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The city of Florence in Italy, which is found between the banks of the River Arno and the hillsides all dressed up in olive green, is extremely captivating. It is the cradle of the the Renaissance Era, the native birthplace of Maquiavelo, the Medicis Family and Michael Angelo and chock filled of art, history and culture. According to the official version, Julius Caesar founded it in 30 BC and converted it into a fortress on the narrow River Arno controlling Via Flaminia which communicated Rome with the north of Italy. But archaeological founding's have proven that the Etruscans were there before. The Medicis family played a very important role in the flourishing of the most beautiful and decorative buildings in Florence and treated many of the artist of that time with very special care. It suffered from the German bombings, from flooding and even from the Italian mafia but new techniques have restored these precious masterpieces. And once again, Florence has sprung back to life with magnificent museums and its rich Tuscany area.
 Whether you are traveling by train, car rental or coach, the train station of Santa Maria Novella is a good reference point in Florence. After arriving, it would be wise to go to the tourist office where free maps of Florence and the surrounding area together with timetables of the different museums and buildings is offered or you can buy a more detailed one for about .50 cents. The city is bursting with interesting places to visit, each one right next to the other. You need to take at least four to five days to see the most important attractions like the Dome of the Duomo, the Vecchio Palace, the Uffizi Gallery, the Basilica of Saint Croce, Museum of the Opera del Duomo and the Vecchio Bridge.
A First Impressive Impression of Florence
 The dome of the Duomo in the Duomo Square can be seen from various spots in the city and is free to enter.The green, white and red marble facade is breathtaking. Brunelleschi designed this enormous dome, the first of its style since the classical ancient times and envied by Michael Angelo himself. The staircase you see as you enter the cathedral leads to the crypt where Brunelleschi is buried but also reveals excavations which have uncovered parts of a Basilica from the 5th century. The bell tower and its bas relief depicting the creation of man, the arts and industry is another amazing part of the Duomo to be closely observed.
Economical but not less ‘chic’
As always in such a touristy city like Florence, the variety of lodgings is unlimited and with this a wide span of prices. On one of my stays, which was for only three days, I stayed at the Hotel Monna Lisa which is found in Borgo Pinti Street. It is a Renaissance palace with furniture and paintings from that time. All rooms look out onto a beautiful gardened patio where I had my summer morning breakfast and an excellent espresso coffee. But being as I had been so captivated by this city, on my following trip I wanted to stay for longer, this time paying more attention to visiting the city and so I stayed in one of these simple apartments, completely fulfilling all my needs for sightseeing Florence, Italy.
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