The Church of Santa Margherita dei Cerchi (Chiesa di Dante) in Via Santa Margherita is considered to be the church where Dante first saw Beatrice and where some say he eventually married not her but Gemma Donati. It is a Romanic building dating from around the year 1000. Just inside the door there is an English Pre-Raphaelite painting celebrating the meeting between the poet and his muse. Others say Dante married not here but in the nearby X century church of San Martino al Vescovo, in Piazza San Martino, now the Oratory of the Buonomini di San Martino.

The Church of Santa Maria in Campo, on Via del Proconsolo, dates form the XI century. It is called in Campo (in the fields) as it used to stand outside the Roman wall. The Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, in Via dei Cerretani, is first mentioned in 930. In the XII century it was modified, acquiring Gothic traits. The bellower is a vestige of the Romanic structure and placed on it there is a late Roman sculpture of a woman’s head. Another old church is Santo Ambrogio, first mentioned in 988, though some believe it to be of older origin.

The deconsecrated Church of San Pier Scheraggio, dating from the XI century was partly demolished to make place for Palazzo Vecchio, the rest being incorporated into the Uffizi. Some of the columns of the church are visible on Via della Ninna (called this way after the nickname of the Church: Church of the Madonna della Ninna Nanna, that is, Madonna of the Lullaby, the popular name for a fresco by Cimabue, housed in one of the chapels of the church). Outside there is also a commemorative plaque with a short history of the building. Scheraggio was the name of a stream that ran parallel to the old Roman wall. Inside the Uffizi there is one of the naves of the church. It was deconsecrated in 1782.

One of the most curious churches of Florence is San Salvatore al Vescovo, in Piazza dell’Olio, a IX or X century Romanesque church which has been incorporated into the Archbishop’s palace. It is remarkable as it is one of the churches in all Florence to have, together with San Miniato, Santa Maria Novella, Santo Stefano al Ponte and the Baptistery, an original facing in green and white marble. Another church to share this characteristic, though only framing the central door, is Santo Stefano al Ponte, near Ponte Vecchio, dates form the XII century. It is no longer used as a church, but instead has been put to use as a concert-hall.

The Loggia del Bigallo, built to house the Compagnia di Santa Maria della Misericordia and once functioning as an orphanage, is located on the corner of Piazza San Giovanni. It an elegant, late Gothic building dating from the middle of the XIV century, with frescoes on the external walls as well as other decorative elements., It was considerably modified over the centuries, though its last restoration, in the early XX century, has given it back some of its former appearance.

Near Palazzo Vecchio, in the same piazza, we find the Loggia della Signoria, better known as Loggia dei Lanzi, built in the XIV century to serve as an open air space where the public ceremonies of the Florentine Republic could take place. After the establishment of the Duchy of Tuscany and the suppression of all republican institutions, it was transformed into an open-air sculpture museum. Several ancient Roman statues are placed there.

The guilds are responsible for many mediaeval buildings in Florence, which they had constructed for their use. Perhaps the best known is the Palazzo dell’Arte della Lana (Palazzo of the Woolworkers’ Guild), dating from the early XIV century, though it incorporates into its structure the earlier Torre dei Compiobbesi. It is richly decorated with frescoes dealing with the It faces Orsanmichele, with which it communicates through a passage over the road.

The Tabernacole of Santa Maria della Tromba is, together with Vasari’s Loggia del Pesce (see The Renaissance in Florence), one of the few monuments from the Mercato Vecchio to survive, albeit in a different place: it has now been placed in front of the Palazzo dell’Arte della Lana. It is the largest tabernacle of Florence; it is faced with an iron grille and houses a painting by Jacopo del Casentino.

Palazzo Vecchio, also known as Palazzo della Signoria in Piazza della Signoria, is next door to the Uffizzi, with which it is connected. Its construction is attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio, in the XIII century. It has been, over the centuries, the seat of the city govenment and, for a brief period, the residence of the ducal family. For a period it was also where the Italian Government met, during the time Florence was the capital of Italy. It was modified over the centuries and its original aspect has been considerably changed. In appearance it is not unlike a fortress (an aspect which was not present in Arnolfo’s original concept), with battlements on the façade and an off-centre tower This atter incorporates a pre-existent tower-house, which explains its position slightly to the right.

Another important project of Arnolfo di Cambio is the Church and Convent of Santa Croce, a jewel of the Gothic style, one of the few churches that, though continuously added to over the centuries, has managed to preserve most of its original appearance. The façade dates, however, from the XIX century. Santa Croce has become the mausoleum of Italy, being the resting-place of Michelangelo, Galileo, Vasari, Rossini, Ugo Foscoli and others. Contrary to what is believed, Dante is not buried here, but instead in Ravenna.