Florence: A Walk Through the Renaissance Centre

On 19 August 1418 the Arte della Lana announced a competition to build the cathedral's dome. Lorenzo Ghiberti and Antonio Ciaccheri were beaten by Filippo Brunelleschi, who was declared the winner. By 1436 the cathedral was complete, topped by his dome.

Visitor guidance: The first stop of the walk.

Cosimo de' Medici, head of the Medici banking family, commissioned Michelozzo di Bartolomeo to design his palace, built between 1444 and 1484. The most famous room is the Magi Chapel, frescoed by Benozzo Gozzoli, who completed it around 1459. The building is now the Palazzo Medici Riccardi and can be visited.

Visitor guidance: The palace can be visited; the Magi Chapel is the highlight.

In 1497 Girolamo Savonarola and his followers carried out the famous Bonfire of the Vanities on this square. They burned in a large pile books, gaming tables, fine dresses and works of poets.

Visitor guidance: An open public square.

Cosimo I de' Medici moved his official seat from the Medici palazzo in Via Larga to the Palazzo della Signoria in May 1540. The palace's rectangular tower is 94 metres high.

Visitor guidance: The palace stands on Piazza della Signoria.

Giorgio Vasari began the Uffizi in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici, hence the name uffizi, "offices". It is now an art museum next to Piazza della Signoria.

Visitor guidance: An art museum beside Piazza della Signoria.

In 1565 Cosimo I had Vasari build the Vasari Corridor to link the Palazzo Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti, and part of it runs above the Ponte Vecchio. Butchers, tanners and farmers first occupied the shops on the bridge; today the tenants are jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. It was the only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during World War II.

Visitor guidance: The bridge is open to walkers; the shops are the draw.

The Galleria dell'Accademia has housed the original David by Michelangelo since 1873. The statue moved here from its previous outdoor location on Piazza della Signoria.

Visitor guidance: A museum; the last stop of the walk.