//
Photo: Giusto Utens, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
The Villa di Castello, near the hills bordering Florence, Tuscany, central Italy, was the country residence of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1519-1574). The gardens, filled with fountains, statuary, and a grotto, became famous throughout Europe. The villa also housed some of the great art treasures of Florence, including Sandro Botticelli's Renaissance masterpieces The Birth of Venus and Primavera. The gardens of the Villa had a profound influence upon the design of the Italian Renaissance garden and the later French formal garden.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Houses frescoes by Fra Angelico and his workshop. Fra Angelico painted a series of frescoes for the cells in which the Dominican monks lived.
A beautiful church with great artwork, including a Trinity by Masaccio that is being restored as of April 2024 but can still be seen from the scaffold for an additional charge of €1.50 and a great series of frescoes by Ghirlandaio behind the altar. Also, the museum near the Chiostro Verde, outside the church to its left (follow the signs in the church), contains gently restored frescoes of Old Testament scenes by Paolo Uccello which are quite unusual in style and well worth seeing. Off of another cloister is the wonderful Spanish Chapel which is covered in huge, impressive 14th-century frescoes. Also don't miss the Cappella Strozzi di Mantova, up a flight of stairs at the end of the left transept, with dramatic frescoes of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory by Nardo di Cione. The gift shop is in the Sacristy, which also contains paintings and other artwork. Allotting 1 1/2-2 hours to see everything would be reasonable.
Accademia Gallery
Highlights are Michelangelo's original David (the one in Piazza della Signoria is a copy) and his unfinished Slaves. It also includes Florentine painting, a museum of musical instruments, and Russian icons. No photography is allowed inside. N.B. the "Accademia di Belle Arti" next door is a university department, not connected with the Gallery.
The façade of this church was never completed, giving it a striking, rustic appearance. Inside the church is pure Renaissance neo-classical splendor. If you go around the back of the church, there is a separate entrance to the Medici chapels. Be sure to check out the stunning burial chapel of the princes and the sacristy down the corridor. The small sacristy is blessed with the presence of nine Michelangelo sculptures.
Duomo
The cathedral interior is to a basilica pattern; it's vast and at first feels dark and empty. Give your eyes time to adjust, and admire the stained glass windows, funeral monument of Bishop d'Orso, and altar of St Zanobius. Below is the Crypt (M-Sa 10:00-17:00) with remains of the preceding cathedral of Santa Reparata, and the tomb of Brunelleschi. Giotto is believed to lie here somewhere, but his tomb has yet to be identified. Above is the soaring cupola or Dome. The cathedral is free, but you need a pre-booked ticket and time-slot to climb the 464 steps up to the Dome (entrance north side of the church). Slots are available M-F 08:30-19:00, Sa 08:30-17:00 and Su 13:00-16:00.
Cimitero degli inglesi
In the 19th century, the "English Cemetery" received anyone that the city's churchyards wouldn't receive, e.g. Orthodox Christians, but Britons and Americans were the majority. Famous names here include Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Fanny Trollope and Beatrice Shakespeare, a relative of William. There are lots of ornate gravestones with flowery inscriptions in multiple languages.