Basilica di San Miniato al Monte in Florence

You're standing at San Miniato al Monte, on one of the highest points in Florence. Start with the façade. It's inlaid with a geometric pattern of green, black and white marble. The lower part probably dates from around 1090, the rest from the twelfth century. The money came from the Calimala, the powerful guild of cloth merchants. Right at the top you'll spot their symbol: an eagle clutching a bale of cloth. Below it shines a mosaic of Christ between the Virgin and Saint Minias.