The city of Florence has a dangerous amount of art. Really, there is so much art that the city has been known to cause Stendhal syndrome in some of the people who visit there. It happens so much that the nickname for Stendhal’s syndrome is Florence syndrome. It is said to cause rapid heartbeat, dizziness, confusion and even hallucinations amongst other things when a person is exposed to a large amount of beautiful art. Seriously, the city is so beautiful, that while your body may be walking around, your mind will expand into a colorful wonderland you never knew existed, kind of like being at a Grateful Dead show.

Florence has long been referred to as the “cradle of Renaissance” due to the number of its amazingly beautiful monuments, statues, and architecture. The most popular destination and most well known site in Florence is by far the Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as The Duomo. To be quite fair, the Duomo is far too beautiful for me to even begin to describe. Feel free to look it up, and try to imagine being there. It’s overwhelming, and that is only one of the many beautiful buildings in the city.

The Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of the city of Florence, and is another building that will impress. There is a perfect replica of Michelangelo’s David in the front of the building. After checking out that, you can head on over the Academia Gallery and see the real thing! Also don’t forget to walk across the Ponte Vecchio which is an old bridge. The most incredible thing about the Ponte Vecchio is the stores that are built on its edges. They are held up over the river Arno by some very well designed stilts. It’s quite a sight.

Florence is a centrally located city. This is great, because once you’ve had your fill of the city, you can take advantage of the area with a rental car in Florence. In just an hour and a half drive, you may find yourself relaxing on a beach on the Adriatic Sea, near the city of Livorno. Maybe you will head south and find yourself cruising in a sailboat on Lake Trasimeno. Whatever you decide to do while on vacation, you can always see more with a car rental in Italy!

I could tell you more about Florence, but I’m beginning to get dizzy, so I must digress.

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