Florence City Guide

www.firenzeturismo.it www.firenzeturismo.it LIBERA Florence City Guide Guida alla città di Firenze 2 0 1 1 1 2 A CITY GUIDE TO FLORENCE of Renaissance art by the likes of Botticelli, One day in Florence Filippo Lippi, Paolo Uccello, Leonardo da One day in Florence: the city deserves a little longer than that, but a one-day visit will at least give you an Vinci and Michelangelo. A visit to the gal- idea. With just one day at your disposal, you will want to see the main sites and walk around the heart of the lery requires several hours. If you do not historic city centre. have time, continue on foot towards Ponte Start from Piazza del Duomo, where the Baptistery and the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore face each Vecchio, another symbol of the city, which other. The cathedral was begun by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1296, but it was not until 1436 that it was crow- has survived wars and flooding. Since the ned by the Cupola, Filippo Brunelleschi’s Guida alla città/City Guide 16th century, the buildings on the bridge masterpiece. The dome is the symbol of have been occupied by goldsmiths. Florence, a bold and majestic piece of ar- Crossing the bridge, you find yourself di là chitecture that affords fantastic views of d’Arno, that is, ‘beyond the Arno’, an impor- the city (and of the cathedral interior). On tant notion in Florence. Of the four historic the façade side of the cathedral is the bol- neighbourhoods, three (San Giovanni, San- dly coloured campanile of Giotto, which ta Maria Novella and Santa Croce) are north also has fine views of the city. of the river, while just one, Santo Spirito, In front of the Cathedral stands the older, is on the left bank. The main thoroughfare Romanesque-style Baptistery of San Gio- continuing on from Ponte Vecchio will bring vanni, embellished with bronze doors by you to Piazza Pitti, which is dominated by Ghiberti and Andrea Pisano. the façade of the majestic Palazzo Pitti. Of Walking along the lively Via dei Calzaiuoli, 15th-century origin, it was acquired by Eleo- you will pass by Orsanmichele, a 14th- nora, the wife of Cosimo I, and became the new residence of the Medici family, who had previously been in century building that started out life as a Palazzo della Signoria. It was enlarged and embellished with a magnificent park, theBoboli Gardens. Palazzo granary situated on the site of the ancient Pitti houses a cluster of different museums, one of which are the gardens themselves. If you still have some oratory of San Michele. It became a pla- time, head towards Piazza Santo Spirito, where you can soak up the lively atmosphere of this corner of the ce of worship due to the munificence of city. The neighbourhood is packed with craft trades, and has a very authentic feel to it. Piazza Santo Spirito, the trade guilds which, between the 14th one of the few piazzas in the city with trees in it, is overlooked by beautiful palazzos and by the church of and the 16th centuries, adorned it with Santo Spirito, which was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi in 1444. Besides the pure architectural lines of the sculptures and paintings of the highest façade, the church also boasts a number of important artworks. standard. There are sculptural works by Donatello, Verrocchio, Ghiberti and Nanni di Banco, amongst others. At the far end of Via dei Calzaiuoli you come to Piazza della Signoria, the political heart of the city. Palazzo della Signoria, or Palazzo Vecchio, which is the seat of Florence City Council besides housing a museum, was built at the end of the 13th century. As you walk into the interior courtyard, you can admire a putto-decorated fountain by Verrocchio and frescoes by Vasari. Also in the piazza is the 14th-century Loggia dei Lanzi, which displays famous statues such as Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus and Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabines. Adjoining Palazzo Vecchio is the imposing Uffizi Gallery. Designed by Vasari in the 16th century as the Medici secretariat, it is now one of the most important museums in the world. The gallery contains paintings ran- ging from early masters (Cimabue, Giotto) through to Mannerism, with a splendidly representative selection 3 4 sells clothing and accessories. to the harmonious Piazza Santissima Annunziata, Two days in Florence Returning to Palazzo Medici and walking along Via which is surrounded by porticoes and buildings, the If you have two days to visit Florence, you can obviously cover more. This itinerary can be used Cavour you will come to the piazza with the church most important of which is the Spedale degli Inno- for one day as well, to see something different or if you have already been in the city for a while. of San Marco and the adjoining convent. The con- centi, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. The Spedale vent of San Marco, belonging to the Dominicans of was established as a foundling hospital as early as Situated not far from the railway station of Santa Maria Novella, a masterpiece of early 20th-century ra- Fiesole, was one the city’s major centres for intellec- 1440, and houses a museum and other very inte- tionalist architecture, is the basilica that tual pursuits. Cosimo il Vecchio invested heavily to resting areas. gave the station its name: Santa Maria enlarge and embellish it. The basilica of Santissima Annunziata dates back Novella, a 13th-century church of the The Museum of San Marco, which is housed in the to the middle of the 13th century and was built for Dominican order. It has an elegant façade convent, contains a series of Renaissance frescoes the Order of the Servants of Mary. Inside there are in green and white marble, and a beautiful Guida alla città/City Guide by Beato Angelico; the fabulous library was the work frescoes by Andrea del Sarto, Franciabigio, Pontor- Gothic interior with a wealth of frescoes of Michelozzo. mo and Rosso Fiorentino. To the left of the church, and some masterpieces of Renaissance A stone’s throw from Piazza San Marco is the Acca- on the corner with Via Capponi, is the entrance to the art. Adjoining the church is the Museum demia Gallery, one of Florence’s most visited mu- Archaeology Museum, which contains extremely si- of the same name. seums because it houses Michelangelo’s celebrated gnificant Etruscan, Roman and above all Egyptian Narrow, atmospheric alleyways lead to Via David. However, the museum also displays other collections. When visiting the museum, be sure to Tornabuoni, the city’s most elegant street, interesting sculptures by the same artist and a rich go out into the beautiful garden, where a number of backing onto which is the imposing bulk collection of Tuscan paintings from the 13th to the Etruscan tombs have been reconstructed. of Palazzo Strozzi. Built by Benedetto da 16th century. From the Gallery it is just a short walk Maiano to a commission by Filippo Stroz- zi, it is one of the most important Renais- sance buildings in Florence. Some of the Palazzo’s beautiful rooms are used for art exhibitions, and it has a large internal courtyard that is always open. Continuing on towards Piazza della Re- pubblica you arrive in what was the heart of the city in Roman times. The modern- day piazza was laid out in the 19th century. If you walk along to and across Piazza Duomo, you will find yourself in Via Mar- telli. After about a hundred metres you will run into another large Renaissance building, Palazzo Medici Riccardi. This was designed by Michelozzo for Cosimo il Vecchio de’Medici towards the middle of the 15th century. Indeed, the whole neighbourhood was shaped by the Medici family. The Palazzo, the seat of the Province of Florence, is also a museum with some magnificent reception rooms and a splendidChapel frescoed by Benozzo Gozzoli. If you are short on time you can just wander in and take a look at the courtyard, or walk through the recently opened Galleria dei Medici, which brings you out into Via Ginori. From here you can head towards two other sites associated with the Palazzo: the nearby church of San Lorenzo and the convent of San Marco. San Lorenzo was the church of the Medici family. Its current layout, a sublime example of Renaissance architecture, was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. The façade was never completed, while the interior houses a number of fine paintings. Around the church are various other significant attractions, including the Laurentian Library, the Old Sacristy and the Medici Chapels, with the New Sacristy, one of Michelangelo’s masterpieces. In the streets surrounding the church is a colourful open-air market. Popular with tourists, it 5 6 the 13th and during the 14th century, is well worth are making a return visit. Longer stays in Florence a visit. The façade is 19th century, but the interior, Thematic itineraries Church of San Gaetano (Piazza Antinori) which is Gothic, is memorable for the frescoes of in Florence Complex of San Firenze (Piazza San Firenze) If you are in Florence for a longer stay, or have vi- Palazzo Corsini (Lungarno Corsini) Giotto and for the tombs of some of Italy’s most il- sited the city before, the following are some further Want to follow a particular thread or theme as you Palazzo dell’Antella (Piazza Santa Croce) lustrious figures, including Ugo Foscolo, Galileo Ga- Santissima Annunziata places of interest you may wish to explore. tour the city? Here are a few suggested ideas.

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