIO
Address: Via Por Santa Maria/Via Guicciardini

Built in 1345, the famous Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) is lined with brightly coloured shops hanging over River Arno. A multitude of small goldsmiths and silversmiths occupy the bridge today just as they did hundreds of years ago. At the centre of the bridge is a small piazza offering stunning views of the Arno. The Vasari corridor, built in the 16th century as a private passageway for the Medici family, runs across the bridge over the rooftops and connects the Uffizi gallery to Pitti Palace.

THE BARGELLO MUSEUM
Address: Via del Proconsolo 4 Tel: 055 238 8606. Ticket reservations 055 294 883 Open: Tue-Fri 08:15-13:50 Admission: €4

Set in a 13th century Gothic palace, the museum exhibits an impressive collection of Renaissance sculpture. Works by notable artists such as Donatello, della Robbias, Michelangelo adorn the lavish palazzo rooms. Among the sculptures are various ornamental pieces, porcelain, coats of arms and bronze birds from the Medici’s gardens.

PALAZZO PITTI AND GIARDINO BOBOLI
Address: Piazza Pitti 1 Tel: 055 238 8615 Open: Each museum has its own opening hours, but most are closed on Mondays. Admission: Museums- From €4 to €8.50 (€10.50 for all) Gardens-€4

Formerly the residence of great Tuscan ruling dynasties including the Medici family, the palace is home to several museums showcasing magnificent art collections and Medici family treasures. Museo degli Argenti exhibits precious objects that belonged to the Medicis in rooms adorned with spectacular frescoes. The Costume Museum houses an extensive collection of costumes dating from the 16th to the 20th centuries. The elegant Gallery of Modern Art displays a fine collection of paintings and sculpture from the late 18th century onwards. The Palentine gallery showcases Medici family’s astounding collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings by well-known artists, from Rubens to Titian. The palace is surrounded by the beautiful Boboli gardens dotted with Renaissance statues, grottos and fountains. The vast open space is an ideal place to relax after a long day at the museums.

SANTA MARIA DELLA CARMINE
Address: Piazza della Carmine Tel: 055 238 2195
Open: Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00am-5pm Sun 13:00-17:00 Admission: Church – free, Brancacci chapel - €4

This Carmelite church is most famous for the breathtaking frescoes that embellish the walls of its Brancacci Chapel. The church was almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1771 but later reconstructed in high Baroque style. Luckily, the frescoes that were painted by Masolino, Masaccio and Lippi in the 15th century survived the fire. They depict numerous scenes from St Peter’s life with amazing realism.

BATTISTERO (BAPTISTERY)
Address: Piazza San Giovanni Tel: 055 230 2885
Open: Mon-Sat 12:00-18:30, Sun 08:30-13:30 Admission: €3

Believed to been built on the site of a Roman temple, the octagon-shaped Battistero is one of the oldest buildings in the city. It is famous for its magnificent set of bronze doors depicting various Biblical scenes. The doors on the east side were designed by Michelangelo and painted by Ghiberti and the ones on the south side, depicting the life of St John, were painted by Pisano in 1330. The interior walls, floor and ceiling are adorned with gleaming mosaics dating back to the 13th century.

SANTE CROCE
Address: Piazza Santa Croce Tel: 055 244 619
Open: Mon-Sat 09:30-17:30, Sun 13:00-17:30 Admission: €4

This beautiful neo-Gothic Franciscan church was consecrated in 1442 to rival the gigantic Dominican Santa Maria Novella across the city. Inside the church are the tombs of celebrated Florentines including the resting places of Galileo, Machiavelli, Michelangelo and Rossini and a shrine to Dante Alighieri. The magnificent 14th century frescoes painted by Giotto and Gaddi embellish the walls of the chapels.

The gigantic cathedral dome, which dominates the city skyline, has become a symbol of Florence. The construction of the cathedral began in 1296 by Cambio and was completed in the 15th century with Brunelleschi’s distinctive dome. Giotto’s Gothic bell tower covered in white, pink and green marble stands on the west side of the cathedral. The interior of the cathedral is bejewelled with elaborate mosaics, statues and frescoes. Visitors can climb up inside the cupola for stunning views of the city. The excavated ruins of Santa Reparata, an earlier basilica, can also be viewed below the cathedral floor.

This stunning Dominican basilica was built during the second half of the 13th century. Its striking white, green and pink marble façade was completed in the 14th century, the lower half in Romanesque style and the upper in Renaissance style. Inside, the Gothic columns give a great sense of illusion that the aisle is longer than it actually is. On the left of the aisle is the Masaccio’s magnificent fresco of the Trinity painted in perfect mathematical perspective. Galileo Galilei’s theory that the earth revolved around the sun was denounced from a pulpit in the basilica in 1614.