Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Tourist attractions - Where is the Italian city of Florence?

Where is the Italian city of Florence?

It is located on a plain in the Arno Valley, surrounded by hills. Florence is known as "Emerald", which means "City of Flowers" in Italian.

Florence, a city in central Italy and the capital of Tuscany, has a population of about 400,000. It has an excellent geographical location, built next to the Arno River, and has convenient water and land transportation. It is located in the northern part of the Apennine Peninsula at 43 degrees 46 minutes north latitude and 11 degrees 15 minutes east longitude.

At the beginning of the 14th century AD, the dawn of the Renaissance first flashed here. From Giotto, Dante, to Buccaccio, Petrarch, to Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, etc.; in the past 300 years, countless literary and artistic giants have been born here. The germs of capitalism first flashed here. It is still ancient and the whole city is filled with the charm of the Renaissance, and it is known as the "New Athens of Europe".

The first Chinese people to know about this art capital is probably Xu Zhimo. He called it Feileng Cui, which is a bit feminine.

Xu Zhimo's "A Night in the Emerald Green" is very chilly, as if it brings a sense of coolness. When you read it gently, it feels like you have a piece of ice in your mouth. In fact, this ancient city with alleys is shrouded in a warm color, with red roofs and old yellow walls. Dante, Raphael, and Galileo walked along the alleys of time dragging their slender shadows. Get it right.

There are long queues in front of the Uffizi Gallery all year round. They are stunned by the works of Botticelli, Raphael, Titian and others, and then hurriedly collect their thoughts and turn around. Take a turn and visit the Accademia Gallery

to see Michelangelo’s David. Along the way, vendors covered the ground with copies of famous works, and street performers pretended to be sleeping angels, just waiting for tourists' coins to wake them up. Every weekend night, there will be an open-air concert in front of the City Hall Square. The clanking classical guitar and the unrestrained flamenco dance stir up the night. The old ladies and little girls watching dance along with the music. Dance. Not far away, the neon lights of the *** and the carousel in the square are shining, where young lovers and children realize their fairy tale dreams together.

Florence is actually very small, with the Church of Santa Maria delle Blanc as the center and several alleys diverging away. If you walk east and west at will, you will meet your separated friends again at a bridge or street corner. Just like when Dante walked and walked, he met his dream girl Beatrice on the Ponte Vecchio. That day was the most beautiful evening in Florence. Beatrice was as spotless as a saint, standing at the end of the Ponte Vecchio, becoming the most beautiful memory of love in Dante's life.

One evening a thousand years later, I came out of Dante’s former residence and walked towards the Ponte Vecchio. The sunset shines through the clouds and sprinkles a few rays of gold on the Arno River. The bridge deck of the Old Bridge is filled with light, and the entire Florence is immersed in an oil painting-like background.

Main buildings and attractions:

1 Florence Cathedral (Duomo)

Also known as the "Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Flower", it is the fourth largest cathedral in the world. Built in 1296-1436. The entire church is richly decorated. On the right side of the church is the 85-meter-high bell tower, which is veneered with Tuscan white, green and pink granite. It belongs to the Florentine Gothic architectural style. There are 370 steps inside the building, allowing you to climb up and overlook the city. There is also an octagonal baptistery next to the church, with the famous "Gate of Heaven" carved on the bronze door. It is the masterpiece of Ghiberti who spent 21 years. It divides the storyline of the "Old Testament" into ten scenes. From left to right and from top to bottom, they are Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden; Cain killing his Brother Abel; Noah's drunkenness and sacrifice; Abraham and Isaac's sacrifice; Esau and Jacob; Joseph sold into slavery; Moses receives the Ten Commandments; Defeat at Jericho; War of the Philistines; Solomon and Queen of Sheba, the reliefs are each set in the frame of the bronze door. The current work on the door is a copy, the original is on display in the museum of the cathedral.

2 Ponte Vecchio

This bridge is the oldest of the seven bridges across the Arno River. It was first built in the 10th century and rebuilt in the 14th century. There are shops on both sides of the bridge, the most famous of which are the gold shops and jewelry shops here. According to legend, Dante met his lover Beatrice on this bridge. In the middle of the bridge is the statue of Benuveto Cellini (1500-1571), a famous sculptor born in Florence. He has made a large number of gold and silver works for the French royal family and Italian nobles, and his sculptures are widely collected by museums around the world.

3 The Baptistery

The Baptistery is a religious building built in the north gate of Florence, ancient Rome, in the 4th and 5th centuries. The building is octagonal, with a pitch-shaped attached room outside, and is located on a low platform. The current appearance can be traced back to the 11th to 13th centuries; the smooth pyramidal roof was built in 1128. Its exterior is decorated with green and white marble. Each side of the building has a three-three-three structure vertically and horizontally, decorated alternately with pilasters, arches, and stone strips. A circle of windows is opened on the middle floor. The most striking features of this building are the three bronze doors and the mosaics on the inner dome.

The south door of the Baptistery of St. John is decorated with "The Life of St. John the Baptist" and "Human Virtues" by Andrea Pisano; the north door is decorated with "The Life of St. John the Baptist" and "Human Virtues" by Gilberti. "New Testament Story", "Evangelist" and "Doctor of the Church"; the east door, known as the "Gate of Heaven", is the most famous of the three bronze doors and is Quiberti's masterpiece. The story of the "Old Testament" depicted in the work is divided into ten scenes according to the plot, each set in ten frames. It was commissioned by the artist from the Commercial Art Guild in 1425. It was called the "Gateway to Heaven" by Michelangelo. There are also carved portraits of biblical figures and artists of the time around the bronze door.

4 Piazza della Signoria

Piazza della Signoria in Florence is considered one of the most beautiful squares in Italy because of the exquisite buildings surrounding it. It was built in the 13th and 14th centuries. It was originally built on the foundations of the demolished houses of Uberti Vlaboski and other imperial families. Later, it was expanded to its current size. The old palace, the traditional administrative center in the southeast corner of the square, overlooks the square. On the left side of the old palace is the beautiful Langqi Gallery in late Gothic style. The loggia was built between 1376 and 1382 by Benzi Gionet and Simone Torrenti. A group of important sculptures are displayed inside. Among the more famous ones are "Perseus" (1554) and Zhangpolonia's "Hercules and the Centaur". On the right side of the building is Bartolomeo. "Fountain of Poseidon" (1563-1575) by Amenati and his assistants. In the middle of the pool, there is a huge white Poseidon elephant standing on the chariot of Poseidon. The Florentines call it the "Great White Eagle" (a kind of raptor). ). There are colorful bronze statues around the pool. To the north of the fountain stands the statue of Cosimo I (1594) used in Bologna. The square is surrounded by simple historical buildings.

5 Palazzo Baltiello (Old Palace)

Palazzo Baltiello is a castle building. The appearance is solemn and simple, and the towers with battlements are majestic. It was built in 1255 and was originally the residence of civilian leaders. It was subsequently occupied by the City Chief Executive and the Law Commission. In 1574, Bartello (the police chief) was stationed. The exterior walls of the building are decorated with simple stone ribs. The lower doors and windows all have a lintel, and the upper windows include single windows and double arch windows. Neatly arranged brackets and arches at the top of the wall support the outwardly protruding battlements. There are colonnades, arches and pilasters on three sides of the inner courtyard. Follow the 14th century from the inside. Dee. The upper arcade is accessed by the open-air staircase built by Fooravante (built by Tone di Giovanni in 1319). The walls of the courtyard are decorated with the coats of arms of dozens of successive administrators and judges of the Supreme Inquisition. In 1859 it was converted into the National Museum, now one of the most important museums in the world. It mainly collects sculptures from the Renaissance and small works of art from past dynasties.

6 Giotto’s Campanile

Giotto’s Campanile is a masterpiece of the talented Italian artist Giotto, the father of European painting. The bell tower is 84.7 meters high and is also made of red, white and green marble. There are many exquisite and breathtaking sculptures in it. The entire shape is slender and elegant. Its color tone complements the baptistery opposite, which is a harmonious and perfect unity.