Why have generations of travellers been so held in thrall by Florence? In this book, R.W.B. Lewis provides a look at the glories of Florence, the Tuscan city which has been a prime source for modern Western culture and which has also been his second home for many years. In chapters full of history, and the personal reflections of a traveller, Lewis reconsiders the principal focal points of the city - the Arno, the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio and Santa Croce. He casts new light on Florence's cultural and civic legacy from the Middle Ages to the present, and invites the reader to share his vision of a city and the way of life it has engendered and inspired.