The Uffizi  This is an absolute treasure trove of Reinassance art. Here you can find Botticelli’s finest pieces: The Birth of Venus. If you get in really early, you may just get the fifteenth-century painting to yourself, but don’t spend too long at Venus’s feet because there are hundreds more iconic works to see.  The venue itself is architecturally fascinating: built in the 16th century and designed by Italian painter Giorgio Vasari, the extending colonnades, linear columns and traditional pediments all contribute to the classical design – a perfect pairing to the astonishing artwork housed within its walls.

Ponte Vecchio or Old Bridge, was the only bridge across the Arno in Florence until 1218. It’s the oldest bridge in town, destroyed by 1345’s flood, and rebuilt and resisted against all odds, even to the World War II. It doesn’t really look like a bridge at all for the numerous overhanging shops, whose glittering treasures delight the visitors’ gaze as they pass by. The bridge – entrance point to the city of Florence from the Cassia road – is made of wood and stone and probably dates back to the Roman era.

The most ingenious and incredible development of Ponte Vecchio bridge was the Vasari Corridor: this covered passageway, which took its name from its inventor Giorgio Vasari, runs above the shops. The corridor was commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici in order to embellish the area surrounding the Palace of the Signoria, and at the same time was a novel way of connecting the Uffizi with the Pitti Palace, his residence across the river.

The flood that devastated Florence in 1966 left an indelible memory. The waters of the relentless river flooded Ponte Vecchio and its shops.