Historic Centre of Florence

許林玉

佛羅倫薩歷史中心是城市規劃和建筑藝術的杰作，既是中世紀和文藝復興時期繁榮和商業重振的歷史見證，又是充滿永恒之美的名勝區。

Florence was built on the site of an Etruscan settlement.This Tuscan city became a symbol of the Renaissance during the early Medici period (between the 15th and the 16th centuries),reaching1)extraordinarylevels of economic and cultural development.The present historic centre covers 505 ha and is2)boundedby the remains of the city’s 14th-century walls.These walls are represented by surviving gates,towers,and the two Medici strongholds: that of Saint John the Baptist in the north,popularly known as “da Basso”,and the Fort of San Giorgio del Belvedere located among the hills of the south side.The Arno River runs east and west through the city and a series of bridges connects its two banks including Ponte Vecchio and Ponte Santa Trinita.

Seven hundred years of cultural and artistic blooming are tangible today in the 14th-century Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore,the Church of Santa Croce,the Palazzo Vecchio,the Uffizi gallery,and the Palazzo Pitti.The city’s history is further evident in the artistic works of great masters such as Giotto,Brunelleschi,Botticelli and Michelangelo.

The Historic Centre of Florence can be3)perceivedas a unique social and urban achievement,which includes museums,churches,buildings and artworks of immeasurable worth.Florence had an overwhelming influence on the development of architecture and the fine arts,first in Italy,and then in Europe.It is within the context of Florence that the4)conceptof the Renaissance came to be.This heritage bestows upon Florence unique historical and aesthetic qualities.

Over the centuries,Florence’s location also proved5)optimalfor agriculture and trade.The surrounding landscape was well-suited to raising crops and livestock,and land-and water-based trade routes—the Arno in particular—passed through or near the city.Today,multiple bridges connect the northern and southern halves of Florence across the Arno.Spanning the river at its narrowest point is the Ponte Vecchio (“Old Bridge”).Earlier bridges built at or around the same spot had washed away in floods,but this bridge has lasted since 1345.

Modern structures with big footprints6)interruptthe sea of red-tile roofs north of the river.Near the center of town,railroad tracks draw parallel lines running north-northwest.West of the tracks and immediately north of the river are racetracks.Near the east of the town sit sports stadiums.Although dwarfed by modern train tracks and racetracks,many of the smaller buildings near the center of town are far more famous.In a plaza north of the river,not far from the Ponte Vecchio,sit the Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore) and the Baptistery.The cathedral appears as a cross-shaped building casting a big shadow to the north.Its neighbor to the west,the Baptistery,is bright white.

Santa Maria del Fiore towers above the city skyline.The building was started in the thirteenth century but the construction of its dome was not completed until the fifteenth,overseen by the architect Filippo Brunelleschi.With a mean diameter of 143.5 feet (43.7 meters) and a height of 295 feet(89.9 meters),the dome was the biggest built since Antiquity.By some estimates,the Duomo remains the largest masonry dome today.

The Baptistery may be the oldest surviving building in Florence.The7)beliefthat the Baptistery originated as a Roman Temple of Mars persisted for centuries.Even though the time of the Baptistery’s construction remains a matter of research and debate,excavations have8)indicatedthat the building sits on foundations dating from the first through third centuries AD.

1) extraordinaryadj.非同尋常的

2) boundv.形成……的邊界

3) perceivev.感知；認為

4) conceptn.概念

5) optimaladj.最優的；最佳的

6) interruptv.打斷；遮擋

7) beliefn.信念；相信

8) indicatev.表明；顯示

詞組加油站

a symbol of ……的象征

have a/an...influence on 對……有……影響

in particular 尤其；特別

date from 追溯到

佛羅倫薩是在意大利古國伊特魯里亞的一個定居點上建立起來的。在美第奇時代早期（15 世紀到16 世紀之間），這座托斯卡納城市成為文藝復興的象征，無論是經濟還是文化，都發展到了非凡的水平。現在的歷史中心以該市14 世紀城墻遺跡為界，占地505 公頃。在這些城墻上，有殘存的城門、塔樓和兩座美第奇堡壘：北部的施洗者圣約翰堡（俗稱“達巴索”），以及位于南側山區的圣喬治德爾貝爾維德爾堡。阿爾諾河自東向西穿城而過，兩岸由眾多橋梁互相連通，包括維奇奧橋和圣特里尼塔橋。

如今，在建于14 世紀的圣瑪麗亞大教堂、圣十字教堂、維奇奧宮、奧菲齊畫廊和皮蒂宮，均可領略700 年來的繁榮文化和藝術。在喬托、布魯內萊斯基、波提切利和米開朗琪羅等藝術大師的藝術作品中，這座城市的歷史更是栩栩如生。

佛羅倫薩歷史中心可被視為獨特的社會和城市成就，其中包括博物館、教堂、建筑和無價的藝術品。佛羅倫薩對建筑和藝術的發展影響巨大，先是在意大利，然后是在歐洲。正是因為佛羅倫薩，才誕生了文藝復興的概念。這一遺產賦予了佛羅倫薩獨特的歷史和美學品質。

幾個世紀以來，佛羅倫薩的地理位置同樣被證明最適合農業生產和貿易往來。周圍的地貌非常適合種植農作物和蓄養牲畜，而陸路和水路貿易路線——特別是阿爾諾河——或穿城而過，或傍城而生。如今，佛羅倫薩的北部和南部由橫跨阿爾諾河的多座橋梁連通。維奇奧橋（“老橋”）橫跨河流最窄處，自1345 年以來一直屹立不倒，而在同一地點或附近建造的早期橋梁已悉數被洪水沖跨。

占地面積巨大的現代建筑將阿爾諾河北岸的紅瓦屋頂海洋一一遮擋。在市中心附近，鐵軌形成了一條向西北偏北延伸的平行線。鐵軌的西側和阿爾諾河的正北面是賽馬場，城東近郊則散布著一些體育場館。盡管與現代的鐵軌和賽馬場相比相形見絀，但市中心附近許多小型建筑的名頭卻要大得多。在阿爾諾河北岸離維奇奧橋不遠的廣場上，坐落著佛羅倫薩大教堂（花之圣母大教堂）和洗禮堂。大教堂看起來像是一幢十字形的建筑，向北面投下巨大的陰影。西面與其毗鄰的洗禮堂，閃著亮白色的光。

花之圣母大教堂塔樓群在城市天際線之上。大教堂始建于13 世紀，由建筑師菲利波·布魯內萊斯基監工建造，但它的穹頂直到15 世紀才完成。該穹頂的平均直徑達143.5 英尺（43.7米），高度為295 英尺（89.9米），是有史以來建造的最大的穹頂。據估計，大教堂仍然是當今最大的磚石穹頂建筑。

洗禮堂可能是佛羅倫薩現存最古老的建筑。數百年來，人們一直認為洗禮堂起源于羅馬馬爾斯神廟。盡管洗禮堂的建造時間仍然有待考證并充滿爭議，但發掘出來古跡表明，該建筑的地基可以追溯至公元1 世紀到3 世紀。