The cities of Milan, Rome, Venice, Bologna, Padua and Genoa are all great tourist attractions and renowned for their culture. However, if you are in search of Italian culture at its best, you need look no further than Florence, as the following impressive list of famous Florentines shows.
1. Pietro Cimabue
Legendary founder of Italian painting and master of Giotto
2. Dante Alighieri
Author of Divine Comedy ‘Divina Commedia’, Dante’s main purpose in writing the Commedia was to speak on behalf of God to the whole of mankind to preach the necessity of moral and religious preparation for the after-life in heaven.
3. Giovanni Boccaccio
Boccaccio wrote many works but his most famous was the ‘Decameron’ written at the time of the Black Death
4. Leonardo da Vinci
Renowned mainly for his artistic achievement in painting and sculpting, in particular ‘the Mona Lisa’, Leonardo also achieved scientific prominence in designing weapons, buildings and machinery. He designed advanced weapons, including a tank and other war vehicles, various combat devices and submarines. A student of human anatomy and physiology he not only produced studies on cats, horses and dragons but also studies on the nature of water and drawings of various machines.
5. Michelangelo
Michelangelo learned the technique of fresco at the tender age of 13, a technique he would use later in life in his most famous work in the Sistine chapel in Rome, where he created the Last Judgment on the end wall. He also designed the dome for St. Peter’s and the Capitoline Square. Amongst his other works are included several Madonnas. His last paintings were the frescoes of the Conversion of St. Paul and the Crucifixion of St. Peter in the Pauline Chapel in the Vatican.
Florence remains an exceptional example of a city steeped in Italian culture.When it comes to culture, however, it is important not to rule out a visit to Tuscany’s romantic medieval town, Siena. Its car-free streets are a more relaxing summer choice. Most churches, including the Duomo (Sunday mass is worth a visit) are free to enter and the architecture is stunning. The city is all about cafe culture. Coffee at Bar Manganellie makes a good start to the day followed by sightseeing at the 9th century Santa Maria. As for food, intense flavours are Siena’s speciality. Try the sea bass with fennel and citrus fruit and chocolate soufflé with olive oil and ice cream