Markets and shopping in Florence and Tuscany

Make time for Piazza del Duomo, which joins Piazza San Giovanni around the cathedral and Baptistery to form the city’s religious centre.

There’s art worth lingering over at Uffizi Gallery, whose paintings span the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, including Giotto, Botticelli and Leonardo.

Take a closer look at Piazza della Signoria, which grew alongside the Palazzo dei Priori, later called Palazzo Vecchio, as a setting for Florence’s political and civic life.

The art and its setting deserve equal attention at Palatine Gallery, where Medici paintings are surrounded by furnishings, stucco decoration and Baroque ceilings.

The history behind the art is part of the appeal at Uffizi Gallery, where the ancient sculpture collection preserves Roman copies of Greek originals that have been lost. A highlight to make room for is La Specola.

Make time for the art at Medici Riccardi Palace, whose Magi Chapel was frescoed by Benozzo Gozzoli in the mid-15th century.

Look closely at the architecture of Uffizi Gallery, in the building designed by Giorgio Vasari and constructed between 1560 and 1580.

In Siena, give yourself time at Santa Maria della Scala, a former hospital whose hall for male pilgrims dates to 1328.

The design deserves a closer look at Medici Riccardi Palace, whose Renaissance courtyard, designed by Michelozzo, has ancient busts and reliefs added to its walls by the Riccardi family.

Take time for Santa Maria Novella. Another highlight is Piazza Pitti and Pitti Palace.

Give the art your full attention at Medici Riccardi Palace, where Filippo Lippi’s Madonna and Child is a masterpiece of his mature work. In Pienza, look closely at the architecture of Duomo di Pienza, whose bright windows recall the German hall churches Pius II encountered on his travels.

In Montepulciano, the architectural details are a reason to linger at San Biagio, Montepulciano, which echoes the Greek-cross plan of Santa Maria delle Carceri in Prato: Antonio da Sangallo the Elder drew on his brother Giuliano’s design.