Florence, Italy

Pictures by QT Luong

Florence is the great city of the Renaissance, the artistic and cultural reawakening of the 15th century in Europe. Under the patronage of the Medici, a hugely wealthy banking family, the city became the cradle of a period of unparalleled artistic growth. The paintings, sculptures, and architecture of artists who flocked to the city such as Botticeli, Brunellescchi, Giotto, Michelangelo, and Donatti, turned the city into one of the world's greatest artistic capitals. The historic city is tighly packed around the Duomo, one of Europe's largest cathedrals, typical in its size of the Florentine determination to lead, and in its rich decoration of the ecclectism of the period. The history center of Florence is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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All text and photos © QT Luong. See conditions for use of images. All the 13 color pictures of Florence, Italy are on this page