Not Prague, Part 5: Florence

My mom will be proud of me for this: In Florence, I went to church several times. Well, OK, I should change that: In Florence, I went to a church several times. And who could blame me? Florence is the epicenter of Renaissance art, and much of that is on display in the city's visually stunning cathedrals.

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, with the largest brick dome in the world.

Galileo's tomb, inside the Basilica di Santa Croce.

Covering a tidy 39.5 square miles, Florence has important art and/or architecture around every corner, and it's easily accessible on foot. In two days there, I enjoyed views of the city from a bell tower and a hillside plaza, visited the Uffizi gallery with its showpiece The Birth of Venus and a hallway lined with frescos, strolled around the inside and outside of three magnificent churches, viewed two replicas of Michelangelo's David and gazed at countless sculptures and fountains. The historic center of town's streets are so narrow that cars need special stickers just to drive around there (I learned this from Wikipedia, which is never wrong). But really, given Florence's size, I never needed a taxi, or a bus, or a subway that doesn't exist there anyway.

Replica of David at the Piazza della Signoria.

There are more photos and anecdotes from one of the most beautiful cities on Earth, one of them focusing on the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, the other with everything else in Florence, including the Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, other churches and views from afar.

Ponte Vecchio and the River Aron at sunset.