Famous Architecture in Italy
The Best Italian Renaissance Art & Architecture are in Florence
Top examples of Renaissance architecture are in the compact city of Florence. Italy has the most famous Renaissance art in the world, and Florence is home to most of it.
Florence is home to the most, and best preserved, important Renaissance architecture in the world. Tourists en route to the hills of Tuscany, often stop in the best known museums in Florence to take in the famous highlights such as Michelangelo's David and Botticelli's Birth of Venus. The Italian museums featuring Renaissance art are truly among the best in the world, but the long lines to get in can be disheartening. A simple walk around the city of Florence can show a tourist some of the top Renaissance architecture in Italy, with no lines, and often no fee.
Top Renaissance era architecture in Florence Italy:
- Church of San Lorenzo Florence, principal Renaissance architect Brunelleschi (1421-1459) - This was the first church designed by Brunelleschi, commissioned by the powerful, philanthropic Medici family. Inside the church are many of the best examples of religious Renaissance art, by Bronzino, Donatello, and Lippi. It may be the oldest standing church in Florence, as the original architecture dates to circa the 4th century. The Medici family commissioned Brunelleschi to update it to the new style of Renaissance architecture. He did design it, but died before work was completed. The Renaissance style of architecture can be seen in S. Lorenzo's symmetry and geometric balance.
- Laurentian Library, principal architect Michelangelo (1525) - The Laurentian Library is in the cloister of San Lorenzo. Michelangelo designed this, with later oversight from from fellow Renaissance architects Vasari and Ammannati: With its geometric patterns, harmony, and symmetry, the Laurentian Library is considered one of the best works to represent Renaissance architecture. The top most important collection of antique books in Italy can be found here. This includes many ancient Greek books and manuscripts that are in top condition.
- Santa Maria Novella, principal Renaissance architect Alberti (1456-1470) - This church is most famous for the facade on its basilica, with contrasting marble providing geometric counterpoints. Because S. Maria Novella is right next to the railroad station, this church is often the first important Florentine sight a travel weary tourist sees. The original church was built in the High Gothic architectural style of the 13th and 14th centuries. It is famous as a Renaissance era building because of Alberti's facade.
- Il Duomo Florence Cathedral, principal architects di Cambrio and Brunelleschi (1296-1462) - The Duomo can't be missed; it's the heart of Florence, and its campanile towers above the city. Click here for more details. The famous doors of the Duomo, designed over many years by Ghiberti, suffered some water damage in the 1960's; the original panels are now found in the Duomo's museum, the Opera del Duomo.
- Ponte Vecchio, principal architect Gaddi (1345, and 1564) - The most famous bridge in Florence, Ponte Vecchio spans the Arno River. It originally hosted many greengrocers and butcher shops, but when Florentine royalty grew disgusted by the sights and smells of paisanos doing their daily work, the workers were forced out. Today, the Ponte Vecchio features jewelry shops which tourists can peruse while crossing the Arno to Oltrarno ("the other side of the Arno").
- Church of San Spirito, principal Renaissance architect Brunelleschi (1434-1482) - The Santo Spirito is across the Ponte Veccio, on the Oltrano. Dating from 1250, it was renovated in the Renaissance style by Brunelleschi. The exterior was never completed, and to this day is an undecorated plaster wall. See it for the interior architecture. The church interior is stunning, with the harmony and proportion of the Renaissance era. The large wooden cross is attributed to Michelangelo.
- Pazzi Chapel at the Santa Croce church, principal Renaissance architect Brunelleschi (1429-1460's) - The Santa Croce church is original to a much earlier time in Italian history than the Renaissance, having been built in the (High Gothic) late 1200's. The original design was by di Cambio. Brunelleschi designed the Cappella dei Pazzi, but may have been stymied by the preexisting church walls. The boundary created therein forced his design to integrate those walls, with the symmetry and geometric unity that exemplify Italian Renaissance architecture. Michelangelo, Galileo, and several other famous figures in Italian art, architecture and science are buried at the Santa Croce church.
Renaissance architecture moves away from late Italian Gothic and Medieval themes, towards geometric order and regularity. An astute reader may note that Brunelleschi's name appears several times in any list of important architecture of the Italian Renaissance. Filippo Brunelleschi was the top Renaissance architect in Italy, and his commissions remain paragons of the era's architecture in Florence to this day.
Related, on Suite 101:
The Two Top Museums in Florence
Best Smaller Museums in Florence
Travel Basics for Florence, Italy
Tips for Getting Around Florence
Copyright Jennifer Miner and Suite 101. All rights reserved.
