Verano's Recipe of the Day

 

Florence, a central Italian city in Tuscany Region, is the capital of Province of Florence.  The city is located on the Arno River at the foot of the Apennines Mountains.  The city is world famous for Gothic and Renaissance buildings, art galleries and museums, and parks. In addition, it is an important commercial, transportation, and manufacturing center.  See below for details.  The city also lies on the railroad and main highway linking northern Italy and Rome.

Tourist Attractions:

The towers of its many palaces and churches.

The dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.   The Cathedral is a Gothic structure with an exterior ornately decorated with red, green, and white marble.  Construction began in 1296, by the architect Arnolfo di Cambio.  The great dome was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi.

The 14th-century bell tower, which is adorned with exquisite bas-reliefs.

The octagonal baptistery of San Giovanni.  It is noted for doors of gilded bronze.  The eastern door is referred to as the Gate to Paradise, which depicts sculpted scenes from the Old Testament.

The Bargello, or Palazzo del Podestà, a fortresslike building of the 13th and 14th centuries.  A National Museum is located in this building.

The Piazza della Signoria, containing the Fountain of Neptune.

The Palazzo Vecchio, or Palazzo della Signoria, which is surmounted by a crenellated bell tower.  This palace became the seat of the town council and then the Italian Chamber of Deputies met there from 1865 to 1871.

The Loggia dell'Orcagna (14th century), also called Loggia dei Lanzi, which houses a number of statues. The statues include the bronze Perseus (1554) by Benvenuto Cellini and the Rape of the Sabines (1579-1583) by Giambologna.

The Palazzo degli Uffizi (late 16th century), which houses government offices and law courts.  It contains an art gallery, the Uffizi Gallery, which contains works by Italian, Flemish, and French artists.

The Ponte Vecchio contains a group of goldsmiths' and jewelers' shops.  It has the distinct privilege of being the only bridge in Florence not destroyed during World War II.

The Palazzo Pitti served as the residence of the grand dukes of Tuscany from 1550 to 1859.  The residence has been turned into an art museum, containing works by Andrea del Sarto, Raphael, Il Perugino, Titian, and Tintoretto.

The vast Boboli Gardens, used for outdoor concerts.

The churches and palaces around the cathedral and the Palazzo Vecchio.  Of interest to tourists is the Gothic Church of Santa Trinità (13th century) and Santa Maria Novella (13th-15th century).

The 15th-century church and cloisters of San Lorenzo.

The Medici Chapel, private chapel and burial place of the famous Medici family.  The New Sacristy, designed and sculpted by Michelangelo, is above the crypt.  It contains the tombs of Lorenzo II de' Medici, duke of Urbino (with figures of Dawn and Twilight) and Giuliano de' Medici, duke of Nemours (with figures of Day and Night).

The Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, built for Cosimo de' Medici. It houses the Medici Museum.

The former Dominican monastery of San Marco. Today it contains the art works of Fra Angelico and Fra Bartolommeo.

The Spedale degli Innocenti, with Brunelleschi's portico decorated with ten blue and white terra-cotta medallions designed by Andrea della Robbia's

The Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts, housing many works of Michelangelo, including David.

The Archaeological Museum, with an Etruscan collection.

The Franciscan Church of Santa Croce (13th -14th centuries).  The church contains the tombs of Michelangelo, Niccolò Machiavelli, Conte Vittorio Alfieri, and Gioacchino Antonio Rossini.

The Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale.  This library contains approximately 4 million books and pamphlets and thousands of manuscripts, maps, and letters.

The Laurentian Library contains a collection of books and manuscripts assembled by Cosimo, Piero, and Lorenzo de' Medici.

The Marucelliana and Riccardiana libraries, which are rich in old letters, manuscripts, and prints.

The Moreniana, containing works on local history.

The Istituto Geografico Militare, which is world famous for fine mapmaking.

Agricultural Products:

Vegetables, fruits, and flowers,

Commercial and Industrial Products:

Manufactured products: motorcycles, automotive parts, agricultural machinery, chemicals, fertilizers, plastics, and precision instruments. 

Handicraft products - silverwork, jewelry (especially gold and cameos), straw work, leather goods, glass, pottery, wood carvings, furniture, and embroidery.

Wine and olive oil

Population:

403,294 (1991 estimate).

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Tour of Northern Italian Dining