It is found written in chronicles made by our ancestors of Florence, men of old time and of credibility, even as Giovanni Villani writes, that the city of Florence was evidently built in imitation of the fair city of Rome; and certain remnants of the Colosseum and the Baths can yet be traced.

Benvenuto Cellini in The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini (1563), translated by John Addington Symonds
Added by Dan Costinaş
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

I am called Benvenuto Cellini, son of Maestro Giovanni, son of Andrea, son of Cristofano Cellini; my mother was Madonna Elisabetta, daughter to Stefano Granacci; both parents citizens of Florence.

Benvenuto Cellini in The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini (1563), translated by John Addington Symonds
Added by Dan Costinaş
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!