There’s one overwhelming reason travelers flock to this tiny Italian city (pop. 365,000) amid Tuscany’s rolling green hills: Florence has more than one million works of Renaissance art—among them Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. It’s also the birthplace of global fashion brands like Gucci, Pucci, and Roberto Cavalli, and the city’s most influential fashion clan—the Ferragamos—have turned their renowned sense of style to four hip hotels across town, breathing new life into the previously staid lodging scene. Add to that succulent Florentine steaks, some of the world’s greatest wines, the traditional artisan workshops of the Oltrarno, and Brunelleschi’s famous masterpiece dome, and it’s not so hard to see how Firenze remains as popular as top European cities five times its size. Florence, the center of the Italian Renaissance, is a city filled with towering cathedrals and exquisite art (think Botticelli, Michelangelo, da Vinci, and more). From here, you have access to the Tuscan countryside, where you can pair delicious seasonal fare with standout Chianti wines. Partake in the Duomo-capped city's many restaurants, shops, bars, and things to do using our Florence travel guide. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to Travel + Leisure! - null. T+L is the preeminent voice for the sophisticated, insatiable traveler, serving up expert intelligence and the most immersive, inspiring travel lifestyle content anywhere. We capture the pure joy of discovering the pleasures the world has to offer—from art and design to shopping and style to food and wine. Whether the experience is in print or digital, T+L offers compelling reasons to get up and go.