Piazza del Duomo
The religious center begins with the magnificent Piazza del Duomo. The fourth largest cathedral in the world, the pink, white, and green marble duomo was begun in 1296 and took almost two centuries to build. Its dome, designed by Brunelleschi, dominates the Florence skyline. The severe and awe-inspiring interior holds many masterpieces, such as stained glass windows by Lorenzo Ghiberti, a portrait of Giotto by Benedetto da Maiano, and frescoes by Vasari and Federico Zuccari which adorn the immense dome.

Next to the Duomo is the Baptistery of San Giovanni, the religious essence of the city and one of its oldest buildings. Designed on an octagon and encased in white and green marble, a 13th-century attic supports the eight-sided pyramid. In three portals, the baptistery's famous bronze doors are oriented in accordance with the cardinal points: the late-gothic South Door is by Andrea Pisano (1330); the North Door is by Lorenzo Ghiberti (1403-24); while the most famous East Door, named "Gates of Paradise" by Michelangelo, was created by Ghiberti between 1424 and 1452 and represents one of the first works of the Renaissance. Inside, a fresco from 1342 depicts the oldest known view of Florence, and Giotto's slender, elegant Campanile stands next to the cathedral.

Meanwhile, the Opera del Duomo Museum contains fine Florentine sculptures from the 14th and 15th centuries, including many of the originals from the Baptistery, the Duomo and Giotto's Campanile. Don't miss Michelangelo's unfinished Pietà and two chancels by Donatello and Luca della Robbia.

Piazza della Signoria and the Uffizi Galleries
Both art and government were central to the development of Florence, and nowhere reflects this better than Piazza della Signoria, for centuries the political heart of the city. Dominated by the magnificent, medieval Palazzo Vecchio (town hall since 1322), in the background rise the Gothic arches of the Loggia della Signoria. Outdoor sculptures abound, including copies of the Marzocco (the lion symbol of Florence) and Michelangelo's famous David as well as Cellini's renowned Perseus and Giambologna's Rape of the Sabines.

The adjacent Uffizi Museum, which backs up onto the Arno, holds one of the most famous and important collections of Italian and European paintings from the 12th-18th centuries. Some 2,000 works are on show, and it is impossible to overestimate the grandeur of these 2,000 works of art, which include Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Leonardo's Adoration of the Magi, Michelangelo's Holy Family, and Titian's Venus of Urbino.

Palazzo Pitti
Crossing the Arno via the Ponte Vecchio, the city's oldest bridge (built in 1345 on the remains of a bridge circa 996), one reaches the austere and monolithic Palazzo Pitti (Pitti Palace). The palace contains some of the finest Florentine museums, including the Palatine Gallery, the Modern Art Gallery, the Silver Museum, the Carriage Museum, and the Porcelain Museum.

Behind the palace are the spectacular Boboli Gardens, an elegant 45,000-square-meter swath of gardens, originally designed in the 16th century and remodeled and expanded in the 18th and 19th centuries. The grand Renaissance gardens feature fountains, a grotto, pools and a nursery.

Santa Croce
The Basilica of Santa Croce, a masterpiece of Gothic art, houses a pantheon of renowned Italian works of art. With a vast interior composed of simple lines, the church contains fine works of Donatello and superb frescoes by Giotto. If the church seems imbued with a heady presence of genius, perhaps that's because it contains the tombs of Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo, and Bardi.

Nearby is the Bargello Museum, which contains one of the foremost collections in the world. Among the works here to be admired are some of Michelangelo's and Donatello's finest statues.

Other must-see spots include: All Saints' Church, with frescoes by Botticelli and Ghirlandaio; Santa Maria Novella, with works by Pisano, Ghiberti, Giotto, as well as Masaccio's Trinity; and the Church of the Holy Spirit, which contains Filippino Lippi's Madonna & Child. In the Accademia Gallery stands Michelangelo's breathtaking David.