Florence, the home to the Renaissance and birthplace of our modern world, has the best Renaissance art in Europe. In a single day, you could look Michelangelo’s David in the eyes, fall under the seductive sway of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, and climb the modern world’s first dome, which still dominates the skyline.
Florentine art goes beyond paintings and statues – enjoy the food, fashion, and street markets. The best of Florence lies on the north bank of the Arno River. The main historical sights cluster around the venerable dome of the Cathedral (Duomo). Though small, Florence is intense. One must prepare for summer heat, crowded narrow lanes and sidewalks, slick pickpockets, very few bathrooms, steep prices and some long lines. But also prepare to celebrate the city that boldly lead Europe out of the Middle Ages and into our humanistic modern world.
The Renaissance – the “rebirth” of Greek and Roman culture that swept across Europe – started around 1400 and lasted about 150 years. In politics, the Renaissance meant democracy; in science, a renewed interest in exploring nature. The general mood was optimistic and “humanistic,” with a confidence in the power of the individual.
Renaissance art was a return to the realism and balance of Greek and Roman sculpture and architecture. Domes and round arches replaced Gothic spires and pointed arches. In painting and sculpture, Renaissance artists strove for realism. Merging art and science, they used mathematics, the laws of perspective, and direct observation of nature.
This was not an anti-Christian movement. Artists saw themselves as an extension of God’s creative powers. The Church even supported the Renaissance and commissioned many of its greatest works. After 1,000 years of waiting, the embers of Europe’s classical heritage burst into flames right here in Florence.
