# Florence: a 5-hour walk through 10 centuries of art and history



## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

Florence itinerary by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 9*

A much larger palace can be seen to the southeast, the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, designed by Michelozzo for Cosimo il Vecchio de' Medici, and built between 1444 and 1484. The palace’s plain exterior was desired on purpose by Cosimo so he could keep a low profile and exercise his power behind the scenes (he had refused a previous project by Filippo Brunelleschi for being "too sumptuous", fearing this would "bring him envy among his citizens rather than greatness”). Its stone masonry is characteristic, with its contrasting elements of rustication (rough finish) and ashlar (smooth finish):

South wall and facade of Palazzo Medici Riccardi by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 12*

Michelozzo was influenced in his design by both classical Roman and Brunelleschian principles: the rusticated masonry and the cornice had precedents in Roman practice, yet the palace’s tripartite elevation expresses the Renaissance spirit of rationality and order, emphasized by horizontal string courses that divide it into stories of decreasing height, which makes it look distinctly Florentine overall, unlike any known Roman building. The transition from the rusticated masonry of the ground floor to the more delicately refined stonework of the third floor makes the palace look lighter and taller, as the eye moves upward to the massive cornice that caps it and clearly defines its outline.

The once open corner loggia and shop fronts on the street were walled in during the 16th century, and replaced by Michelangelo by "kneeling windows" (with scrolling consoles appearing to support the sill) framed in a pedimented aedicule or tabernacle. The main doorway is also framed in the same way:

Palazzo Medici Riccardi by Wasso H., on Flickr

The palace’s sober exterior contrasts with the elegance and luxury of its interior, which reflects well the wealth accumulated by the family. The interior is famous in particular for the beautifully frescoed Magi Chapel, completed around 1459, that owes its name to the portraits of members of the Medici and their allies parading through Tuscany in the guise of the Three Magi.

The palace was sold in 1659 to the Marquis Gabriello Riccardi, who immediately undertook major expansion works, respecting the Renaissance character of exterior and adapting the interior to taste of the times. It was acquired by the Prefecture in 1874, and hosted a dinner between heads of state Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler in 1938. It serves today as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Florence, as well as a museum.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 12*

Above Palazzo Medici stands the large and elegant Palazzo Pucci Sansedoni (or Palazzo Servadio), built in the 18th century on the site of the so-called “old house of the Medici”, demolished after the assassination of Duke Alessandro. It was purchased by the Italian government when Florence was the country’s capital. Its façade unfolds on ten so-called axes, with windows interspersed with pilasters and neoclassical medallions presumably dating from the early 19th century. On the sides are the two access doors, both surmounted by a balcony on which a large window opens, crowned by the coats-of-arms of the Pucci delle Stelle and the Sansedoni families surrounded by a floral pattern. The palace houses today the Employment Center of the Region of Tuscany:

Palazzo Pucci Sansedoni by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 10*

Across Via Cavour is the equally large Palazzo Capponi-Covoni, built in 1623 for Piero Capponi, treasurer of Pope Paul V. It was joined in the 18th century to the adjacent 16th-century Palazzo Milanesi; the interiors were unified, but the façades were left uneven (as can be seen in the string courses of both the first and second floors) and with a different style of windows on the first floor: with stone ogival rings on the right, and with semicircular pediments on the left. The right façade bears the coat of arms of the Covoni (a moon crescent surmounted by a rake), while the left one bears the coat of arms of the Risaliti (two crossed branches surmounted by an ecclesiastical hat). The ground floor however is uniform, with “kneeling windows” surmounted by semicircular pediments. The building hosts today some offices of the Tuscany Regional Council, whose seat is in the nearby 18th century Palazzo Bastogi (the large building with the flags faintly visible in the back, on the same side of the street):

Via Cavour, with Palazzo Capponi-Covoni on the right and Palazzo Medici Riccardi on the left by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 11*

Of particular interest in Palazzo Capponi-Covoni is its main entrance, leading onto a vaulted gallery. It is flanked by two pilasters with Corinthian capitals, and crowned by a corbel table supporting an elegant balcony:

Main entrance of Palazzo Capponi-Covoni by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 10*

There seem to be a number of interesting palaces on Via Cavour, but I have limited time on my hands and still haven’t seen most of the city’s famed landmarks, so I decide to head south, with the Cathedral as my next important stop. I pass next to the small church of San Giovannino degli Scolopi, which is being restored. It was originally (from 1351 to 1554) an oratory dedicated to San Giovanni Evangelista, until Cosimo I decided to erect a church for the newly arrived Jesuits, which was completed in 1661. When the Jesuit Order was suppressed in 1775, the church passed on to the Piarist Fathers or Scolopi. The façade is rather simple; the door and the window in the upper part are both flanked by two pairs of columns with composite capitals, and two empty niches open in the lower part above commemorative plaques. The frieze below the pediment bears an inscription reading: MICHAEL IUNTINUS EQ STEPHAN PR FRONTEM REFECIT A. MDCCCXLIII (which tells the façade was renewed in 1843 at the expense of Michele Guntini, Cavaliere di Santo Stefano), and a solar emblem is carved at the center of the pediment between two small volutes:

Church of San Giovannino degli Scolopi by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice photos from Florence, cat :cheers:


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 13*

Shortly afterwards, I arrive to Piazza San Giovanni, adjacent to Piazza del Duomo where the Cathedral stands, and my heart skips a beat at the sheer size of the church’s dome and the amount of decoration on its façade, even though I’m looking at it from a distance.

But in the center of Piazza San Giovanni stands another landmark in its own right, the Baptistery of Saint John (Battistero di San Giovanni), which is one of the oldest buildings in Florence and probably served as its first church. It is an octagonal building whose east door stands directly opposite the west entrance to the Cathedral; its two main levels probably date from late Roman times (4th or 5th century), while the uppermost level and the pyramidal roof date from the 12th century. It was also in this period that the external revetment of the Baptistery’s sandstone façade was started. The geometrically designed cladding in white Carrara marble with green Prato marble inlay already shows signs of the search for spatial delimitation that was to lead to the Perspective of the Renaissance. The final result became a prototype for Romanesque architecture in Florence, and was used as a model for the completion of the facade of Santa Maria Novella in 1470. On the other hand, the eight corner ribs decorated with strong green and white stripes were more typical of the Romanesque style in use in Lucca, Pisa and Pistoia. Three tall blind arcades on each side articulate the main two levels of the structure, and bear windows with alternately pointed and semicircular tympani, a classical decoration that was used throughout the Renaissance.

The Baptistery is famous for its three great doors of gilded bronze of the 15th century, carved with narrative panels in Renaissance style. In particular, the Gates of Paradise on the east side by Lorenzo Ghiberti (who died just 3 years after their completion) are widely acclaimed as the structure’s greatest masterpiece. Their nickname is attributed to Michelangelo, who is said to have proclaimed upon seeing them: "They are so magnificent they could adorn the gates of Paradise". There were many annoying tourists standing next to the gates, so I couldn’t take a decent picture.

Visible near the north door is the Column of Saint Zenobius (San Zanobi), who was Bishop of Florence in the 5th century; it was placed here in 1384 to mark the site of a dead elm tree which is said to have sprung back to life when the coffin containing the body of the sainted bishop passed by during its transfer from San Lorenzo to the new cathedral of Santa Reparata in the 9th century:

The Baptistery of Saint John and the Cathedral of Florence by Wasso H., on Flickr

Inside the Baptistery, no surface is left undecorated. The walls are covered in marble in geometric designs dating from the 11th century, and the floor is paved with intarso marble designs (made of stones of different colors joined together) begun in the early 13th century, including a magnificent Oriental-style zodiac rose. The monumental tomb of Antipope John XXIII, carried out by Donatello and Michelozzo in the 1420s, stands in the middle. The eight-part vault is coated with glimmering golden mosaics of the 13th century, depicting biblical scenes in exquisite detail. Sadly the Baptistery was closed, despite being one of the city’s most important landmarks.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 14*

Before taking a detailed look at the Cathedral, I wander a little in the area around the square searching for other interesting structures. My eye is caught by a grandiose building a little west on Via de' Cerretani, known alternatively as Palazzo Cerretani, Bobrinskij or Ruspoli after its various owners. It was originally created between 1721 and 1724 by the unification of a palace owned by the Cerretani family and of other houses, and notably housed the New York Hotel in the late 18th century. In 1861, wanting to enlarge the street connecting the railway station with the city center, the City of Florence purchased the building and gave it to Russian countess Julija Bobrinskij, under the condition that she would take charge of the demolitions needed for the recession of the front part, and of the reconstruction costs. The countess commissioned a work in neo-Renaissance style that was built between 1861 and 1864; it is the main wing we see today on Via de' Cerretani. The ground floor and the corners are covered in fake ashlar, and the first floor has a number of balconies onto which open elegant arched doors, while the remaining door-windows have “false balconies” incorporated in their design. On the right corner is a marble niche with the image of the Redeemer, housing a bust that came from the old Palazzo Cerretani, however the bust had been removed before my visit, probably for restoration works:

Facade of Palazzo Cerretani / Ruspoli / Bobrinski by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 15*

The back body was initially a completely independent building, built in 1912 for the Banca Mutua Popolare. In 1915, the Bobrinskij Palace was acquired by prince Camillo Ruspoli who undertook expansion works, essentially welding the two buildings through low lateral wings with a design similar to that of the façade. These lateral wings were raised in 1947 and 1982, and are the ones we see today on Via de' Conti and Via Ferdinando Zannetti respectively. A notable difference compared to the design of the façade is that the wings have a mezzanine floor also covered in fake ashlar, and feature more ornamented window frames:

Lateral wing of Palazzo Cerretani / Ruspoli / Bobrinski by Wasso H., on Flickr

The building currently houses the offices of Banca Nazionale del Lavoro.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 16*

In the back is visible the severe stone façade of Palazzo Bezzoli, one of the buildings that still preserve intact the character of the Florentine patrician residences of the Middle Ages. Works had started in the 15th century to add decorations to the arched windows, but they were quickly interrupted, and the palace has thus come to us in its original 13th century form:

Lateral wing of Palazzo Cerretani / Ruspoli / Bobrinski by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 15*

On the other side of Via Ferdinando Zannetti is an interesting building with an unknown name. Its façade bears a carved protrusion and motifs of artificial stone alluding to the Vienna Secession movement, which shows the building is the fruit of a reconfiguration in the early 20th century, something very rare in a central area. Above the ground floor is also a wrought iron lamp with a stylized lion head from the same period. The design of the central “axis”, marked by tripartite windows, is another one of the building’s particularities.

Next to it can be seen a part of Palazzo Martelli, the result of the unification in the 17th century of several houses purchased by the Martelli at different times as the family’s wealth increased. Further transformations in the 18th century gave the building its current form; following the extinction of the last branch of the Martelli family, it was acquired by the State together with its furnishings and collections, leading to the establishment of the Museo di Casa Martelli. The palace houses today one of the city's most important private art collections, and preserves almost intact interiors of great wealth and splendor:

Interesting building on Via Ferdinando Zannetti, next to Palazzo Martelli by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 18*

To the east, the spot where Piazza San Giovanni and Piazza del Duomo meet leads onto Via de' Martelli, named after the Martelli family who owned various properties in that area. It is lined with buildings in neo-Renaissance style, quite different from the ones I saw earlier on Via de’ Ginori. The first one from the front is Palazzo Ruspoli, whose current shape is the result of a radical reconstruction in the 19th century. In the middle of the façade is a large balcony supported by corbels with lion heads, with a window door crowned by an empty escutcheon. On the main floor are the coat-of-arms of the Arte di Calimala (one of the Guilds of Florence), and a tabernacle with a fresco depicting the Madonna with the Child, both from the 15th century.

Next to it stands Palazzo Martelli; it is organized on four floors crowned by Roman eaves and a balustrade. Its current shape is also due to the 19th century transformation, in a measured neo-Renaissance style, of an old dwelling of the main branch of the Martelli family. The windows, from the bottom to the top, are successively crowned by circular pediments, then triangular ones, and finally simple molded architraves, a feature common to many Florentine buildings of the same period. On a shelf above the main access door is a bust depicting Francesco I de' Medici, the second Grand Duke of Tuscany.

The large building with a simple façade next to it is the Liceo Classico Galileo, established in 1884, and where some of the most representative cultural figures of the 20th century were formed. The building was initially a convent owned by the Jesuits together with the adjacent church of San Giovannino degli Scolopi. After the Jesuits were suppressed, the convent was given to the Piarist Fathers who established their college in it, and the definitive configuration of the complex took place in the 19th century. On the second floor of the façade there are still four oval escutcheons bearing the coats-of-arms and the insignia of the Martelli family, of the Commune, of the Gori Ciampelli family, and of the Piarists.

Neo-Renaissance palaces on Via de' Martelli by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 17*

The corner of Piazza del Duomo and Via de 'Martelli is occupied by the elegant Palazzo Gamba, also known as Palazzo Viviani or Palazzo del Bottegone. A 14th century house owned by the Viviani previously stood there, of which nothing remains; the current building instead was erected in the mid-seventies of the 19th century, concurrently with the rectification of Via de' Martelli in 1871. The ground floor, marked by a series of arches leading to various commercial establishments, is clad in fake ashlar, characteristic of that period. The upper floors and the mezzanine are noticeable for their extensive terracotta decorations; the windows of the first floor are crowned by molded ribs decorated in Renaissance style, while those of the second floor are crowned by triangular pediments. On the angle of the building is an escutcheon, also in terracotta, with the coat-of-arms of the Gamba family. Until the 1950s, the ground floor housed a famous cafe called the Bottegone, unique in the city for staying open until late.

To the right of Palazzo Gamba stand two equally noticeable buildings. The largest one is Casa Giuntini, built at the beginning of the 18th century by the Giuntini family on the site of two 14th century houses. The facade unfolds on seven narrow axes over six floors, with the doors and windows of the main floor connected by a balcony with an elegant and airy iron railing. The building is highly unusual in the Florentine urban space in that it preserves an 18th character with its unique ornamented window frames in baroque style. Indeed, such elements were too often eliminated or modified during the 19th and 20th century interventions on the facades of buildings, aimed at recovering their image as it was in the medieval or Renaissance period. In particular, the frames of the penultimate floor are decorated with the stylized image of a bat, placed to protect the house according to a tradition already well established in the 16th century.

Squeezed between Palazzo Gamba and Casa Giuntini is a narrow building with only three axes for five floors. The continuity of its eaves line with that of Casa Giuntini and the alignment of their windows would seem to indicate that the two buildings were once part of a single property, however, its façade is autonomous and appears to be the result of a 19th century reconfiguration, aimed at the recovery of a 16th-17th century architectural style. Its main feature is a balcony with a curved iron railing spanning the width of the first floor.

The last structure on the left is Hotel Duomo, housed in an 18th century building without any decoration excesses:

Palaces on the corner of Via de' Martelli and Piazza del Duomo by Wasso H., on Flickr

To the other side of Palazzo Gamba, along Via de 'Martelli, is another series of palaces all remodeled in neo-Renaissance style when the street was rectified in 1871. They are, from right to left: Palazzo Testa, owned from the 17th to the early 19th century by the Testa counts, whose coat-of-arms still stands at the center of the façade; Palazzo Treves, whose windows are crowned by alternating curved and triangular pediments; and a palace of unknown name with a similar design, but with a low mezzanine located under the Roman eaves.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

Having seen its surroundings, it is finally time to have a detailed look at the Cathedral itself. Formally called the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the massive church is known for its distinctive Renaissance dome, and its appearance today is the end result of years of work that covered over six centuries of history. The third and last Florentine cathedral, it was given the name of Santa Maria del Fiore (Holy Mary of the Flower) in 1412 in allusion to the lily, symbol of the city. It was built on top of the previous cathedral, dedicated to Santa Reparata, which remained in activity for nine centuries until the Florentine Republic decided to demolish it in 1293 and replace it with a larger and more magnificent structure, prompted by what Pisa and Siena had done, "so that the industry and power of man are unable to invent or ever attempt again anything that is larger or more beautiful". Considerable remains of Santa Reparata, which was about half the size of the present church and flanked by two bell towers, can be seen today in the archeological site underneath the Cathedral (accessible from inside it).

The project was assigned in 1294 to Arnolfo di Cambio, head architect of the City Council, who designed the cathedral to be the largest Roman Catholic church in the world, and ceremoniously laid the first stone on September 8th 1296. He conceived a basilica of overall Gothic style yet of classical grandeur, with three wide naves meeting in the vast chancel (where the high altar stands), surrounded by a trefoil-shaped tribune representing the petals of a flower, on which the dome would rest. Arnolfo worked on the Cathedral from 1296 to 1302, the year of his death, and only had time to decorate and complete the lower half of the façade; works came to a halt after his death.

Giotto was appointed as overseer for the work in 1334, but he died in turn three years later, having only built the first floor of the campanile. Work on the Cathedral was halted again in 1348 due to the Black Death, and was not resumed until 1355, under a series of architects. Santa Reparata was pulled down in 1375, a sign that Santa Maria del Fiore was now ready to be the new cathedral of Florence. The nave was finished by 1380, while work on the external marble revetment continued, as well as on the decorations around the side entrances. The revetment was made of alternating vertical and horizontal bands of white Carrara, green Prato and red Siena marble, which, according to the directions of Arnolfo, were to repeat the facings of the Baptistery and the Campanile and give uniformity to the style of the square.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

By 1418 only the dome was left uncompleted; however, the cathedral had become so large after the modifications brought to Arnolfo’s original design that the usual methods of fixed scaffolding from the ground could not be used to close the chancel with a roof large enough. The challenge was solved by architect Filippo Brunelleschi, drawing inspiration from an attentive study of the cupola of the Pantheon in Rome, which had also been carried out without scaffolding and with a double wall. A competition for the project was held in 1418, and Brunelleschi won it outright with his octagonal design. Construction of the dome began in 1420 and was completed in 1434; the final structure consisted of a double cupola of brick, 91 meter high, completely self-supporting and using a horizontal reinforcement system. It was the largest dome built at the time, and is still the largest masonry dome in the world. Two years later, the lantern was placed in position, taking the dome from 91 to 114,5 meters in total height. The "Cupolone" (Great Cupola) as the Florentines have called it ever since became the symbol of the new, revolutionary Renaissance architecture, of Florence itself, and of the whole of Tuscany.

*Map: 27*

The Cathedral was finally consecrated by Pope Eugenius IV on March 25 (the Florentine New Year) 1436, 140 years after work on it first started. It is today the third largest cathedral in the world after St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in London. The final touch still awaiting completion was the decoration of the lantern; it was begun a few months before Brunelleschi’s death in 1446 and completed by his friend Michelozzo in 1461, and the great copper sphere on the top was positioned in 1471:

Florence Cathedral - South flank and dome by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 19*

On each side of the church, set between mighty buttresses, are six mullioned lancet windows notable for their delicate tracery and ornamented cusps; however, only the three windows closest to the transept admit light, while the others are merely ornamental. The two windows closest to the transept are also wider than the other four; started after 1357, they exemplify the more relaxed rhythm of the Florentine Gothic style, compared to the classic Gothic style of the others. The clerestory windows (those in the high section of the walls) are round, a common feature in Italian Gothic:

Florence Cathedral - North flank by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 20*

In the middle of the northern flank opens the Porta di Balla (or Porta dei Cornacchini), dating from the end of the 14th century, and which takes its name from an ancient city gate in the early medieval walls. It is flanked by two helical (twisting) columns, supported by stylophores in the shape of lions, and culminating with pinnacles on which stand two statuettes. The center of the cusp is occupied by a Blessing Christ bas-relief set inside a round medallion, while a niche above it contains another statuette, probably of Saint John the Evangelist, and the lunette contains a Madonna with the Child between two angels:

Florence Cathedral - Porta di Balla by Wasso H., on Flickr

A popular legend tells that in the early 15th century, a certain Anselmo, living nearby in front of the houses of the Cornacchini family (from whom the door takes its second name), had a recurrent of being bitten and killed by a lion identical to the one sculpted on the right side of the door, in front of which he passed every day on his way to work. To exorcise his fear, Anselmo decided one day to challenge the lion by putting his hand inside its jaw. Unfortunately, a venomous poisonous scorpion was nestled inside the jaws of the statue and stung him, killing him within 24 hours and making the premonitory dream come true!


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 20*

Further towards the transept, at the level of Via Ricasoli, opens the famous Porta della Mandorla (“Door of the Almond”), which owes its name to the representation in the tympanum of the Assumption of the Virgin within an almond-shaped nimbus. It’s the fruit of the work between 1391 and 1423 of various sculptors, including Donatello and Nanni di Banco, and its sculptures have a remarkable relevance in the History of Art, because they were made during the transition between the last Gothic and the first Renaissance phases, and constitute the very first examples of the strictly classicist Florentine taste, which soon became predominant:

Florence Cathedral - North side of the transept and Porta della Mandorla by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

Florence itinerary by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 21*

The door’s geometric structure and the arch’s revetment, completed during the first phase of the works (until 1397), are still in Gothic style. The carved frame of the cusp was started later, and two Profetini statuettes, attributed to Donatello and Nanni di Banco (today preserved in the Opera del Duomo Museum) were added on top of the pinnacles. Another two statuettes still stand on either side of the arch, which weren’t removed as they were too fragile, and another one crowns the cusp.

A series of intricate decorations are carved in bas-relief on the side pillars and on the archivolt; their level of detail is breathtaking. Among them are found some figures of angels and a Redeemer set within medallions, but also some nudes figures placed directly within the vegetable patterns; these were among the very first fully classicist works in Florence.

The tympanum of the cusp contains the bas-relief of the Assumption of the Virgin, or Madonna della Cintola, carved by Nanni di Banco between 1414 and 1421. It depicts the Virgin as she rises into the sky, carried by four angels in an almond-shaped nimbus of light, typical of Gothic art. The Madonna is slightly turning towards Saint Thomas, who is kneeling in the left corner. At the top are two musician angels with trumpets and a third one with a kind of bagpipe, while a bear and a tree can be found in the lower right corner. Two heads can also be seen in the pendentives of the cusp; these were sculpted by Donatello in 1422. Although the composition of the bas-relief is still tied to the past, the volumetric fullness of the shapes and the purity the lines, derived from the study of classical models, are completely innovative. An intense physical effort can be read in the gestures of the angels, another novelty of the new taste that was forming.

The door was completed when two statues of the Annunciation were brought from inside the cathedral and placed inside the lunette. They were replaced in 1490 by a gold-tiled mosaic of the Annunciation, the work of David Ghirlandaio and of his famous brother Domenico:

Florence Cathedral - Porta della Mandorla by Wasso H., on Flickr

The overall theme of the door is therefore the Virgin’s Mission of Salvation for humanity. Her ascent into the sky, represented in the bas-relief of the cusp, is the culmination of this process of salvation, and is linked to the Annunciation represented in the lunette, during which the Virgin accepted her condition and her mission. The long process is witnessed by the figures of the Prophets of the Old Testament (the statuettes of the pinnacles), who anticipated the events, and even some characters from the ancient pagan mythology (the reliefs on the side pillars).


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 23*

The apsidal area of the Cathedral is composed of the huge octagonal dome and of three polygonal apses, or tribunes. The tribunes are arranged along the cardinal points (north, east, south) and topped by half-domes:

Florence Cathedral - Apsidal area by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 22*

Elegant lancet windows open on their walls, which are also covered in blind rounded arches typical of Romanesque buildings, despite the windows (and the church as a whole) being Gothic in style:

Florence Cathedral - Apsidal area by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 23*

The upper level of the tribunes is supported at the corners by slanted buttresses. Higher above rises the tambour, echoing a Gothic spirit, and from the corners of which depart the mighty ribs of Brunelleschi's dome:

Florence Cathedral - Apsidal area by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 27*

At the level of the tambour are also the "dead tribunes" with a semicircular plan, designed by Brunelleschi. A continuous gallery with a perforated parapet runs around them, supported by corbels, with gargoyles shaped like zoomorphic heads protruding beneath it at regular intervals:

Florence Cathedral - South flank and dome by Wasso H., on Flickr

Michelangelo's David was originally carved to be placed at one of the buttresses of the north tribune, but once completed, it was placed on Piazza dei Priori instead to be viewed more easily.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 24*

The Cathedral’s southern side is identical to the northern one, with six lancet windows of which three are blinded:

Florence Cathedral - South flank and Campanile by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 26*

On the level of the second bay, just next to the bell tower, is the Porta del Campanile, whose lunette is today devoid of sculptures, but where a Blessing Christ in mid-relief (more protruding than a bas-relief) can still be seen inside a round medallion in the cusp, similarly to Porta di Balla on the northern flank. On top of the pinnacles are two empty niches where statuettes used to stand:

Florence Cathedral - Porta del Campanile by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 25*

Close to the transept is the Porta dei Canonici (“Door of the Canons”), rivaling the Porta della Mandorla on the northern side in the intricateness of its carvings. Likewise, it is also in Gothic style and was carved during the same period (late 14th - early 15th century) with a similar array series of patterns, but by different artists (Lorenzo di Giovanni d'Ambrogio and Piero di Giovanni Tedesco). The lunette, by Niccolo di Pietro Lamberti, houses a Madonna and Child among two angels, while the medallion at the center of the cusp, held by two angels, encircles a bas-relief depicting the dead Christ. Two statuettes (probably Profitini) stand above the pilasters, and a third statuette of an angel crowns the summit of the cusp. One of the wooden door's panels is notable for bearing an inscription in Hebrew, letting the many Jews of Florence know they were welcome into the Cathedral:

Florence Cathedral - Porta dei Canonici by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 25*

The bell tower (campanile) of the complex, which stands in the southwestern part of the square, is of particular interest. It was designed by Giotto after he was commissioned to continue the construction of the new Cathedral, more as a decorative monument than a functional one. Instead of concentrating on developing Arnolfo di Cambio's project, Giotto worked on the bell tower from 1334 to 1337, the year of his death, but only lived to see the first floor of his project completed. Two other artists successively took over the assignment, and the bell tower was finally completed in 1359 and delivered to the city as we see it today, with a couple of changes made to the original design. According to tradition, when Emperor Charles V of Habsburg saw the Campanile, he said that it was such a precious work of art that it ought to be preserved under glass.

The elegant and slender 85 meter high structure has a square plan, and is supported by polygonal pilaster-shaped buttresses at the corners that continue up to the top. These four vertical movements lend continuity to a construction that passed through the hands of three different artists. White marble from Carrara, green marble from Prato and red marble from Siena adorn the surface of the entire tower while also dividing it with classical rigor. Two series of tiles in relief run around all four sides of the first story, giving a figurative "narrative". The lower ones, hexagonal in shape, depict allegories of manual labor and of the arts (visible in the picture: Navigation, Social Justice, Agriculture, Art of festivals and Euclid), while the upper ones, shaped like lozenges, depict the Seven Sacraments, the seven Liberal Arts (visible in the picture: Astronomy, Music, Geometry, Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, and Arithmetic), the Virtues, and symbolic figures of planets.

On the second story, divided into two rows like the first one, the bas-reliefs were replaced by sixteen niches containing statues of Prophets, Patriarchs and Sybils (visible in the picture: the Beardless Prophet by Donatello - probably a portrait of his friend, the architect Filippo Brunelleschi - the Bearded Prophet, Abraham and Isaac, and The Thinker by Donatello). Above them is a second row of hollow niches. The double row of bas-relief tiles on the first story and the sixteen statues on the second story have now all been replaced by copies, with the originals ones being exhibited in the Museum of the Opera del Duomo.

In the three upper stories, the sculptures and slabs of marble make way for huge mullioned windows that inundate the structure with light. The windows are arranged in pairs of bifore ones on the third and fourth stories and a single trifore one on the fifth story; they give the entire structure a delicate and elegant aspect, typical of the Gothic style, without alienating its overall classical aspect. The Campanile ends in a large projecting terrace that substitutes the cusp found on most Gothic bell towers:

Florence Cathedral - Giotto's Campanile by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

In 1587, Grand Duke Francesco I de' Medici decided to dismantle the façade (left unfinished at Arnolfo di Cambio’s death in 1302) as it appeared totally outmoded in Renaissance times. The Gothic revetment was taken apart; some of the marble elements were integrated into the new flooring that was being laid in the interior of the Cathedral, while the sculptures were stored inside the Opera del Duomo (the seat of the administration overseeing the construction works), later converted into a Museum. The proposed façade of classical Baroque inspiration eventually was not carried out, and the façade was then left bare until the 19th century, when following bitter debates a new competition was held to redesign it, won by Emilio de Fabris.

*Map: 29*

De Fabris carried out the entire revetment in red, white and green marble between 1876-1886 (but using a greater proportion of red marble compared to the sides of the cathedral, for patriotic reasons linked to the tricolor flag of the newly reunited Italy), and adding statues, rose windows, mosaics, Gothic cusps and other decorative elements. His design, having as theme the glorification of the Mother of God, managed to create a dignified match between the three buildings of the holy complex, the Cathedral, the Campanile and the Baptistery. Some think the façade is excessively decorated (a sign of the typical 19th century zeal), but that’s exactly what makes it a hard to match masterpiece:

Florence Cathedral - Facade by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 17*

The three huge bronze doors date from 1899 to 1903, and are adorned with scenes from the life of the Madonna. Like the side doors, they are set inside marble frames crowned by archivolts, all intricately carved with bas-reliefs and a plethora of patterns following the same model as the lateral Porta della Mandorla and Porta dei Canonici doors. On the four buttresses of the façade are niches with statues of clerics, including Pope Eugene IV who consecrated the church in 1436:

Florence Cathedral - Facade and Campanile by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 30*

The lunette above the left portal houses a colorful mosaic, “Florentine artisans, merchants and humanists paying homage to Faith”, while in the cusp’s tympanum is a mid-relief of a cloaked saint (probably an allegory of Faith as well), set on a golden background inside a round medallion, and with two figures of angels below her on either side. The pinnacles bear niches housing two statuettes, probably of Biblical figures, at the level of the arch:

Florence Cathedral - Left portal by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 30*

The right portal is decorated in the same style, with a mosaic representing “Charity among the founders of Florentine philanthropic institutions” in the lunette, and above it a mid-relief of what appears to be Christ, also set on golden background inside a medallion and with two angels below. The niches on the pinnacles contain two statuettes of Adam and Eve:

Florence Cathedral - Right portal by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 30*

The central portal also bears similar decorations, but is even larger and more grandiose. It is flanked by two niches, with the left one containing a statue of Saint Reparata, to whom the previous cathedral was dedicated, and the right one containing a statue of San Zanobi. The pinnacles are wider than those of the side portals, and bear two statuettes each at the level of the arch, depicting what seem to be Florentine personalities of the time, while on top of them are also niches containing statues of bishops. In the lunette is a mosaic representing “Christ enthroned with Mary and John the Baptist”, and the cusp’s tympanum above contains a mid-relief of the Glory of Mary, where the Virgin is depicted enthroned, holding a flowered scepter and surrounded by the Florentine leaders:

Florence Cathedral - Central portal by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 30*

On top of the façade is a series of niches housing statues of the twelve Apostles (6 above the central door, and 3 above each of the right and left ones) with, in the middle, the Madonna with the Child, and high above, in the center of the tympanum, a round medallion with mid-relief of the Eternal Father.

There are also examples of non-religious imagery on the façade: a gallery with busts of great Florentine artists in the upper part (between the central rose window and the tympanum), and the coats-of-arms of the Florentine families who helped finance the work, on the pediment between the door and the lunette. Such imagery celebrating the city and its people illustrates that the Florence cathedral is not only a religious building, but also a civic monument:

Florence Cathedral - Central part of the facade by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

As always great, very nice updates, cat :cheers:


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

Thanks Christako! I'm actually thinking of discontinuing the thread after finishing the cathedral's interior because nobody seems to be checking it aside from you and Brazilian. I still have to gather information about the monuments, churches, palaces etc. in half my total pictures, and it seems it's not worth it after all, so maybe I will open a blog about historic architecture to post all this stuff instead.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 33*

The interior of the Cathedral looks unexpectedly stark compared to the extremely elaborate exterior; in fact, many of the original decorations have been transferred to the Opera del Duomo Museum, or lost in the course of time. The 153 meter long central nave is defined by great Gothic vaults resting on wide arches that divide the space into four square bays, giving a classical harmony to the Gothic structure, and the arches rest in turn on powerful composite pilasters. The church is also notable for its 44 stained glass windows, the work of the greatest Florentine artists of the time. The structure has a majestic feel about it and immediately forces the eye towards the basilica's spatial “fulcrum”, formed by the chancel and the cupola above it. This search for a "center of gravity" is another element that differs from the purely Gothic style, which simply tends to create a vertical spatial feel, and is a sign of the permanence of classical taste in Florence:

Interior of Florence Cathedral - Central nave by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 31*

The internal façade is the oldest part of the church. The lunette above the door contains an early 14th century golden mosaic of Christ crowning Mary as Queen, and is flanked by late 16th century frescoes depicting angels playing music. Above them stands a colossal 1443 clock face, with fresco portraits of Prophets or the four Evangelists at its corners. This is one of the few clocks from that time that still exist and work, although it still needs to be rewound each week to ensure it keeps the correct time; it has only one hand, and 24 hours written in Roman numerals in the opposite order compared to modern clocks. The 24 here signals not midnight, but sunset, which back then used to be considered the end of the day. This timing is known as hora italica, and was used in Italy until the 18th century. High above the clock is a stained-glass circular window of the early 14th century with a rich range of coloring, depicting The Assumption of Mary to Heaven. The smaller stained glass window visible to the left shows San Stefano enthroned between four Angels:

Interior of Florence Cathedral - Internal facade and clock by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 32*

The walls of the nave are lined with are large tabernacles in pavonazzetto marble, housing statues executed in various periods. Among them we can see King David (1433):

Interior of Florence Cathedral - Tabernacle with statue of King David by Wasso H., on Flickr

And San Giacomo Maggiore (1515):

Interior of Florence Cathedral - Tabernacle with statue of San Giacomo Maggiore by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 32*

I didn’t manage however to find out who this statue represents, even after a painstakingly long research:

Interior of Florence Cathedral - Tabernacle with statue by Wasso H., on Flickr

As the Cathedral was built with funds from the public, it also houses some works of art honoring illustrious men and military leaders of Florence, and also busts of the artists who were involved in the construction: Arnolfo di Cambo, Filippo Brunelleschi, Giotto and Emilio de Fabris.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 31*

The polychrome marble flooring was executed in the early 16th century; restoration works after the 1966 flood of the Arno showed that pieces of marble that had previously been used for the facade by Arnolfo had been reused for the floor, topside down. And elegant 14th century stoup (holy water font), topped by a statue of an angel holding a vessel, can still be seen:

Interior of Florence Cathedral - Stoup with angel statue by Wasso H., on Flickr

Inside the church is also a panel of 1465, “Dante before the City of Florence”, that depicts the poet showing the city scenes of his Divine Comedy. Even though it escaped my attention, it is worth mentioning as it is the only homage the city ever paid to its famous native in the past; what makes it even more interesting is seeing Dante placed back in his hometown as it looked in the mid 15th century, considering that he died in exile (in Ravenna, check my thread about that city) in 1321.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 33*

The highlight of the interior however is the inner surface of the dome, which Cosimo I de' Medici commissioned Giorgio Vasari to fresco in 1572 (Brunelleschi had initially proposed to cover it with resplendent gold, before his death in 1446 put an end to this project). The chosen subject was the Last Judgment, and the graphic text to follow was based on the mosaics in the Baptistery, divided into rows placed one on top of the other, however Vasari, a great admirer of Michelangelo, also drew inspiration from the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. As a result, the surface of the dome (4.000 square meters) was divided into five concentric rows, with groups of figures arranged inside each of them along the eight segments of the vault. The subjects were carefully matched up along the dividing lines, making it possible to follow the theological pattern vertically as well as horizontally. Starting from the lantern surrounded by the 24 Elders of the Apocalypse, each of the eight segments is decorated with the following themes (from top to bottom): a Choir of Angels with the Instruments of the Passion, a series of Saints and Elects, a triad of figures representing the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and a region of Hell dominated by a Deadly Sin. In the eastern segment, opposite the central nave, the four rows become three to make room for the Christ in Glory between the Madonna and Saint John, placed above the three Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope and Charity), and followed further down by the allegorical figures of Time and the Church Triumphant.

Vasari died in 1574 after having carried out only a third of work, and the task was passed on to painter Federico Zuccari. Zuccari did not particularly like Vasari's style, and changed the physiques of the painted characters, the costumes and the color range. He also boycotted the executive delicacy that was typical of Vasari (subtle color changes, reflections, etc. which are difficult to pick out at such a distance) and opted for a different painting method (in secco) that was poor in quality but of grandiose final effect. The frescoes were finally completed in 1579. Zuccari portrayed a gallery of contemporary personalities among the Elect: his Medici patrons, the Emperor, the King of France, Vasari and other artists, and even himself and many of his friends and relations. However his masterpiece in dome is his crude rendering of Hell, with its powerful devils inspired by those in the cathedral of Orvieto, the bodies of the damned twisted by violent gestures, and the red glow of blood that brings the dark colors of the composition to vivid life:

Interior of Florence Cathedral - Last Judgement frescoes in the dome by Wasso H., on Flickr

The three 15th century stained-glass windows visible in the tambour below the dome represent, from left to right: the Resurrection, the Coronation of the Virgin (by Donatello), and the Ascension.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Once again great, very nice updates, cat


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

Florence itinerary by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Part 2: the central core of the city, between Renaissance and neo-Renaissance*

Exiting the Cathedral, I find myself in front of one of the city’s most singular buildings, standing on the southeastern corner of Piazza di San Giovanni. Called Loggia del Bigallo or Loggia della Misericordia, it was built in the mid 14th century for the Archconfraternity of the Misericordia, which was originally a militia founded in the 13th century to fight against the Patarine heretics (who were supported by the Ghibellines to weaken the papacy), and was later raised by the City Council to the rank of public board. In 1425, the Confraternity merged with the Compagnia Maggiore of Santa Maria del Bigallo, a charity institution dedicated to the assistance of children and sick people. The Confraternity moved to another site in 1489, and the Compagnia del Bigallo remained the sole owner of the building. The lost or abandoned children were shown to the public there, in the hope that someone would recognize them before the institution assumed their protection.

*Map: 28*

The structure underwent many changes over time, and was restored several times starting in the 19th century. It is characterized by large arches, divided by stone pillars that continue further up to the remarkably protruding eaves, which are supported by carved wooden corbels. There are two walled arches without decorations on the northern façade, while the other two (forming a right angle on the eastern side) are entirely covered with polychrome marble minutely carved with figures of Prophets, Angels, Virtues, and Blessing Christ. Also worth noticing are the elaborate lattices doors, originally dating from 1358 but replaced in 1860:

Loggia del Bigallo by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 29*

Above the arcade are three tabernacles of 1425 which contain marble statues of Saint Peter the Martyr (founder of the Archconfraternity of the Misericordia), the Madonna with the Child, and Saint Lucia (protector of the children). On the same level, to the right, are remains of two damaged frescoes from 1444, depicting the Preaching of San Pietro Martire in Florence; in the best preserved one the saint can be seen preaching to the crowd while a black horse appears on the horizon. This is a reference to a miraculous event mentioned in the saint’s hagiography, when a runaway black horse mysteriously appeared while he was preaching and threw itself on the crowd, dispersing it; San Pietro recognized in that apparition a manifestation of the Devil, and drove it away with the sole sign of the cross.

The upper part is marked by four elegant mullioned windows from the same period, flanked by remains of sgraffito representation of what appear to be portraits. Sgraffito decorations can also be seen on the southern side at the level of the tabernacles with the statues, shaped interestingly enough like the Islamic Rub el Hizb symbol. In one of the walled arches is a small door surmounted by a lunette containing a Madonna and Child from 1361:

Loggia del Bigallo by Wasso H., on Flickr

The building houses a small museum, with notable works mostly from the 14th century related to the history and activity of the Company, among which is the oldest representation of the Madonna della Misericordia (1342) that stands to protect the city of Florence.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 29*

Just next to the Loggia stands the Palazzo del Bigallo (beige building with light grey shutters), which served as the seat of the Captains of Santa Maria del Bigallo starting in the 14th century, before being enlarged to house the workers of the institution. The Capitani della Misericordia also resided there when the two institutions were merged. The building has a plain, unassuming appearance, but the lintel above the entrance still bears the inscription “Orfanotrofio del Bigallo”.

Next to it is the similar looking Casa Martelli (yellow building with light grey shutters), occupied today by a bed-and-breakfast facility, the Florence Cathedral View. It originally dates from 1632 as an inscription walled on the main entrance attests, but was rebuilt in the second half of the 18th century. Above the headstone is an escucheon with the coat-of-arms of the Morelli di Leo d’Oro.

South (left) of the Loggia is a large 19th century five-storey building plastered in yellow, standing on the spot where some houses and towers of the Adimari family once existed.

The Palazzo Arcivescovile or Palace of the Archbishops (beige building on the right) is partly visible across the square. The old 10th-century archiepiscopal was destroyed by a fire in 1533 and rebuilt in the second half of the same century, then drastically reshaped during the late 19th century interventions on the center of Florence. The large coat-of-arms that can be seen on the southern corner is that of Agostino Bausa, who was Archbishop of Florence during that period. 

Part of Piazza San Giovanni, in front of Florence Cathedral by Wasso H., on Flickr

Beyond Piazza San Giovanni opens Via de' Pecori, which I decide to take a closer look at, as there seem to be a number of interesting buildings along it.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates, cat :cheers:


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 34*

The most imposing of these is the huge Palazzo Ceci e Rossi. It takes its name from the entrepreneurial company Ceci e Rossi that erected it in 1893, in the area where the old Jewish Ghetto used to exist. The palace is the largest in the center after that of the Post Office and occupies an entire block; there was originally an arcade through it connecting Via Roma and Via de' Brunelleschi. It is an example of the buildings erected during the Risanamento (remodeling of the city) of the late 19th century, with facades echoing the 17th century models, yet increasingly distant from the local tradition. 270 windows (again crowned by a succession of circular pediments, triangular pediments and architraves from bottom to top) are distributed in rigorous series over five floors, above the 54 arches of the ground floor with keystones shaped like a human head.

On the right, a closer look can be had at coat-of-arms of Archbishop Agostino Bausa, on the southern corner of the Archiepiscopal Palace:

20160123_142221 by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 36*

The next building to the west is the elegant Palazzo Pola e Todescan, erected between 1901 and 1903, in the final phase of reconstruction of the area after the Old Market and the Jewish Ghetto were demolished. It originally housed the Pola e Todescan department store, specialized in the sale of cheap items, and is today occupied by a bank. The palace stands out among the surrounding buildings erected in the preceding years for its clear adherence to the new Modernist proposals, with its decorative apparatus that makes use of sculptures, friezes in colored ceramics, and balconies in wrought iron from Pistoia. It was in fact the subject of harsh criticism at the time of its construction, precisely because of its decisive detachment from the architectural tradition of the 17th century still cherished by the Florentine school of the late 19th century, but is today recognized as a precious example of the arrival of the Modernist style in the historic center of the city. The building has an architraved portico paved with marble along Via de' Brunelleschi, spanning both the ground floor and the mezzanine in height, with pillars covered in travertine up to two thirds of their height:

Palazzo Pola e Todescan by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 36*

It then develops over three floors up to a cornice supported by corbels. The façades on Via de' Brunelleschi and Via de' Pecori are divided in eight and four sectors respectively by pilasters that reproduce the design of the portico’s pillars. Each sector on the side of Via de' Brunelleschi contains two framed rectangular windows on every floor, while the sectors on the side of Via de' Pecori only contain a single window each. The corner sectors are characterized by the presence of wrought iron balconies supported by corbels, with those supporting the wider balconies of the first floor being particularly massive, and ornamented with female protomes (heads) echoing the Vienna Secession Movement:

Palazzo Pola e Todescan by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 35*

I decide to go back towards the Cathedral then south through Via Roma, which also seems to be lined with impressive bourgeois architecture. The view on the Cathedral and the Campanile from that spot is unique, and one can also see the unusual chamfered façade of Palazzo Ginnasi e Rostagno, another neo-Renaissance style building of the late 19th century. This chamfered corner was intended to facilitate the flow of traffic towards the enlarged arteries of the newly reshaped city center:

20160123_142406 by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 37*

On the left, adjacent to Palazzo Ginnasi Rostagno and forming a remarkable continuity with it, is Palazzo Caprile Rossi. It dates back from 1896, and presents a façade of seven axes organized on five floors, with the ground floor covered in sandstone ashlar. Interestingly enough, if you pay attention, you’ll notice the two palaces are connected by a lower, narrow wing; each window in this wing has the same design as the windows of the immediately upper floor to the right and the left. It’s almost as if the two palaces were originally one single building, and this particular section of it has been driven one floor into the ground.

The large building further in the back (with the flags) is Palazzo Savoia. Several buildings of historical importance, demolished during the 19th century Rinascimento works, originally stood in the place occupied today by this vast and elegant palace. Among these buildings were the first houses of the Medici family, the towers and palaces of the Sizi family, and the church of San Tommaso (Saint Thomas), which existed since 1200. The current building was erected in 1898, and has been since used as a hotel (Hotel Savoy). It has large arches on the ground floor, a façade divided by pilasters, and niches on the main floor housing allegorical statues:

Via Roma by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

Via Roma opens to the south onto Piazza della Repubblica, Florence’s best known square and one of the largest in the city center. It is located on the site of the forum, the center of the Roman city, located at the intersection of the axes of the Cardo (today’s Via Roma and Via Calimala) and the Decumanus (today’s Via degli Strozzi, Via degli Speziali, and via del Corso).

In the early medieval period, the forum area had become a maze of alleys and tightly packed buildings. Chroniclers record that there was no longer a single garden in the city at that time; the urban crowding led to tenements with ever rising floors, including case-torri (tower houses). The area however retained its function as a meeting place and a market, which was renamed Mercato Vecchio ("Old Market") after the construction of the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo near the Ponte Vecchio bridge in the 16th century. The Mercato Vecchio had numerous shrines and churches, razed in the mid 18th century. The city’s Jews were relocated by Cosimo I into a portion of this space, which became the Jewish Ghetto.

The present appearance of the square is the result of the 19th century city planning carried out after the proclamation of Florence as the capital of Italy, with particularly intense activity on the Piazza between 1885 and 1895. The decision to broaden the square let to the total destruction of buildings of great importance, among them medieval towers, churches, and some palaces of noble families. The demolition was presented as a necessity for the improvement of the area's insanitary conditions, but the city nonetheless suffered irrevocable losses, minimally compensated for by the rescue of a few monuments.

The palaces that rose on the new square were designed by well-known architects following the eclectic fashion of the time. Following this transformation, the square became a kind of "lounge" for the town; since then refined palaces, luxury hotels, department stores and elegant cafes have sprung up around it. A famed carousel called L’Antica Giostra Toscana also stands in the middle.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 38*

The entire western side of the square is occupied by the monumental Palazzo dell’Arcone di Piazza (Palace of the Great Arch of the Square), built in 1895, and under which runs a portico extending north along Via de' Brunelleschi and south along Via Pellicceria. The section of the building undergoing restoration (covered by a screen in trompe-l’oeil) is occupied by the historic Pensione Pendini hotel, and also housed at a time the Edison Cinema (the first Florentine cinema, opened in 1901). The building was for a long time strongly criticized, both as a symbol of the destruction of one of the most ancient places in the city, and for its falsely Florentine character (with many additions pointing to a style defined as “'Roman” instead):

Piazza della Repubblica by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 40*

The palace owes its name to the Arcone, the great triumphal arch leading onto Via degli Strozzi, which at a time served as a backdrop to the Equestrian Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II placed in the center of the square in 1890, and later moved elsewhere. The arch was intended as a monument sealing the 19th century remodeling and expansion of the square; on top is a pompous epigraph that reads:

L’ANTICO CENTRO DELLA CITTA
DA SECOLARE SQUALORE
A VITA NUOVA RESTITUTO

Which translates as "The ancient city center, restored from age-old squalor to a new life".

On top of the Arcone initially stood an allegorical group of three women in plaster, representing Italy, Art and Science. The Florentines instead mockingly nicknamed them after three famous prostitutes of the era, la Starnotti, la Cipischioni e la Trattienghi  Having deteriorated, these statues were removed in 1904. Four other allegorical statues remain, depicting the Fine Arts: Sculpture, Painting, Music and Architecture:

The Great Arch (Arcone) on Piazza della Repubblica by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 39*

The southeastern side of the square is occupied by the elegant palace known alternatively as Palazzo del Trianon, Palazzo dell’UPIM or Palazzo della Rinascente (the names of various establishments it has housed). It was erected around 1893, and became right away one of the main points of attraction on the new square. Its facades on Piazza della Repubblica and on Via degli Speziali are identical in design and width, both developed on seven axes divided by pilasters and spreading over four floors and a mezzanine. The building is an example of the rich “neo-16th century” style, characterized by a profusion of balconies and decorations, something which can especially be seen in the elaborate cornice. It initially hosted the famous Café Trianon, and later became the headquarters of the Bocconi (later renamed La Rinascente) and UPIM department stores:

Palazzo della Rinascente by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 41*

Just south of the square on Via Pellicceria stands the Palazzo delle Poste, the largest in the historic center, built between 1907 and 1917 to allow the reunification of the city's postal and telegraph services under a single roof. It façade on Via Pellicceria has a portico with eleven arches spanning the height of both the ground floor and the mezzanine, and connected to the portico on the west side of Piazza della Repubblica through a narrow three-story building with two arches on the ground floor:

Palazzo dell’Arcone and Palazzo delle Poste by Wasso H., on Flickr 

Between these two arches is a niche containing a statue under and a bronze plaque honoring the victims of World War 1, while between the arcades of the Palazzo delle Poste are decorative medallions in glazed polychrome terracotta containing coats of arms of Italian cities. The intriguing tower-like edifice visible at the end of the street is the 15th-century Palazzo Canacci:

Palazzo dell’Arcone and Palazzo delle Poste by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Once again great, very nice updates, cat :cheers:


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## Brazilian001 (Apr 22, 2012)

Very nice walk and great pics! I'm glad to see that you decided to continue the work on this thread. This is by far your most successful thread with almost 25k views in less than 2 months of existence!


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

christos-greece said:


> Once again great, very nice updates, cat :cheers:





Brazilian001 said:


> Very nice walk and great pics!


Thank you guys 



Brazilian001 said:


> I'm glad to see that you decided to continue the work on this thread.


I recently resumed posting my Florence pictures on flickr, and thought "what the heck, I might as well continue the thread on SSC on the same occasion!" The truth is, I don't like to leave something incomplete; up to this day I keep having nightmares about dropping out of my master studies while I only have my thesis left to work on, something I nearly did in real life because of the difficulties I faced 



Brazilian001 said:


> This is by far your most successful thread with almost 25k views in less than 2 months of existence!


Really? :uh: I thought on the contrary it was by far the least successful, seeing that nobody other than you and Chris is commenting or even giving any likes!


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

Florence itinerary by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 42*

I pass under the Arcone to continue westwards. The back side of the arch and the buildings flanking it present a design slightly different from the square’s side, with a gallery running on the last floor and connecting them:

The Arcone seen from Via degli Strozzi by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 43*

I turn north at Via de' Vecchietti and walk until its intersection with Via del Campidolgio a little further. This corner seems to be the banking center of the city, with several building in the vicinity housing banks.

The first building on the left, housing offices of FinecoBank (a financial service company of the UniCredit group), is Palazzo Vieusseux, erected in 1897 on commission of the Vieusseux family. The windows of the floors are all surrounded by frames, of which those of the first floor being particularly elegant, and a monumental balcony opens in front of the central door/window, supported by large corbels. Between the balcony and the entrance is a bust of Giovanni Pietro Vieusseux, the most famous member of the family.

The following building is Palazzo del Credito Italiano, housing the headquarters of UniCredit Bank. It was erected in 1909 on a project by an engineer from Turin, something that might explain its divergence from the local architectural tradition, especially in regard to the ground floor in artificial travertine. It’s a building of balanced proportions, in an architectural style that transcends the neo-Renaissance style common to many contemporary buildings and reveals a tendency to modernity, represented by the Vienna Secession movement. The large arched openings of the mezzanine are typical of buildings used as department stores in various European countries. The main door at 11, Via de' Vecchietti is surmounted by a broken pediment with a head of Minerva placed between its spirals, then by an elegant balcony. Another similar head is placed in the tympanum above the central window of the second floor.

The last building on the left is Palazzo Grocco or Palazzo Del Re, and stands on the edge of the area affected by the late 19th century remodeling of the old city center. It commissioned by the Grocco family built in 1894, then changed hands several times, and today hosts legal and commercial offices. The façade on Via de' Vecchietti is spread over four floors and seven horizontal axes, with the ground floor and the corner of the upper floors clad in fake ashlar, and the central window of the first floor is flanked by two escutcheons.

Facing Palazzo Grocco on the right is the rough stone exterior of the Gothic church of Santa Maria Maggiore, whose first recorded mention is in a document of 931, although the legend says it was founded by Pope Pelagius II in 580. Right below it one can see the façade of the large 17th century Palazzo Orlandini del Beccuto, which houses today the Banca Monte dei Paschi di Sien; a row of kneeling windows can be discerned on the ground floor.

Via de' Vecchietti by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 44*

On the other side of Via del Campidolgio is yet another bank building, Palazzo del Banco di Roma. It was built after the demolition of older houses belonging to the Tieri and the Vecchietti families (after whom the vertical street is named) and the enlargement of the surrounding streets, and initially intended for use as a private residence, then purchased in the 1920s by Banco di Roma. The third floor was built on this occasion, showing a simplified design compared to the first two. The arched windows on the main floor are framed by large “arched cornices” with sculptured keystones, standing over pairs of columns and with round medallions between them:

Palazzo del Banco di Roma by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 47*

On the nearby Piazza Antinori stands the impressive Baroque church of Santi Michele e Gateano, better known more simply as San Gaetano. Its origins date back to 1055, when it was a Romanesque church already dedicated to the Archangel Michael. The church passed to the Olivetan monks in the 14th century, then in 1592 was granted to the newly created order of the Theatines (Teatini), who extended the original dedication to San Michele to their founder, San Gaetano (Saint Cajetan) di Thiene, after his canonization in 1671 by Pope Clement X. They also decided to rebuild the church from scratch with an ambitious project.

Owing to the Theatines’ excellent relations with the Florentine aristocracy, generous donations were bestowed for the construction. Among the patrons was Cardinal Carlo de' Medici, grandson of Cosimo I, whose name can still be read today on the facade. The Antinori, whose palace stood in front of the church, were also particularly active in financing the construction, which started in 1604. The primitive church was definitively destroyed in 1640 when the nave of the new one was completed. A 15th century oratory commissioned by the Antinori family also used to stand on the northern side of the church; it was demolished in 1634 and replaced with a new one completed a few years later (today’s Antinori Chapel, whose entrance is the smaller door on the left), to which the furnishings of the original chapel were transferred, together with three marble reliefs of saints, probably part of the old church’s Romanesque portal.

The church was consecrated in 1649 by Cardinal Carlo de' Medici, although it still lacked a façade, which was completed in 1693. Construction was finalized in 1701 with the staircase leading onto Piazza Antinori:

Church of Santi Michele and Gateano by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 45*

The façade, built in tan Florentine stone and bearing sculptural decorations, is atypical compared to the style of most churches in Florence, which had a predilection for geometrically ornamented façades; in fact it reflects a typically Roman taste, starting from the staircase. It was designed in two registers divided by a protruding cornice, vertically crossed by two pairs of fluted pilasters with composite capitals, which are also repeated at the corners of the lower part. Three portals with triangular pediments open in the lower part, suggesting an internal division of the church into three naves, which however is not the case. Above the side pediments are two niches containing white marble statues of San Gaetano di Thiene and Sant'Andrea Avellino (one of the greatest exponents of the Theatine order), both with a theatrical posture, while the central pediment is crowned with the emblem of the Theatines, flanked by reclining allegorical statues of Hope and Poverty, which recall the fundamental rules of the order. The name of Carlo de' Medici can be read in the inscription in large letters that runs along the high central cornice. The upper register is dominated by a large ornamented circular window, above which stands the coat-of-arms of Carlo de' Medici, supported by two marble cherubs. It ends on top with a large tympanum, and on the sides with two volutes leaning on the pedestals of two marble urns with the Fire of Faith:

Church of Santi Michele e Gateano by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 46*

I’m pleased to find the church open, and it turns to be one of the highlights of my visit to the city. The interior is harmonious, and follows a Latin cross plan with a single nave covered with a barrel vault and three chapels on each side. The apse is framed by a majestic triumphal arch on which the Theatine emblem is carved, and covered by a small dome. On the ceiling, at the intersection of the nave and the transept, is the monumental coat of arms of Cardinal Carlo de' Medici, the Theatine’s most illustrious benefactor, placed there in 1631.

The upper level of the nave houses one of the most important sculptural cycles of 17th century Florence, consisting of a series of marble statues of Apostles and Evangelists above life-size, with one or two reliefs below each statue depicting episodes of the saint’s life. The pairing of statues with reliefs was unprecedented in the history of Florence. The statues visible around the altar are, from left to right, of Saint Jude Thaddeus, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Thomas.

The combination of the pietra serena (dark sandstone) of the architectural elements, of the white of the vault, the statues and the bas-reliefs, and of the polychrome marbles of the floor, creates a remarkable chiaroscuro (contrast between light and dark) effect under the light entering from the high windows:

Interior of San Gaetano church - The nave by Wasso H., on Flickr

The high altar, located on a raised tribune and separated from the nave by a balustrade, dates back to the 1675 renovation. It is composed of a magnificent variety of precious marbles and stones, among which red marble of France, lapis lazuli, Greek green marble, yellow marble of Siena, antique yellow marble of Numidia, etc., and culminates with an imposing silver ciborium set up on the occasion of the canonization of San Gaetano. On the sides of the altar are the coats-of-arms of the Corsi, another noble family living nearby, while a magnificent gilded wooden grate at the base houses the relics of the obscure saints Mario and Maria, transported here in 1615 from the Catacombs of Callixtus in Rome.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 46*

Behind the altar is the square-based choir, covered by a dome, and covered in walnut stalls decorated with angel heads. On the central wall is a large bronze Crucifix that curiously depicts the Christ in a “spirited” pose (before dying and without the wound on his side), an iconography prohibited by the cofounder of the Theatines. The crucifix is placed in a tabernacle surmounted by a pelican, which symbolizes Christ because it was believed to offer its own flesh as food to its brood, while on either side of the choir, another two tabernacles in the shape of Palladian windows house a pipe organ built in 1933. The fresco in the dome depicts the Glory of Saint Gaetano, being presented to the Holy Trinity by the Archangel Michael, while in the four pendentives are the allegories of Abundance, Charity, Fortitude and Victory:

Interior of San Gaetano church - The apse and high altar by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 46*

On the counter-façade (the façade’s inner wall) is a triumphal arch similar to that of the high altar, whose top section opens in an oval oculus that forms part of the façade’s large circular window. In the upper register is a majestic pipe organ built in 1820 that incorporates the structure of an earlier 17th century organ. It is set inside a tabernacle with a pediment and pilasters in imitation stone, forming a part of its sound box, and stands on a marble-imitation wooden balustrade from the same period, flanked by statues of Saint Marc the Evangelist (left) and Saint Luke the Evangelist (right). Below is the church’s central portal, framed by columns, around which there are four walled cabinets and two sculpted stoups from 1640, each depicting a smiling cherub standing on a small cloud and supporting the tub:

Interior of San Gaetano church - The counter-façade by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 46*

Each side of the nave houses three chapels, plus an additional one in the transept, each financed by a noble family. On the left side are (from the entrance to the altar) the Chapels of the Tornaquinci, the Franceschi and the Ardinghelli.

The Tornaquinci, who later changed their name to Tornabuoni, owned the large palace located just south of the church; they dedicated the chapel of their patronage (the left one) to San Zanobi (Saint Zenobius of Florence) and the two deacons Sant'Eugenio (Saint Eugenius of Carthage) and San Crescenzio (Saint Crescentius of Rome). The original decoration has either been lost or removed and stored awaiting restoration; the altarpiece of the Archangel Michael freeing the Souls in Purgatory, was placed there in 1928. The chapel passed in 1766 to the Albergotti, who erected two funeral monuments on the sides dedicated to members of the family. The stuccoes in the vault date from 1698, and frame frescoes of Angels and various allegories.

The Franceschi Chapel (on the right) is largely dedicated to San Lorenzo: the frescoes of the vault and the lunettes, set inside a refined frame, depict the Glory of San Lorenzo, while the altarpiece, placed there in 1653, depicts the Martyrdom of San Lorenzo, and stands out from other ecclesiastical works of the Florentine school for the vibrancy of the color and the drapery, and the light coming from above, which emphasizes the dynamic and theatrical character of the figures. On the side walls are a 1643 canvas of San Lorenzo distributing goods to the poor and healing a blind man, and a 1636 canvas of the Madonna handing the Child to San Francesco:

The statues in the niches above the chapels represent, from left to right, Saint Bartholomew, Saint Matthew the Evangelist and Saint John the Evangelist:

Interior of San Gaetano church - Chapels of the Tornaquinci and the Franceschi (left side) by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 46*

The Ardinghelli Chapel (the closest to the altar, behind the structure wrapped in paper) was initially dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, but the Theatines decided to rededicate it to Sant'Andrea Avellino after the family’s extinction, placing the Death of Sant'Andrea Avellino (1712) as an altarpiece, with a bust of Christ from the 17th century inside the tympanum. On one of the side walls is a canvas of the Adoration of the Angels, with a medallion at the center enclosing a Madonna and Child, and on the other a canvas of the Presentation of Mary to the Temple, both from 1643. The vault and the upper lunettes are decorated with frescoes of musician Angels and of the Coronation of the Virgin.

Between the Ardinghelli and Franceschi chapels is a wooden pulpit supported by two corbels with angel heads and decorated with two cherubs; below it is a small room containing the tomb of Serafina Pezzuoli, a girl who died of illness in 1628 and was pointed as an example of the serene acceptance of suffering.

On the left side of the transept is the Chapel of Saint Helena or of the Holy Cross (the last one to the right). It was patronized by the Bonsi family, the biggest financial contributors to the church after the Medici, and houses the marble funerary monument of Giovanni Bonsi, bishop of Béziers. The altarpiece, with a marble bust of the Blessing Christ in the tympanum, depicts Emperor Heraclius bringing the Holy Cross to Jerusalem with Patriarch Zacchary, while the canvases on the side walls depict the Apparition of the Cross to Emperor Constantine and Saint Helena leading the excavations for the recovery of the Cross. The vault above the chapel is decorated with a fresco of the Cross in Glory between the Saints.

The two statues in the niches above represent Saint John the Evangelist (left) and Saint Matthias (right):

Interior of San Gaetano church - Chapels of the Franceschi, the Ardinghelli and of the Holy Cross (left side) by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 46*

On the right side of the nave are the Chapels of the del Rosso, the Mazzei and the Martelli.

The del Rosso Chapel (on the right) is dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle. The original altarpiece, representing the Martyrdom of Saint Andrew, has been moved to the external Antinori Chapel and replaced by a tabernacle housing a Madonna and Child from the ancient church (1470-1480); the tympanum houses a 1642 bust of the Virgin. The vault contains a fresco a Christ in Glory framed by golden stuccos, and the side canvases depict the Vocation of Saint Andrew and Saint Peter, and Saint John indicating the Christ to Saint Andrew.

The Mazzei Chapel (on the left) is dedicated to the Archangel Michael. The original altarpiece was Saint Michael freeing the Souls in the Purgatory, but was moved in 1928 to the Tornaquinci Chapel, and replaced with a polychrome terracotta plaque depicting the Apparition of the Sacred Heart to Santa Margherita Maria Alacoque. The canvases on the sides depict two other scenes of apparitions: the Apparition of an Angel to Saint Peter, and the Apparition of an Angel to Saint John the Evangelist in Patmos. The vault is frescoed with the Trinity in Glory, while the lateral lunettes contain frescoes of the Angels and the central one a fresco of the Annunciation.

The statues in the niches above the chapels represent, from left to right, Saint James the Less, Saint Andrew and Saint Simon the Zealot:

Interior of San Gaetano church - Chapels of the del Rosso and the Mazzei (right side) by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 46*

The last chapel before the altar was dedicated by the Martelli family to the titular saints of the church (San Gaetano and the Archangel Michael), and also to Sant'Andrea Avellino, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Francis, and the Immaculate Conception; they are all depicted in the 1640 altarpiece, whose tympanum houses a bust of Saint Francis. On the side walls are two 18th century funerary monuments to two important religious figures of the family, Cardinal Francesco Martelli, and the Archbishop of Florence Giuseppe Maria Martelli; their two portraits set within medallions supported by cherubs are in fact micro-mosaics executed in Rome that give the illusion of being painted. The vault is painted with a fresco of the Immaculate received by the Eternal Father.

Finally, on the right side of the transept is the Chapel of the Nativity (the last one to the left), also patronized by the Bonsi family, and housing the marble funerary monument of Pietro Bonsi, another bishop of Béziers. It was the first chapel in the church to be decorated, and served as a model for all the others. The altarpiece depicts the Adoration of the Magi, with a bust of God the Father in the tympanum, while the canvases on the side walls depict the Visitation and the Annunciation. The fresco in the vault above the chapel shows the Annunciation to the Magi and the Pastors.

The statues in the niches represent, from left to right, Saint Paul, Saint Thomas, Saint Philip and Saint James the Less:

Interior of San Gaetano church - Chapels of the Martelli and of the Nativity (right side) by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 48*

Exiting this magnificent church, I encounter the unique Palazzo Adorni Braccesi on the northern edge of Piazza Antinori, notable for hosting the workshop of painter David Ghirlandaio in the 15th century. It was radically reconfigured in the 19th century, to the extent of presenting itself today essentially as a work (although valuable) of that period. The façade, organized on four floors and five axes, presents a ground floor in protruding rusticated ashlar, in which open three arched portals framed by large stone drafts in a "diamond" shape. The upper floors all have windows crowned by architraves, and are separated by friezes with interesting sgraffito patterns. The top floor is followed by a narrower sgraffito frieze with palmettes and plant elements, then by a cornice with carved corbels supporting the eaves. The corners of the building are also coated with slightly protruding ashlar that gradually smoothens going up; on the left corner is a shield with the coat-of-arms of the Adorni Braccesi:

Palazzo Adorni Braccesi by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 49*

From there, I take the elegant Via de' Tornabuoni to go south, which is lined with impressive buildings housing high-end fashion boutiques. Palazzo Viviani della Robia is one of the largest; it stands on the spot of several older houses owned by the Tornabuoni family, that passed in 1645 to the Viviani della Robbia who unified them into a large building finished in the early 18th century. Respecting the tradition in the ground floor of rusticated ashlar with arched openings, the architect came up however with a novel design for the upper floors, divided into panels of decreasing height as one goes up by intersecting pilasters and lintels. The central axis of the façade is marked by a large balcony on which the doors open in a typical Palladian arrangement, with an element shaped like a broken pediment at the base of the second floor. The building is topped by a heavy cornice; on the corner is a polychrome escutcheon in Carrara marble with the coat-of-arms of the Viviani della Robbia. The ground floor, now occupied by fashion boutiques, used to house Caffè Giacosa in the past, known for the Negroni cocktail that was created there by one of its regular patrons:

Palazzo Viviani della Robia by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 50*

Right below, on the corner of Via de' Tornabuoni and Via della Spada, is the late 16th century Palazzo Dudley or Palazzo Bordoni Navone. Originally belonging to the Rucellai family, it was later sold to Robert Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, then acquired by Francesco Navone, an embroidery merchant, and finally by the Bordoni family, who had it remodeled into its current form in 1913. The transformation work involved the façade being moved back and the construction at the corner of the open loggia surmounted with a terrace, giving the building a greater aesthetic value that makes up for the loss of useful volume. The portal opening onto the terrace is crowned by a monumental pediment surmounted by a large shell, recreating elements of the original 16th century palace. The lintel above the portal still bears the inscription F. Navone, while the escutcheon with the coat-of-arms of the Rucellai, already present on the first floor of the demolished spur, was moved above the niche. The corner of the ground floor bears a tabernacle with a bas-relief of the Madonna, housed inside an elaborate curtain-like structure opened by three cherubs:

Loggia at the corner of Palazzo Dudley by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 50*

On the other side of the intersection, where Via degli Strozzi joins in, stands the monumental Palazzo Strozzi. A true masterpiece of Florentine civil architecture of the Renaissance, it was commissioned by Filippo Strozzi, a merchant belonging to one of the wealthiest families in Florence, traditionally hostile to the Medici. The Strozzi had been exiled from Florence in 1434 because of their opposition to the Medici, but Filippo Strozzi was able to return in 1466, determined to crush his rivals, thanks to the fortune he had accumulated as a banker in Naples. He spent years buying and demolishing buildings around his residence to have the necessary land to erect the largest palace ever seen in Florence. He eventually bought 15 houses and towers belonging to various noble families, but only thanks to the intervention of Lorenzo the Magnificent could he obtain the right to redefine the square and occupy with the new building the necessary portion of land, under the condition that the construction would start quickly and continue without any interruption, or else the property would be confiscated.

The palace’s original design was by Lorenzo the Magnificent’s favorite architect; nothing was left to chance, and even astronomers were summoned to decide what the best day was to lay the first stone! Work began in 1489, but Filippo Strozzi died two years later, and his heirs had to continue the costly construction. After several interruptions due to the fluctuating economic conditions of the family, the palace was finally finished in 1538, however the cornice over the northern façade was left incomplete, as it is today. It was confiscated by the Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici the same year due to his war against the exiled Florentine led by the Strozzi; only thirty years later was the palace returned to Cardinal Lorenzo Strozzi. Restored in the late 19th and again in the early 20th century, it is today a public property and houses several cultural institutions and foundations.

The palace represents the best example of a Renaissance noble mansion’s ideal. It was voluntarily built of superior size of the Palazzo Medici, from which it copied the cubic form developed on three floors around a central courtyard. Even the facade is almost identical, except for the more uniform use of rusticated stone on all its height (though the projection of the stone gradually reduces as you go up), which gives it the archaic appearance of a fort:

Palazzo Strozzi by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 50*

High rectangular windows open along the ground floor, around which runs a continuous stone base / bench interrupted by a large solemn arched portal on each side, while the upper floors are lined with two orders of elegant mullioned windows resting on indented string courses. The palace is crowned by a dented frieze followed by a mighty cornice, which is left incomplete along Via degli Strozzi. On each floor runs a series of torch holders and flag holders in wrought iron, the work of the most skilled blacksmith in Florence, Niccolo Grosso (known as Caparra). Those of the ground floor also end up in rings for attaching the horses. Of particular interest and value are the wrought iron works visible on the corners of the first floor: lanterns shaped like an antique shrine with spikes radiating from the crown, perhaps intended to recall the onions that gave the square its original name (Piazza delle Cipolle), and torch holders shaped like dragons and sphinxes:

Palazzo Strozzi by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

Florence itinerary by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 51*

I briefly enter the palace from the portal on Via de' Tornabuoni as I’m curious to see what the interior of such an imposing structure looks like. The portal leads onto a courtyard surrounded by a portico with loggias on the upper floors, but it’s nowhere as grand as the exterior leads you to expect:

Courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Once again great, very nice updates, cat :cheers:


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 52*

South of Palazzo Strozzi, Via de' Tornabuoni is lined with another series of palaces. The large yellow one with a façade in two distinct parts is Palazzo Altoviti Sangalletti; it looks this way because it originally consisted of two distinct buildings that were unified in 1827. The ground floor is uniform, with a faux ashlar finish marked by a succession of arched openings whose keystones are highlighted by volutes. The decoration between the arches however is slightly different, with the left part bearing heraldic crescents referencing the previous ownership by the Strozzi, while the right part bears has lion heads instead. The upper floors of the right part also look more elegant than those of the left one, with a more elaborate cornice decorated with a succession of lion heads; on the right edge of the façade are two escutcheons with the coat-of-arms of the Altoviti (first floor) and of the Medici (second floor). The two buildings hosted at a time the famous Caffè Doney or Caffè delle Colonne (that closed in 1986), patronized by the city’s foreign community.

The more medieval looking building to the right is Palazzo Medici Tornaquinci; it stands on the site of earlier 13th century houses later acquired by the Strozzi, of whom some members resided there while waiting for the construction of the nearby Palazzo Strozzi. It was at that time that the houses were unified in a single building, which was then restored in the mid 16th century by its new owners. The facade of the building clearly shows how it was born from the fusion of two distinct houses and subsequently raised. On the ground floor are portals which originally housed foundations and shops, and are still occupied today by commercial establishments. The mezzanine floor has square openings, and a wooden niche in the left part containing a 15th century Madonna with the Child. The first and the second floor, separated by a belt course, have single-lancet windows instead; the third floor has rectangular windows, and finally, a late 16th century loggia crowns the building.

Finally, the picturesque white and blue building visible in the back is the result of the 19th century unification and reconfiguration in a sober neo-Renaissance style (plus of recent plastering and repainting works) of a series of smaller houses belonging to the Sangovetti and Altoviti families. A modest escutcheon with the coat-of-arms of the Altoviti can still be seen on the lintel of the current entrance door:

Via de' Tornabuoni by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 53*

Across the street stand two impressive palaces exemplifying a different architectural style.

The one on the right is known as Palazzo Strozzi del Poeta, and its name derives from its owner at the beginning of the 17th century, Giovan Battista Strozzi, known as the Blind or the Poet. The palace in its current form was built between 1626 and 1629; its façade of three floors plus a mezzanine below the eaves is a classic example of the Florentine architecture of the early 17th century, and of Florentine taste that had partly opened up to the Roman influences.

The high ground floor is divided by four pillars; kneeling windows originally opened along it, that were replaced in 1865 with four gabled portals with shells in the tympana. A large arched portal opens in the middle, flanked by two pillars that support the balcony. The string course above the ground floor is conceived as a Doric frieze, with triglyphs, metopes containing sculpted trophies, and dentils. The main floor is the most ornate one, with windows crowned by arched pediments and enriched with false balconies. The central window-door opens onto a balcony with sculptures on the sides; above it stands a large escutcheon with the coat-of-arms of the Strozzi. On the sides of the main floor are also two statues in a deteriorated state, standing on plinths bearing the coat-of-arms of the Strozzi and the Ciappi (who owned one of the houses over which the palace was built). The windows of the second floor have windows with triangular pediments, while the last floor is the result of a transformation which took place in the 1930s. The building is currently partially occupied by the Tornabuoni Beacci Hotel.

The palace on the left is Palazzo Minerbetti or Palazzo Santini, built between the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century. It was later sold to the Minerbetti family, who already owned other possessions in the area, and two additional floors were added. The windows of the first and second floors were remodeled in the late 18th century by the new owners. The building served as a hotel at various times of its history (Albergo del Pellicano, Locanda d'Europa) and continues to do so today, housing the Tornabuoni Beacci Hotel. Despite the many alterations brought to it, especially in the 19th century, it still presents the appearance of a solid medieval building on Via de' Tornabuoni, with its façade of ashlar divided by simple string courses:

Palazzo Strozzi del Poeta and Palazzo Minerbetti by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 54*

The street opens onto the beautiful Piazza di Santa Trinita, surrounded by Gothic and Renaissance structures. Its northeastern corner is occupied by Palazzo Bartolini-Salimbeni, built between 1520 and 1523 for Giovanni Bartolini, firstborn of a family among the richest and most powerful of the time. The palace marked a turning point for Florentine residential architecture, as it was the first building inspired by the 16th century so-called Roman style, with its rich ornamentation making use of classical elements: columns on the sides of the door, triangular or arched pediments (replacing the traditional arched frames), pilasters, and protruding limbs that create areas of shadow and light. The palace has remained almost unchanged externally, but underwent considerable internal changes in the 19th century aimed at turning it into a hotel, which it remained until the first decades of the following century.

The façade is divided into three floors by finely ornamented friezes, which protrude further around the corners, reinforced by rusticated stones; it is crowned by a strongly protruding cornice bearing dentures of classical reminiscence. Among the building’s most noticeable features are the windows of the upper floors, with their cruciform stone divisions with sculpted columns on the vertical part. The windows are framed by pilasters and crowned by alternately curved and triangular pediments; those of the first floor are flanked by niches where statues were once placed (removed later after the fierce criticism that judged them to be more suitable for the façade of a church), while those of the second floor are flanked by rectangular recesses. The niches and recesses create a chiaroscuro effect and give a sense of volume unknown to the buildings of the previous times. The portal is set according to the classical architecture, with two columns on its sides supporting a frieze, a lintel and a pediment. The lintel bears the inscription "CARPERE PROMPTIUS QUAM IMITARI" (Latin for “criticizing is easier than imitating”), commissioned by the architect in response to the many criticisms he received for the singularity of the architecture.

On the corner of the first floor is a large escutcheon with the coat-of-arms of the Bartolini-Salimbeni, depicting a lion rampant and three poppies. An anecdote tells how in the Middle Ages a member of the family managed to start his fortune thanks to the following stratagem: to get for himself a large batch of goods, he put up a banquet for his competitor merchants, and drugged them with opium in order to be the only one to show up for the auction held the next morning. The poppies therefore reference the origin of the substance that allowed Bartolini to beat his competitors:

Palazzo Bartolini-Salimbeni by Wasso H., on Flickr

Partly visible on the right is Palazzo Buondelmonti, whose current façade dates back to 1550, and shows arched windows aligned on string courses and framed by ashlar. The loggia of the last floor is delimited by eight slim columns of Tuscan stone and crowned by wide Florentine eaves.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 56*

Piazza di Santa Trinita takes its name from the basilica on its western side, one of the most important churches in the city’s history and artistic development. It stands on the site of an 11th century sober Romanesque church of the Vallumbrosan Order, a Benedictine congregation. Enlargement works were executed in Gothic style from the mid 13th century to the early 15th century, making the church one of the first in Florence in that style, preceded only by the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. The church was remodeled at the end of the 16th century, and the façade dates back to this period. It is a typical work of Florentine late Mannerism (inspired by 16th century Roman architecture), characterized by a symmetrical geometric design, with traditional elements arranged in novel configurations.

The lower part of the façade is divided by pilasters into five sectors. Wooden doors from 1640 open in the three central sectors; they are covered with carved panels depicting saints of the Vallumbrosan Order, and set into stone frames decorated with festoons (patterns of hanging fabric). The main door is surmounted by a high-relief of the Trinity from 1594, also framed by fabric patterns, while two rectangular windows with broken pediments open above the side doors. The sector on the left edge is covered by diamond-shaped stone bossage, and a niche opens in it housing the statue of Sant'Alessio, while the sector on the right edge is devoid of decoration. A cornice with dentils crowns the lower register of the façade; the upper register above it extends in width only across the central nave, and the pediment above it bears what looks like a Papal coat-of-arms in white marble. A circular window opens in the middle, which however does not match the opening that lets light inside the church. The bell tower can be seen behind the right part of the façade; it is today devoid of its foundations and leaning on a side wall of the church. The interior houses close to 20 chapels from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, many of them containing frescoes, funeral monuments and other works of art, but sadly it was closed at that time.

The structure visible on the left is Palazzo Gianfiliazzi or Torrione dei Gianfiliazzi. Originally dating from the 13th century and owned by the Ruggerini family, it was almost completely destroyed in 1260, then rebuilt and acquired at the end of the 14th century by the Gianfigliazzi, who remained the owners until their extinction in 1764. The building looks like a hybrid of a palace and a fortress, and recalls those times when the houses of noble families also served defensive functions against hostile factions. It has a severe stone exterior rising on three floors, with a crenelated top standing above arches supported by corbels. The coats-of-arms of the families who successively owned the building (the Ruggerini, Fastelli and Gianfigliazzi) can still be seen on the façade, together with iron rods used to hang the wool and silk which these families used to trade in, or to hang banners on festive days. The building currently houses a hotel, the Antica Torre di Via Tornabuoni:

Basilica di Santa Trinita by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 55*

But the most imposing building on Piazza Santa Trinita is by far Palazzo Spini Feroni, which occupies almost the whole southern side of the square. On this site originally stood the towers of the Spini family, seriously damaged during a flood in 1288. The rich merchant and politician Geri Spini commissioned the palace the following year; at the time it was the largest private palace in Florence, and the only comparable in size to Palazzo Vecchio, which was built during the same period. Among the architects who took part in the construction was likely Arnolfo di Cambio (who originally designed the Cathedral), as the palace shares with his other works an admirable sense of volume.

In the 14th century, the palace was divided into two properties belonging to two branches of the Spini family. The part towards the square was sold by the family in the 17th century to Marquis Francesco Antonio Feroni due to financial difficulties, and is today it is the most remodeled part of the palace, especially in the internal structure. The half towards the river remained with the Spini until 1807, when it was also sold to the Feroni Marquis, thus bringing together the entire property under one owner. The palace was acquired by the Municipality later in that century, and the two parts were internally reunited in 1846. It served as the City Hall when Florence was the capital of Italy (as Palazzo Vecchio had to house the headquarters of the Italian government), and was remodeled in neo-medieval style during those years. It was eventually brought in 1938 by Salvatore Ferragamo to serve as the headquarters of his design brand, and houses today the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum.

The palace remains today one of the best examples of medieval residential architecture in Florence, although its appearance is partly the result of the restoration of 1874. Unlike the city’s many Renaissance palaces, it preserves the solid aspect of a defensive fortress (typical of the period when the noble families were split into two warring factions) with its austere stone facades, its crenelated parapet, and even the shape of its footprint. The arched openings of the ground floor were originally part of a loggia reconfigured in the 19th century. A stone base used to run around the palace, serving both as a bench and as a base resembling a classic crepidoma, but was eliminated in the 19th century and only partially restored later on:

Palazzo Spini Feroni by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 55*

The high walls in pietraforte masonry are interspersed with large ribbed windows aligned along string courses. These windows, among the first to be built in this way in Florence and looking radically different from the typical medieval ones, were the result of the 19th century remodeling, during which the smaller mezzanine windows that opened under the doorway arches were closed. One of the windows of the second floor houses a clock face. The crenelated crown rests on protruding arched brackets supported by inverted pyramids, an unusual motif in Florence. The interior of the palace still houses a private chapel with 17th century frescoes, and most of the noble rooms are also decorated with frescoes from the 17th and 18th centuries. The crenelations visible to the extreme right of the picture are those of the Gianfiliazzi Tower:

Palazzo Spini Feroni by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 55*

The view on Via de' Tornabuoni looking north from the square is impressive, with examples of so many architectural styles standing side by side. From there, it is also possible to see the southern façade of Palazzo Minerbetti, which replaced an earlier terrace and looks totally different from the rest of the building. An elegant balcony of wrought iron wraps around the first floor, and the coat-of-arms of the Minerbetti can be seen on the corner above it:

Via de' Tornabuoni from Piazza di Santa Trinita by Wasso H., on Flickr

The street continues further south, but I can see a wide “clearing” in the densely built center a short distance away, and I feel I’m about to move on to different a side of the city, literally and metaphorically…


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Part 3: along the Arno, and beyond it*

*Map: 57*

I have reached the Arno, the famous river going through the city, and I’m surprised by its width which looking at the map I had estimated to be considerably smaller. The Arno flooded Florence regularly in historical times, but its most recent flood in November 1966, considered one of the worst in history, will forever remain in memories as it not only caused dozens of victims, but also inestimable damage to the city’s artistic heritage; millions of masterpieces of art and rare books were lost or damaged, many of which are still awaiting restoration up to our days.

The five-arched Ponte alla Carraia bridge can be seen spanning the river in the back. The first mention of the bridge, then built in wood, dates from 1218; it was originally the second bridge to be built after the Ponte Vecchio, and its first name was thus Ponte Nuovo. It was destroyed and rebuilt several times, widened at the end of the 19th century, then blown up during World War 2 (like all but one Florentine bridges) by the retreating Nazis to prevent the passage of allied troops, and finally rebuilt in 1948 maintaining its original five-arched structure. A family of coypus (a large semi-aquatic rodent similar to a beaver) lives at the northernmost column of the bridge; some of them can be seen swimming if one looks close enough 

The dome visible to the left across the river is that of the late 17th-century San Frediano in Cestello church, so named because the original church on that site is said to have arisen from a miracle performed by the 6th century Irish Saint and Bishop of Lucca, Fridianus (Frediano):

The Arno with Ponte alla Carraia bridge in the back by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Once again great, very nice updates, cat :cheers:


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 57*

The streets running along the river are known as Lungarni (plural of Lungarno, literally “Along the Arno), and each of them bears the name of a family that owned an important palace or structure located on it. The stretch between the spot where I’m standing and Ponte alla Carraia is called Lungarno Corsini. Two noticeable palaces stand there, both named after the Gianfigliazzi family to which they once belonged.

The white one is Palazzo Gianfigliazzi Masetti or Palazzo Alfieri. Originally a 14th-century edifice that was reconfigured in the form of a palace in the mid 15th century, it was purchased in 1460 by the Gianfigliazzi, underwent a series of interventions in the 17th century to be adapted to the tastes of the time, then again in the 19th century by its then owners (the Masetti), when it was enlarged on both sides, raised by one floor, and had its windows rearranged to take its current form. Two kneeling windows open on the ground floor on either side of the portal, while the three upper floors are each lined with seven arched windows framed by ashlar, with the coat-of-arms of the Dainelli da Bagnano being visible in the middle of the façade. The building housed the English consulate in Florence until 2011, a function recalled by the flag pole above the main door, and today houses the hotel Palazzo Alfieri Residenza d'Epoca.

The red palace is Palazzo Gianfigliazzi Bonaparte, to which I will get back in detail in the following post. Last, the peculiar large building in the back is the 17th century Palazzo Corsini al Parione, and is the one that gives its name to this section of the street. Occupying a large area on which houses of various families stood in previous times, it is arranged around a courtyard closed towards the Lungarno by a lower wing, and crowned by a balustrade decorated with statues:

Lungarno Corsini, with Palazzo Gianfigliazzi Masetti and Palazzo Gianfigliazzi Bonaparte by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 57*

The impressive Palazzo Gianfigliazzi Bonaparte deserves a separate post. Originally dating back to from the 15th century, and traditionally attributed to a project by Filippo Brunelleschi, it belonged continually to the Gianfigliazzi until the extinction of the family in 1764. During the 19th century it was repeatedly modified until it assumed it current configuration, and became famous for the many illustrious people it hosted. In 1825 it was bought by Louis Bonaparte, king of Holland and father of Napoleon III, then served as a hotel with the name Albergo delle Quattro Nazioni (Hotel of the Four Nations), then was sold in 1867 to the Belgian Baron Van der Linden d’Hooghworst, and its sumptuous interiors became the setting of grandiose receptions. A chronicler of the time recalls how during the carnival of 1870 a table collapsed under the weight of the pottery, glassware and bronze candelabra placed on it, upon which the owners had other tables set and filled up with more crystal and candelabra, leading some malicious guests to think that the accident was staged just to show off the abundance reigning in the house!

The façade unfolds on nine axes, of which the last one on the left looks different and seems to be the result of a late addition. The main floor large bears an impressive balcony and eight large arched windows with decorated frames; on either side of it are two escutcheons, an older one with the arms of Gianfigliazzi, and a newer one with the coat-of-arms of the Barons d’Hooghworst, while a smaller escutcheon can be seen in the middle of the façade. The second floor is half as high as the main one, and also bears eight smaller arched windows, while the third floor is a loggia framed by columns of yellow stone, and crowned by large protruding eaves. The building currently houses various offices and Hotel Bretagna:

Palazzo Gianfigliazzi Bonaparte on Lungarno Corsini by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 57*

Across the river from Lungarno Corsini runs Lungarno Guicciardini. Some of the most noticeable palaces lining it are Palazzo Capponi-Vettori (the red one on the left), Palazzo Bardi-Guicciardini (the yellowish one divided in 7 axes) and Palazzo Lanfredini (the structure with a crenelated top and scaffolding); one can also see the 70-meter-high bell tower of Santa Maria dello Santo Spirito, inaugurated 1571 with the installation of a bell donated by Cosimo I.

Palazzo Caponi Vettori originally dates from the 15th century, but was enlarged in the early 17th century and again in the second half of the 19th century, when its façade on the Lungarno took its current form. The portal was once located at the center of the façade, but stands now towards the left edge after the enlargements. The first floor bears eight arched windows underlined by a string course and two balconies created in the 19th century, while the coat-of-arms of the Capponi stands in the middle.

Palazzo Bardi-Guicciardini stands on the site of earlier houses belonging to the Capponi, which were confiscated by the Medici after a conspiracy to assassinate Cosimo I and given to Pandolfo Bardi (a faithful to the Medici) who turned the complex into one large building. It passed in 1810 to the Guicciardini, who had the façade on the Lungarno widened, doubling its length from three to six axes, then widened again in 1840 while the main entrance was moved to the Lungarno side and the existing tower was elevated. The palace is notable for its small but interesting garden (visible to the right) that was known in the past for hosting botanical rarities, like jasmine of Goa, black roses, and a large ginkgo biloba tree.

Last, the peculiar Palazzo Lanfredini was owned by the Lanfredini family until their extinction in 1741, upon which it passed to other families and eventually to the British Institute of Florence. It presents an unusual façade without the typical elements of Florentine civil architecture, but instead decorated with sgraffito that reproduces ashlar pattern on the ground floor, and grotesque figures and coats of arms on the upper floors. The back of the palace incorporates the ancient Lanfredini Tower, which was the family’s original dwelling:

Lungarno Guicciardini seen from across the Arno by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 58*

Right to the east is the elegant Ponte Santa Trinita. Named after the church I saw a little earlier, it was built in Renaissance style based on a design by Michelangelo between 1567 and 1571, on the site of a 13th century bridge that had been destroyed by floods and rebuilt three times. It is the oldest elliptical arch bridge in the world, with three arches shaped like flattened ellipses, and separated by piers protruding into sharp angles:

Ponte Santa Trinita over the Arno by Wasso H., on Flickr

Again, notice the coypu family of Ponte alla Carraia swimming behind the right arch!


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 59*

The bridge is made of yellowish-brown stone, with white marble cartouches placed on top of the arches; four allegorical statues of the Seasons, executed by various sculptors, were added on the corners in 1608, as part of the wedding celebrations of Duke Cosimo II de' Medici with Mary Magdalene of Austria. The bridge was again destroyed by the retreating German troops in August 1944, then reconstructed in 1958 with original stones retrieved from the Arno or taken from the same quarry. The four statues had been found in the Arno in the meantime, but the head of Spring remained missing, only to be recovered from the bed of the Arno in 1961:

Ponte Santa Trinita from Lungarno degli Acciaiuoli by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 57*

On the other side of Ponte Santa Trinita stands the imposing Palazzo della Missione (the large yellow building). In this spot used to stand the ancient palace of the Frescobaldi, the family that had financed the construction of Santa Trinita bridge. The family moved to another nearby location in the 16th century, and the palace was subsequently incorporated into the convent of the Augustinian Friars of San Jacopo (connected to the adjacent church of San Jacopo Sopr'Arno, whose bell tower can be seen to the left), then completely redesigned in the 17th century. It derives its name from the Padri della Congregazione della Missione ("Fathers of the Congregation of the Mission") who took over it in 1703.

Despite originally serving as the headquarters of a religious order, the building has characteristics typical of 17th-century civil architecture, together with more original ones like the refined design of the window frames. The façade on Piazza Frescobaldi had corners covered in ashlar and a large central portal crowned with the effigy of the Savior, and the windows of the first floor are surmounted by niches containing marble busts of the Medici Grand Dukes Ferdinando I, Cosimo II, Ferdinando II and Cosimo III, while the façade overlooking the Arno, slightly concave in shape, has a plethora of windows of different shapes and sizes:

Ponte Santa Trinita over the Arno, and Palazzo della Missione behind it by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 58*

I continue walking on Lungarno degli Acciaiuoli, the stretch between Ponte Santa Trinita and the famed Ponte Vecchio, seen here in the back. This Lungarno takes its name from the main palace of the Acciaiuoli family that stood on it until it was destroyed in August by the German mines, which reduced all the streets around Ponte Vecchio to a pile of rubble. One of the surviving historical buildings on this section is Palazzo Altoviti, with the flags on the balcony of the first floor, which is occupied today by Hotel Berchielli. Two of the city's most important hotels in the 19th century were also located nearby, Grand Hotel Royal de l'Arno and Hotel Royal de la Grande Bretagne:

Ponte Vecchio from Lungarno degli Acciaiuoli by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates, cat :cheers:


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

Florence itinerary by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 71*

I arrive to the church of Santa Maria dello Santo Spirito, whose large bell tower was well visible from across the Arno. Standing on the site of an Augustinian convent founded in 1250, it was designed by Brunelleschi and completed in the 15th century well after his death. It is seemingly one of the largest in the city, with no less than 38 altars in the interior as I later learned, almost all with painted altarpieces. Sadly it was also closed, and I didn’t bother to take a picture of the plain, late 18th century façade.

An interesting fact: many churches in Florence were famous for putting on performances, often spectacular, on particular feast days, involving hoists, machinery and fireworks. The performance taking place in Santo Spirito was the Ascension, where fire tubes were fixed to the heads of the actors playing the Apostles, so that fire could appear over their heads after the dove of the Holy Ghost appeared (lighted in a similar manner). These fire tubes caused a fire to break during the performance of 1471 which led the old church to burn down, and the festa was discontinued from that year.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 72*

I arrive next to Piazza de’ Frescobaldi, situated in the continuation of Ponte Santa Trinita, and my eye is caught by an unusual building occupying the sharp corner between the Borgo San Jacopo and Via dello Sprone streets. Formerly a property of the Frescobaldi, it features a terrace on the first floor, with a bas-relief on the wall representing festoons and a caduceus (a staff entwined by two serpents and surmounted by wings, symbolizing commerce and negotiation), and a small loggia jutting out on shelves to act like a lookout on the square below. The corner of the building, clad in stone, is decorated with an escutcheon bearing the coat-of-arms of the Medici (six balls arranged in an oval shape) and an exquisite fountain in white marble known as Fontana dello Sprone (“Fountain of the Angle”):

Casa Frescobaldi and Fontana dello Sprone by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 72*

The fountain, in late mannerist style, has a shell-shaped tank with elegant volutes, and a grotesque bearded mask from which the water springs. It is traditionally thought to have been put in place in 1608, in the framework of the wedding celebrations of Duke Cosimo II de 'Medici and Mary Magdalene of Austria (like the statues placed at the four corners of Ponte Santa Trinita), but a recent theory suggests it was set up in 1639 instead, to commemorate the end of the work on an aqueduct commissioned by Duke Ferdinando II:

Fontana dello Sprone by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 73*

I walk back east towards Ponte Vecchio on the narrow street of Borgo San Jacopo, soon passing in front of the church of San Jacopo sopr’Arno (which you might better remember as “the church with its arse in the Arno” ). Its Romanesque portico, possibly dating back from 11th century, was brought here from the church of San Donato in Scopeto and reassembled in 1580; a plaque on the church door recalls that the portico was rebuilt at the expense of Cosimo I that year. It has columns with Corinthian capitals, and a frieze interspersed with four gargoyles with different designs. Three marble plaques with different shapes can be seen on the wall of the right side. The church is currently being used by a Greek Orthodox congregation, as can be seen from the small flags hanging on the fence:

Portico of the church of San Jacopo sopr'Arno by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 74*

Across the street stands the impressive Torre dei Marsili, built in the 12th century by the Marsili, one of the oldest Guelph families. It presents a rectangular plan with five floors, of which the last two rise well above the surrounding buildings, and a filaretto stone cladding. In the 19th century, the façade was decorated with terracotta statues; the main one, visible on the left side of the ground floor, represents the Annunciation, and is flanked by two angel figurines standing on brackets inside small niches, while a Blessing Jesus in marble stands above the window of the first floor:

Torre dei Marsili by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 75*

A little further to the east stands Torre dei Belfredelli, one of the city’s best preserved medieval towers (although the last floor with three large windows is a more recent addition). Much of its façade of exposed stone filaretto is densely covered in ivy, which, together with the small garden in front of it, gives the tower a particular charm. The garden is framed on the right side by a short section of ancient masonry, which still stands as a reminder of the destruction the area suffered in 1944:

Torre dei Belfredelli by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 75*

The medieval aspect of Borgo San Jacopo becomes apparent when looking back from that spot towards Piazza de’ Frescobaldi. Densely lined by tall buildings in brown and ochre tones (among which Torre Marsili stands out on the left), the street looks so dark that a car coming through it has its headlights turned on, even though it’s only around 3:30 pm!

Borgo San Jacopo by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 76*

Arriving again to the small square in the continuation of Ponte Vecchio, through which I had quickly passed previously without paying attention to the surroundings, my eye is caught by Torre dei Manelli, another surviving one of the towers that originally stood at the four corners of the bridge. The tower, with its characteristic coating of exposed stone filaretto, was the subject of a dispute in 1565 between Cosimo I and the Manelli family, who refused to have it altered or demolished so that the Vasari Corridor could be built in a straight line. Instead, Giorgio Vasari eventually had to modify his project, by making the corridor swerve around the tower, supported by a series of large corbels in pietra serena. Like the nearby Torre dei Belfredelli, the top floor of the Manelli Tower is also the result of more recent construction:

Torre dei Manelli and the Vasari Corridor by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 76*

Across the street stands another one yet of the Ponte Vecchio’s four corner towers, Torre dei Rossi-Cerchi. Built in the 13th century, it was completely destroyed by German mines in 1944, and subsequently reconstructed in 1958 using part of the original materials. Although the side facing the bridge was partly recreated with the traditional exposed stone filaretto, the one on Via de’ Guicciardini is clearly modern, which is why the tower in itself went unnoticed by me.

Instead, my attention was drawn to a fountain with a bronze statue of Bacchus, placed in a niche at its base. The fountain was set up in 1838, but the statue dates from around 1560, and had been previously housed in the Uffizi gallery. It depicts Bacchus pouring the contents of a cup, and rests on a cubical marble plinth decorated with a lion head from which the water springs. The fountain was destroyed in 1944 with the rest of the tower, but the statue of Bacchus escaped harm because it had previously been transferred to another spot, however the Roman marble sarcophagus that served as a basin was lost, and has been replaced by a copy. The statue was in turn replaced by a copy, and moved to the Bargello museum in 2006:

Fontana del Bacchino (Bacchus Fountain) by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 78*

I decide to go further east through Via de' Bardi, curious about what the banks of the Arno look like from the other side of Ponte Vecchio. Arriving at the little square where Lungarno Torrigiani starts, I don’t regret my decision: a great view can be enjoyed from that spot over Ponte Vecchio, Torre dei Consorti, and a portion of the Vasari Corridor supported by an arched portico, whose architecture, reminiscent of ancient aqueducts and characterized by the absence of decoration, was inspired by Vasari’s stays in Rome:

Ponte Vecchio and the Vasari Corridor from Lungarno Torrigiani by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 77*

There is a café on a small esplanade hanging over the river to the right of the bridge, which I suppose should be one of the most expensive in the city due to its location:

Ponte Vecchio and the Vasari Corridor from Lungarno Torrigiani by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 78*

The spot also offers impressive views over the southern wing of the Uffizi palace. The niches on the ground floor house the statues of four Florentine military leaders: from left to right, Francesco Ferrucci, Giovanni dalle Bande Nere (father of Cosimo I), Piero Capponi and Farinata degli Uberti. Below the Uffizi is a little wharf from which kayaks can be rented to row down the Arno. The stone building to the right is Palazzo Castellani, an 11th century palace housing Museo Galileo, where one of the world’s major collection of scientific instruments is exposed, including all of Galileo’s unique artifacts:

The Uffizi and Museo Galileo from Lungarno Torrigiani by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 79*

Enticed by this nice viewing spot, I think to myself “since I’m still on this side of the river, why not climb up to Belvedere fort (Belvedere standing for “Beautiful View” in Italian) which on the map doesn’t seem too far, for a wonderful panorama of the city? Sure, I wasn’t planning to lose more time in Oltrarno, and I was still feeling the urge to find a restroom, but thinking I wouldn’t get another opportunity to see city from above, I decide it was totally worth it to hold myself for a little longer :lol: I climb a long flight of stairs, from which part of the Uffizi and the tower of Palazzo Vecchio can be seen, then take the narrow Costa San Giorgio street that climbs towards the fort:

The Uffizi and Palazzo Vecchio seen from stairs above Piazza di Santa Maria Soprarno by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 81*

The street turns out to be one of the steepest I have seen in my life, and the climb seems never ending, a sensation only made worse by the feeling of isolation as I seem to be the only person in that part of the city! I finally get there, exhausted and thinking “the view better be worth it or I’m getting mad!”

The Belvedere fort was built between 1590 and 1595 on the will of the Grand Duke Ferdinando I, with the aim of protecting Palazzo Pitti and he Oltrarno as a whole, show off the power of the Medici, and serve as the ultimate refuge for the Grand Duke in the event of an attack or riot; for this last reason it was also equipped with a secret treasure room where the Medici could store their most precious treasures, protected by a series of deadly traps. The design of the fort reflects both Italian Renaissance and military architecture. The walls are built at angles, allowing each of the walls to be seen by another wall for protective cross fire; nevertheless the fort never underwent a siege, nor did its artillery ever fire a shot in battle! Visible above the walls is the Palazzina di Belvedere, a villa predating the fort itself (built around 1570) and intended to house the Grand Duke in times of unrest or epidemic:

Belvedere Fort by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 80*

Much to my unpleasant surprise, the fort turns out to be closed, meaning all that climb was for nothing! I look in vain for another entrance during a couple of minutes, cursing all the while, then take a last look at the impressive gate surmounted by a huge Medici coat-of-arms, and leave with a sentiment of bitterness:

Main gate of Belvedere Fort by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 82*

I’m hoping it’s possible at least to descend through the beautiful Boboli Gardens that extend all the way from the fort to Palazzo Pitti, which would be a consolation, but arriving to the northern end of the alley circling the fort, I also find the gate to the gardens closed! More frustration, more cursing (with nobody around to hear anyway), then I resign myself to go back through the steep and depressing Costa San Giorgio, hoping there will be no more nasty surprises in store in the little time I still have on my hands…


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Part 4: so much left to see, so little time*

*Map: 83*

After the long descent, I cross back the Ponte Vecchio, hoping to have enough time left to for a glance at the most important landmarks I still haven’t seen, most notably the Uffizi and Palazzo Vecchio. At the northeast corner of the bridge opens the small Piazza del Pesce (Square of the Fish), whose name recalls the Arno fish market formerly held there, and which was moved to Mercato Vecchio with the construction of the Vasari Corridor in 1565. The narrow paved street connecting the square with the Uffizi is the short Lungarno degli Archibusieri, formerly called Via Peschiera or Via dei Pescaioli because of the fish market; its right side is occupied by the portico supporting the Vasari Corridor, which can be seen crossing the street over a single arch.

The vast building across the street is Palazzo Mori Ubaldini, born of the unification and reconfiguration of smaller houses in the 19th century. It is characterized by a "hybrid architecture" completely detached from the local tradition, which earned it numerous criticisms: window frames inspired by 15th-16th century models, Roman eaves, a single balcony on the third floor on the façade overlooking the square, whose door is surmounted by the coat-of-arms of the Mori Ubaldini, and five balconies on the façade overlooking the Lungarno. In spite of its detractors, the palace remained miraculously unharmed during the detonation of mines by the retreating German troops in August 1944, which led to the destruction of much older neighboring buildings:

Palazzo Mori Ubaldini and part of the Vasari Corridor by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 84*

On the ground floor of Palazzo Mori Ubaldini opens the interesting Volta de' Girolami, an archway passing beneath a series of palaces formerly belonging to the Girolami family:

Volta de' Girolami by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

Florence itinerary by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 85*

Further north, on a small square, stands the today deconsecrated church of Santo Stefano al Ponte. Already documented in 1116 (though probably founded earlier), it assumed its present external appearance in the 14th century. It was severely damaged during World War 2 and the 1966 flood, reopened for cult in 1981, then deconsecrated in 1986 (in the frame of the reduction of parishes in the historic city center due to depopulation) and became the auditorium of the Tuscan Regional Orchestra.

The church was built in essentially three phases: a Romanesque phase, of which only the lower part of the façade remains, a Gothic one, and a Florentine baroque one. The central portal is surmounted by a lunette encircling an oculus, and framed by a rich frame of white marble and green marble of Prato. The upper part of the façade features a smoother bossage indicating a more recent period of construction, between the 13th and 14th fourteenth century. Three arched windows open in it; above the larger central window is a niche flanked by small columns, while the gable is decorated with a blind arcade called Lombard band:

Church of Santo Stefano al Ponte (deconsecrated) by Wasso H., on Flickr 

The interior, radically restructured in the 17th century, houses a plethora of artistic treasures, but the building was closed.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 86*

A little further, I take the historic Via Lambertesca that goes east towards the Uffizi. It intersects midway through with the narrow and dark Chiasso dei Baroncelli, named after the family whose houses and towers were located there, and surmounted by a number of flying arches:

The narrow Chiasso dei Baroncelli by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 87*

The last part of Via Lambertesca is covered and opens onto the Uffizi square through an archway surmounted by a sort of loggia. Under the archway on the left opens the interesting Porta delle Suppliche ("Door of the Supplications"), so called because there was a hole in it from which citizens could direct requests to the Grand Duke. The door was designed by architect Bernardo Buontalenti who crowned it with a broken pediment; he reversed the two halves for greater originality, obtaining a sort of "winged" pediment, and placing a bust of Cosimo I on top:

Via Lambertesca leading onto Piazzale degli Uffizi, with Porta delle Suppliche on the left by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates about Florence, cat :cheers:


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 89*

The Gallery of Statues and Paintings (formerly Palazzo degli Uffizi), constitutes the main part of the Uffizi galleries, one of the most important museums in the world in terms of quantity and quality of the works collected. It houses a collection of priceless works of art, deriving, as a fundamental nucleus, from the art collections of the Medici (gifted to the city of Florence by the last heiress of the family), and enriched over the centuries by legacies, exchanges and donations. The exhibits span the period between the 12th to the 18th century, and comprise the best collection of Renaissance art in the world, among which works by Caravaggio, Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli and Rembrandt.

The building of the Uffizi complex was begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici, who wanted to bring together the offices of the 13 most important Florentine Magistrates in a single building placed under his direct supervision, adjacent to the old Palazzo della Signoria. The work was taken over by Bernardo Buontalenti in 1574, and completed in 1581. Francesco I, son of Cosimo, decided then to close and use the loggia of the last floor as a personal gallery to store his magnificent collection of works of art, scientific instruments and natural curiosities; he made his collection available on request, making the Uffizi one of the oldest museums in Europe.

Over the years, more sections of the palace were recruited to exhibit works of art collected or commissioned by the Medici, and after it was opened to the public following the family’s extinction, more masterpieces kept arriving. The collection grew so much that some of it was transferred to other museums in Florence, then in 2006, the exhibition space was doubled, allowing the public to view many artworks that had been in storage. The museum is currently being remodeled again to modernize the interior and more than double the display space.

The Gallery of Statues and Paintings is composed of two main longitudinal buildings connected to the south by a shorter one, creating a U-shaped complex which embraces a large courtyard (Piazzale degli Uffizi) and crosses out to the north towards Piazza della Signoria, with a perfect shot of Palazzo Vecchio and its tower:

View from Piazzale degli Uffizi on Palazzo Vecchio and Torre d'Arnolfo by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 89*

The short side is characterized by a large arch that opens on the Arno, scenographically framing the view of the river like a theatrical backdrop, and surmounted by a loggia with arched windows. In front of the central window is a statue of Cosimo I standing, flanked by the lying personifications of Equity and Penalties. Vasari, a painter as well as architect, emphasized the courtyard’s perspective by creating unbroken cornices between the different floors, three continuous steps on which the internal facades stand, and continuous eaves on top.

The ground floor of the three sides is an architraved portico, consisting of spans bounded by pillars with statues inside niches, and divided into three parts by two Doric columns interposed between the pillars. Above each module are three rectangular openings in the fake mezzanine above that serve to illuminate the portico, and three windows with fake balconies on the first floor with alternating triangular and curvilinear pediments, while the top floor is a loggia that served as the original Gallery. The architectural elements are underlined by the use of pietra serena which stands out on the white plaster, according to the most typically Florentine style started by Brunelleschi:

Piazzale degli Uffizi, and the Gallery of Statues and Paintings by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 88*

The portico is covered by a long barrel vault decorated with rectangular frames, connected by bands drawing a uniform geometric pattern. The architraved portico represents a major innovation in the history of architecture, as the medieval and Renaissance arcades consisted of a series of arches but never of architraves, both in Florence and elsewhere:

The Uffizi portico by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 89*

In the 19th century, 28 marble statues were inserted in the niches of the pillars, representing illustrious Tuscans from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Among these are poet Dante Alighieri (first statue on the left), explorer Amerigo Vespucci (southern side, left) and scientist Galileo Galilei (southern side, right):

Piazzale degli Uffizi, and the Gallery of Statues and Paintings by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 90*

Exiting the arch towards the Arno, I find myself on the short Lungarno Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, where many people are strolling or admiring the eastern side of Ponte Vecchio. On the right, the Vasari Corridor can be seen exiting the Uffizi and running on the arched section towards Ponte Vecchio:

View towards Ponte Vecchio from Lungarno Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 90*

While across the Arno are again some of those dull buildings with a pseudo-historical character, built in the 1950s in the area destroyed by German mines. I think the buttresses supporting them and hanging over the water are their main saving grace:

View towards Ponte Vecchio from Lungarno Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## zwischbl (Mar 12, 2005)

Would have been a nice thread but then there were these watermarks everywhere....they kind of destroy the impression of the pictures - too prominent. What a pity! 
Still I recognize the effort you made.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

zwischbl said:


> Would have been a nice thread but then there were these watermarks everywhere....they kind of destroy the impression of the pictures - too prominent. What a pity!
> Still I recognize the effort you made.


Come on, they're not THAT large, you should have seen the ones in my Imola thread then :lol: But if that's indeed the reason nobody likes the pictures, then OK, I won't put watermarks on the material for my next thread when I open it  I already uploaded all my Florence pictures with watermarks however, so you'll have to do with it.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 91*

Piazzale degli Uffizi joins to the north with the famed Piazza della Signoria, whose southeastern corner is fully occupied by the monumental Palazzo Vecchio and its landmark tower. At the end of the 13th century, the Commune of Florence decided to build a palace worthy of the city’s importance, and that would also be more defensible and secure for the Magistrates in times of turbulence. Arnolfo di Cambio, the architect of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, began building the palace in 1299 on the ruins of palaces owned by the Ghibelline family of the Uberti, expelled in 1266. He also incorporated into it the ancient tower of the Foraboschi family as the substructure of the new tower, named Torre d'Arnolfo after him, and considered one of the emblems of the city:

View from Piazzale degli Uffizi on Palazzo Vecchio and Torre d'Arnolfo by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 92*

In 1540 the palace became the official residence of Duke Cosimo I de' Medici, who commissioned Vasari to enlarge it to meet the needs of the ducal court, doubling its volume. When Cosimo moved to Palazzo Pitti in 1565, the palace was renamed Palazzo Vecchio, while the adjacent Piazza della Signoria maintained its name. The palace gained new importance as the seat of the government of united Italy from 1865 to 1871, when Florence had become the temporary capital. Most of it is now a museum displaying works of various Renaissance artists in its sumptuously decorated rooms, however it also remains the symbol of the local government, housing the office of the Mayor of Florence and the seat of the City Council since 1872:

View from Piazzale degli Uffizi on Palazzo Vecchio and Torre d'Arnolfo by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 95*

The palace is made of rusticated ashlar, which gives an impression of solidity. It is divided into three main floors by string courses that underline two rows of neo-Gothic mullioned windows with trefoil arches, and bas-reliefs of the cross and the Florentine lily in the spandrels between the trefoils. The building is crowned by a projecting Guelph-type crenelated battlement (with a square top), supported by round arches and corbels. Some of these arches are equipped with embrasures (holes) that could be used to drop heated liquids or rocks on invaders, while under them is a repeated series of nine painted coats-of-arms of the Florentine republic in the 14th century. Among these, worth mentioning are: the red Florentine lily on a white field, the city’s current symbol, adopted by the Guelphs at the time of the Ghibelline expulsion in 1266; a white lily on a red field, the ancient Ghibelline symbol of the city; a red eagle attacking a green dragon on a white field, an emblem of the Guelph Party, and two crossing golden keys in a red field, representing the loyalty to the Papacy.

The palace’s most prominent feature is the 94-meter tower, completed in 1310. As previously mentioned, it is not centered on the façade but stands more towards the south side because it was built over a pre-existing tower-house known as Torre della Vacca (“Tower of the Cow”) because of the nickname given by the Florentines to the large bell that surmounted it. In the middle is a large clock originally constructed in 1353 by a Florentine artisan, and replaced in 1667 with a replica made in the German town of Augsburg, which is still working. The top part of the tower is crowned by Ghibelline-type merlons (dovetailed battlements, as opposed to the Guelph-type ones of the last floor of the palace), supported by corbels with pointed arches. Above it stands an aedicule with round arches supported by four massive masonry columns, and housing three bells, the oldest of which was cast in the 13th century. On top is a large wind vane shaped like a Marzocco (the heraldic lion that is a symbol of Florence) holding a pole surmounted by the Florentine lily:

Palazzo Vecchio and Torre d'Arnolfo by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 93*

Unfortunately I don’t have any time left to visit the interior of the palace, which is so vast and sumptuous it probably needs at least half a day, so I stick to observing the exterior details and the surroundings. Above the front entrance door, there is a notable ornamental marble frontispiece dating from 1528. In the middle, standing on a blue background with golden lilies and flanked by two gilded lions, is a solar emblem bearing the trigram of Christ (YHS), while below it is the text "Rex Regum et Dominus Dominantium" (Latin for "King of Kings and Lord of Lords"), dating back to the time of Cosimo I, and inspired by an earlier inscription dictated by Girolamo Savonarola.

Two marble statues of classical typology stand on either side of the main gate; in ancient times they supported a chain that served to block the entrance. The stairs leading to the gate are flanked by two masterpieces of Renaissance sculpture, both about 5 meters tall: Michelangelo's famed David on the left, and Bandinelli’s Hercules and Cacus on the right:

Main entrance to Palazzo Vecchio, guarded by the statues of David and Hercules and Cacus by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 93*

David was originally commissioned as one of twelve large statues of Old Testament characters intended to be positioned along the roofline of the Florence Cathedral. Originally begun in 1464, the statue was left as an unfinished block of marble until 1501, when 26-year old Michelangelo was assigned to complete it, which he did in 1504. The authorities then acknowledged it would be almost impossible to raise the more than six-ton statue to the roof of the cathedral, so David was installed next to the entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio, where it symbolically stood for the Republican government of the city, threatened by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici family. It was then moved from Piazza della Signoria to the Accademia Gallery in 1873, and a replica was placed on the square in 1910.

The statue is a Renaissance interpretation of the ancient theme of the standing heroic male nude, with its characteristic contrapposto pose (hips and shoulders resting at opposing angles) that is further emphasized by the turn of the head to the left. It appears to show David after he has made the decision to fight Goliath but before the battle has taken place; his left hand holds a sling draped over his shoulder and down to his right hand, which holds a rock. The proportions of the statue are atypical of Michelangelo's work, as it has an unusually large head and hands; this may be due to the fact that it was originally intended to be placed on the cathedral roofline, meaning that the important parts had to be accentuated in order to be visible from below.

The sculpture of Hercules and Cacus was commissioned to Bandinelli by the Medici Pope Clement VII, and originally intended as a “pair” to David, but later appropriated by the Medici family as a symbol of their renewed power after their return from exile in 1512. The statue was unveiled in 1534 and drew numerous criticisms, though most of these were more aimed at the Medici rather than purely aesthetic. The two harshest critics were Giorgio Vasari and Benvenuto Cellini, both of whom were champions of Michelangelo and rivals of Bandinelli for Medici patronage.

Hercules is depicted killing the fire-breathing giant Cacus during his tenth labor, while below are various sculptural elements alluding to his other labors: the Nemean Lion, the Erymanthian Boar, one of the three heads of Cerberus, and one of the nine heads of the Hydra. The base also includes squares in colored marble interspersed with bas-relief busts. Hercules is the symbol of physical strength, and, juxtaposed with David as a symbol of spiritual strength, depicts the basic theme of the victor (the Medici) and the vanquished (the Republicans). The paused expression of Hercules also suggests the leniency of the Medici to those who would concede to their rule:

Main entrance to Palazzo Vecchio, guarded by the statues of David and Hercules and Cacus by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 94*

Towards the other corner of the façade is the monumental fountain of Neptune, while the smaller sculptures to the right represent the Marzocco (the heraldic lion) and Judith and Holefernes, both by Donatello. The Marzocco was apparently the first piece of public sculpture commissioned by the Republic of Florence. Executed between 1418 and 1420 in pietra serena, it was moved to the Bargello museum in 1885 after having irreparably deteriorated, and replaced by a copy. The bronze sculpture of Judith and Holofernes, executed in 1457, was initially commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici the Elder as a decoration for the fountain in the garden of Palazzo Medici-Riccardi; it depicts Judith standing with a raised sword, preparing to behead the tyrant Holofernes whom she holds by his hair. Judith is considered the symbol of virtue and victory of the weak over the strong in a just cause, and thus a metaphor of the Medici rule as the defenders of Florentine liberty. The sculpture was replaced by a bronze copy in 1988, and the original can now be admired in one of the rooms of Palazzo Vecchio.

The Fountain of Neptune, made of marble and bronze, was commissioned by Cosimo I in 1559, at a time when a new aqueduct was also being built, the first to bring running water to the city. He requested a statue of Neptune as the primary element, in a chariot drawn by sea horses, to symbolize Florence's command of the Mediterranean. The Sea God is in fact a frequent theme for fountains, with over a dozen Fountains of Neptune existing in Italy.

The fountain was designed by Baccio Bandinelli, but he died before work began, so sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati was hired to take over and completed the work with assistants and collaborators. The 4.2 meter tall Neptune figure, made of Carrara marble, and whose face is said to resemble that of the Grand Duke Cosimo, was completed in 1565 in time for the wedding of Duke Francesco I, but work on the basin required nearly ten more years:

Fountain of Neptune by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 96*

The statue of Neptune on display today is a copy made in the 1800s, when the original was moved to the National Museum. The pedestal on which he stands is decorated with the mythical figures of Scylla and Charybdis, while the wheels of the chariot are decorated with lion heads and the zodiacal signs, symbolizing the passing of time. The perimeter of the basin is decorated in mannerist style, with four marine deities (Oceanus, Nereus, Tethys and Doris) sitting at the corners, each with a procession of bronze nymphs, satyrs and fauns at their feet, made by Giambologna.

The fountain has suffered a lot of damage and vandalism over the centuries, last time in 2007. A general restoration started in September 2016, during which the fountain is surrounded by a protective cage and by scaffolding, but I was lucky enough to be able to admire it, as I visited the city in January of the same year:

Fountain of Neptune by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

Florence itinerary by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 94*

The southern side of Piazza della Signoria is partly occupied by the Loggia dei Lanzi, built between 1376 and 1382 to house the assemblies of the people and hold public ceremonies. It consists of three wide arches opening onto the square and resting on clustered pilasters, with an additional one opening to the side. The arches appealed so much to the Florentines when they were built that Michelangelo proposed that they should be continued all around Piazza della Signoria. The name of the Loggia dates back to the reign of Grand Duke Cosimo I, when it was used to house his German mercenary pikemen, the Lanzichenecchi. After the construction of the Uffizi, the roof was modified into a terrace from which the Medici dukes could watch ceremonies held on the square. Starting from the 16th century, the Loggia became an exhibition space, and houses today a number of antique and Renaissance sculptures of exceptional value, all original and under continuous surveillance.

On the façade, below the parapet, are trefoils with allegorical figures of the four cardinal virtues set on a blue background painted with golden stars. The steps are flanked by two marble Marzoccos (heraldic lions), with the one on the right dating from Roman times and the one on the left dating from the late 16th century:

Loggia dei Lanzi by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 93*

Cosimo I made sure the sculptures exhibited in the Loggia had political connotations, in line with the ones in front of Palazzo Vecchio. One of the most noticeable statues exhibited in the Loggia is Perseus, a bronze by Benvenuto Cellini, underneath the left bay. It shows the mythical Greek hero standing poised, holding his sword in his right hand and holding up with his left hand the Medusa's severed head, from which blood is gushing from the head and the neck of the dead Medusa. Perseus stands as an allegory of the Medici government of the city that wanted to be a bearer of peace and order, while Medusa represents the previous republican rule and its bloody internal struggles, symbolized by the snakes on its head. The richly decorated marble pedestal contains four graceful bronze statuettes of Jupiter, Mercurius, Minerva and Danae.

The marble sculptures visible in the back are The Rape of Poyxena from 1865 (left), and a Sabine from Roman times (right):

Loggia dei Lanzi - Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 93*

Underneath the right bay is the Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna, sculpted in the largest block of marble ever transported to Florence. Giambologna successfully created a composition with an upward spiral movement that can be admired from all sides; it was the first sculptural group in European history to be conceived without a dominant viewpoint. The marble pedestal bears bronze bas-reliefs with the same theme.

In the back is Hercules beating the Centaur Nessus, a 1599 marble also by Giambologna. Notice also the finely sculpted capital at the base of the vault on the other side: 

Loggia dei Lanzi - The Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 93*

The other sides of Piazza della Signoria do not feature well known landmarks, but they’re lined nonetheless with some interesting buildings. The most recently constructed one is Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali, designed in neo-Renaissance style in 1871. While its architecture is undoubtedly inspired by that of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi (but made of pietra serena instead of traditional stone, and with four floors instead of the traditional three), it was never intended to be a private house, but the local headquarters of the General Insurance Company (Assicurazioni Generali, commonly known as Generali). Although the size and the symmetry of the building make it immediately evident, it unsuccessfully vies for the square’s dominance with the more historical and imposing Palazzo Vecchio.

On the square’s northwestern corner stands Palazzo Arte dei Mercantati, whose current form is due to mid-18th-century interventions, like the creation of a balcony on the main floor and the revetment of the ground floor with natural and artificial stone. The pharmacy at its corner is one of the oldest in Florence, with its existence attested as early as the late 13th century, and is said to have been regularly frequented by Dante.

The tall structure with mullioned windows visible behind it is the church of Orsanmichele, originally built in 1337 as a grain market and later converted into a church. In the late in the 14th century, the Guilds commissioned 14 elaborate niches with stone or bronze statues of their patron saints to embellish the church’s façade, but sadly I didn’t have enough time left for the detour required to take a look at them.

Immediately to the right is Casa Bombicci, which has an imposing Baroque stone, a long balcony on the main floor supported by stone corbels, and a smaller balcony in the middle of the second floor. It forms a logical continuity with Palazzo della Cassa di Risparmio to the right, which features the same architectural elements and color, but with an additional Palladian door on the main floor; both buildings date from the late 18th century.

To the right is Palazzo Guidacci, developed on five floors, with a large stone balcony on the main floor that attests a 19th-century reconfiguration; it is currently occupied by a branch of Banca Toscana. Finally, the large yellow building with arched windows is Palazzo della Meridiana, which also presents a 19th-century design. At the left edge of the façade is a sundial which indicates midday both of the meridian of Greenwich and of the local time zone:

Piazza della Signoria (looking northwest) by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 93*

On the northeastern part of the square stands Casa delle Farine (the yellow building across the street from Palazzo della Meridiana). A significant portion of it was bought in 1562 by Cosimo I, who placed there the Office of the Grascia, responsible of the fiscal surveillance of the mills and the rationing of the flour, and this is where the name of the building comes from. The ground floor is made of rusticated ashlar, and the windows of the first and second floors are set inside stone arches that stand out on the plastered façade.

Next to it is the interesting and unique Palazzo Uguccioni, built from 1550 to 1559 based on a project sent from Rome; it thus bears witness to the brief era of adhesion to “Roman style”, introduced to Florence by Cosimo I. The use of pietraforte and the conspicuous projection of the various elements led over the time to a marked deterioration of the façade, which in the 1930s had lost its original balustrade. The ground floor is characterized by stone bossage and bears three arches, two of which are blind. The main and second floors are divided by semi-columns standing on high plinths, of Doric and Corinthian order respectively, according to a style completely unusual for Florence, while the tall balcony windows are crowned with arched and triangular pediments. On the main floor above the entrance is a bust Duke Francesco I. Despite having undergone a restoration in the 1980s, the beautiful building lies today in a state of half abandonment with its windows staying perpetually closed.

In front of these two buildings stands the Equestrian Monument of Cosimo I, commissioned by Cosimo's son Ferdinando I from the sculptor Giambologna, and which follows the classical Roman tradition of equestrian statues as a monument to a ruler's power, continued in the Renaissance. The base bears reliefs with scenes from the life of Cosimo, including his coronation in Rome as Grand Duke in 1570 and his entrance into Siena in 1557 after his victory over that republic:

Piazza della Signoria (looking northeast) by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 95*

Before leaving Piazza della Signoria and heading back north, I take a panoramic shot to capture this famous spot of the city in its entirety:

Piazza della Signoria panorama by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 97*

I leave the square from Via de’ Gondi, on which the extensive and irregular extensions of Palazzo Vecchio are clearly visible. The part on the right was initially built only up to the height of the first floor, then elevated in the 19th century, which is why the rustication and the design of the top look completely unmatched with the rest (notice the large ribbed window and its frame, which are typical 19th century elements). The part on the left, entirely built of rusticated stone but with a design different from the façade on Piazza della Signoria, was added during the reign of Grand Duke Ferdinand I in the late 16th century; typical elements of this period are the architraves above the tallest windows, the mezzanine, and the Roman eaves:

Northern facade of Palazzo Vecchio (from Via de' Gondi) by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 98*

I arrive to the impressive San Firenze complex located on the homonymous square, one of the rare examples of Baroque style in the center of Florence. It occupies a large city block gifted in 1640 by Pope Urban VIII to the Oratorian Fathers of San Felipe Neri, who came to Florence from Rome. In addition to tower houses and palaces, this area included the 12th century church of San Firenze (originally called San Fiorenzo), which gave the complex its name. The Fathers wanted to create a large complex, including a convent, a church and an oratory, dedicated to the founder of the order (canonized in 1622). The construction lasted from 1667 until 1773 under the successive direction of several architects, eventually yielding a unitary façade in pietra forte with a plethora of sculptural decorations in white marble. The complex hosted the Courthouse of Florence until 2012 (except for the church of San Filippo Neri, accessed by the door on the left and still officiated), and houses today the Franco Zeffirelli International Center for Performing Arts:

Facade of San Firenze complex by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 99*

The façade is clearly inspired by that of San Gaetano church: likewise, it is divided into three parts by pairs of fluted pilasters with composite capitals, only that the central part, organized on five axes, is much wider than the other two. Like in San Gaetano, the side portals are framed by columns and crowned by triangular pediments flanked by reclining statues, while the coat-of-arms of the order’s main benefactor, dominates the complex, supported by two angels. The central portal lacks a pediment and is crowned by a small balcony instead, and flanked on each side by two kneeling windows:

Facade of San Firenze complex by Wasso H., on Flickr

The building in the back is the 19th-century Palazzo Columbia-Parlamento, which housed the homonymous luxurious hotel during the years when Florence was the capital of Italy, often frequented by MPs who met at Palazzo Vecchio and senators who met at Palazzo Pitti.


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 100*

I’m quite intrigued by the San Firenze complex, and decide to take the narrow Via dell’Anguillara running along it to see what it looks like from the side. I arrive to two 17th-century palaces with large eaves forming an almost seamless continuity with each other, Palazzo Baccelli and Palazzo Ginori. Both are an important testimony of Florentine Mannerist architecture, with their large windows set inside elaborate stone frames, while a large coat-of-arms can be seen on the façade of the former:

Palazzo Baccelli and Palazzo Ginori, behind the San Firenze complex by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 99*

The Basilica of Santa Croce, one of the city’s most important churches, lies a short distance ahead, but it’s starting to get dark, I have a train to take in 45 minutes or so, and I still haven’t eaten and used the restroom, so I have to resign myself to return to Piazza San Firenze instead and continue northward.

Poking behind the buildings on the left is the prominent campanile of the famed Badia Fiorentina abbey, founded by the Benedictines in 978, and home today to the Monastic Community of Jerusalem. The abbey’s Romanesque church was rebuilt in Gothic style by Arnolfo di Cambio (the architect of the Duomo) in the late 13th century, then underwent a Baroque transformation in the 17th century. The 70-meter high campanile, completed between 1310 and 1330, has a hexagonal plan, and is of Romanesque style at its base and of Gothic style in its upper stages, with the characteristic narrow mullioned windows and quatrefoil openings in the cusp. It was built in place of an older bell tower with a circular plan, half demolished in 1307 to punish the monks for non-payment of taxes:

Piazza San Firenze and Badia Florentina by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 99*

Across the street stands the imposing Palazzo del Bargello, known simply as the Bargello. Built between 1255 and 1261 and expanded in the following decades, the austere crenellated palace is the oldest public building in Florence, and served as model for the construction of Palazzo Vecchio. It was raised in the 14th century to create the Sala del Consiglio (General Council Hall), which can be attested by the different types of masonry on the external walls, and the stone corbels that used to support wooden balconies (today lost). The main floor is lined by mullioned windows, and a larger mullioned window opens on the last floor of the southern façade, giving light into the Sala del Consiglio.

The name Bargello derives from the late Latin bargillus (meaning castle or fortified tower) and was given during the Italian Middle Ages to a military captain in charge of keeping peace and justice during riots and uproars, then extended to the palace, which housed the office of the captain. It was used as a prison at the time of the Medici Dukes, and executions took place in its yard until they were abolished n 1786, but the palace remained the headquarters of the Florentine police until 1859. It was turned into a national museum in 1865, and houses today the largest Italian collection of Gothic and Renaissance sculpture, including masterpieces by Michelangelo, Donatello, Giambologna and Benvenuto Cellini, as well as a fine collection of ceramics, tapestries, ivory, silver, armors and old coins:

Piazza San Firenze and Palazzo del Bargello by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Splendid!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Really awesome, very nice updates :cheers:


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 101*

The northern façade of the palace was raised between 1316 and 1320, while the easternmost part (in the back) was built between 1325 and 1346. The main floor is again lined with mullioned windows, but slenderer than the ones on the main façade, while the last floor has single-lancet trefoiled windows instead. The windows are also framed by slender columns of white marble:

Northern facade of Palazzo del Bargello by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 101*

At the Bargello’s northwestern corner stands Torre della Volognana, originally privately owned, but sold to the Commune in 1254 and subsequently incorporated into the palace; it is thus the city’s only privately owned tower that preserves its original height (57 meters), having become part of a public building. Its name derives from that of the first prisoner it held, Geri da Volognano. Over time, it was transformed into a bell tower, housing a bell cast in 1381 that would chime on fatal occasions, as to call the citizens to take arms or to announce executions. The external walls of the tower used to bear paintings of the rebels and traitors of the homeland doing forced labor, as a sign of eternal ignominy, but these have been completely worn out:

Torre della Volognana by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 102*

I continue to the north, and soon encounter the 15th-century Palazzo Pazzi della Congiura, considered among the most important of that period both for its elegance and its size; it served in fact as a model for many other residences of the leading classes of Florence built in the late 15th century. Confiscated by the Medici following the conspiracy of the Pazzi against Lorenzo the Magnificent, it subsequently changed hands numerous times and was eventually acquired by the National Institute of Social Security.

The ground floor of the palace, clad in dark ashlar, contrasts with the light plastered upper floors. The windows of the ground floor, covered with wrought iron lattice, are traced back to the 17th century when they replaced other smaller openings, while the ones of the upper floors are mullioned and set inside elegant stone frames, on which the motif of a ship with its sails swelled by the wind can be seen, alluding to maritime traffic of the Pazzi family. A large escutcheon with the coat-of-arms of the Pazzi can also be seen on the corner:

Palazzo Pazzi della Congiura by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 103*

Across the street to the north stands the highly interesting Palazzo Nonfinito, a Mannerist-style palace commissioned in 1592 by the Strozzi family. Architect Bernardo Buontalenti worked on the ground floor from 1593 to 1600, drawing inspiration from the work of Michelangelo, and other architects continued the construction until 1613, but the palace was left incomplete, and thus garnered its name of Nonfinito. The reason that prevented its completion was probably the rivalry opposing the Strozzi to the Salviati, whom the Medici were favorable to. The palace became public property in 1814, and served as the home of the Council of State when Florence was the capital of Italy. In 1919, it was made the seat of the Anthropology and Ethnology section of the Museum of Natural History of Florence, whose collection includes objects from the Medici inventories and others donated by explorers, most notably Inca mummies from Peru, kimonos from Japan, and skull trophies from New Guinea.

The exterior of the palace, in pietra serena, is characterized by monumental angular pillars and large kneeling windows closed by grates. On the left edge of the ground floor’s southern façade is a small niche that once housed a sculpture of the Crucifixion, today lost. On the upper part of the southern corner is a large and very ornate marble escutcheon with the coat-of-arms of the Strozzi, supported by two female figures.

The first floor is divided by pilasters with Ionic capitals, between which open windows with Mannerist frames crowned by alternating triangular and curved pediments. Interestingly enough, the southern half of the main façade seems to have a cornice under the eaves, while the northern half instead has a mezzanine with another series of eaves below it:

Palazzo Nonfinito, housing the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology by Wasso H., on Flickr


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## WasabiHoney (Jan 31, 2011)

*Map: 104*

A monumental portal opens on Via del Proconsolo, surmounted by a balcony and the coat-of-arms of the Strozzi, and flanked by six symmetrically distributed kneeling windows. These stand on large corbels and are crowned by noticeable pediments, some of which are triangular, while others are broken, crowned by a shell, and bear in the tympanum a sinister winged zoomorphic figure resembling a bat. These figures inspired a 19th-century legend according to which Roberto Strozzi made a pact with the devil, who cursed the building, forever preventing its completion:

Palazzo Nonfinito, housing the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology by Wasso H., on Flickr

Torre della Volognana with its bell can be seen in the back.


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