Florence's Renaissance Legacy
During the Renaissance era, Florence was arguably the most important city in Europe. Florence was governed by a few very wealthy families in the city, who supported the arts. Due to this support, artists in Florence began producing beautiful paintings, sculptures, and even architecture. Three examples are the Basilica of San Lorenzo, David (sculpture by Michaelangelo), and the Santa Maria del Fiore. All three of these Florence attractions represent the Renaissance because they show humanism. Instead of making things beautiful for religious purposes, these products of the Renaissance are beautiful just because there was more support for independent artwork.