Now is your turn Florence! I’m finally updating the travel photos of my previous travel to Florence, Italy. Following the introduction of this beautiful city of Tuscany last post, here is another snapshot that I took in Florence.

Some EXIF info: Photo taken with my Nikon D60 and my old Tamron SP10-24mm  Ultra Wide Angle lens. Shutter speed 1/320s and Aperture F9.0. Focus distance was set to 10mm (with both sides being cropped). ISO 100. Auto White Balance. No flash fired and no exposure being compensated with Matrix metering.

What captured in the photo was the main entrance door arch of the Duomo, the highest structure being constructed in Florence, which shows the height of the entrance. It also demonstrates the brilliant craftsmanship of ancient Roman civilisation during the Renaissance era.

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Apart from Venice, the next Italian city that I found myself falling for is the art, historical and cultural capital of Italy, Florence. One of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site, Florence is the capital city of Tuscany region in the central Italy, and it is much adorable than and a far cry from the rest of Italian cities with its rich historical and cultural heritage. Florence is known as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance with its strong influence in ancient Italian art and architecture. Two of the greatest sculptors in Renaissance era, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vince, were born in here.

Florence is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world with River Arno splits Florence into new and historic sections of the city. Spending at least a few days and staying in one of the luxury villa in Florence is surely a great idea to enjoy your vacation here. When we first arrived at its main rail station of Santa Maria Novella (SMN), and walked out from the station, we were already in the heart of historic Florence. All within walking distance, city attractions could be easily explored one after another. Among them, the Duomo Cathedral is definitely the dominant icon, being the highest building in Florence. Climbing up its 460 steps of spiral staircase to the tower top, we had the best panoramic view of the Florence cityscape. Next up would be the Accademia Gallery. I was more than willing to queue up for 45 minute just to get in there. Why? Because the original David, the greatest sculpture done by my favorite sculptor Michelangelo, was housed inside there!

By sitting at one of the many open air cafes at Piazza Della Signoria, not far from the Duomo, travelers not only could see many of those famous sculptures around the square, they can also do some people watching (which was in fact a local culture). A replica statue of David could also be found here.

For my wife who loves leather bags and wallets, San Lorenzo open market is a ‘must-go’ market. We spent hours in there to buy some of those high quality local leather products such as shoes, bags, wallet that preciously made in Firenze.

In the evening, we walked along the River Arno, the main river of florence and Tuscany. We came to the Vecchio Bridge, the oldest and most famous bridge that spanning across the River Arno. There are shops selling jewelries, arts and souvenirs. In the evening under the setting sun, it just looked marvelous in yellow colour.

When the night fell, we took a bus up to the hill top at Piazzale Michelangelo. It is the best viewpoint to Florence city skyline. I set up my DSLR onto a tripod and shot endlessly! Another replica of the David statue could also be found at the Piazzale. Check out other the frugal ways to explore Florence during weekend.

Florence is also the starting location for visiting other highland cities of Tuscany, such as Sienna and wine producing area such as Chianti for the Chianti Classico wine. If you are a wine lover like me, staying in one of the Tuscany villa and hopping the vineyard after vineyard for some wine tasting can surely let your hair down.

In fact, Florence offers much more than that. The local foods always make my mouth water! I couldn’t help but to try the local cow stripes, gelato, as well as the local Florence steak dinner, with a glass of Italian Chianti Classico wine as well as some breads with local Extra Virgin Olive Oil. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate travel guide to Italy

Being the capital and the largest city of Italy, Rome is the central of both tourism and economy. Unlike other major financial cities in the world, Rome also features enormous amount and great travel attractions for businessmen to explore during their business travel. Meetings in Rome are always accompanied with some sorts of city travel.

In terms of tourism, Rome is the 3rd most visited in the European Union and the most popular tourist attraction in Italy, while Italy was the 6th most visited country in the world last year. The historic centre of Rome was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980, due to the incalculable immensity of its archaeological and artistic treasures. Coleseum, Trevi Fountain, The Roman Forum and Spanish Steps are amongst the popular tourists destinations, all within the historic centre of Rome.

In terms of economy, Rome ranked as 28th in the Global Cities Index. With a GDP of nearly €94.376 billion each year, Rome contributes 6.7% of the national GDP, which is more than any other single city in Italy. The economy of Rome is largely dominated by services, high-technology companies , research, construction and banking and financing activities. The vast majority of the major Italian companies, as well as many of the world’s 100 largest companies are setting their head offices here.

With its richness in travel attractions all within walking distance, and central location for the world economy, Rome has long been the favourite travel destination for businessmen. Due to this reason, businessmen are keen to set up regional offices in Rome. Various meetings are carried out here each day and has made business hotels widely available in Rome. Holiday Inn Meetings are amongst the popular business hotel club in Rome which provide convenient accommodations to businessmen as well as central locations for touring around the city.

Like the chicken and egg story, tourists go there to do businesses while entrepreneurs are vacationing in Rome. It is not hard to understand why Rome was the 11th most visited city in the world. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide to Europe

To wrap up my travel stories in Italy, I’d like to recommend wholeheartedly the top 5 cities of Italy that I head over heels in love with. Italy is always the Europe country that had given me lots of great memories and travel dreams, ever since my first visit to Italy 13 years ago. When it comes to planning for an Italy holiday, there are overwhelming tourist destinations that could easily spoil you right at your first sight! So, picking the right destinations for your period of travel and purpose of travel would always be a matter of the utmost importance.

I traveled to Italy last year for the second time. To explore Italy to its fullest within a very limited period, I had to plan an itinerary that could cover 5 best Italian cities while still involving the least intercity traveling. I had a lot of funs and memories from the trip eventually that I could call it a successful holiday. For those who are planning for a same trip with similar time constraint, here are the top 5 Italian cities in my itinerary that could be your choice either:

1) Venice – One of the city that I love most in Italy is definitely Venice. Venice is an island compo consisting of 118 small islands separating each other by canals. It is sited along Adriatic Sea in Northeast Italy. Not unexpectedly, it is also the most valuable island in Italy, as researches has revealed that Venice is sinking by 5mm each year and by the Year 2050, most parts of Venice would be underwater!

2) Florence – A frugal but relaxing weekend destination in Europe that I would recommend would definitely be Florence in the Tuscany region of Italy. Tuscany is the capital of arts, culture and romance of central Italian region. If you are spending your weekend in its regional capital of Florence, you are about to explore one of the best art, culture and architecture city in Europe, or maybe the world.

3) Greve In Chianti – If you are a wine lover and don’t quite like the ever crowded city environment in Florence and Pisa, Chianti region is where you must visit for at least a day in Tuscany. Chianti is the wine region in Italy producing the famous Chianti Classico wine bearing the authentic Gallo Nero (black rooster) label.

4) Pisa – Apart from Florence, sienna and the highland wine region of Chianti, the next place I love to visit is Pisa. It is the capital city of Pisa Province located on the mouth of the famous River Arno before joining to the Ligurian Sea in western coast of Italy. The main attraction of Pisa is definitely the world famous Leaning Tower. However, a slow walk around the city centre had really surprised me with many other architectural and artistic marvels of this beautiful city.

5) Rome – Rome is a huge city with many districts. However, most of the attractions are located within the small historic centre of Rome, which includes the Old Rome and Colosseo Districts, and is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Rome. With uncountable immensity of its archaeological and artistic treasures, include many beautiful palaces, millenium-old churches and basilicas, Roman ruins, obelisks structures, remarkable statues and fountains design, Rome is Europe’s 3rd most visited city.

Don’t get me wrong. These 5 destinations were the best options for what the combination of time and money that I had on my last visit to Italy. There are many more exciting cities that certainly worth any traveler’s visit. Verona, Milan, Naples, Sienna, Amalfi Coast, Southern Italy, to name a few, are equally great! You can read some of them in my Italy travel section. If you are planning a trip to Italy and Europe, check out my planning guide first on how to plan it perfectly. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide to Italy

A snapshot that I took in Florence on top of the hill at Piazzale Michelangelo. It is the best location to have a panoramic view of Florence historic city centre, across the River Arno. You should have seen a night view of the same scene from my earlier wallpaper download. This is another shot that I photographed earlier at dusk. I just love the view and Florence so much.

You can see the most prominent structure of Duomo the giant dome and the cathedral, and the Ponte Vecchio bridge.

How could I take a shot of this scene at evening especially late at night? Because we stayed at PLUS Camping Michelangelo campsite just next door on the hill! If you are planning for a trip to Florence, stay at least 1 night at the campsite in order to capture some magnificent night photographs over the Florence city, without worrying about transportation to bring you down the hill at late night.

Merry Christmas 2011 and Happy New Year 2012! – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide