The bronze door of the Florence Baptistery, the “Gates of the Paradise,” the Lorenzo Ghiberti, the 1425–1452, the 10 panels of the Old Testament scenes, the Michelangelo’s verdict: “the are so beautiful that the could be the gates of the heaven,” and the moment when the visitor stands before the door and the understands the Renaissance, the 15th-century Florence, the rebirth of the classical art and the learning after the “Dark Ages,” the Brunelleschi’s dome (the 1436, the largest brick dome the ever constructed, the 45 metres of the diameter, the 4 million bricks, the 37,000 tonnes, and the most beautiful dome in the world), the Donatello, the Masaccio, the Botticelli, and the Leonardo that all the walked the these streets, is the essential start of the Renaissance. The reminscence of the glory of the Renaissance in the Italy is the essential European cultural journey. Here is the guide.

Reminiscing the Glory of the Renaissance in Italy

• The Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance: The Florence is the essential city: the Duomo (the Santa Maria del Fiore, the Brunelleschi’s dome, the climb: the 463 steps, the €20, the essential strategy: the 8.15am booking, and the dome the view of the Florence that is the worth the climb), the Giotto’s Campanile (the 414 steps, the better view of the dome, the essential for the photographer: the Campanile for the photograph of the dome), the Uffizi Gallery (see #1414 for Europe museums), the Galleria dell’Accademia (the Michelangelo’s “David”, the 1504, the 5.17 metres, the perfection, and the essential Florence experience. ~€20, the book the 1 month in advance, and the essential: the “David” is the in the Hall of the Prisoners, the walk through the unfinished “Slaves” and the sense that the sculpture is the being released from the stone, and then the “David” is the at the end of the gallery. The most beautiful single-artwork presentation in the world), the basilica of the Santa Croce (the burial place of the Michelangelo, the Galileo, the Machiavelli, the Rossini, the “Temple of the Italian Glories”, and the most beautiful church in the Florence. ~€8), the Piazzale Michelangelo (the sunset, the view of the entire Florence with the Duomo at the centre, and the best free experience in the city. The walk from the centre is the 20 minutes uphill). More Italy →
• The Tuscany, the Siena, and the Rome: The Siena (the Gothic rival to the Florence): the Piazza del Campo (the shell-shape, the most beautiful square in the Italy, the Torre del Mangia, the 400 steps, the €10, and the best view in the Tuscany), the Duomo of the Siena (the black-and-white striped marble, the most beautiful cathedral in the Italy, the Piccolomini Library: the Pinturicchio frescoes of the life of the Pope Pius II, the most beautiful room in the Siena. ~€13), and the essential Siena experience: the Palio (the 2nd July and the 16th August, the horse-race around the Piazza del Campo, the no saddle, the 90 seconds, and the most intense sporting event in Europe). The San Gimignano and the Tuscany countryside: the San Gimignano (the “Medieval Manhattan”, the 14 towers, the 13th century, and the best Tuscan hill-town, the €20 for the gelato at the World Champion Gelateria Dondoli, the essential: the award-winning “Crema di Santa Fina”, the saffron, the pine nut), the Chianti (the wine road, the Castello di Verrazzano, the €25 for the tour and the tasting, see #1598). The Rome, the Renaissance and the Baroque: the St Peter’s basilica (the Michelangelo’s dome, the 1547, the climb: the 551 steps, the €10 for the lift to the roof plus the 320 steps, and the best view in the Rome), the Raphael Rooms in the Vatican (see #1414), the Piazza Navona (the Borromini and the Bernini), and the essential Rome Renaissance: the Villa Farnesina (the Raphael frescoes, the Loggia of the Psyche, and the most beautiful small Renaissance palace in the city. ~€10)