Looking
up while busy admiring the spectacular statues of the Loggia dei Lanzi including the statue of Perseus holding the head of
Medusa (1555) by Benvenuto
Cellini, you might have missed to notice the beautiful bas-relief placed
right at the base of this statue.This
square bronze bas-relief depicting
an episode...
On the 18th of February Florence celebrates a very special woman, the one to whom we owe the salvaging of our art heritage: Anna Maria Luisa dei Medici, also known as the Electress Palatine.
Anna Maria was the daughter of Cosimo III and Margherita Luisa d'Orleans. Theirs was a very...
Florence has changed its appearance
many times over the centuries, and a great number of buildings was lost due to
demolitions and renovations. This is the case of the Church of San Pier Maggiore, of which only traces of the arches of
the external portico of the church remain in...
Many
are the anecdotes and legends regarding the city of Florence, Piazza Duomo
alone is the protagonist of several of these interesting stories. Today we'll
tell about you some of them.
The
fall of the Duomo’s golden sphere was
indeed a shocking event.
We must start by saying that designing...
Every city has its own ghosts, and Florence certainly could not be the exception. There are stories about sightings of spirits in the Tuscan capital, like the one of Palazzo Budini-Gattai or Ginevra degli Almieri. The story we're going to tell you today is about one of the most famous:...
Walking down the streets
of Florence you might have seen them: tiny arched shaped doors on the walls of
buildings in the city center. Many wonder what they are, even some florentines
don't know their history.
They are called "buchette
del vino" (litterally "wine holes"), closed with little
wooden doors...
Have you ever heard a Florentine say: “San Giovanni non vuole inganni" (Saint John doesn't allow deceit)? This saying is often used in situations where someone has tried to trick somebody else and the other person found out, or they don't believe the lie told. Where does this saying come from?...
While taking a stroll at
the Cascine Park, a very peculiar
structure might have caught your eye. We are talking about the pyramid that can be found along the tree-lined
avenu, looking rather out of place in the Tuscan capital.What on earth is a pyramid doing in Florence? Well,
it...
The Arno river has always been a faithful friend to the Florentines,
allowing the proliferation of numerous activities along its banks, exploiting
every resource it made available. In particular, a city with an intense
building activity like Florence, needed a great quantity of building material,
and it is precisely to...
Florence is beautiful even in the rain, but when it shines under the spring sun it becomes something spectacular. It is then that you have to go out absolutely for a walk in the center, or along the bank of the river Arno or better still go to visit one...
Florence is a city that has always done things
a little in its own way, as demonstrated by the fact that for 168 years it
celebrated the New Year on a different day than the rest of Italy.
The Florentine New
Year is celebrated on 25 March, the date
corresponding...
On January 26th, in Florence we celebrate San Zanobi (Saint Zenobius) so you might see a garland of flowers at the base of the column in Piazza Duomo - if you ever even noticed the column in the first place.
Many people, including Florentines, pass by it every day not...
If you have been to
Piazza Santissima Annunziata you might have noticed a window that remains open
all year round, whether it's summer or winter, so much so that the Florentines
have renamed it "the window that is
always open". It is located on
the top floor of Palazzo Grifoni,...
Visiting Florence in August has its
downsides. Around the second week of the month, you will find yourselves
walking the almost deserted city streets looking for a bar, restaurant or
grocery shop that does not display the sign "CHIUSO PER FERIE" (closed for the holidays).
That’s because most Florentines -...
The members of the Medici family were as much loved by the people as they were hated by the rival families who aimed to take their place in power. Among these we find the Pazzi, also bankers, who harbored a visceral hatred for Lorenzo the Magnificent and Giuliano, his brother....
A good observer will discover that in Florence there are several astronomical instruments scattered around the city, not only great breeding ground for artists but also for scientists and scholars.
In ancient times, to know the time people used the sundial, a measurement tool based on the detection of the...
Florence is full of
mysteries and there is no shortage among them of stories about ghosts, witches
and devils. Here is an unbelievable story, perhaps the most famous one, and
what makes it so disturbing is that it is actually a true story, although
several versions exist today.
It is...
It may happen that
looking for the address of a shop becomes confusing for those coming from
outside Florence, because in the Tuscan capital a differentiation is made
between the house numbers, written in black, and those of commercial
activities, marked with red numbers.
The origins
The civic numbering in...
Red, black, brown, white and ochre were part of the color palette artists used in cave paintings. The first pigments, invented about 40,000 years ago, were a combination of soil, animal fat, burnt charcoal, and chalk, but since then, the number of colors available to the artists has continued to...
In Italy as in many other Western countries, comics are still considered by most to be a product for children, as we are used to the fact that storytelling with pictures is found in fairy tales and children’s books. In particular the Japanese manga, that uses images often consisting of...
The "Scoppio del Carro" (Explosion of the Cart), is an event that takes place every year on Easter Sunday, and it dates back to the first Crusade.
Legend has it that the first to climb the Jerusalem walls was a Florentine named Pazzino, member of the noble Pazzi family. He...
Whether installed to celebrate an event, a personality of relevance for the city or just to decorate a piazza, Italian cities have always loved their fountains. Florence is no exception. There are many beautiful fountains scattered around the city, so let's see some of the most famous and unique fountains...
Always reported among the curiosities of Florence are Ferdinand's bees, incrediblity hard to count. It is said that whoever manages to count them without touching or marking them, will be blessed with luck. Let's see what this is
all about. At the center of Piazza SS. Annunziata we find the...
You might have noticed that lions are everywhere in Florence. Have you wondered why?
They are guarding Palazzo Vecchio and the Loggia de Lanzi, they are on the weathervane on top of the Arnolfo Tower, they are represented in coat of arms, in paintings, and even the bases of lamplights...
Far from the madding crowd! If you are attending one of our
courses, take a break and stroll at - VILLA FABBRICOTTI A short walk from Piazza della Libertà, in via Vittorio Emanuele
II, there's a beautiful green space, a luxurious villa on top of a terraced hill, a
rich vegetation...
Florence is universally considered
the city of art and hosts many universities, schools and art institutions, but
why doesn't it have a museum or a center of contemporary art to accommodate
large-scale events like other big Italian cities? Certainly its efforts are
mainly aimed at cultivating the past, both culturally...
As fireplaces disappeared from the houses, the florentine,
and tuscan in general, tradition of the “Ceppo” (Christmas stump) has also
gradually been lost. The elders called the day of Christmas and Santo Stefano
"Ceppo" and "Ceppino", referring to this very tradition.
The Christmas stump had a profound meaning, of strength...
Ten minutes walk from the bus no. 20 terminus, at the eastern border of the city you will find the Mensola
Park, named after the stream that crosses it, coming down from Fiesole. It is a
large open area of 20 hectares with pedestrian and bicycle paths, partly
being redeveloped with...
Woe to speak 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
key role...
The villa and the large park were one of the private
residences of the Strozzi family, built in the mid-16th century by Giovan
Battista di Lorenzo Strozzi. The Strozzi were a family of bankers, perhaps the
richest of the time, long enemies of the Medici. Their palace in the center...
Admiring a work of art
and understanding a work of art are two very different things. Of course,
understanding art is not easy, but at least as far as the works of the past are
concerned, it helps that the artists often used a few recurring themes. Knowing
at least...
Right in the center of the Loggia del Porcellino, in the floor, there is a marble disk depicting a cart wheel.
It indicates the point where the "carroccio" (cart) was placed with
the insignia and flags of the Florentine Republic, where the army gathered in
case of war. But the...
Half
an hour by car or bus from Florence, above the Santa Brigida Village, you will
find the "Ring of the Burraie", a 16-kilometer equipped trakking
route through woods, meadows, rocks and beautiful landscapes. Along the path you
will meet many “burraie” in excellent condition. But what are the “burraie”?...
Mainly formed by a
wood of beautiful white poplars, it extends for several kilometers on the left
bank of the Arno, on the eastern city outskirts. Very popular, it offers
beautiful views of the river, at that point continuously crossed by the rowing
boats of the Municipal Rowing Club, based...
An original letter from Leonardo da Vinci has come down to us, we try to give here a translation. It speaks of wine, the wine he himself produced in Fiesole:"From Milan to Zanobi Boni, my farm manager. 9
December 1515. The last four jars were not as expected and I...
In the largest public park in Florence, Le Cascine, unexpectedly
you meet a monument dedicated to an Indian prince! The young Indian prince
Rajaram Chuttraputti of Kolhapur, returning from England where he had visited
the queen, suddenly died in Florence on the 30th November 1870, at the age of
21....
Until recently, the park of Villa
Fabbricotti was dominated by a wonderful example of a Lebanon Cedar, right
at the top of the hill. The trunk 8 meters wide, almost 25 meters high and 200
years old. For its beauty and monumentality it was chosen by the District
Council of...
Another green oasis a few steps from the historic center,
easy to reach on foot. Built for scientific botanical experiments in 1859 by
the Georgofili Academy, an institution founded in the 1700s for the study of
agricultural techniques and gardening, it was and still is the site of
floriculture and...
In Naples there is the famous
Pulcinella, in Venice there is Colombina and in Bergamo there are Arlecchino
and Brighella; but even Florence has its traditional
carnival mask! It is called Stenterello, and owes its name to its puny and haggard appearance,
that of a man who seems to have,...
Florence also has its own Romeo and Juliet, but they are called Ippolito and Dianora (or Lionora).
The story is told in a novella
of the fifteenth century, Istorietta
amorosa fra Leonora de ’Bardi e Ippolito Buondelmonti, that most attribute
to the pen of Leon Battista Alberti.
It is about...
On the wall of Palazzo Vecchio, behind the statue of Hercules and Cacus
by Baccio Bandinelli, you will notice, if you look closely, the face of a man
engraved in stone.
According to the legend, Michelangelo Buonarroti himself is the author
of this artwork.
Michelangelo was an excellent artist, but...
A golden shield with five red balls, and
a blue one decorated with three golden lilies. You must have seen it everywhere
in Florence, since it is the Medici coat of arms.
The Medici blazon underwent inexplicable changes during
most of the fifteenth century, in particular in regards to the...
The
meter is an object that we all have at home, to which we do not give much
importance; often forgotten at the bottom of a drawer under the batteries and
the rolls of adhesive tape. We certainly cannot consider it a luxury item.
But
what if we told you...
The Fortezza
da Basso, or fortress of San Giovanni Battista, today the main Florentine
exhibition venue, has a long history, which began after the experience of the
siege of 1529.
At the time, Duke Alessandro de’ Medici
commissioned to the artists and architects Pier Francesco da Viterbo and
Antonio da...
Florence is well-stocked with oddities, just look
around while walking down the street to catch some of them. One of these, which
strikes the eye of the most attentive ones, is the balcony located in Borgo
Ognissanti, at number 12.
It certainly stands out: all the architectural elements that compose...
Do you have a day
off? Take a ride to --- THE WINDMILL OF MONTERIFRASSINE . Tuscany is not a
windy territory, if not on the coast and in some mountain areas. For this
reason, over the centuries the mills to grind wheat have been pushed by the
water of...
The Bargello, today
a museum that houses one of the most important Renaissance collections of
sculptures in the world, as well as a vast collection dedicated to the applied
arts, was originally built as a residence of the Potestà in the 13th century. Subsequently
it housed the Otto di Guardia...
At the time of Dante, Piazza del Duomo was very different from how we know it today.
There was the Baptistery but there was no Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore, which was built starting in 1296 on the foundations of the ancient church of Santa Reparata. Furthermore, on the...
The Fontana del Nettuno was finally inaugurated after a two-year restoration, generously funded by the Ferragamo fashion house.
In 1559 Cosimo I de Medici announced a competition to design the first public fountain in Florence, which thanks to the construction of a new aqueduct would bring water to the city...
Once upon a time, female blackbirds were white as snow, but during one particularly harsh winter their appearance changed forever.
January, was a cruel month, cold and unforgiving, especially towards the little animals that struggled to survive to see another spring. Food was scarce, and snowstorms were frequent and the...
Palazzo Vecchio, with its high tower is one of the symbols of Florence, and the tower, which stands 95 meters high above the roofs of the city, is what marks the location of the ancient Palazzo della Signoria even from afar.
The tower of Arnolfo was built at the beginning...
Those who watched the tv show Medici, were left wondering about the real story of Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci, the noblewoman considered to have been the muse of Sandro Botticelli. In the episodes of the tv series we see how Simonetta and Giuliano de Medici fall in love while posing as...
We can all agree that Italian bread is what dreams are made of; for us a good meal is not the same without it.
But did you know that Tuscan bread is very different from the other Italian breads? Alas, for once, we’re missing something the rest of Italy isn’t:...
Palazzo Pitti is certainly the largest palace in Florence, now home to priceless treasures, once home to the lords of the city, the Medici. We all know it as the residence of the Medici family, in fact, but its name reveals its true origins.
Luca Pitti, the archenemy of Cosimo...
The Santa Maria Novella Church is one of the most beautiful churches in Florence as well as one of the most important examples of Gothic architecture in Tuscany, and yet, it is too often neglected by tourists, drawn to more famous places of interest.
Do not make this mistake. You...
Brunelleschi's dome, with its red tiled roof and white contrasting marble ribs, is one of the most distinctive architectures of Florence. Admired and known for its exterior appearance, it is actually an architectural masterpiece that is equally astonishing when viewed from the inside. Brunelleschi had left the interior of the...
Finding yourself in front of Florence’s breathtaking masterpieces such as the David of Michelangelo or Botticelli’s Primavera or even stepping inside the stunning Chapel of the Princes in San Lorenzo, can cause some serious dizziness. But what if what you felt was more than simple dizziness and excitement? What if...
Little known in Florence is the Church of San Jacopo Sopr'Arno, a structure of ancient origin built in Romanesque style. Dating back to the X-XI century, it gave its name to the borough that was built around it, Borgo San Jacopo, in the Florentine Oltrarno.
Giovanni Villani, Florentine historian and...
Trades between Florence and the Flanders began in the 15th century. Many Florentine families commissioned works to Flemish that once arrived here in Florence, greatly influenced local artists.
In addition to the works, many artists from Flanders also arrved, many of whom were involved in the Medicean Tapestry Manufactory founded...
What do we know about the story of the creation of Michelangelo’s David, one of the world’s greatest masterpieces?
As one could expect it all started with a piece of stone. A huge 5-meter-high block of marble stone that other artists had already attempted to sculpt before, giving up almost...
Big news from the art world! The “Salvator Mundi”, the last Leonardo Da Vinci painting still in the hands of a private collector, will be put up for auction on November 15.
At the time of its discovery in 2010 the painting was defined the greatest artistic discovery of the...
Again this year, the Rificolona festival will brighten the day of September 7th for many children, who will have fun building a colorful lantern and parading it through the city streets, while the more mischievous ones will arm themselves with blowguns to try and hit the delicate paper creations.
This...
THE LEGENDOnce upon a time in Florence, lived a Young man called Michele who dedicated his life to his work and to charity works he did around the neighborhood, he had such a good heart that people had started to call him “San Michele”.
He owned a stable and horses...
Everyone knows the Mercato Nuovo (New Market) of Florence and the famous Loggia del Porcellino, built in 1547 by Giovanni Battista Tasso.
Here, just a few steps from Ponte Vecchio, in origin was held the trade of silk and precious objects, but over the years this changed. Infact, from the...
