Florence: Heart of the Renaissance
Rick Steves' Europe Travel Guide | Fifteenth-century Florence was the home of the Renaissance and the birthplace of our modern world. In this first of two episodes, we'll gaze into the self-assured eyes of Michelangelo's David, enjoy Botticelli's Birth of Venus, delve into the 3-D wonders of Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise, appreciate Fra Angelico's serene beauty, and climb the dome that kicked off the Renaissance. Then we'll cross the Arno to where Florentine artisans live, work, and eat...very well.
© 2012 Rick Steves' Europe
Florence the Heart of Renaissance | Ft. Michelangelo, Botticelli, David & The Birth of Venus
When I visited Florence, I never knew I would come out will a better understanding and appreciation of the Renaissance era and culture. Despite only having less than half a day to explore, I was able to finally understand the fascination of people in this historic capital of Tuscany.
In today's episode, I'll be sharing 5 things I wish I knew before I went to Florence as we visit different historic sites such as the Ponte Vecchio, Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Pitti Palace, Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria.
You have to uncover the beautiful facade of Firenze (Florence) and go deeper into its history as it became the epicenter of the Renaissance. It's very difficult to describe what renaissance is in one sentence, but as you watch my video, I hope it will give you a slight idea especially when it comes to art.
Visiting museums is a must when in Florence. I'm fortunate to have visited the Uffizi and the Accademia to see Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Michelangelo's David. In this episode, I will share to you a short story about Botticelli's muse, Simonetta Vespucci and Michelangelo's David as a symbolic figure.
Another very important entity, other than the artists that you should be aware of is the Medici Family. This family is not of royal blood but they have gathered great wealth and influence to be the uncrowned monarch of Florence. They are also the greatest patron of the Renaissance artists which made Firenze the center of art and humanities.
I would definitely come back and visit Florence again. This time, I'll be more prepared to better appreciate the renaissance art and the genius of antiquities greatest geniuses.
UFFIZI GALLERY: Every Painting Tells A Story!
Have you ever visited a museum, stared at a famous painting, but really didn't know what the painting was about? Well, in this video about the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, one of the greatest museums in the world, you will learn what each famous painting and altarpiece means-their symbolism and history. You will see some of the greatest artistic works of all-time by some of the greatest artists of all-time, including: The Holy Family with Infant St. John the Baptist (20:52) by Michelangelo, Madonna of the Goldfinch (25:01) by Raphael, Annunciation (26:12) and Adoration of the Magi (26:55) by Leonardo da Vinci, Fortitude (11:25), Primavera (12:41), and The Birth of Venus (14:30) by Sandro Botticelli, and much more!
0:00 Uffizi Gallery Introduction
1:51 Giotto and the 13th Century
3:28 Sienese Painting of the 14th Century
4:49 Florentine Paintings of the 14th Century
6:26 International Gothic
9:48 Early Renaissance
11:23 Pollaiolo
12:40 Botticelli
19:00 The Tribune
19:52 Cabinet of Miniatures
20:37 View of Ponte Vecchio from Uffizi Gallery
20:51 Michelangelo and the Florentine Painting
22:36 Niobe Room
23:43 Bronzino
24:44 Raphael
26:12 Leonardo da Vinci
28:09 Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi
29:47 Medusa by Caravaggio
Source: The Uffizi: The Official Guide by Gloria Fossi; Copyright 1998, 2016 Giunti Editore S.p.A.
Music:
Yonder Hill and Dale
Lost in Prayer
Journey in the New World by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
Source: Artist:
Renaissance Castle
Renaissance by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license ( Artist:
Theme in D Minor
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The Uffizi Gallery Tour - Florence, Italy
The Uffizi Gallery is one of the world's top art museums - it houses some of the most important works of the Renaissance, including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Botticelli.
Sights of Florence / Firenze (Italy, Olaszország)
Photos about beauties of Florence / Firenze. This film is a memory of a holiday in 1981. Music: Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota
Uffizi – Botticelli – Florence – Audio Guide – MyWoWo Travel App
Botticelli's great mythical scenes (Primavera, The Birth of Venus, Pallas and the Centaur) are the precious fruit of the intellectual moment in time that was dominated by Lorenzo the Magnificent. Even though they have been interpreted in many ways and contain many hidden meanings, all the works are united by their incredible measure, grace, and kindness.
To the Florentine humanist culture, Venus represented beauty, harmony, and the triumph of human virtues against bestial instincts.
In the painting known as Primavera, or Spring, all the figures are aligned on a single level, with a wood in the background. To understand the scene, you have to look at it from right to left, beginning with the Zephyrus, who is the impetuous wind that chases his girlfriend Chloris among the trees. In the spring wind embrace, Chloris transforms into Flora, and fills the world with flowers: Botticelli painted about 130 different species of flowers with meticulous botanical precision. In the center, you see Venus separating from the dark green of a bush with a relaxed and gentle gesture; above her, her son Eros is ready to shoot his arrow of passion.
Then you see the group of the Three Graces: they are delightfully intertwined in a dance step, the very image of serenity. Lastly on the very left, the god Mercury clears the sky of its clouds with his traditional staff.
Now go on to The Birth of Venus. Even though it's not a difficult mythological interpretation, this painting can still be viewed on many different levels. Beautifully naked, blond hair waving in the wind, Venus glides through a vast, lightly rippled sea on a large shell, pushed by the breath of two tightly-embraced winds. At the shore, a loving young girl is waiting for her, getting ready to wrap the goddess in a rich pink cloak. In the painting, Botticelli used a double linen cloth as a base for holding a fine white-blue alabaster powder, thereby obtaining an effect of diffused brightness and transparency…
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6 Great Museums in Florence, Italy
There are so many things to see in Florence Italy. We picked out 6 of our favorite Museums in Florence to share. We did not get the Florence Museum Pass (aka the Firenze Card) because we needed more than 72 hours to visit all of them. In summer it is suggested that you get your Florence museum tickets early or online but in November it just wasn't necessary. Especially if you get there early. The museums of firenze are magnificent. We might suggest getting an Uffizi gallery tour as there is SOOO much to see there and a tour guide would add a lot of value.
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A Dante Alighieri Tour of Florence
One of Florence's most famous citizens, Dante Alighieri has landmarks and monuments dedicated to his success and importance scattered throughout Florence.
Uffizi – Leonardo – Florence – Audio Guide – MyWoWo Travel App
From the amazing Botticelli hall, in an exciting passage of handovers, you'll immediately go on to see the Florentine works of Leonardo. The great artist was born in Vinci in 1452 and remained in Florence until the age of thirty.
As I have already mentioned, Leonardo began collaborating with the master Andrea del Verrocchio when he was only twenty years old. The great panel of the Baptism of Christ that you can see in this room is a typical product of a painter's workshop: Verrocchio outlined the scene as a whole and painted the main figure, the Baptist. Then the young Leonardo painted the figure of Christ, part of the landscape, and the beautiful angel turned to the side, and the styles of other students can be noticed in some details.
And now I'd like you to concentrate on the Annunciation: in this painting, Leonardo shows us what he's really made of! Facing comparison with many a great artist on one of the most frequent topics in religious art, he chose an unusual setting. As you've probably often noticed, the scene usually takes place in Mary's bedroom or under a portico. Leonardo instead moves the scene to the entrance of a Florentine villa with a flower garden and a wall; in the background you can see a harbor and mountains. Mary is taken by surprise while reading a book placed on a refined lectern, similar to the sculptures that were made in Verrocchio's workshop.
Now look at the work Adoration of the Magi, which he began to paint for a Florentine convent but left unfinished when he left for Milan. Here too is another revolutionary interpretation of a widespread theme, especially in Florence. Leonardo probably wanted to distance himself from the style of Lorenzo the Magnificent's age, while his colleagues (Botticelli, Perugino, Ghirlandaio, and others) were involved in decorating the Sistine Chapel in Rome…
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Florence Tour of Uffizi Gallery Botticelli Room
This is a mini-tour demonstrating the use of Google 3D buildings, Street View, and Google Art Project. The tour of the Uffizi Gallery in the second part of the video was created by editing the video used in How to Create A Virtual Tour Using Google Art Project with voiceover added.
S1 - E3 Florence travel guide, Uffizi & Ponte Vecchio (Day 2)
In this episode I take you on a tour through the world famous Uffizi art gallery and show you the beautiful Ponte Vecchio in the sunset atmosphere.
Discover in this episode:
- How to get inside the Uffizi the best way
- The Uffizi Art Gallery from the inside
- Ponte Vecchio
- The most romanitcal restaurant: Goldenview Openbar
All information about how to visit the Uffizi:
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Lightningtraveler - Inspiring Cinematic Orchester
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Around Florence with Dan Brown's Inferno
Dan Brown's latest bestseller, Inferno, is set in Florence. Let's explore some of the places in the city where the action happens, helped with a new app, Inferno Florence Guide written by the editors of The Florentine.
Botticelli: The Curator's View
Botticelli’s signature style—including strong contours and transparent, flowing drapery—is instantly recognizable five centuries later. But what does it mean if the top artistic brand of 15th-century Florence was often produced by group of helpers in a workshop? And how did Botticelli fit into the rich artistic milieu of Renaissance Florence? Explore the creative process in a painter’s studio in the Italian Renaissance with curator of “Botticelli and the Search for the Divine,” and hear about the challenges of organizing an exhibition about such a familiar artist.
Frederick Ilchman, chair and Mrs. Russell W. Baker Curator of Paintings, Art of Europe; curator of “Botticelli and the Search for the Divine”
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Florence, Italy -98A.mov
Walking tour with Anne Barbetti to the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, Santa Croce, on to the Uffizi Gallery, Pitti Palace and then Accademia to see Michelangelos David, along with some shopping.
Florence, Italy in 4K Ultra HD
The Historic Center of Florence is on the list of the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO: Florence, the symbol of the Renaissance, rose to economic and cultural pre-eminence under the Medici in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its 600 years of extraordinary artistic activity can be seen above all in the 13th-century cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore), the Church of Santa Croce, the Uffizi and the Pitti Palace, the work of great masters such as Giotto, Brunelleschi, Botticelli and Michelangelo (quote from whc.unesco.org/en/list/174). In addition, the Boboli Gardens are one of the 12 Medici villas added to the World Heritage list.
In the video: Sunrise from Piazzale Michelangelo (Michelangelo Square) (0:01), Ponte Vecchio (0:42), Piazza del Duomo (0:53), Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (1:49), Piazza della Signoria (2:52), Palazzo Vecchio (3:36), Uffizi (4:49), Basilica of Santa Croce (5:36), Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens (6:37), Cappella Brancacci (7:25), Basilica of Santa Maria Novella (7:45), Sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo (10:00), Basilica di San Miniato al Monte (10:21).
Recorded October 2017 in 4K Ultra HD with Sony AX100 and a6300.
Music:
Ostraka - Division - 4 - Recercada Primera Sobre el Passamezzo Antiguo (Diego Ortiz)
Michael Murphy - The Most Beautiful Things - 9 - A Light in the Woods
Licensed via ilicensemusic.com
Florence Walking Tour Clips
Take a walking tour through some of the most historic parts of Florence, Italy while exercising on your treadmill or Nordic Track. Using either the DVD version or the 720p HD Download you could be instantly walking in Florence, Italy - the birthplace of the Renaissance. The time spent exercising on your treadmill will fly by, you'll exercise longer, and enjoy every minute! On this one hour treadmill virtual walk you'll visit Piazzale Michelangelo, the Ponte Vecchio, the Piazza della Signoria, the Loggia dei Lanzi, Piazzale degli Uffizi, Piazza Santa Croce, among other famous sites in Florence. This Virtual Walk Video is accompanied by the natural sounds just as they were recorded in Dolby Stereo in Florence, Italy. This is not a traditional travel video - there is no narrator. The television camera is constantly moving you forward, transporting you through the streets and piazzas of this historic World Heritage Site. This is the 48th Virtual Experience DVD released by vitadvds.com.
Botticelli with electronic music - RusRim.com - Florence private guide
Electronic music by Adel KaranovPrivate guide in Florence - Car tours in Tuscany
Sandro Botticelli
was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. He belonged to the Florentine School under the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici, a movement that Giorgio Vasari would characterize less than a hundred years later in his Vita of Botticelli as a golden age. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th century; since then, his work has been seen to represent the linear grace of Early Renaissance painting.
Top 5 things to do in Florence | Italy ❤ ????????
Our 2019 list of 5 amazing attractions and activities in Florence, Italy. Florence is located in the heart of Tuscany and is the birthplace of the Renaissance. With a population around 400,000 and over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area, Florence is home to incredible architecture, natural beauty and renaissance masterpieces.
Florence has incredible attractions, but what are the best? In this guide we visit the most popular Florentine attractions: Palazzo Vecchio and the Hall of 500 and climb Arnolfo’s Tower, David's Michelangelo, the Ponte Vecchio, the Uffizi Gallery (and see some amazing Renaissance masterpieces by Leonardo Da Vinci, Michealangelo, Botticelli, Raphael, and Caravaggio), and the Florence Duomo (and climb the dome)...we also have a bonus visit to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We hope you enjoy the video and pick up a few tips on the way. Thanks for watching.
Have questions? Leave a comment!
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inquires: travel@imagiscope.com
Italy Tours Florence Tour Artviva Uffizi Gallery Tour & Original David Tour, Florence Italy Review
Italy Tours Florence Tour A review of our Masterpieces of the Uffizi Gallery Tour and The Original David Tour, Florence, Italy. Enjoy our other tours of Italy, our Florence tours, Rome tours, Venice tours and Tuscany tours. See italy.artviva.com Thanks Rob Brown for music composition and Martha for the review.
Florence and the Renaissance: Crash Course European History #2
The Renaissance was a cultural revitalization that spread across Europe, and had repercussions across the globe, but one smallish city-state in Italy was in many ways the epicenter of the thing. Florence, or as Italians might say, Firenze, was the home to a seemingly inordinate amount of the art, architecture, literature, and cultural output of the Renaissance. Artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo daVinci, Sandro Boticelli, and many others were associated with the city, and the money of patrons like the Medici family made a lot of the art possible. Today you'll learn about how the Renaissance came to be, and what impact it had on Europe and the world.
Our Sources:
Hunt, Lynn et al. The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, 6th ed. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2019.
Donald R. Kelley, Renaissance Humanism. Boston: Twayne, 1991.
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