CONTENTS
Highlights of Florence 7 Historical sketch 20 The Florentine Renaissance 10 Further reading 34
THE GUIDE
The Duomo & Baptistery Santissima Annunziata 168 Duomo 37 Museo Archeologico 173 Campanile 48 Via degli Alfani 176 Baptistery 49 San Lorenzo & Palazzo Medici- Museo dell’Opera del Duomo 54 Riccardi Around Piazza del Duomo 59 San Lorenzo 180 Piazza della Repubblica & Biblioteca Laurenziana 185 Orsanmichele Medici Chapels 186 Piazza della Repubblica 61 Piazza San Lorenzo 188 Orsanmichele 62 Palazzo Medici-Riccardi 189 Piazza della Signoria & Palazzo Santa Maria Novella & Ognissanti Vecchio Santa Maria Novella 193 Piazza della Signoria 69 Piazza Santa Maria Novella 202 Loggia della Signoria 70 Ognissanti 203 Palazzo Vecchio 74 Santa Trìnita & Via Tornabuoni Galleria degli Uffizi Santa Trìnita 206 Galleria degli Uffizi 85 The Bargello & its Medieval District Museo di Storia della Scienza 107 The Bargello 215 Palazzo Pitti & the Boboli Gardens The Badia Fiorentina 226 Palazzo Pitti 111 The District of Santa Croce Galleria Palatina 113 Piazza Santa Croce 230 Appartamenti Reali 124 The Church of Santa Croce 231 Galleria d’Arte Moderna 128 Casa Buonarroti & Sant’Ambrogio Galleria del Costume 134 Casa Buonarroti 248 Museo degli Argenti 135 Sant’Ambrogio 250 Boboli Gardens 139 Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio 251 San Marco, Galleria dell’Accademia & The Arno Santissima Annunziata Ponte Vecchio 255 The Convent of San Marco 149 Santa Felicita 257 Piazza San Marco 159 Via de’ Bardi 259 Galleria dell’Accademia 160 The Oltrarno Opificio delle Pietre Dure 164 Santo Spirito 266 Piazza Santissima Annunziata 165 Santa Maria del Carmine 273 Spedale degli Innocenti 166 San Frediano 276 6 CONTENTS
Forte di Belvedere & San Miniato Certosa del Galluzzo 307 Forte di Belvedere 281 Medici villas 308 San Miniato al Monte 282 Museo Stibbert, Villa la Pietra & Piazzale Michelangelo 286 Villa Demidoff 313 Environs of Florence Appendix Fiesole & environs 289 Churches 316 Maiano 299 Libraries 324 Castel di Poggio & Vincigliata 299 Specialist museums 325 Ponte a Mensola 300 Palaces 328 Settignano 302 Street tabernacles 334 Pian de’ Giullari 303 Theatres 335 Monteoliveto & Bellosguardo 305
THE WALKS
Walk 1 Around Orsanmichele 65 Walk 5 Museo Horne & its district 245 Walk 2 Towards the English Walk 6 Borgo degli Albizi & Cemetery 178 Borgo Pinti 252 Walk 3 Via Tornabuoni 208 Walk 7 Along the Arno 261 Walk 4 The Medieval District 227 Walk 8 Around the Oltrarno 277
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Planning your trip 336 Churches & church services 362 Getting around 337 Festivals 362 Tourist information 340 Shops & markets 364 Accommodation 341 Entertainment 367 Food & drink 348 Parks & gardens 368 Museums, galleries, monuments 361 Additional information 368
Glossary of art terms 373 Central Florence maps 397 Index 378
About the author Alta Macadam has been a writer of Blue Guides since 1970. She lives with her Italian family in Florence, where she has been associated with the Bargello museum, the Alinari photo archive, Harvard University at Villa I Tatti, and New York University at Villa La Pietra. Her Americans in Florence was published by Giunti in Florence in 2003. As author of the Blue Guides to Rome, Venice, Tuscany and Umbria, she travels extensively in Italy every year to revise new editions of the books.