Interested in Renaissance art history? Florence is the center of Renaissance art, and there is no shortage of museums or cathedrals in this city. Grab your walking shoes and an espresso, and get ready to explore!

I remember sitting in my first ever art history course that focused on Florence Renaissance Art at my home university in a hot, stuffy classroom, looking at endless slides of images that all looked the same, memorizing names that all sounded the same, and taking down notes just to keep myself awake.

However, the more Italian and Renaissance art history courses I took, the more interested I became in the subject. Now, I’m in the city of Florence, the center of Renaissance art. One of the best things about studying abroad in Italy for a graphic design & art history student is that almost every week, we visit one of the many cathedrals or museums in Florence, enhancing our studies of Florence Renaissance art. So far, three of my favorite visits include the Church of Santa Maria Novella, The Opera del Duomo Museum, and of course, the Uffizi Gallery, where I had the opportunity to see a plethora of famous art in Florence. 

1. Church of Santa Maria Novella

Every time me and my friends walk to and from the train station, we pass this massive building, and every time I wondered what it was. We finally got to go for an afternoon during my Chemistry and the Visual Arts class to enhance our knowledge of Florence Renaissance art. We made our way around the church, with the professor giving us brief explanations of the different painting or sculpting techniques used in each piece.

Two of the most important pieces we saw here that I distinctly remember learning about in classes are: The Trinity by Masaccio and The Crucifix by Giotto.

This painting, The Trinity by Masaccio, is from 1424-1425, and is very significant for Florence art history because it was the first piece that demonstrated mastery of perspective. Interestingly, the whole church was painted over by Giorgio Vasari when he was ordered by Cosimo de’Medici to do so in the 16th century. This painting was only covered by another giant painting, and it was actually uncovered in 1860 when other improvements were being made.

Giotto’s crucifix is hanging in the middle of the church. It was meant to be hanging with open space all around it, to remind viewers of the crucifixion of Christ on the cross. This piece is from 1288-1289, which was early in Giotto’s career. The details of Christ’s hair, blood, and tapestry are especially impressive, making it an important piece in many art history courses. 

We made our way to the front of the church towards the end, which was the most impressive part in my opinion. My favorite part of churches are the stained glass windows, and this church was not lacking in big, beautiful, colorful windows. At the front of the church, there were multiple areas dedicated to different, wealthy, high-priority families during Renaissance Florence who paid for them back in the day. Here, there were floor-to-ceiling paintings of different biblical and everyday scenes, with light flowing in from the colorful windows. The detail that each scene had was most impressive to me.

There was even a courtyard, with more frescos lining all of the walls, as you walked along the building.

2. The Opera del Duomo Museum 

This past week, my art history class took a trip to The Opera del Duomo Museum. It was a little door next to a cafe, across from the massive structure that is The Duomo, the centerpiece of Renaissance art in the city of Florence. I didn’t even know this museum existed, but once we walked through the little door, I was in awe. The space is massive and perfectly lit to illuminate all of the works.

This museum was founded in 1891 to conserve the works of art that have been removed from the Duomo and the Baptistery.

Some of the highlights I saw here include Michelangelo’s Pieta, which was from around 1550 and which used to stand in the Duomo. It is believed that he meant for it to be used in his own tomb.

Sala delle Cantorie was another important part we saw. These were two lofts that were once in the Duomo that people would sit in during mass. One was by Luca Della Robbia, and the other by Donatello.

If you keep walking to the top, you even get an incredible view of the Duomo, in the heart of the city of Florence. 

3. The Uffizi Gallery 

There is no better feeling than recognizing works of art you learned about in art history courses when getting the opportunity to see them in person. Anyone with even the smallest bit of knowledge about art history would (hopefully) recognize some of the most famous works of Florence art found here from Botticelli such as Primavera or The Birth of Venus.

Or maybe Venus of Urbino by Titian?

Medusa by Caravaggio?

How about Laocoön and his Sons by Baccio Bandinelli?

Judith Beheading Holofernes by Artemisa Gentileschi?

These are only some of the famous pieces I was able to see because this gallery is GIANT. Like, spend 6 hours here and probably still not see everything GIANT. It holds some of the most significant pieces of Florence Renaissance art ever, and is the best place to see famous art in the city of Florence. I left feeling humbled and very lucky to have had the opportunity to see these works of art in person, especially after learning about them in a classroom setting.

For some more information about the famous and magnificent Uffizi Gallery, check out this article dedicated to this massive museum:

Check out this map of the city of Florence to see the location of the many famous churches, museums, and galleries in the magnificent city of Florence.

My 5 Favorite Places in Santa Croce

I’ve been in Italy for just about two months now. Over that period of time, I’ve had the opportunity to explore my new neighborhood, Santa Croce Florence, alone and with my roommates. It took a while, but I can now orient myself and get to the places that matter (A.K.A everywhere on this list). There’s a million shops and restaurants on every street; but so far, these are the places I’ve made a part of my weekly routine.

1. La Fettunta

We had a walking tour guided by FUA on one of our first days here. Tired, hungry, and confused, we asked the guide for some food recommendations. She recommended a sandwich place called La Fettunta, and I wrote it down, thinking nothing of it. One day, I was running between two classes and was absolutely starving. I wanted to try the famous All’Antico Vinaio, but the line was down the block, and I would definitely have been very, very late if I attempted to stop there. I noticed La Fettunta and recognized the name from the recommendation. There was no line, it looked welcoming, so I popped in to try it. A few days later, I finally did get to try All’Antico Vinaio, and I have to say, I think La Fettunta is better. For 5 euros, I built my own sandwich consisting of zucchini, eggplant, prosciutto, mozzarella, tomatoes, and truffle spread, all on giant, perfectly toasted and oiled bread. It was huge, and I had half left over for later. I’ve been back about 4 times since, and I’m never disappointed. Just a few minutes from Piazza di Santa Croce, taking my sandwich to eat there in the sun has become a weekly routine.

2. Gelateria de Neri

I discovered this gelato shop on a free food tour guided by a Florence student travel company ( discover the complete list of Gelaterie in Florence), and it quickly became my favorite gelato place. It’s only about a 5 minute walk from my apartment, which is a perfect distance away to satisfy gelato cravings at any time of the day. I get to walk through the Piazza di Santa Croce on my way here, which is just another reason I love going there. The gelato is creamy, thick, sweet, and there’s a plethora of flavors to choose from. Each time I’ve gone, I’ve tried to experiment with new flavor combos, and my favorite is banana and Nutella together. The rich, thickness of the chocolate flavor mixes well with the banana. Just writing about it now is making me crave it, and I think I’ll be stopping for some on my way home this evening. I cringe a little every time I spend more money on food, but never with gelato.

3. Aperitivo at Ganzo — AperiGanzo

My roommates and I quickly learned about the Italian concept of Aperitivo, and we love it. Sitting around chatting with friends, eating appetizers, and drinking wine… What’s there not to love? On Wednesday nights at Ganzo, they offer all-you-can-eat appetizers and one drink for only 5 euros. You can stay as long as you want and eat as much as you want. They even offer dessert, but we didn’t know this the first time we went. My roommates and I went one night when we didn’t have any power and were sick of spending excess amounts of money on food, so we decided to give this a try, and we were not disappointed. The drink line took about 30 minutes, but it was worth it because the drink was fruity, fun, and refreshing in this Florence “autumn.” FUA students and faculty were seen everywhere, in addition to other people unaffiliated with the school. The restaurant was so crowded, with barely any room to move. As soon as a dish was brought out, everyone flocked to it like vultures, devouring the food. The waitstaff was extremely efficient in refilling the dishes almost immediately. Small, assorted sandwiches, pesto pasta, rice balls, salmon, chickpea salad, tomato salad, chicken, prosciutto, cheeses, tomatoes, and cucumbers were offered, just to name a few things. Aperiganzo is the perfect place to socialize, eat, and stay on budget!

4. Il Gatto e la Volpe

This was the first place my roommates and I went together for dinner on our first night here. Wandering around Santa Croce, still jet-lagged, disoriented, and confused, we stumbled into the first place we saw that looked authentic and Italian. The first meal I had in Florence was, naturally, pizza. I got the simplest thing on the menu to play it safe— a Margherita pizza, and I was not disappointed. The portion was huge— they gave each of us our own personal pizzas dripping in piping hot and gooey cheese. The crust was perfectly light and crisp. It was the perfect start to our time in Florence. I definitely will be going back here to explore more of the menu.

5.  Tre Merli Caffe

This little cafe is located right near my apartment and is the perfect place to stop on my way to early classes. It offers cheap, basic Italian breakfast foods that are great to take to go (even though apparently that’s frowned upon here). The chocolate croissants are my favorite, with the chocolate melting perfectly when they warm it up. I have yet to expand past the croissants and pastries here, but they also offer basic sandwiches that always look great for a quick and easy lunch during a busy day.

Looking for a place to stay near Florence? Check out a wide range of hotels Santa Croce Firenze and student flats that have all been reviewed by Studentsville staff. You’re sure to find something that suits you perfectly, whatever your budget!

IT

Sono una social media manager una seo, definire il mio lavoro è molto complicato ho aperto il mio blog ioamofirenze nel 2006, erano anni in cui i blog erano all’inizio- Facebook lo stesso cominciava a muovere i primi passi. IG non era ancora quello che è oggi, era tutto diverso. Io ho scelto di aprire questo blog perchè volevo raccontare la mia città, A firenze siamo sempre un po’ polemici diciamo sempre “a non c’è niente da fare, la città è sempre uguale” allora io l’ho preso come punto di orgoglio e ho detto no io voglio raccontare Firenze e voglio scrivere un post al giorno.
Per 10 anni l’ho fatto. poi chiaramente le cose cambiano, di blog ne ho aperti altri mi sono spostata molto sui social network, su IG etc. e quindi ora ho diminuito, però questo blog mi ha accompagnato come se fosse un bambino, l’ho messo al mondo e l’ho fatto crescere negli anni. Mi ha anche dato molta visibilità, molto lavoro ho raccontato le cose che amo della città. Dall’arte alla cultura al teatro, al cibo perchè no? ho recensito centinaia di ristoranti. Infatti dicono “te sei quella dei ristoranti” non è che faccio solo quello, però è una componente fa parte della mia vita e quindi sono molto contenta di averlo fatto e credo mi abbia anche un po’ cambiato la vita.

ENG

My name is Elena Farinelli, I was born and raised in Florence, I’m a blogger but also a web marketing specialist, a social media manager and a SEO specialist, defining what I do is pretty complicated.
I started my blog IoAmoFirenze in 2006, in those years blogs were still a novelty. Even FB was taking it’s first steps and IG still wasn’t what it is today. I decided to start this blog because I wanted to talk about my city. In Florence we’re always complaining ” there is nothing to do, the city never changes” and so on, so I took it as a pet project to write a post a day on Florence. For 10 years I did so. Then as years went by things changed, I opened other blogs e transitioned to social media. So today I write less, but this blog is like a child to me, I brought it to life and nurtured it as years went by. It also gave me a good amount of visibility, lots of work, and I talked about why I love this city. Ranging from art to culture to theatre and food why not? I reviewed hundreds of restaurants. In fact a lot of people say ” you’re the restaurant person!”, I don’t just do that, but it is a part of my life that has also changed it a bit.

IT

SEO è un acronimo che sta per Search Engine Optimization letteralmente si potrebbe dire Ottimizzazione per i motori di ricerca, in altre parole cosa vuol dire? Vuol dire rendere un sito visibile sui motori di ricerca in particolare a google, quindi fondamentalmnete io non faccio siti, non sono programmatrice, non sono un tecnico, so come funziona l’algoritmo di google, so cosa è importante fare e quindi conoscendo queste regole faccio in modo che si possa essere trovati, magari qualcuno cerca qualcosa su google faccio si che il tuo sito venga al primo posto, è un laovor un po’ particolare, difficle definirlo però molto molto richiesto

ENG

SEO is an acronym that stands for Search Engine Optimisation, so what does it imply? I make sure that a website is visible on Search Engines, in particular Google. I don’t make websites, and I’m not a programer, no even a technician, I just know how Googles algorithm works, and knowing Google’s rules I make sure that one can be found online. If someone is looking for a specific thing on Google I make sure that you show up on top of the list, a very peculiar job, hard to define, but very sought out.

IT

A firenze ci sono molti posti belli anche fuori dal centro, un luogo che io amo molto è il tepidario del roste che è una enorme serra di fine ottocento costruita per l’esposizione universale dentro il giardino dell’orticultura, questo giardino fra l’altro ancora oggi due volte l’anno c’è una bellissima mostra-mercato di fiori dove uno può andare e comprare fiori.
Questa serra come dicevo è storica penso che sia anche il tepidario più grande di italia, tutto bianco molto bello molto scenoso soprattutto di notte quando è illuminato. Normalmente è chiuso al pubblico però se ci sono delle mostre, eventi, matrimoni la aprono. è bello da vedere anche da fuori dietro a questo giardino c’è n’è un’altro più piccolo che si chiama orti del parnaso è un po’ in salita è separato dalla ferrovia che passa nel mezzo, e questo giardinetto è un posto panoramico, si vede tutta firenze dall’alto, secondo me non ha niente da invidiare a forte belvedere piazzale michelangelo, san miniato, quei posti che sono famosi per vedere firenze dall’alto.
Una cosa particolare dentro questo giardino, è questa fontana tutta colorata, policromatica. a forma di lucertola, di drago, non so definirla comunque molto molto bella e che a me mi ricorda un po’ le opere di gaudi di barcellona, no quello stile li. poi magari non c’entra niente, è buffo perchè sei a firenze e ti sembra di essere altrove, quindi secondo me è un posto che vale la pena vedere anche perchè è in mezzo al verde è gratuito l’ingresso vale la pena.

ENG

Florence has many beautiful locations, not just in the city centre. A location I particularly love is the “Tepidario del Roster” a gigantic greenhouse that was built for an Universal Exhibition within the Orticultura Gardens. Twice a year you can find a beautiful Flower fair where you can buy some beautiful flowers. This greenhouse has historical value and I believe it is the biggest in Italy, it’s all white and scenographic, especially at night when it’s all light up. It is usually closed to the public, but you can find it open for expos, events and weddings. Behind this garden, there is another smaller one called ” Orti del Parnaso”, it’s a bit higher up and separated by the train tracks, but it’s higher location makes it a great panoramic spot, and it’s no less beautiful than Forte Belvedere, Piazzale Michelangelo, San Miniato. A unique thing about this garden is it’s polychromatic fountain. It recalls the shape of a dragon-lizard, if we can call it that way, but it reminds me of the works of Gaudi in Barcelona, maybe it really has no comparison, but it’s funny that you are in Florence and it feels like being elsewhere, plus it’s also just a beautiful location because you’re surrounded by nature and it’s free to visit.

IT

Se dovessi consigliare dove vivere a firenze, probabilemtne direi la zona di san niccolo, è una zona  che a me piace molto perchè è un compromesso. Si è zona turistica però è ancor amolto abitata dai fiorentini, è vicina al centro ci si può muovere a piedi, ma ci si arriva anche in macchina, è fra piazzale michenlangelo e la parte più dei lungarni, a piedi si può arrivare a ponte vecchio, e poi è molto vivace anche la sera, ci sono dei ristornati dei locali, ci sono dei bei negozi, quindi secondo me è un buon modo per assaporare la vita vera di firenze però rimanendo nelle vecchie mura di una volta.

ENG

A great place to live in Florence, in my opinion, is the San Niccolo area, I really like this zone of the city because it’s the best compromise. It’s a touristy area, but it still has a lot of Florentine residents, it’s close to the centre, you can walk, and you can get there by car. It’s right in between Piazza Michelangelo and the Lungarni, so you can get to Ponte Vecchio by foot. It’s also great at night, there are many restaurants, some bars, and great stores. So in my opinion it’s a great compromise, you get to feel Florence while living within the old city walls.

IT

Tutti conoscono firenze siena pisa lucca, ma la toscana è bella tutta da visitare, ci sono molte altre località che vale la pena appunto visitare, per esempio a me piace molto pistoia. Pistoia è una città con un centro storico abbastanza raccolto non è grandissimo e ci sono un sacco di cose da vedere: Il duomo, il battistero, diversi palazzi, il vecchio ospedale, però il motivo per cui mi piace è che anche molto vivace. C’è questa piazzetta che si chiama La Sala, dove di giorno c’è il mercato, la sera si anima perchè ci sono diversi localini ristoranti e quindi uno va li fa aperitivo, fa due chiacchere con le persone è abbastanza carino anche da vivere come atmosfera.

ENG

Everybody knows Florence, Siena, Pisa, Lucca, but all of Tuscany is beautiful. There are many other places that you have to visit, I believe a great place is Pistoia. Pistoia is a city with a very cozy city centre, it isn’t too big and there are a lot of things to see: The Duomo, the Battistero, many Palazzi, the old hospital, but personally I believe it’s because of the energy it has. There is this Piazzetta, called “La Sala” where, during the day you have the market, and at night it comes to life with restaurants and bars, so you can go there have an aperitif and a chat with the locals, it’s a beautiful atmosphere to breathe in.

IT

Un’altra cittadina carina, graziosa, che è una vera “chicca” è monteriggioni una cittadina vicino a siena, a pochi km da siena, su una collinetta ed ha mantenuto la cinta muraria originaria, quindi ci sono le mura con le torri, un po’ come idea assomiglia a san giminiano, solo che san giminiano è più grande e anche più inflazionata per turisti, questa è un pochino più piccolina, più di nicchia, si vede da lontano è molto bella, e quando si arriva ci passa accanto la via francigena, che se vi piace camminare è anche carina da fare. Però è un bel borgo proprio perchè è rimasto intatto da secoli. Infatti consiglio di andarci a Luglio perchè a Luglio c’è la festa medievale, quindi tutta la cittadina si trasforma per fare come un salto indietro nel tempo. All’ingresso si cambiano i soldi, si prendono le monete di una volta e con queste monete si può andare a comprare da mangiare da bere a fare shopping, e poi ci sono attori vestiti con i costumi, e fanno i tornei con le spade con l’arco, queste cose da film, e addirittura c’è un indovino un mago che ti legge la mano e ti predice il futuro, è veramente divertente per passare una serata diversa dal solito.

ENG

Another great little town that’s a true “chicca” is Monteriggioni, a city near Siena, just a couple kilometres from it. It’s on a hill and it kept it’s original city walls, so you have the whole town surrounded by walls and towers. It follows the concept of San Giminiano, only that San Giminiano is a lot bigger and tourist friendly, while Monteriggioni is smaller and a bit more niche. You’ll see it from far away and if you like trekking, it’s right next to the Via Francigena, that is amazing. It’s a beautiful “Borgo” because it kept it’s authenticity. In fact I’ll suggest to go in July, because during this time there is a Medieval Fair, the whole town follows suit so you’ll feel like you went back in time. When you arrive, you exchange your money for old time coins and use them as legal tender. Plus you’ll find actors dressed in historically accurate costumes, that take part in tourneys, sword fights, and archery competitions, just like in the movies. And you’ll also find a fortune-teller that will predict your future and read your hand, it’s a really fun experience, great to pass a different kind of night.