Photo Memories from Florence

It's impossible to see Florence in a single day — this magnificent city holds too many treasures. But the memory that stays in your heart, and the photos too, help keep it vivid while you wait to return and see everything once more... A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982, the historic centre of Florence, enclosed within the ring of boulevards traced over the old medieval walls, gathers the city's most important cultural heritage. Bounded by the line of the 14th-century walls, built thanks to the commercial and economic power it had achieved, it knew its greatest splendour over the following two centuries.

The historic centre can be appreciated in its entirety from the surrounding hills, especially from Forte Belvedere, from Piazzale Michelangelo with the Romanesque Basilica of San Miniato al Monte, and from the hill of Fiesole, which offers one of the most evocative views over the Arno valley. The river Arno, which flows through the middle of the old part of the city, holds a place in Florentine history on a par with the people who live there. Historically, the local population has had a love-hate relationship with the Arno, which has brought alternately the benefits of trade and the disasters of floods. One bridge in particular is unique: the Ponte Vecchio, distinctive for the multitude of small shops built upon it. The architectural gem of Florence is the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, known simply as "the Duomo".

Its magnificent dome was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, and the neighbouring bell tower by Giotto. The adjacent baptistery is also noteworthy, with its bronze doors made of trefoil panels that earned Ghiberti first prize in the 1401 competition, in which Donatello and Brunelleschi also took part. The churches of Santa Maria Novella and Orsanmichele are also worth mentioning. The city's historic centre is closed to traffic, except for buses, taxis and residents holding the appropriate permit. The city is served by two motorways, the A1 and A11, which connect it to the Tuscan coast and to northern and southern Italy. In addition, besides the state and regional roads that link it to the rest of Tuscany and to Emilia Romagna, the city is connected by two dual carriageways, to Siena and to the lower Valdarno towards Pisa and Livorno.