European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 10, 1980, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday june 10, 1980 thl stars and in p Pur 19 Tancy freeing by Leah Larkin travel editor any  Chi majesty of Rome or the Charm of \ Nice. Hul for others. Florence a Iron a is Ihu favorite in Italy. It s a City of Art and elegance of Renais Sance masterpieces piaz As brimming with life extraordinary churches mind boggling museums expensive boutiques wonderful restaurants outdoor cafes and open air markets. The Art treasures arc the City s chief drawing card. If you Rush from Church to museum you could probably manage to Sec All the famous canvases and statues Inone Day. But Florence deserves much More. Spend a few Days in the City. Take a stroll along the  River. Climb to 5a2s.ll the top of the Cathedral dome for a splendid View. Allow yourself Lime to really study and appreciate the masterpieces of Miche langelo and the canvases in the uffizi. Spend a few hours at an outdoor cafe and watch a continuous Parade of dignified Well dressed poor Antines teenagers in uniforms of jeans and camera carrying tourists. Treat yourself to a Day of shopping from the Chic shops on the via Tourn Buoni to the stalls in the Straw Market from the Silver and Gold shops on the Ponte Vicchio to the leather factories near Santa Croce. Florence is not  but budget hotel rooms run he found for about $12 per person. If you arrive without a reservation the information office at the train station can help you find a hotel for a 300 lire about -10 cents fee. However if you have time you might do better searching on your own. The City has a youth Hostel which charges about 55 per night and several campgrounds. There Are cafeterias where you get plenty for he Price a full meal for about s5. Many restaurants offer a tourist menu a meal consisting of several courses at a set Price which is usually a Good Deal. If you want to splurge and spend $20 for dinner you will find no Lack of Excel Lent restaurants. A Wise Purchase when fishing any City is a guide Book and Florence is no exception. There is so much to take in you will need guidance in finding in All. One Star attraction you can t miss is the Duomo. The Cathedral whose red tiled dome a work of Brunch Loschi. Dominates the City Skyline. Another distinctive feature of this enormous Church and its Campania lower is the Multi coloured Marble facade richly decorated with statues in niches. Just opposite the main Entrance to the Cathedral is the baptistry a building of Green and White Marble with clusters of tourists always crowded around its doors. No wonder the door panels carved by Andrea Pisano and Vittorio Ghiberti with scenes from the old testament and the life schist arc world renowned works of Art. Vying with the a it Del duo Nui for landmark significance is another Square in the City the i i a Dalh Signor i with outstanding architecture and sculpture to Admire. The chief building on the Square is the Pala a acc Chio. A Palace built in Cio thic St be that once was Home to the Medicis. Its 3 a fool lower is called an  wonder. The Interior  with paintings Anil sculpture a be visited. 1 he of Tiu a sculpture collection in the Loggia  Signoria on the i i a includes the  of a  b Giovanni  Bologna and Cellini s Perseus with the head of Medusa. Just adjacent to the i a is the 1 i i. Nik museum in Florence. In this former Renaissance pal Ace designed b Visuri is a collection of Art masterpieces claimed to be among the Best in the world with works by Ciollo c Ima buc Simone Martini. Botticelli Raphael Rubens and Cami Agio. One cannot visit Florence and forget Michelangelo. Visit the Academy to Sec his David then to the bar Gallo Palace and museum where More of his sculpture is exhibited. In the new Sacristy of the Medici chapels arc the Medici tombs with his monumental sculpture groups. Dawn dusk night and Day. More Art in Florence not to miss the Raphael  Brunelleschi s magnificent Duomo dome and the lofty Palazzo Vecchio Bell Tower. Ings As Well As other works in the Pitti Palace the monastery of St. Mark where the Walls of the monks cells Are decorated with Fra Angelico paintings the Church of Santa Crock with its impressive Tomb sculpture and frescoes by Giotto and the Church of Santa Maria Novella with numerous frescoes. Sonic Florence fans Are More intrigued with the City s shopping opportunities than its Art treasures. Indeed purchasing is no problem in the City that has a reputation for offering great bargains on leather goods Gold jewel by linens and Straw items. Just How great the shopping bargains Are is ques Lio Nahle these Days. If you want a leather purse for example you will find a stable selection to choose from both at the markets and in the boutiques. Hut a Fine woman s bag will  upwards from s50. When shopping in the Market try to bargain. In can be fun. It s a definite Challenge. Many of the vendors will staunchly refuse to lower their Price even one lire but others May weaken with persistence from the potential purchaser. Lined with shops the famed Ponte Vecchio Over River Arno dates from 14th Century