Car Hire Florence - Mini guide to Florence

Florence astounds visitors with an abundance of spectacular Renaissance art and architecture that emphasises the historic cultural importance of the city.

The development of the Renaissance period can be followed in the collections to be found in the Bargello and the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo which dominates the city skyline with its multi-coloured dome rising behind the marble marvel of the Baptistry - one of the city’s oldest buildings.

The works of Michelangelo, arguably the country’s most dominant creative figure during the sixteenth century, are to be seen at the marble statuary of Cappelle Medicee, the Accademia and San Lorenzo’s Biblioteca Laurenzia.

The Renaissance focus on rationality and harmony in design can be further witnessed with awe in the eloquence of Brunelleschi’s architecture, specifically the churches of San Lorenzo, Santo Spirito and the Cappela dei Pazzi. Just as amazing are the magnificently decorated chapels of Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella, themselves forerunners of Masaccio’s astonishing frescoes in the Cappella Branacci and Angelico’s paintings in the monks’ cells at San Marco.

Piazza della Signoria has been the hub of Florence's political life through the centuries, surrounded by the town hall – ‘Palazzo Vecchio’ and world famous Uffizi Gallery, including masterpieces from Botticelli, Titian, Michelangelo and Piero della Francesca among others.

An elevated corridor called Vasari's Corridor leads from the palazzo, and you can cross the Arno river by way of the Ponte Vecchio. This famous 14th-century bridge is lined with jewellery shops and features on all Florentine postcards.

By car you can explore the Medici villas, the delightful towns of Lucca, Prato, Pistoia, Fiesole and go as far as Pisa.