Even the second itinerary starts from Piazza del Duomo, but goes to Piazza della Signoria taking Via de' Calzaioli, probably the most known street of Florence. A porphyry-paved street lined with shops and elegant palaces. Along the street you find the Chiesa di Orsanmichele, originally raised as a loggia for the grain and further on transformed into a church in the 14th century. In the interior, apart from the works by Donatello, Lorenzo Ghiberti and other artists, it preserves a splendid tabernacle by Orcagna, a masterpice by Andrea di Cione.
If you at the church turn to the right towards Via de' Tavolini, you will realise that you are close to the Museo Nazionale del Bargello. The Museum hosts one of the most important collections of sculptures and decorative arts in the world. It is almost impossible to point out each single work of this inestimable heritage, but just to mention some of them: Michelangelo Buonarroti, Donatello and Giambologna, Verrocchio and Cellini, Bernini and the members of the family della Robbia. If you do not like museums, you can just stroll down along Via de' Calzaiuoli which ends in Piazza della Signoria. No description is complete enough for Piazza della Signoria, the star of the postcards and the TV services from Florence. The atmosphere that you breath here has never changed during the centuries. Imposing Medieval buildings line one of the most beautiful squares in the world, giving it an austere appearance that arouses respect. Palazzo Vecchio dominates the square, still today the Town Hall, a stone building crowned with merlons and over them the Tower of Arnolfo. The interior of Palazzo Vecchio definitely is worth a visit, and hosts prestigious rooms such as the Salone dei Cinquecento, adorned with tapestries, fine examples of art from the 14th century and the statue Genius of victory by Michelangelo. Also visit the Salone dei Dugento, the Studiolo of Francesco I (Francesco's study), the Sala dell'Udienza and the room with the maps, the apartments of Eleonora da Toledo.
To the left of the entrance of Palazzo Vecchio you find the fountain dedicated to Neptune, called Biancone by the Florentines which is a work by Ammannati from the 16th century. To the right of Palazzo Vecchio you see the Loggia de' Lanzi or della Signoria. A Late-Gothic building raised in the late 14th century which houses Perseus by Cellini, the Rape of the Sabine Women and Nessus by Giambologna, the Rape of Polissena by Pio Fedi.
Next to the Loggia della Signoria you find a vast area with the main entrance to the Uffizi Gallery. Before entering the Gallery "par excellance", continue walking straight forward and cross the street. At this point, turn around. You have Ponte Vecchio to your left and in front of you probably the most beautiful scenographic sites in the world, a view of Florence that you will not forget. Now you can enter the Uffizi, but remember that one day will hardly be enough to see all the artworks housed here. The complex of the Uffizi, designed by Vasari and ended by Buontalenti, features 45 rooms on the third floor, while on the second floor you find the rooms with drawings and printings. In the second room you find the works by Giotto, Cimabue and Duccio di Buoninsegna, the following room features Simone Martini, Piero and Ambrogio Lorenzetti and the fourth room houses Florentine paintings from the 14th century. The rooms cover the Italian art history: Piero della Francesca, Paolo Uccello, Masaccio, Beato Angelico, Botticelli, Antonio del Pollaiolo, Leonardo, Mantenga, Pontormo, Raffaello, Tiziano, Caravaggio and Tintoretti are only the most famous names. It is an inestimable heritage which makes Florence the jewel of the art in the world., an inestimable treasure which perhaps will make you understand, at least partly, why the Florentines are so proud.
To complete a short visit in Florence, but without excluding any of its most famous and fascinating symbols, just a few steps from here, you find Ponte Vecchio. It is a very old bridge, perhaps even of Etruscan origins, but was rebuilt in the 14th century by Neri di Fioravante. Damaged by the bombings during the second world war and by the flood in 1966, Ponte Vecchio was restructured and houses jewellery shops and two panoramic terraces. The Corridoio Vasariano linking Palazzo Vecchio, the headquarter of the Florentine government, with Palazzo Pitti, mansion of the governors since the Grand Duchy, passes over the bridge.