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The outdoor art of Florence

As the great cradle of the Renaissance, Florence almost certainly contains the best collections of Renaissance art in the world. Visitors need not go far to admire the city's treasures because some of the most interesting works are out of doors.

An outdoor art tour might start with the Ponte Vecchio, which means "Old Bridge." This much-admired bridge was built in 1345 to replace an earlier bridge that had succumbed to flood waters.

In the early days, butchers' stalls lined the bridge. Apparently, a high standard of hygiene was not first in their minds as they dumped animal blood and intestines into the river below. The foul odors were eventually

replaced by the relatively odor-free stalls of goldsmiths. These shops still carry on today.

Of all the bridges in Florence, The Ponte Vecchio alone was spared destruction by German soldiers during World War II. The German commander, who must have been a Florentine at heart, couldn't stomach the thought of destroying the bridge, and instead chose to topple nearby buildings to prevent anyone from crossing it.

One of the most romantic sights in Florence is said to be a view of Ponte Vecchio in the embrace of the setting sun.

Elsewhere in Florence, a popular, if controversial , outdoor artwork can be

found in the Piazza della Signoria, home to the Fontana del Nettuno, or Neptune's Fountain by Bartolomeo Ammannati. The white-marbled giant features the sea-god Neptune at his most grandiose in the company of a supporting cast of tritons, sea divinities and satyrs .

Sharing the same piazza is a copy of Michelangelo's David, which does quite well for an outdoor work of art. Far more people see this than will ever see the real McCoy indoors.
As for Michelangelo's reaction to Neptune's Fountain, it was as swift as it was sarcastic: "Oh, Ammannato, Ammannato, what lovely marble you have ruined!"

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