7 photographic perspectives in Florence
You might guess, this is not the first time I've visited Florence. Yet there is always a new glimpse to capture: a statue I had not noticed, a hidden portico, a side of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore that I had not paid attention to, a street artist or an unknown noble palace.
It's like visiting a museum over and over again, and each time dwelling on a different masterpiece.
Between mainstream perspectives and some more original glimpses, I have collected an album of my favourite photographic perspectives of the artistic capital of Italy.
1. PONTE VECCHIO AND THE LUNGARNO
The Old Bridge that crosses Florence from one side of the Arno to the other, at the narrowest point of the river, is an open air work of art, with its goldsmiths' workshops that line the road and overlook the river clinging to each other and at the base of the bridge.
It is crossed by the Vasari corridor that connects Palazzo Vecchio with Palazzo Pitti and forms a partially glazed gallery above the other buildings. Crossing it is the least picturesque part, as you have to make your way through the constant stream of people. Observe it, instead, from another perspective, for example from Ponte Santa Trinità, from which you can also enjoy a beautiful view of the houses jutting out over the lungarno.
2. THE DOME OF SANTA MARIA DEL FIORE
Symbol of Florence, symbol of Italian Renaissance architecture, third largest church in Europe, the first example of a self-supporting dome in the world built without supporting beams... One could go on endlessly, mentioning the reasons why this church is unique and unmissable. Its gigantic dome, by Brunelleschi, can be seen from everywhere in Florence, and reigns over every corner of the city centre, from above or below the alleys.
You can see the dome of the Cathedral from the top of the building that houses La Rinascente, perhaps in front of an espresso in the rooftop bar, admiring its circular windows, the stratification ranging from marble, brick, red tiles and with white spines. You can observe it from Piazza Duomo, hidden by the imposing façade and the beautiful Giotto's Bell Tower. You can observe it from the alleys that unravel from the space around the cathedral, where the sky is hidden by this immense and articulated structure. You can watch it soar over the low houses of the Florentine centre from Piazzale Michelangelo, while it emerges in all its grandeur, together with the bell tower, above the red roofs.
3. THE SCULPTURES AND BAS-RELIEFS OF FLORENCE
Almost every building, religious or noble, hides a statue or bas-relief. Masterpieces in marble, bronze, stone, which enrich the city with a thousand shadows and animate it with human and animal figures even when, in the morning or evening, everything is silent and tourists are finally dispersed. From the bronze panels of the Baptistery, to the marble statues that reside in the niches of Santa Maria del Fiore, to the David that dominates Piazza della Signoria, to the sculptural groups showing off in the Loggia dei Lanzi. Thousands of still creatures live here since centuries, silently observing the beautiful Florence.
4. THE STREET ARTISTS
They are in every corner of Florence, making caricatures of tourists, selling paintings depicting Ponte Vecchio or scribbling imitations of Renaissance masterpieces. It won't be difficult to make them the subject of your photos.
5. THE SUNSET FROM PIAZZALE MICHELANGELO
The architecture made of low buildings that characterises Florence, leaves room for the wonderful monuments and churches to soar above the sea of red roofs over the houses. From Piazzale Michelangelo, a huge parking lot for buses on a hill, you can admire a view that sweeps over the entire city. And at sunset, needless to say, it's the ideal place to admire the darkness that fills the alleys, the red hues that color the sky against which rise Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Maria del Fiore, Santa Maria del Carmine ... the orange lights that begin to illuminate the palaces of the city and the bright ribbon of the Arno reflecting the nuances of the sky, interspersed with the arches of bridges.
6. THE ARCADES OF THE LUNGARNO
You should probably wake up very early in the morning to capture the arcades of the riverfront without passersby, but between some peeling plaster and some graffiti, you will be able to capture perfect perspectives.
7. THE FACADES OF THE NOBLE PALACES
The deep joints of the stone blocks of the facades that sculpt the fronts of the Renaissance palaces in Florence, create beautiful plays of light and decidedly photogenic textures.
This content is NOT SPONSORED, but based on my genuine personal experience. Spontaneous opinions, positive and negative, shareable or not, that I hope will help to live better travel experiences. My advice is a guide to lead you through world explorations, but the real journey, you build it!
