Birthplace of the Renaissance/Rinascimento, font of Dante, Leonardo, Michelangelo, the Medici's and so many others who gave art, literature, language, and politics to Italian culture. Even in mid-February, the city was abuzz with life, and an astounding number of tourists, not just from nearby European locales, but from the US, China & Japan. Nearly all of its most famous icons are reachable on a rambling perambulation in a day, although more time is needed to take in all that the city hosts.