12/30/2020 Historic Centre of Florence - Wikipedia

Coordinates: 43°46′23″N 11°15′22″E

Historic Centre of Florence

The historic centre of Florence is part of quartiere 1 of the Italian city of Florence. This quarter was
named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. Historic Centre of Florence
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Built on the site of an Etruscan settlement, Florence, the symbol of the Renaissance, rose to economic and
cultural pre-eminence under the Medici in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its 600 years of extraordinary
artistic activity can be seen above all in the 13th-century cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore), the Church of
Santa Croce, the Uffizi and the Pitti Palace, the work of great masters such as Giotto, Filippo Brunelleschi,
Sandro Botticelli and Michelangelo.[1]

Contents Piazza della Signoria

Location Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Aspect
Criteria Cultural: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)
World Heritage Site
Reference 174bis (http://whc.unesco.
See also
org/en/list/174bis)
References
Inscription 1982 (6th session)
Sources
Extensions 2015
External links
Area 505 ha (1,250 acres)
Buffer zone 10,480 ha (25,900 acres)
Aspect Coordinates 43°46′23″N 11°15′22″E

Closed inside the avenues traced on the old medieval walls, the historic centre of Florence collects the
city's most important cultural heritage sites. Delimited by the 14th century wall circuit, built thanks to the
economic and commercial power reached at the time, knew its maximum splendor in the following two
centuries.

Spiritual center of the city is Piazza del Duomo with the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, flanked by
Giotto's Campanile and facing the Baptistry of Saint John with the 'Gates of Paradise' by Lorenzo Ghiberti.
From here to the north there are the Palazzo Medici Riccardi by Michelozzo, the Basilica of Saint Lawrence
by Filippo Brunelleschi, with the precious sacristies of Donatello and Michelangelo. Furthermore, the
Museum of San Marco with masterpieces by Fra Angelico, the Accademia Gallery which houses among
other works the David by Michelangelo (1501–1504), and the Piazza della Santissima Annunziata with the
Loggia of the Innocenti by Filippo Brunelleschi.

Heading south from the Duomo there is the political and cultural center of Florence with Palazzo Vecchio
and the Uffizi Gallery nearby, near which are the Bargello Museum and the Basilica of the Holy Cross.
Crossing the Ponte Vecchio we arrive at the Oltrarno district with the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens. Location of Historic Centre of Florence
Still in Oltrarno, there are the Basilica of the Holy Spirit by Filippo Brunelleschi and the Church of Santa in Tuscany
Maria del Carmine, with frescoes by Masolino, Masaccio and Filippino Lippi. Show map of Tuscany
Show map of Italy
In the area west of the Duomo is situated the imposing palace Palazzo Strozzi (home of major exhibitions Show all
and cultural institutions) and the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, with the facade designed by
Leon Battista Alberti.

The old town can be appreciated in its entirety from the surrounding hills, especially from Forte
Belvedere, from the Piazzale Michelangelo with the Romanesque Basilica of San Miniato al
Monte and the hills of Fiesole, which offers one of the most beautiful views of the Arno valley.

The northern part of the old town is surrounded by the avenues of Viali di Circonvallazione, a
series of large six-lane avenues inspired by Parisian boulevard created when Florence was the
capital of Italy.

The center of Florence, with its hundreds of business activities is a paradise for shopping and
entertainment: elegant boutiques, historic cafes, the lively street markets, as well as hosting
numerous nightclubs, discos, American-bar and meeting places for a drink (the famous Negroni
cocktail was born here).
1835 City Map of Florence, still largely in the confines
of its medieval city center.
World Heritage Site
In 1982 ICOMOS proposed the historic centre of Florence as a candidate World Heritage Site.[2]

See also
Squares of the historic centre of Florence

References
1. "Historic Centre of Florence" (https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/174). UNESCO. Retrieved 18 September 2014.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic_Centre_of_Florence 1/2
12/30/2020 Historic Centre of Florence - Wikipedia

2. "Advisory Body Evaluation" (https://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/174.pdf) (PDF). UNESCO. Retrieved 18 September

2014.

Sources
"City of Florence" (http://unesco.comune.fi.it/en/index.html). City of Florence. Retrieved 14 September 2014.

External links
"City of Florence" (http://q1.comune.firenze.it/index.html). City of Florence. Retrieved 14 September 2014.

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