Art Cities
Lonely on a hill ( that boundless view from the Apennines to the Tyrrhenian sea) austere and serene at the same time , the city has a special charm that distinguishes it from every other . Once you reach its threshold , one is struck by the mighty walls , partly medieval and Etruscan , in which there are many gates , the most famous of which is the Gate Etruscan Arch . Inside the walls we find the memories of Volterra during the medieval city , which help us to understand the magic enchantment of her beauty .
The 15 medieval towers (a reminder of the 72 towers that used to rise during the period of greatest splendor) announce from far away the town's magnificence. The amazement continues after entering one of the town gates, that open in the double enclosed wall, and walking up the silent streets flanked with ancient buildings. The streets unexpectedly lead into three squares on the summit of the town, where the severe medieval buildings that surround them may be admired.
Pisa is set in a wide floodplain (4 m. above sea level) few kilometres far from the Tyrrhenian coast and it stretches in the two bank of the river Arno. Pisa is among the main cultural city of Italy. It keeps a rich artistic heritage with its original Medieval reworking of Islamic, Lombard and local influences. It is to note the wonderful Duomo and the leaning tower, a monument discussed and known as one of the seven wonders of the world.
It is a chief town of a province of Tuscany and an archiepiscopal see. Nowadays it is above all a university and research town.
Siena always attracts many tourists for its wonderful monuments and its numerous masterpieces to visit in itsmuseums.
Some great artists were born in Siena and among them it is to remind Duccio di Boninsegna and Nicola Pisano, who worked on the greatest masterpiece in Siena: the Duomo. In narrow and winding lanes, in museums and in the quarter oratorios you may hear Palio propitiatory chants that recall the ancient customs and modern allegories. In the evening, on the other side, the patter of soles on the desert paving contrasts to the peace of the green valleys surrounded by the walls by its ancient administrators, for centuries till today. In the town you may admire many masterpieces such as the Duomo, set in the Campo, Siena's red-bricked main square and the wonderful landscape of Facciatone, the hall of Pellegrinaio in Santa Maria della Scala, thePiccolomini library, the prestigious Accademy Chigiana and the wide rooms in Fortezza Medicea, that hides the rarest wines in Siena, in Tuscany and in the peninsula.
Florence stands in a pleasant valley surrounded by hills and crossed by the river Arno. This city is rich in monuments, historical buildings, galleries and museums, expressing all its magnificence of its ancient civilization. Its world famous promenade along its monuments up to the wonderful Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) is lined with characteristic goldsmith's shops. Many are the monuments and the masterpieces to visit, such as Giotto's Tower begun by Giotto in 1334, the Pitti Palace begun from an original design by Brunelleschi in the second half of 1400, the courtyard of Ammannati,Buonarroti house which has some paintings of Michelangelo, Forte di Belvedere that dates from the end of 1500.
The Uffizi Palace begun by Vasari in 1560, Loggia della Signoria begun in1376 from an original design by Arcagno and Palazzo Vecchio built between 1293 and 1314.
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