Florence, Time Out (8th ed. May 17)

The cradle of the Italian Renaissance is unrivalled in the breadth of its artistic treasures. Florence has the greatest collection of Renaissance art in the world, and a character list that reads like a Who's Who of the period's greatest artists and thinkers - Dante, Leonardo, Michaelangelo - not to mention the powerful families who financed their work - the Medici and the Strozzi. Evidence of their lasting influence abounds today, including the discovery of a Leonardo fresco beneath a painting by Vasari, and the unearthing of Michaelangelo's plans for a church facade. Time Out's expert local authors cover Florence's past and present with authoritative art history and their trademark appreciation of contemporary culture.