Few artists have left such a deep and enduring mark in art history like Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564). Born in a small town near Arezzo called Caprese, in the beautiful Tuscan area called Casentino, Michelangelo was soon whisked off to Florence and in particular to the nearby Settignano village where, due to his mother’s poor health, […]

This wonderful and timeless work of art by great Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli was painted for Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici, a cousin of Lorenzo the Magnificent. They were both born to the House of Medici, a very important Florentine banking family and later reigning House of Tuscany. The painting known as the Primavera by […]

The large altarpiece called the Ognissanti Madonna by Giotto, painted in 1310 circa by great visionary Giotto di Bondone, is a very important landmark in art history. It was painted for the Florentine Church of Ognissanti, hence the name. Before Giotto’s pioneering work, painting was still tied to the schematic Byzantine style and its archaisms. […]

The history of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence is a fascinating one. Few people know the huge building of the Uffizi was not created as a museum. It was ordered in 1560 by Cosimo I de’ Medici, known as Cosimo the Great and first Grand Duke of Tuscany, to house the administrative and judiciary offices […]

Gentle hills, beautiful vineyards and olive groves characterize the landscape around Florence. In fact, with the exception of the heavily built up area to the west of the city, in other directions the abundance of trees and fields makes an immediate visual impact that has become famous worldwide for its wonderful nature and cultural heritage. […]