Florence

Florence is the capital of Tuscany today. In medieval Europe, it was a wealthy economic and cultural center and arguably the place where the Renaissance got it's start. It's literary giants of the time include Dante, Machiavelli, Boccaccio and more.
Florence was founded by Julius Caesar in 59 BCE and was an important trading center for centuries. It really came into it's own in the late middle ages when the florin (the Florentine currency) was used thoughout Europe thanks to the local bankers financing industry; monarchs and their wars; and even the papacy.
Arguably the most prominent banking family was the Medicis. The family eventually took over the government. In fact, 2 popes we're from this family.
The city was heavily damaged during world war 2, but the reconstruction has made the effort to retain the city's character, albeit with modern construction.
There is so much to see here that I simply cannot do it justice in blog posts. So this and several additional posts will be a sampling of the incredible art this place is.
The 1st picture looks to the so called parade bridge. This is the bridge that the Medicis used when they paraded from their mansion to their capital at the Palazzo Vecchio. The 2nd picture looks in the opposite direction to the Ponte Vecchio or old bridge. This historic structure was not destroyed during the war. So it is original.
The 3rd picture looks along the Ponte Vecchio. Those are jewelry shops on both sides. Above on the right side is the "secret corridor" that ran from the Medici's palace to the Palazzo Vecchio or government palace so the rulers could traverse the city unmolested. Those jewelry shops are there because the Medicis got rid of the butcher's that worked on the bridge beforehand.
The 4th picture is the Sassetti chapel in Holy Trinity church. These frescoes date to the 15th century and are considered a masterpiece of the artist Ghirlandaio.
The 5th picture is a typical and perhaps the 1st Renaissance palace: 3 stories, local stone, etc. This became the pattern for later palaces of the period.
The 6th picture is the plaza of the republic. This is the center of the city and it sits stop the ancient Roman forum.
The 7th picture is Gilly's, a several century old coffee and pastry shop located at Republic Square.
A chunk of Florence's wealth came from it's wool trade. This is the house of the Guild of the wool merchants. This is one of the few guild halls still remaining. It gives a sense of the wealth and power contained within it's walls at the time.
The 9th picture is the Palazzo Vecchio that I mentioned earlier.Read more