Cathedral of S. Maria del Fiore or Florence's Cathedral
This typical Italian Gothic building, the Cathedral of Florence is dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore. The church was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio (c 1245-1302) who considerably enlarged the existing religious structure. Finished around 1367, the Cathedral was completely covered by coloured marbles like the earlier Baptistery, except for the facade that remained unfinished and was terminated only in the 19th century. The project left unfinished also the Dome, since in 1421 only the frame (polygonal base) had been erected.
Two architects, Lorenzo Ghiberti (1368- 1445) and Filippo Brunelleschi (1377- 1446) won the competition although it was the latter who actually built the dome, showing a great mastery of technical knowledge, in 1436.     
One of the most remarkable features of the outside of the building is the so-called Porta "della Mandorla" (north) (della mandorla = almond) that was given this name because of the large aureole around the figure of the Virgin sculptured also by Nanni di Banco (1380/90-1421) among others. Its interior preserves very important works of art: on the left side we find the first two detached frescoes showing the "condottieri" GiovanniAcuto and Niccolo da Tolentino painted respectively by Paolo Uccello in 1436 and by Andrea del Castagno in 1456. Paolo Uccello also frescoed the clock on the inside wall, showing four vigorous heath of saints. The many sculptures made specifically for the cathedral (many of which have now been moved to the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo) comprise also the Lunettes by Luca della Robbia above the doors of the Mass Sacristies. The large Pietà by Michelangelo (c.1553) has instead been removed and transferred to the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. Most of the splendid stained glass windows were made between 1434 and 1455 to the designs of famous artists like Donatello, Andrea del Castagno and Paolo Uccello. The wooden inlays on the Sacristy's cupboards were designed by Brunelleschi and by other artists, including Antonio del Pollaiolo. The internal walls of the dome, which have recently been restored, were frescoed between 1572 and 1579 by Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) and Federico Zuccari (c. 1540-1609) who represented a large scene of the Final Judgement. The bell tower by Giotto remains, together with the huge dome one of the most striking views of the town. The famous painter, Giotto, was in fact also the architect of the project for the bell tower, although by the time of his death (1337) only the lower part had been completed. The works continued under the direction of Andrea Pisano (c. 1290-1349) and Francesco Talenti (not. 1325-1369) who completed the project. From 'Museums and Galleries of Florence and surroundings' ( APT Florence )

Church of San Lorenzo
The Church of San Lorenzo was consecrated in 393 by St Ambrose of Milan, and was reconsecrated in 1059 after being considerably enlarged. The presence during the Middle Ages of a Chapter of Canons gave a particular character to the complex, creating the need for a monumental cloister beside the church and favouring the establishment of the Laurentian Library, entrusted by its founder Cosimo il Vecchio to the clergy of San Lorenzo. Today, the Chapter is still housed at the church, which also carries out full parochial functions. Nothing remains visible of the original building and its medieval additions, as they were covered up by the new work ordered by the Chapter in the late 14th century. While work was proceeding, Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici, who had already commissioned the sacristy and a chapel from Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446), invited the architect to submit a project for the entire church. Giovanni was delighted by Brunelleschi's plans, and work began on the transept in 1421. Brunelleschi supervised the first phase, centred on the transept and on the so-called Old Sacristy, completed in 1428. The construction of the nave was overseen by his assistant Antonio Manetti, with the support of Cosimo il Vecchio, son of Giovanni. With Brunelleschi's intervention, there began such a close connection between the Basilica and the Medici family as to make San Lorenzo into the family church. In sign of this, Cosimo il Vec-chio's tomb was set up inside the underground pier, visible through a grating in front of the high altar, which tradition indicates as the grave of the martyr St Laurence, to whom the church is dedicated. Other Medici projects completed the building history of San Lorenzo. Pope Leo X Medici commissioned the New Sacristy from Michelangelo in 1520. Another Medici pope, Clement VII, ordered the vestibule and the reading room of the celebrated Laurentian Library, as well as the counter-facade of the church (with its balcony for the exposition of relics), both by Michelangelo. The secondary branch of the Medici family, the one headed by Cosimo I, was responsible for the grandiose Chapel of the Princes. Begun in the early 17th century, it was planned as a family mausoleum for the Medici, and as a celebration of Grand Ducal power. With the suppression of the religious foundations in the later 19th century, the Laurentian Library was legally separated from the church of San Lorenzo, and the Museum of the Medici Chapels was instituted, comprising the New Sacristy, the Chapel of the Princes and the Medici-Lorraine burial area. In 1907 the Opera Medicea Laurenziana was set up, in order to 'restore unity and seemliness to the Laurentian monuments'. ... from Basilica of San Lorenzo ( Opera Laurenziana - Associazione Ars et Fides

Church Santissima Annunziata
The Church Santissima Annunziata was built in 1235 on an old oratory created by seven nobles who decided to live there because they were tired of the society of their time. In the XV century, Michelozzo built the first cloister. The Church Santissima Annunziata was started in 1444 by Michelozzo and it was modified by Alberti. In the Church there is a painting of the Virgin Mary that seems to be miraculous. According to legends, the painting was finished by an angel. Now this picture can't be seen by public. There are also beautiful frescos by Andrea del Castagno and by Jacopo Pontormo like the "Nascita della Vergine" and the "Visitazione".

Church of Santa Croce
This monument is truly unique, not only for the purity of the Gothic style, but also for the famous works of art it contains and its historical importance. The Basilica of Santa Croce, one of the largest churches in the city, is attributed to the genius of Arnolfo di Cambio who seems to have begun work in 1294. Work continued into the second half of the 14th century but the church was not consecrated until 1443. The facade with its three gables dates to the 19th century (project by N. Matas) and the campanile in Gothic style also dates to this period (1847, project by G. Baccani). A portico of airy arches runs along the left flank and shelters the 14th-century tomb of Francesco Pazzi. On the right side of the church are the Cloisters, with the Pazzi Chapel in the background, and the Museo dell'Opera di S. Croce. The imposing interior has a nave and two side aisles separated by slender octagonal piers from which spring spacious pointed arches with a double molding. The beauty of the Church has been partially obfuscated by 16th-century remodelling. The floor is covered with old tombstones for the entire length of the nave which has a trussed timber ceiling. The transept has a number of chapels, including the Cappella Maggiore with the Legend of the Holy Cross (1380) by Agnolo Gaddi. On the altar is Gerini's polyptych with the Madonna and Saints and, above, the Crucifix of the school of Giotto. A Deposition from the Cross (cartoon by Lorenzo Ghiberti) in stained glass can be admired on the interior facade. Below to the right is the Monument to Gino Capponi (1876), and to the left that to G. B. Niccolini (1883). A splendid marble pulpit by Benedetto da Maiano (1472-76) stands in the nave. To be noted in the right aisle, at the first altar, is a Crucifixion by Santi di Tito (1579); on the first pier is the famous bas-relief by Antonio Rossellino (1478) of the Madonna del Latte. The stained-glass windows date to the 14th century. The most famous funeral monuments are along the walls of the right aisle. These include the monument to Dante Alighieri by Ricci (1829); to Michelangelo, by Vasari (1579); to Alfieri, by Canova (1803); to Machiavelli, by I. Spinazzi (1787).
Fragments of frescoes by Orcagna are to be seen behind the fourth altar and further on is Domenico Veneziano's fine fresco (1450) of St. John the Baptist and St. Francis.
Next comes the tabernacle in pietra serena by Donatello and Michelozzo with the Annunciation (1435 c.) by Donatello. and then the Tomb of Leonardo Bruni by Bernardo Rossellino, the funeral monument to Rossini and the one to Foscolo. The right arm of the transept contains the Castellani Chapel superbly frescoed by Agnolo Gaddi (1385) with Stories of the Saints. On the altar a Crucifix by Gerini.
At the end of the transept is the Baroncelli Chapel, with the splendid Gothic tomb of the Baroncelli family and a lunette with a Madonna by Taddeo Gaddi. The frescoes on the walls with Stories of Mary are also by Gaddi and the Madonna of the Girdle is by Bastiano Mainardi (1490). The Coronation of the Virgin on the altar is by Giotto.
Michelozzo's portal leads to the Sacristy, with the Rinuccini Chapel, frescoed with Stories of the Magdalen and the Virgin by Giovanni da Milano. The fine altarpiece is by Giovanni del Biondo (1379).
Michelozzo's Medici Chapel, built for Cosimo the Elder, is at the back. It contains a magnificent bas-relief by Donatello and various works by the Della Robbias. Various chapels (14th- cent.) with important works open off the central zone of the transept.
These include the Velluti Chapel with Stories of St. Michael Archangel, perhaps by Cimabue; the Chapels of the Peruzzi and the Bardi families frescoed by Giotto with Stories of St. John the Evangelist (1320) and Stories of St. Francis (1318); the Tosinghi Chapel with the Assumption in Heaven, also by Giotto; the Pulci Chapel with frescoes by Bernardo Daddi. Of particular note in the left aisle is the Marsuppini Sepulcher by Desiderio da Settignano.

Church Santa Maria Novella
The Dominican friars, Sisto da Firenze and Ristoro da Campi, began to build the church in 1246 on the site of the l0th-century Dominican oratory of S. Maria delle Vigne. The nave and aisles went up in 1279 and the building was finished in the middle of the 14th century with the campanile and the Sacristy by Jacopo Talenti. The marvelous facade was remodelled between 1456 and 1470 by Leon Battista Alberti (the original facade was early 14th century) who created the splendid portal and everything above it, articulated in inlaid squares and bordered by the heraldic sails of the Rucellai family who commissioned the work. Two large reversed volutes tie the lateral masses together with those in the center, articulated by four engaged pilasters and terminating in a triangular pediment. The interior is divided into a nave and two aisles by compound piers with pointed arches, and 16th-century renovation. Interior

The church houses numerous works from the 14th to the 16th centuries. Of particular note are the Monument to the Beata Villana by Rossellino (1451); the Bust of St. Antoninus (in terra cotta) and the Tomb of the Bishop of Fiesole by Tino da Camaino; Ghiberti's lovely tombstone for Leonardo Dati (1423); the Tomb of Filippo Strozzi by Benedetto da Maiano (1491); Vasari's Madonna of the Rosary (1568); the Miracle of Jesus by Bronzino. Be sure to stop for a while in the Cappella Maggiore (or Tornabuoni Chapel), with a fine bronze Crucifix by Giambologna on the altar and frescoes with the Stories of St. John the Baptist and Stories of the Madonna by Domenico Ghirlandaio, late 15th cent.; the Gondi Chapel, by Giuliano da Sangallo, with fragments of frescoes by 13th-century Greek painters on the vault and Brunelleschi's famous Crucifix on the back wall; the Cappella Strozzi di Mantova, with frescoes of the Last Judgement on the back wall, Hell on the right wall and Paradise on the left, by Nardo di Cione or Orcagna. The gate to the left of the facade leads to the First Cloister, in Romanesque style (1350) frescoed with Scenes from the Old Testament by Paolo Uccello (now in the Refectory). From here, through the Chiostrino dei Morti, one arrives at the Chiostro Grande, with more than fifty arches and completely lined with frescoes by Florentine masters of the 15th and 16th centuries (generally not open to the public since it is now used by the armed forces)

Church of Santo Spirito
The Church of Santo Spirito was began by Brunelleschi in 1444 and it was finished by his successors in 1487 with the costruction of the dome. The bell tower was finished in 1541 and the Church was totally finished in the XVI and XVII centuries by Ammannati and Parigi with the construction of two cloisters The Church of Santo Spirito has a very simple and poor façade but its interior is considered a masterpiece of the Renaissance. The "Madonna con Bambino a Santi" made by Filippino Lippi and the wooden Crucifix ascribed to Michelangelo are the most important works of art of the church.

Church of San Miniato
It seems that the Church of San Miniato was built in the XI century on the preexistent Oratory of San Miniato, an Armenian prince and the first Florentine evangelist who was killed by Romans in 249 a.C. The Church of San Miniato is the most important example of the real Florentine Romanesque style. The extraordinary façade of this Church has inspired many artists like Alberti who took it as a starting point to finish the Church of Santa Maria Novella in the XV century. On the right side of the Church there is the Palace of the Bishops while on the left side there are the ruins of the old walls of the city; in 1529 Michelangelo worked here because Florence was besieged by the Spanish troupes of Charles the V. In 1013, the mortal remains of San Miniato were laid in the Church.

Church of Orsanmichele
In 1290, the architect Arnolfo di Cambio built a loggia for the market of corn in the place where today we can find the Church of Orsanmichele The loggia was destroyed by the fire in 1304 and Francesco Talenti, Neri di Fioravanti and Benci di Cione built a bigger one in 1337. In 1404 two floors were added and the building were transformed in a Gothic construction. The town council of Florence ordered to Florentine Guilds to provide money for the decoration of the new building and sculptures of the patron saints of Guilds were put in the niches of the façade. Today, the original sculptures made by the most famous sculptors of the Renaissance are preserved in the National Museum of Bargello. However, in the church there are still fantastic sculptures like "San Luca" of Giambologna, "San Matteo" of Ghiberti and a copy of "San Giorgio" of Donatello. The most important work in the Church of Orsanmichele is the Gothic tabernacle made with coloured marble by Andrea Orcagna. Sometimes, in the church, there are concerts of classical music.

Church of Santa Trinita
Originally, the Church of Santa Trinita was a Romanesque building but it was rebuilt in Gothic style with a mannerist façade. Among the most important works of art in the Church, there are some frescos which represent the life of San Francesco d'Assisi; they were painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Sassetti Chapel. The altar-piece of the "Annunciazione" in the fourth chapel of the side aisle was made by Lorenzo Monaco, master of Fra' Angelico. He also painted the frescos in this chapel.

Piazza Santa Maria del Carmine
The 14th-century building was almost completely destroyed in a fire in 1771. The present structure is therefore 18th century and was built by G. Ruggeri and G. Mannaioni on a Latin cross plan with a single aisle. The works inside include Vasari's Crucifixion on the third altar to the right.
ne of the greatest works of the entire Renaissance came through the fire miraculously intact - the Brancacci Chapel in the right transept which preserves a cycle of extremely important frescoes which have recently been restored. The frescoes were begun in 1425 by Masolino da Panicale, who painted the Temptation of Adam and Eve in the first compartment above right; St. Peter Resuscitating Tabitha in the first scene to the right of the large compartment at the top; and the Preaching of St. Peter above, to the left of the altar. The compartment on the right wall, St. Peter Heals a Cripple, is in part by the great Masaccio who also painted the compartment above to the right of the altar with St. Peter Baptizing the Neophytes and the splendid Expulsion from Paradise in the first panel above left. Masaccio then went on to the large compartment at the top of the left wall, with the scenes of the Tribute Money - St. Peter taking the Coin from the Mouth of the Fish (left), Jesus Ordering Peter to Fish (center), and St. Peter paying the Tribute to the Publican (right). In the lower tier the compartment to the right of the altar with St. Peter and St. John distributing the Goods and the Death of Ananias is by Masaccio as are also, to the left of the altar, St. Peter Healing the Sick with his Shadow; on the lower part of the left wall, St. Peter in Cattedra (left) and part of St. Peter Bringing back to Life the Son of the Prefect Theophilus of Antioch. Finally the last compartment of the left wall, St. Peter in Prison Visited by St. Paul, in the lower zone of the right wall, the Angel Freeing St. Peter from Prison and the double scene of St. Peter before the Prefect Agrippa and the Crucifixion of St. Peter are by another great artist, Filippino Lippi

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