Valentin Serov visited Italy in 1904, but was not impressed: “I expected much from Florence... The architecture is unattractive. The Campanile di Giotto is fine, but not captivatingly so, as I had imagined. Il Duomo is such a ridiculous lump inside and outside – it is remarkable; the dome, true, is wonderful. Yes, also fine are the Loggia dell’Orcagna of the Piazza de la Signoria; the palaces: St...