Viewpoints & Towers — Firenze

Florence's freestanding Gothic bell tower, begun by the painter Giotto in 1334 and finished by two later architects, with 414 steps leading to sweeping city views.

A 19th-century hilltop terrace across the Arno, purpose-built in 1869 for the single most famous panoramic view of Florence, watched over by a bronze copy of Michelangelo's David.

One of Tuscany's finest Romanesque churches, its green-and-white marble facade crowning a hill above the city since the 11th century, still run today by resident Olivetan monks.