[Gioven]

Early in May I spent three days in Florence, so I have thought about opening a new thread to insert some photos of this marvellous city.

Here is the original version in the Italian forum: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=624145

FLORENCE/FIRENZE

To start, some views of the city:

The Arno River and Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge)

Hills in the background

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, or Duomo, with the famous Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome and Giotto’s bell-tower.

Palazzo Vecchio; in the background, on the right, the new Law Courts in course of construction.

The Synagogue

The river and the banks close to Ponte di Santa Trinita by night.

 

[Gioven]

THE ARNO

Oltrarno: the bell-tower of Santo Spirito’s church and the dome of San Frediano’s church.

The Arno seen from East

Close to the Ponte alla Carraia

The river is leaving Florence

The magic at sunset and at night:

 

[Gioven]

A WALK ON THE “LUNGARNI” (BANKS)

In Florence the banks are called “Lungarni”.

Oltrarno; in the first pictures you can catch a glimpse of the red dome of Santo Spirito’s church, in the second one, Ponte di Santa Trinita.

Lungarno Archibusieri before Ponte Vecchio; on the right, the Uffizi.

Lungarno Acciaiuoli

Lungarno Vespucci

Lungarni of Santo Spirito’s quarter (Oltrarno)

 

[Gioven]

PONTE VECCHIO

Now the images of the most beautiful bridge, landmark of Florence, Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge):

 

[Gioven]

OTHER BRIDGES

Ponte di Santa Trinita:

Ponte alla Carraia:

Ponte alle Grazie:

 

[Gioven]

IMAGES OF THE CITY LIFE

Piazza della Repubblica, realized at the end of the 19th century after the demolition of the Ghetto (Jewry) and the Old Market, where the main roads of the ancient Roman town intersected.

In Piazza Santa Croce:

The overcrowding of the Lungarni:

Toward Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace), with the Loggia dei Lanzi in the background:

Close to Piazza San Firenze:

Piazza Pitti:

Lungarno Soderini:

At San Frediano:

 

[Gioven]

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[Gioven]

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[Gioven]

STROLLING DOWN THE CITY: BUILDINGS

The Accademia dei Georgofili, next to the Uffizi; in 1993 Mafia’s bomb killed a man and damaged the famous museum. I remember that I was in Florence few months after the attack: the city appeared as it was in war-time. Via dei Georgofili was blocked and full of flowers.
Today all is in order, and an olive-tree marks the place of the cowardly attack.

From Piazza della Signoria to Piazza del Duomo:

The tower of the Bargello

From Piazza Santa Croce:

The National Library:

From Via del Corso:

Calimala

Via de' Tornabuoni with its magnificent buildings:

Via Maggio (Santo Spirito): frescos on the façade of Bianca Cappello’s Palace.

Near Lungarno Soderini (San Frediano):

 

[Gioven]

LAMP-POSTS

Three types of lamp-posts I liked particularly:

 

[Gioven]

THE GATES OF PARADISE

It deals with the famous door of St. John's Baptistery, by Lorenzo Ghiberti, completed in 1452. Magnificent!

 

[Bristol Mike]

Gorgeous pictures there Gioven. Florence is simply amazing - I'd say it has to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and yuou have certainly done the place a lot of justice with your photos. Thanks for sharing them.

 

[Gioven]

CATHEDRAL, BAPTISTERY AND GIOTTO'S BELL-TOWER

There are no words to describe this monumental group of buildings.
The boldness of Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome, the slender Giotto’s bell-tower (but three different architects worked on it), the splendor of St. John's Baptistery, cannot leave indifferent.

BAPTISTERY

CATHEDRAL OF SANTA MARIA DEL FIORE AND BELL-TOWER

 

[Gioven]

Gorgeous pictures there Gioven. Florence is simply amazing - I'd say it has to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and yuou have certainly done the place a lot of justice with your photos. Thanks for sharing them.

Thanks Mike! There are other pics... stay tuned!

 

[Nicux]

Eng: Many fantastic shots, GIOVEN! They seem quite familiar to me! Thanks!
Ven: On smerda** de foto ciò Ioven! Me pare de conossarle! Gràssie vecio! :rofl:

 

[Gioven]

Eng: Many fantastic shots, GIOVEN! They seem quite familiar to me! Thanks!
Ven: On smerda** de foto ciò Ioven! Me pare de conossarle! Gràssie vecio! :rofl:

You already know these pictures, and I KNOW you always like to see the city where you lived when you were a child
Thank you for having encouraged me to insert my photos in the international section of the froum.

 

[Gioven]

PIAZZA DELLA SIGNORIA

Some photos of an open air museum: Piazza della Signoria

PALAZZO VECCHIO

In the foreground Hercules and Cacus, sculpture by Baccio Bandinelli (1533 and 1534)

Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini.

Michelangelo’s David copy and Hercules and Cacus; in the background the Uffizi.

The Ratto delle Sabine by Giambologna, under the Loggia dei Lanzi.

Another Giambologna's work, the equestrian monument to Cosimo I de' Medici; in the background, Palazzo Antinori.

 

[Gioven]

ORSANMICHELE

This beautiful church stands with its imposing massive structure between Via de' Calzaiuoli and Via Calimala.
The church is placed on the ground floor, while in the Middle Age upper floors used to be a barn.

 

[Gioven]

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[Gioven]

PIAZZA SAN FIRENZE

Behind Piazza della Signoria there is Piazza San Firenze, so called because of the church of San Filippo Neri or San Firenze, facing the square.


From the square you can see on the left the bell-tower of the Badia Fiorentina (Florentine Abbey), on the right the Bargello with the slender tower that characterizes it.

The Bargello, in origin house of the podestà in Florence, today museum sheltering sculptures of exceptional value.

A detail of the baroque façade of San Firenze’s church: