Everyone knows the Pitti Palace; everyone associates the Pitti name to that particular building. But the coat of arms? Do you mean to tell me that the Pitti, one of the most noble and powerful families in Florence, did not have its own coat of arms? In a city where read more
Although the Santa Maria Novella Church is an excellent example of the gothic style, and boasts the oldest facade in Florence, it regretfully isn’t usually considered one of the principal attractions of the city. Not only is it a beautiful church, but inside it houses many masterpieces, including Giotto’s crucifix read more
La Certosa is an impressive castle complex perched on the peak of Monte Acuto (now called Monte Santo) just outside of Galluzzo, a small town on the outskirts of Florence. A working monastery, the walled complex contains the monastery, a study hall or library, the church, and rooms. Certosa came read more
Weather prediction has always been a problem. But many believe that popular wisdom or lore is every bit as accurate as other sources, for example: “Rosso di sera bel tempo si spera….” Or “Red sky at night, good weather hopefully…” The Florentines, whose tradition of popular sayings is renowned for read more
Piazza della Repubblica has (almost) always been the center of life for Florence and its citizens. To one side, is the “Colonna dell’Abbondanza” or “Column of Abundance” that once marked where the cardo and decumanus maximi (the main north-south, and east-west roads of a city) crossed. This was the geographical read more
Domenico Bigordi, born in Florence in 1449, was the first of five children. The nickname “Ghirlandaio” came from his father’s art as a goldsmith. In fact, his father was a famous jeweler excelled for his silver garlands that young Florentine noblewomen wore to adorn their headdresses. Ghirlandaio worked primarily in read more
When in 1559 Cosimo I de’ Medici organized a contest to design the first public fountain in Florence, he hoped to give the city splendor with a new David, hopefully this time without republican messages. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite go as planned. An artist named Ammannati won the contest with read more
The city of Florence satisfies many curiosities, but it also holds many mysteries that we have not been able to unravel yet. The Basilica of San Lorenzo is a church that was very dear to the ‘de Medici family, so dear that they chose it as burial place. Inside the read more
For us Florentine citizens, “Palazzo Vecchio” is that magnificent palace that we admire, photograph but we maybe don’t know in detail. Probably, going inside and understanding it requires many days of accurate study, but sometimes a first step, even an in-depth reading, can stimulate our curiosity. Without dwelling upon the read more
« Nor ample less nor larger they appear’d Than, in Saint John’s fair dome of me beloved, Those framed to hold the pure baptismal streams» (Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy, Inferno XIX) Florence is appreciated and studied all around the world: its monuments, its art and beauty that lie under every read more