Walking east from Ponte Vecchio, the first stretch of Via de' Bardi shows clear signs of its recent history. This entire area was flattened by German mines in 1944, and hastily rebuilt in questionable taste after the war. The street spills into Piazza di Santa Maria Soprarno. Follow narrow Via de' Bardi away from the square and you enter a quiet corner of Florence once practically owned by the powerful Bardi family.

By the time Cosimo the Elder wed Contessina de' Bardi in 1415, the latter's family was on the decline. Via de' Bardi ends on Piazza de' Mozzi, surrounded by the sturdy facades of grand residences. Pope Gregory X stayed at Palazzo de' Mozzi when brokering peace between the Guelphs and Ghibellines.


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1. Palazzo de' Mozzi

0.1 MILES

Pope Gregory X stayed at this early-Renaissance palazzo (palace) when brokering peace between the Guelps and Ghibellines in the 13th century.

2. Villa e Giardino Bardini

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This 17th-century villa and garden was named after 19th-century antiquarian art collector Stefano Bardini (1836–1922), who bought it in 1913 and restored…

3. Museo Galileo

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On the Arno river next to the Uffizi in 12th-century Palazzo Castellani – look for the sundial telling the time on the pavement outside – is this state-of…

5. Corridoio Vasariano

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This 1km-long covered passageway, currently closed for restoration work, connects Palazzo Vecchio with the Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti. Vasari designed it in…

6. Museo Horne

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One of the many eccentric Brits who made Florence home in the early 20th century, Herbert Percy Horne bought and renovated this Renaissance palazzo, then…

7. Galleria degli Uffizi

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Home to the world's greatest collection of Italian Renaissance art, Florence's premier gallery occupies the vast U-shaped Palazzo degli Uffizi (1560–80),…

8. Chiesa di Santa Felicità

0.22 MILES

Possibly founded by Syrian merchants as early as the 2nd century, the current church is largely a Renaissance construction. Its most extraordinary feature…