Near the center of the Tuscany region, in northern Italy, lies the city of Florence (Firenze in Italian). Known as the Cradle of the Renaissance, Florence dazzles you in ways unimaginable. Any student of art, history, literature, or cuisine will think he died and went to heaven upon entering the city. Florence has a population of 461,000, but with the millions of tourists that visit each year, and the small, winding city streets, it can easily feel like it's ten times the size. What is most wonderful about the city is the fact that you can walk almost everywhere - all of the "most famous" sites are situated in the center of the city. These sites include, but are certainly not limited to Michaelangelo's David, Boticellis "Birth of Venus" as well as works by da Vinci, Rafael and many, many more.