A tale of two cities

[Photo/China Daily]

On the corner of Piazza della Signoria is the Uffizi, one of the most famous and important art galleries in the world. It originally held works collected by the Medici family over four centuries and now displays a huge collection of international and Florentine art.

The piazza was repaved in the 1980s, and archaeological treasures found under it pointed to the piazza having served as a central square in the original Roman town Florentia. It was surrounded by a theater, Roman baths and a textile-dyeing workshop.

As the Renaissance's birthplace, Florence projects powerful reminders of its artistic and historical glories. Thanks to Italians' enlightened thinking on heritage conservation, people from around the world can still feel and appreciate the culture of bygone times.

However, in Nanjing－as in many Chinese cities－traditional architecture has gradually been replaced by new tower blocks, and construction sites are everywhere.

Unlike the citizens of their sibling city, Nanjingers are hard pressed to find a historical public place like Piazza della Signoria, where history and art can be enjoyed to their fullest.

Florence was listed as the second best world city by Conde Nast Traveler, and－perhaps unsurprisingly－tourism is its primary industry. In 2010, Travel + Leisure magazine readers ranked the city as their third favorite.