Florence

Posted on August 14, 2012

Dominating the Florentine skyline, the façade of Florence Cathedral (officially named Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower) was completed only in 1887, even though the construction of the church began in 1296

Detail on Florence Cathedral

A lantern capped the Florence Cathedral dome, the largest dome built before modern materials were developed

Noon sunshine falls on Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistry of St. John), which stands across the cathedral

A copy of the statue of David standing at the entrance of Palazzo Vecchio

The Rape of Sabine Women displayed at Loggia dei Lanzi

Verrocchio’s Pluto by Dolphin stands in the center of the first courtyard inside Palazzo Vecchio

A view down Via degli Speziali on Via dei Calzaiuoli, the main thoroughfare from the Florence Cathedral to the Uffizi

Looking down Lungarno degli Acciaiuoli on our way to Ponte Vecchio, the Old Bridge

Ponte Vecchio, a Medieval bridge with shops built atop, crosses the Arno River. It is the only bridge in Florence to have survived World War II

View of Ponte Vecchio from Piazzale Michelangelo, a square built in 1869 on a hill to offer tourists a panoramic view of the city

The Florence Cathedral at night

Skyline of Florence at night, with Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio and the Florence Cathedral visible