The Allegory of the Immaculate Conception by
Giorgio Vasari is a late Renaissance masterpiece housed in the ancient
Church of Santi Apostoli. A small replica is also on display at the Uffizi. The painting, dating back to around 1541, was
commissioned by Bindo Aldoviti, a banker and patron, for his...
Woe betide anyone who speaks ill of Florence to a Florentine,
you could trigger a very heated discussion. Florentines have always been known
for their patriotic spirit, proud of their city and their origins. We can't
blame them after all, considering that in the past Florence has really played a...
We don’t talk enough about illuminated
manuscripts, books of incredible beauty that monks would take years decorating.
The history of miniatures in Italy has its roots in the Early Middle Ages
(6th-11th centuries). This art form developed primarily in monasteries, true
hotbeds of culture and craftsmanship, where monastic scriptoria, rooms...
Autumn is the time for chestnuts, and in Tuscan cuisine there are many dishes based on this highly nutritious ingredient, once an important source
of sustenance for the poorest populations and especially for those who lived in
the countryside.Among the traditional
Tuscan recipes that use chestnuts, the most reknown is...
The pomegranate,
with its leathery skin, blood-red color, and sparkling ruby-like seeds, has
been a muse for countless artists around the world since ancient times. A
concentration of symbolism, it has left an indelible mark on the world of
visual art, from its depiction in Egyptian tombs to Renaissance masterpieces,...
The Museo della Specola, one of the most interesting museums in Florence, houses invaluable collections though which it promises to show visitors every aspect of nature, from the earth to the sky.Inaugurated
on 21 February 1775 as the Imperial and Royal Museum of Physics and Natural
History at the behest...
The
Academia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence hosts the first major retrospective in
Italy dedicated to the Franco-Croatian artist Slavko Kopač,
a key figure in the intersection of Surrealism, Informel, and Art Brut. Eighty years after his first solo exhibition in Florence, at the Galleria
Michelangelo on Via Porta...
One of
Florence's jewels is the Opificio delle
Pietre Dure, founded in 1932, today one of the most prestigious restoration
centers in the world.
Its origins date back to 1588, when Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici needed
to train the craftsmen needed to build the Chapel of the Princes...
Nowadays,
if images deemed inappropriate appear on TV or social media, they're blurred or
covered with black bars to prevent them from offending or disturbing us. But
did you know that censorship was practiced even atthe time of the great
Renaissance masters?One
of the most famous examples is the censorship...
When
we think of Florence, our mind immediately turns to its Renaissance
masterpieces of painting, sculpture, and architecture, especially those of
Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Brunelleschi. But there's a
lesser-known art form that has left its mark on the city's history: Florentine
majolica.With
its vibrant colors and intricate...
