The Fortezza Da Basso is a few minutes from Santa Maria Novella, the church that preserves famous frescoes and precious works of art and the museum, including the famous Green Cloister and the Spanish Chapel. Continuing along the main road lies the heart of Florence, Piazza del Duomo, the monumental complex of Santa Maria del Fiore Basilica. Behind the cathedral stands the Museo dell’Opera of Santa Maria del Fiore, where you can admire a valuable collection of works from the Cathedral, the Baptistery and the Campanile. Piazza della Signoria is the historical center of civil life and is home to the fourteenth-century Loggia dei Lanzi, the Fountain of Neptune and the Palazzo della Signoria or Palazzo Vecchio, one of the symbolic monuments of the city, in front of which are located some famous statues including a copy the famous David by Michelangelo. Next to the square there is the majestic Uffizi Gallery, home to one of the most important museums in the world, which includes works by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and many other great artists. Architectural element of particular importance in the Gallery is the Vasari Corridor, designed by Vasari to the mid-sixteenth century connecting the property with the Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti. Do not miss the sixteenth-century Loggia del Mercato Nuovo, also called Loggia del Porcellino for the characteristic bronze statue, actually depicting a boar, considered a good luck charm, and the grandiose Palazzo Strozzi, the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century, with a magnificent inner courtyard . Particularly fascinating is the medieval quarter of Santa Croce, dominated by the Basilica, famous for its frescoes by Giotto and to guard the tombs of many illustrious Italians, including Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. Through the ancient and picturesque Ponte Vecchio, littered with historical goldsmith shops, you reach the Oltrarno district, where he meets the beautiful piazza dominated by Palazzo Pitti, the imposing and sumptuous palace that was the residence of the Medici and Lorraine, with wonderful park, the Boboli gardens, a splendid example of Italian garden. Still in the Oltrarno, not forgetting the panoramic Piazzale Michelangelo, a favorite destination of tourists for the wonderful views of Florence and the surrounding hills, and the church of San Miniato al Monte, one of the best examples of Florentine Romanesque.
For more detailed information on the incredible museums that the city has to offer you should visit the www.ticketsflorence.com sites, www.firenzemusei.it and www.visitflorence.com