February 2010 Archives

The Basilica of San Miniato al Monte is one of the oldest churches in Florence and is frequently called the finest Romanesque basilica in all of Italy. The church as we know it today was started around 1018 and took over one hundred years to complete. St. Minias was possibly from Armenia and believed to have been martyred around 250 (he was beheaded during the anti-Christian persecutions of the Emperor Decius and was said to have picked up his head, crossed the Arno and walked up the hill of Mons Fiorentinus to his hermitage and buried on this hillside). The church is in a wonderful state of preservation and there are several important works inside, including a tabernacle attributed to Rossellino, the tomb of the Cardinal of Portugal with works by Rossellino, Della Robbia and others, frescoes by Agnolo Gaddi, and an amazing fresco cycle of the life of St. Benedict by Spinello Aretino, to name just some of them.

Photo album of San Miniato from our sister site Florence Journal.

The Great Synagogue (Tempio Maggiore) was built between 1874 and 1882. The architects were Mariano Falcini, Professor Vincente Micheli, and Marco Treves who built the structure in the Spanish-Moresco style.

Layers of travertine and granite alternate create a striped effect on the facade. Old photographs show bold red and beige stripes, but the bold colors of the stone have faded over time, leaving a more mottled effect.

The overall form of the synagogue is the cruciform plan of Hagia Sophia. The corner towers are topped with horseshoe-arched towers themselves topped with onion domes in the Moorish Revival style. Three horseshoe arches form the main entrance and above them rise tiers of ajimez windows with their paired horseshoe arches sharing a single column.

Inside the building the walls are almost completely covered with colored designs in Moorish patterns. The interior mosaics and frescoes inside are by Giovanni Panti. Giacomo del Medico designed the great arch.

During World War II Fascist troops used the synagogue as a vehicle garage. In August 1944 retreating German troops worked with Italian Fascists to destroy the synagogue, but the Italian resistance managed to defuse most of the explosives. Only a limited amount of damage was done. The synagogue was restored after the war. It was restored again after damage by massive flooding in 1966.

The synagogue has been widely admired, and the 1892 Eutaw Place Temple of Temple Oheb Shalom in Baltimore, Maryland, represents a replica.

Santa Maria del Carmine is a church of the Carmelite Order. It is famous for its Brancacci Chapel which houses magnificent Renaissance frescoes by Masaccio and Masolino da Panicale, later finished by Filippino Lippi.

The church, dedicated to the BeatঠVirginis Mariঠde monte Carmelo, began to be built in 1268 as part of the Carmelite convent, which still exists today. Of the original edifice Some Romanesque-Gothic remains of the original structure can still be seen on the sides of the church. The complex was enlarged once in 1328 and again in 1464, when the capitular hall and the refectory were added.

Renovated again in 16th-17th centuries, the church was damaged by a fire in 1771 and rebuilt internally in 1782. The façade, like many other Florentine churches, remained unfinished. The fire did not touch the sacristy and fortunately many artworks survived, including the stories of St. Cecilia attributed to Lippo d'Andrea and the marble monument of Pier Soderini by Benedetto da Rovezzano. The vault of the nave has a trompe-l'oeil fresco by Domenico Stagi.

The Bracacci Chapel also survived the fire and was also restored due to the intervention of a Florentine noblewoman who firmly opposed the covering of the frescoes. The Chapel is home to famous frescoes by Masaccio and Masolino, considered the first masterworks of the Italian Renaissance. Masaccio's master, Masolino, commissioned by a wealthy merchant, Felice Brancacci, began work on the chapel in 1425 but the project was soon taken over by his pupil whose treatment of figures in space made the frescoes among the most important to have come out of the Early Renaissance. The scenes by Masaccio are the Expulsion from Paradise, The Tribute Money St Peter Healing a Lame-Man, and St Peter Raising Tabitha from the dead. The cycle was finished by Filippino Lippi

The Corsini Chapel of the church was built by the Corsini, probably the richest family in Florence during the 17th-18th centuries. The chapel is dedicated to St. Andrew Corsini, a Carmelite bishop of Fiesole who was canonized in 1629. The architect Pier Francesco Silvani choose a Baroque style for the chapel. The small dome was painted by Luca Giordano in 1682. The elaborated rococo ceiling is the work of one of the most important 18th century artists in the city, Giovanni Domenico Ferretti.

The convent of the church has suffered several times from numerous disasters, from the fire to the flooding of 1966. Most of the artworks are therefore damaged: these include the Bestowal of the Carmelite Rule by Filippo Lippi and the Last Supper by Alessandro Allori, and remains of works from other chapels by Pietro Nelli and Gherardo Starnina.

The Basilica of Santa Maria del Santo Spirito ("St. Mary of the Holy Spirit") is located in the Oltrarno quarter of Florence, facing the piazza with the same name. The basilica is a pre-eminent examples of Renaissance architecture.

The current church was constructed over the pre-existing ruins of a 13th century Augustinian convent which was destroyed by a fire in 1471. Filippo Brunelleschi began designs for the new building as early as 1428. After his death in 1446, the works were carried on by his followers, including Antonio Manetti, Giovanni da Gaiole, and Salvi d'Andrea; the latter was also responsible for the construction of the cupola.

Unlike San Lorenzo, where Brunelleschi's ideas were thwarted, here, his ideas were carried through with much fidelity, at least in the ground plan and up to the level of the arcades. The Latin cross plan is designed as to maximize the legibility of the grid. The contrast between nave and transept that caused such difficulty at S. Lorenzo was here also avoided. The side chapels, in the form of niches all the same size (forty in all), run along the entire perimeter of the space.

Brunelleschi's facade was never built and left blank. In 1489, a columned vestibule and octagonal sacristy, designed by Simone del Pollaiolo, known as Il Cronaca, and Giuliano da Sangallo respectively, were built to the left of the building. A door was opened up in a chapel to make the connection to the church.

A Baroque baldachin with polychrome marbles was added by Giovanni Battista Caccini and Gherardo Silvani over the high altar in 1601. The church remained undecorated until the 18th century, when the walls were plastered. The inner façade is by Salvi d'Andrea, and has still the original glass window with the Pentecost designed by Pietro Perugino. The bell tower was designed by Baccio d'Agnolo.

The church has 38 side chapels which contain a some beautiful masterpieces. The most significant is the Bini-Capponi Chapel, housing the St. Monica Establishing the Rule of the Augustinian Nuns painting by Francesco Botticini. The Corbinelli chapels contain works by Andrea Sansovino, Cosimo Rosselli and Donnino and Agnolo del Mazziere. In the chapels of the transept are frescoes by Filippino Lippi.

The sacristy was designed by Giuliano da Sangallo in 1489, and has an octagonal plan. It is home to a devotional painting of St. Fiacre curing the sick by Alessandro Allori commissioned by Christine of Lorraine, Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici's wife.

Allegedly built where Saint Ambrose would have stayed when in Florence in 393, the church dates back to 998 as a chapel of a nunnery built in honour of the saint. It was rebuilt in the 19th century but still has an original open timber roof.

The church contains numerous frescos, altarpieces, and other artwork attributed to Andrea Orcagna, Agnolo Gaddi, Niccolò Gerini, Lorenzo di Bicci, Masaccio, Filippo Lippi, Sandro Botticelli, Alesso Baldovinetti, Mino da Fiesole, Cosimo Rosselli, Fra Bartolomeo, and many other artists.

Several important artists are buried in the church, including Francesco Granacci, an Italian painter of the Renaissance and lifelong friend of Michelangelo Buonarroti, the painter and sculptor Verrocchio, the architect Cronaca, and the sculptor Mino da Fiesole.

Santa Trìnita (the accent on the first vowel connotes the latin origin of the name) is a Florentine church of the Vallumbrosan Order of monks founded in 1092 by a Florentine nobleman. The church is noted for the Sassetti Chapel (along with many other works), containing notable frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio that represent true masterpieces of 15th century art.

The current church was constructed over 11th century churches during 1258-1280. Multiple reconstructions occurred thereafter. The Mannerist façade (1593-1594) was designed by Bernardo Buontalenti. The relief over the central door of the Trinity was sculpted by Pietro Bernini and Giovanni Battista Caccini. The 17th century wooden doors were carved as a remembrance of Vallombrosan saints.

The church has approximately 20 chapels, each of which contain a significant amount of artwork. The most famous are the Sassetti and the Bartolini-Salimbeni chapels which contain frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio and the Quattrocento artist Lorenzo Monaco, respectively. Francesco Sassetti had been a manager of the Medici bank. The Ghirlandaio frescoes used as backgrounds contain then contemporary Florentine city views.

The Column of Justice in the Piazza Santa Trìnita, outside of where the church stands, originates from the Baths of Caracalla of ancient Rome, and was a gift to Cosimo Medici from Pope Pius IV.

The Church of Ognissanti (All-Saints Church) is a Franciscan church founded by the lay order of the Umiliati, a Benedictine order particularly skilled in manufacturing wool.

It was completed during the 1250s, but almost completely rebuilt on the Baroque designs of Bartolomeo Pettirossi, in 1627. Ognissanti was among the first examples of Baroque architecture to be built in Florence.

The Umiliati developed a strong positive relationship with the Florentine people. Many works of art, dedicated by various Florentines, began to accumulate in their once very simple church. Giotto's celebrated Madonna and Child with angels, now in the Uffizi, was painted for the high altar in 1310. During the 16th century, the Franciscan order assumed control of the church in 1571 from the Umiliati and brought works of their own, including precious relics such as the robe Saint Francis of Assisi wore.

Famous works inside the church include quattrocento frescoes in the nave chapels, by Ghirlandaio and Botticelli (who is buried in the church) and Madonna della Misericordia, also by Ghirlandaio. Perhaps the greatest of Ognissanti's frescoes is Ghirlandaio's Last Supper in the refectory between the two cloisters, a work with which Leonardo was intimately familiar. Over the door to the sacristy is a crucifix in wood by Veit Stoss.

One of Florence's most highly venerated Marian shrines, the Santissima Annunziata was founded in 1250 as the Oratory of Cafaggio by the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order. These noble Florentines, following a vision of the Virgin, retired from the city to a hermitage at Monte Senario, north of Florence. The sanctuary's history is intimately connected to a miraculous painting of the Annunciation, still preserved in a chapel at the entrance to the basilica (3). According to tradition, when a fourteenth-century artist, Friar Bartolomeo, struggled to paint the Virgin's face, he fell asleep; upon waking, he discovered the fresco had been miraculously completed by angelic hands. The religious fervor inspired by this miracle ensured the church's inclusion within Florence's fourteenth-century city walls.

The present structure took shape between 1444 and 1477, when Michelozzo began the tribune with its radiating chapels, later completed by Leon Battista Alberti. Toward the end of the 15th century, the height of the nave was increased, and the church was consecrated in 1516.
The exterior features a portico (1) built in 1601 by architect Giovanni Battista Caccini. Above its central arch are traces of frescoes executed between 1513 and 1514 by Pontormo, while the central doorway is crowned by a mosaic Annunciation by Davide Ghirlandaio (1509).

From the portico, visitors enter the cloister (2), known as the Cloister of the Votes ("Voti"), so named because it once housed votive pictures and wax statues adorned with precious ornaments. The cloister is renowned for its magnificent frescoes: Alesso Baldovinetti's work from 1460, Cosimo Rosselli's Calling of St. Philip Benizzi from 1476, and additional episodes from the saint's life painted by the young Andrea del Sarto in 1510. The Life of the Virgin cycle, created in the second decade of the sixteenth century, features works by the era's most promising young artists: Rosso Fiorentino's Assumption, Pontormo's Visitation, and Franciabigio's Betrothal of the Virgin. Between 1511 and 1514, Andrea del Sarto contributed the Nativity of the Virgin and the Arrival of the Magi.

The breathtaking interior features arches and piers sheathed in colored marble (16th and 17th century) and a golden ceiling decorated between 1664 and 1670 to Baldassarre Franceschini's (Il Volterrano) design, who also painted the Assumption canvas. Between the windows, panels and medallions depict Miracles of the Annunciate by various artists.

To the left of the entrance lies the Chapel of the Most Holy Annunciate (3), housing the venerated image of the Virgin. The elegant tempietto enclosing it was designed by Michelozzo and built by Pagno Portigiani in 1448. The adjacent small oratory contains Andrea del Sarto's panel of the Holy Face (4).

The nave's numerous side chapels primarily date from the 17th and 18th centuries, with the Feroni Chapel (5) by Giovan Battista Foggini standing as a jewel of Florentine Baroque. The Tribune (7) features nine chapels, all transformed during the Baroque period. Andrea del Castagno's important contributions include two frescoes: St. Julian in the Feroni Chapel and the Holy Trinity with St. Jerome in the adjacent chapel (6).

Exiting through the door at the nave's left end leads to the Cloister of the Dead (8), constructed around 1453. Above the door is Andrea del Sarto's celebrated Madonna del Sacco fresco (1525) (9). The other lunettes contain an interesting but heavily damaged fresco cycle of the Servites of Mary, painted in the early seventeenth century by Bernardino Poccetti and contemporaries.

The cloister houses the Chapel of the Company of St. Luke (10), which served as the Painters' Confraternity headquarters until 1563, when Cosimo I transferred it to the Academy of the Arts of Design. The chapel's ceiling features Luca Giordano's Assumption fresco, while the high altar displays Giorgio Vasari's canvas of St. Luke Painting the Virgin. Works by Bronzino, Pontormo, and Santi di Tito adorn the other walls.

One of the most beautiful architectural examples in Florence and a great source of Florentine civic pride, the church and museum of Orsanmichele is a rewarding stop in any itinerary of Florence.

Orsanmichele is known for the sculptures of saints placed in the niches or tabernacles on all four sides of the church by the various guilds of Florence. Executed between 1340 and 1602, they form a timeline of gothic and renaissance art that is perhaps unrivaled in one location. The first sculpture, of St. Stephen by Andrea Pisano, was executed in 1340 - 150 years before Columbus discovered America - the last, St. Luke by Giambologna - was completed over 260 years later.

Orsanmichele's unique history as a site that has dramatically changed function over the centuries is very interesting. It is speculated that in Roman times there was a building here dedicated to the worship of Isis. Later, in the 9th century it was used by the Lombards as an oratory dedicated to St. Michael. By order of the Comune in the early 13th century it became a market where wheat was sold, eventually under a brick and wooden awning constructed by Arnolfo di Cambio. During this period the first "Madonna of the Graces" painting was done on a pillar of that structure, which was soon followed by miraculous events. Eventually destroyed by a fire in 1304, it was followed in 1337 by a more robust structure that was erected by either some or all of the following from a design, according to Vasrai, of Taddeo Gaddi: Francesco Talenti, Simone Talenti, Neri di Fioravante, Benci di Cione and (the most recent favorite of current scholarship) Andrea Pisano. This time made of brick and stone to better withstand fires, the new building had an open loggia on the ground floor similar to the one at the nearby Mercato Nuovo (known to many tourists as the "Straw Market") for the selling of wheat, while the upper was designed to serve as the granary. Two of the piers are hollow and were used to move the grain between floors; the slots through which the grain passed are still visible. In 1347 Bernardo Daddi's "Madonna and Child with Angels" was commissioned to replace the original "Madonna of the Graces".

While Orsanmichele continued to function as a commercial site for some time, pilgrims inspired by the story of the miraculous appearance of the Madonna there began visiting the site in increasing numbers, especially in the uncertain times after the Black Plague struck in 1348. As the legend of the new "Madonna of the Graces" grew, a tabernacle was commissioned to protect it. This masterpiece by Andrea Orcagna was completed in 1359. Both the painting and the tabernacle provide excellent examples of the aesthetics of the late medieval period.

Eventually it was decided to relocate the grain market and to rededicate the building as an oratory. To this end, the open loggia was closed up around 1380. The stained glass windows added around this time are some of the oldest in Florence, and illustrate the miracles of the Madonna of Orsanmichele. In 1410 Ghiberti constructed the two doors that are still used today.

Piazza Santa Maria Novella was originally intended in the thirteenth century to hold the overflow of worshippers to the Santa Maria Novella church. Beginning in the late fourteenth century it was also used to hold the Palio dei Cocchi chariot races hosted by Cosimo I. The two obelisks were added in 1608 to serve as turning posts in the race. Across the piazza from the church is the fifteenth century Loggia di San Paolo, from which the grand duke viewed the race. Today it houses the Alinari National Museum of Photography (Museo Nazionale Alinari della Fotografia) as well as the Museo Novecento.

Piazza Santa Maria Novella Today

Here is a video of a walk across Piazza Santa Maria Novella:

Piazza Santa Trìnita is named after the Church of Santa Trìnita on the northwest side of the somewhat triangular square. At the center of the piazza stands the "Column of Justice", a massive granite column from the east section of the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. It was the gift of Pope Pius IV in 1560 for Cosimo I, the first Grand Duke of Florence. In 1581 the Justice statue by Tadda was added to the top of the column, - the bronze cloak was added even later.

Once an isolated area outside of the city walls, the piazza became part of the city center in 1175 after the founding of the church and convent of Vallombrosa.

The piazza is known for having three sides, but four architectural styles. During the late 14th century noble families began building mansions on the square, and it remains one of the finest examples of living architectural history in all of Florence. Three particularly famous mansions exemplify patrician architectural styles over the centuries. The 14th century Palazzo Spini is now home of the Ferragamo store and museum and a fine example of medieval architecture in Florence (although heavily restored). The 15th century Palazzo Buondelmonti is an typical late medieval/early Florentine Renaissance palazzo with a loggia on the top floor and a façade by Baccio d'Agnolo, while Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni is a pure late Renaissance example, also by d'Agnolo. Now considered a masterpiece, at the time it was called the "Roman" style and not popular with contemporary Florentines who felt the classical shapes and square windows were out of place. The Church of Santa Trìnita itself has a Mannerist façade added in the very late 16th century by Buontalenti.

The square today marks the beginning of the famous via Tournabuoni, the most luxurious and chic shopping street in Florence (this street is now pedestrian only and was repaved with all new stones and sidewalks in late 2012 and 2013).

Piazza Demidoff is dedicated to the family of the Russian ambassador Nicholas Demidoff, who lived in a palace overlooking the square.

In the square lies a monument to Demidoff commissioned in 1828 by his sons Anatoly and Peter. They ordered the sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini to create a marble statue representing their father surrounded by four allegorical groups representing virtues. Work on the monument was carried out between 1830 and 1849 and only finally completed in 1871 by a student of Bartolini, following the death of the artist. Originally the monument was to be placed in the Villa di San Donato, but later it was given to the City of Florence.

The opening of the Arno river connects Piazza Demidoff to a scenic route on the Viale dei Colli Serristori.

Constructed in 1865, this piazza takes the form of a square garden that takes its spatial inspiration from English squares. Up until the First World War the garden was closed by a gate and only owners of the residences surrounding the square had keys to enter. The politician and writer Massimo d'Azeglio died a year before the city council decided to name the square after him in 1866.

The garden in the square is home to a number of pathways and flower beds. Especially impressive are the many hackberry and sycamores trees, as well as the small pool at the center of of the piazza. Since the 1990s there has been a progressive removal of diseased trees that have been deemed unsafe because of their age. Additionally, the square contains a playground, a carousel and a small soccer field. At the center of the park, just before Florence became the (former) capital of Italy, a theatre was built and named after Umberto I. The construction was destroyed by a fire in 1889 and never rebuilt.

The buildings surrounding the square date from the 18th and 19th century. The Villino Uzielli, constructed by the architect Paolo Emilio Andrà©e, was the home of the Polish writer Stefan Å»eromski, the author of the patriotic poem Ash Wednesday.

On one side of the garden lies a small monument in memory of three partisans who died on June 7, 1944: Enrico Bocci, Italo Piccagli and Luigi Morandi. They were all decorated with a gold medal for valor and were killed by fascists who discovered the group in one of the buildings of the square.

Piazza San Marco was built in the first half of the 15th century when Cosimo the Elder commissioned Michelozzo to build a church and a monastery for Dominican monks from the convent of San Domenico in Fiesole (today the monastery is in large part the Museum of San Marco, most famously noted for the residence of the monk Girolamo Savonarola and the paintings of Fra Angelico among others). The church of San Marco and the museum lie on the north side of the piazza.

Piazza Savonarola is large rectangular square that was built in the 19th century. The piazza was dedicated to a Ferrarese friar and a statue for him was built in the square by Enrico Pazzi Ravenna, the same sculptor who built the statue of Dante in Piazza Santa Croce. He sculpted the statue in 1872 and until 1921 it was located in the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio before being transferred to the piazza. The statue is characterized by the profound expression of the monk who is holding a golden cross.

The surrounding garden of the piazza is paved and surrounded by six large flower beds that cover an area of 3177 square meters; there are pines, linden, cedar, cypress and high horse-chestnut trees, as well as some pink flowers. The street lamps are made of cast iron from the late 19th century, and were originally used with gas lighting before being converted to electric lighting.

Today the square is characterized by a certain homogeneity in the style of the buildings surrounding it and it is a pleasant corner of the city. There are some buildings of considerable merit, such as the Galleria Rinaldo Carnielo, now a museum, which is an example of Art Nouveau. This whole area, up to Piazzale Donatello, was still popular in the 19th century for the studios of many artists.

The northwest side of the piazza is occupied by the church and monestary of San Francesco. The structure, built to house the Carmelite nuns "evicted" from the convent of Santa Maria Maddalena de 'Pazzi, dates from 1887. In 1928 the structure was passed on to Franciscan monks, who sbsequently renamed the church to its current name.

Opposite the church stands the Florentine headquarters at Syracuse University. At the corner of via Leonardo da Vinci and is a 19th century palace which houses the Italian Department of the University of Florence, which has numerous frescoes on its ceilings.

The plaza is a crossroads for the many transport lines that connect the urban areas of Campo di Marte, Coverciano and Settignano with the center of Florence. Since the end of 1999 work has been underway for the building of an underground parking lot. This construction led to a more general plan for the redevelopment of the square, including new irrigation, the renovation of benches of stone and brick, repaving, tree planting, eradication of hedgerows, and the construction of a public toilet.

The garden of the square is perfect for spending a lazy afternoon and in the evening the square becomes a meeting place for young people.

Piazza San Jacopino is a small piazza just west of the historic center of Florence.

The piazza's name comes from the church of St. James, which is dedicated to the nearby church of San Jacopo in Polverosa. The church was named San Jacopino to distinguish it from other churches in Florence. The church once stood in the square but was demolished following the devastation suffered during the Second World War. Since 1936, a new church was built on the piazza which took the name of the old one.

The square retains a genuine neighborhood feel, with several local shops and authentic restaurants (check out Pizzeria San Jacopino for one of the best pizzas in Florence). The buildings that surround the piazza date back to the Fascist period around the 1930s when this area of Florence was undergoing significant urbanization. The piazza is characterized by residential housing. The only exception to this architecture is an original modern building built in 1976 by the architect Marco Dezzi Bardeschi that uses asymmetric geometry. While today it houses a bank and residential apartments, it was formerly healvily criticized for its boldness and colors.

Piazza dell'Indipendenza is a large square in the heart of Florence's historical center. The square was built in the nineteenth century in order to celebrate the April 27, 1859 uprising that led to the abdication of Grand Duke Leopold II of Tuscany. The uprising was organized by patriots fighting for Italian unification.

The buildings facing the square were all constructed between the 19th and early 20th century.
Two bronze statues, which are decorated by panes that are symmetrical to the north and south, were built in the late nineteenth century. The first statue depicts Bettino Ricasoli, an Italian statesman and fighter for Italian unification, and is the work of Augustus Rivalta. The second statue is of Ubaldino Peruzzi, the first mayor of Florence, and was created by the Florentine sculptor Raffaello Romanelli.

Plaques on the buildings surround the square commemorate writers who lived on the square while writing some of their works, including Guido Nobili and Theodosia Gorrow Trollope (an English ex-pat).

The square is a lovely place to relax and rest after a long stroll. The square is dotted with cafes and restaurants, and the many shops on Via Nazionale are nearby. For a nice coffee or brunch, check out CafਠDeluxeà¨, on the corner of the square, which also offers wi-fi and live music.

We spent a relaxing winter weekend in Sillico recently - a small hamlet of about 100 people in the region known as the Garfangana (just about a 2 hour drive from Florence). The Garfangana is up the Serchio river valley north of Lucca, and lies between the Alpi Apuane (famous for Carrara marble) and the Apennines. We stayed in a lovely little apartment that is part of a triplex just below (100 meters down the road) the town - there are two rental units, and the owners live in the third. You can find more about the house here (we highly recommend it!). There is also an excellent restaurant in Sillico, Belvedere, with regional cuisine, home made pastas, and a friendly and warm staff. We really enjoyed the dinner we had there, especially the copious antipasti (don't miss it if you get the chance) and local wine (€6 a bottle!).

The Garfangana in general is known for its chestnuts - and surrounding Sillico there are numerous marked walking trails through the forests and hills. Most of the pictures below are from the house and the walk we took in the immediate area. Sorry but I have yet to identify the names of the mountain peaks!

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Piazza della Libertà  is the northernmost point of the historic centre of Florence. The piazza has been built and rebuilt many times up until the 19th century. After 1865, the square was demolished and finally rebuilt with a new design by Giuseppe Poggi. The square today is surrounded by a number of beautiful Florentine buildings. In the middle of the piazza lies a beautiful and peaceful garden with a view of the famous triumphal arch as well as a majestic fountain.

The piazza is an ideal area to spend time in a beautiful open green space. At the north side of the square there is a typical French garden called the "Parterre." This space was commissioned by the Grand Duchy Leopoldo during the 18th century and serves as an ice skating rink during the winter. Various restaurants and cafes also line the square.

Piazza Sant'Ambrogio is overlooked by the church of Sant'Ambrogio (in English St. Ambrose), one of the oldest churches in Florence.

The building was the home of the Benedictines starting in the 10th century but remodeled at the end of the 13th century and restored several times during the following centuries. It is furnished with notable paintings and frescoes, among them the "Madonna del Latte" by Nardo di Cione, a triptych by Bicci di Lorenzo and Cosimo Rosselli's fresco of a procession. Many of the famous works of art which once adorned the walls of the church are now kept in the Uffizi Gallery (for example "S.Anna" by Masaccio and Masolino), however the splendid altars of the renaissance are still in place.

The piazza is full of life at all hours of the day. Be sure to try the famous tripe vendor on the corner of via dei Macci for lunch, or during the evening stop for an aperitivo at the always crowded CaffਠSant'Ambrogio. Many of the city's best restaurants and pizzerias lie close to the piazza, including il Pizzaiuolo, Le Campane, Cibreo, and many more. During the summer the piazza is crowded with people of all ages enjoying the evening air and meeting friends. If you are in the area be sure to visit the Sant'Ambrogio market behind the piazza, open daily (except for Sundays) from 7-2.

Piazza del Carmine is one of the main squares of the Oltrarno area of Florence and is dominated by the majestic Church of Santa Maria del Carmine. Today the piazza is cradled by the unfinished facade of the basilica, while to the south you can see the dome of the nearby Church of San Frediano in Cestello. Next to the Santa Maria del Carmine church door it is possible to visit the ancient monastery of the church, as well as a museum that allows access to the Brancacci Chapel. Across the street lies the only major building with a facade looking onto on the square: the Palazzo Rospigliosi Pallavicini, seat of the Women's Missionary College of St. Francis of Assisi.

On the corner of the square lies a large tabernacle, a 14th century work attributed to the master San Martino a Mensola. The tabernacle represents a Madonna with child and two saints. On the corner of Via Santa Monica lies a second tabernacle made of sandstone and attributed to an artist from Tyrol. A third tabernacle, representing the Holy Family, is located on the corner of Borgo San Frediano.

The piazza is one of the few remaining piazzas of the historic center of Florence where you can still experience a genuine neighborhood atmosphere that has not yet been overwhelmed by mass tourism. The profoundly religious character of the square has in recent decades been accompanied by the spirit of busting nightlife, as a host of nightclubs in the area make it a prime destination for young people.

In 1252, Augustinian monks built a monastery and a church dedicated to "Saint Mary of Ognissanti and the Holy Spirit", which became soon known as the Church of the "Holy Spirit", or as it is known today, Santo Spirito. In just a few decades the church became one of the most important in Florence, and at the end of the 13th century the City council bought the buildings in front of it and demolished them in order to create a wide square. In the subsequent century, the church was rebuilt under Brunelleschi's direction. The edifice represents Brunelleschi's last work and he died before it was completed.

Piazzale Michelangelo is a famous square with a magnificent panoramic view of Florence. It was built in 1869 and designed by the architect Giuseppe Poggi during the urban renewal of the town. At the time, Florence was the capital of Italy and the middle class strongly wanted to show its rebirth.

The piazza is dedicated to the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo and is home to copies of some of his famous statues in Florence: the David and the four allegories of the Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo. These copies are made of bronze, while the originals are all in white marble. The monument was brought up by nine pairs of oxen on 25 June 1873.

The panorama encompasses the heart of Florence from Forte Belvedere to Santa Croce through the bridges of Florence.

The museum was founded by Frederick Stibbert (1836 - 1906), who was born into a huge inheritance from his grandfather and did not work for the rest of his life. Instead of working, Frederick Stibbert dedicated his life to collecting various objects, antiques, and artifacts and turned his villa into a museum. When the size of the collections outgrew the villa, Stibbert hired architect Giuseppe Poggi, painter Gaetano Bianchi and sculptor Passaglia to add on rooms. In 1906, when Stibbert died, his collection was given to the city of Florence and was opened to the public.

The villa has 57 rooms that exhibit all of Stibbert's collections from around the world. Most of the walls are covered in leather and tapestries and the rooms are crowded with artifacts. Paintings are displayed throughout every room, including still lifes and portraits. There is also valuable furniture, porcelains, Tuscan crucifixes, Etruscan artifacts, and an outfit worn by Napoleon I of France. It also contains around 12,000 pieces of European, Oriental, Islamic, Japanese arms and armour from the 15th century through the 19th century. The Cavalcade room is a grand hall filled with 14th-16th century knights on horseback and 14 foot soldiers dressed in armour and holding weapons. The collection of Samurai armour contains over 80 suits and hundreds of swords.

The museum is open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 10-14, and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10-18. Closed on Thursday.

Stibbert Museum
via Frederick Stibbert 26
50134 Florence
+39 055 475520
www.museostibbert.it
[email protected]

This museum was a property owned by Michelangelo. The house was converted into a museum dedicated to the artist by his great nephew, Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger. Its collections include two of Michelangelo's earliest sculptures, the Madonna of the Steps and the Battle of the Centaurs. The museum also houses paintings, sculptures, majolicas and archaeological sections.

The museum is open everyday except Tuesday from 9:30-14.

Casa Buonarroti
Via Ghibellina 70
50122 Florence, Italy
+39 055-241752
www.casabuonarroti.it
[email protected]

Orsanmichele is one of the most unique buildings in Florence and a great source of Florentine civic pride. It is famously known for the sculptures of saints placed in the niches or tabernacles on all four sides of the church by the various guilds of Florence. Executed between 1340 and 1602, together they form a timeline of gothic and renaissance art that is perhaps unrivaled in one location. The first sculpture, of St. Stephen by Andrea Pisano, was executed in 1340 - 150 years before Columbus discovered America - the last, St. Luke by Giambologna - was completed over 260 years later.

The Orsanmichele Museum is currently open on Mondays only from 10 AM to 5 PM.

Orsanmichele
Via Arte della Lana 1
Florence, Italy
+39 055-284-944
www.orsanmichele.net

The Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore is a lay institution founded by the Republic of Florence in 1296 to superintend the construction of the new Cathedral and the Campanile. As of 1436, the year in which Brunelleschi's dome was completed and the church was consecrated, the principal task of the Opera became that of conserving the monumental complex which was joined in 1777 by the Baptistry of San Giovanni and in 1891 by the Museum (Museo dell'Opera del Duomo - photo below) founded to house the works of art which, in the course of centuries, had been removed from the Duomo and the Baptistry. The museum is in Piazza Duomo, behind the dome.

The collection boasts masterpieces that range from the 14th to the end of the 16th centuries, and is characterized by the fact it is forced to expand continually as the result of the impossibility of conserving many other monuments in the open air where they are exposed to atmospheric pollution. The most famous work of art in the Museum is Michelangelo's Pietà which he had sculpted for his own tomb.

The museum is open Monday to Friday from 8-19 and on Saturday from 8-2.

Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore
via della Canonica, 1
50122 Florence, Italy
+39 055 2302885
www.operaduomo.firenze.it
[email protected]

The Museum Casa Martelli is an interesting example of an 18th-century nobleman's home and of the family's tastes in collecting.

In 1738 Niccolò and Giuseppe Maria Martelli employed the architect Bernardo Ciurini to transform several houses into the present palace. The interior was decorated in the taste of the period with paintings by Vincenzo Meucci, Bernardo Minozzi and Niccolò Conestabile, and stucco ornamentation by Giovan Martino Portogalli. The fine collection of art works belonging to the family was arranged in a specially designed suite of rooms. This is the last example of an 18th-century Florentine collection, with the exception of the Corsini collection, that has been preserved intact.

The paintings include works by Piero di Cosimo, Beccafumi, Salvator Rosa, Luca Giordano and Netherlandish painting of the 17th century.

The Museum is open for guided tours on Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings only, and you must have a reservation (€3 - but the "ticket" is free), made by calling 055 294883. You can not walk up and enter without a prior reservation. Via Zannetti is a small side street less than five minutes from the Duomo area.

Casa Martelli Museum
Via Ferdinando Zannetti, 8
50123 Florence, Italy
+39 055 294883
www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei/casamartelli

Update: This museum has been renamed (and reopened after a major renovation) as the Museo Galileo on June 11, 2010.

The (former) Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza in Florence is one of the foremost international institutions in the history of science. Founded in 1927, the Museum is heir to a five century-long tradition of scientific collecting, which has its origins in the central importance assigned to scientists and scientific instruments by the Medici and Lorraine families.

The Institute has been continuously involved in research into topics connected with the history of science and technology as well as the history of scientific instruments, collections and museums.

Museo Galileo
Piazza dei Giudici, 1
50122 Florence, Italy
+39 055 265 311
Official website: http://www.museogalileo.it

Stefano Bardini, an art dealer known for his flair for Renaissance art and his love of blue painted walls, donated his life's labor and the building he housed it all in to the city of Florence in 1922.

The museum houses some of the most unique Renaissance art in Europe. Highlights of the collection include Roman sarcophagi, delicate wooden sculptures, and works attributed to Donatello and Pisano. Newer acquisitions now grace the halls as well as many others thought to be from between the 12th and 15th centuries. All are presented in a unique setting where columns, altars, and even stairs from original Romanesque and Renaissance-era buildings lend the museum's spaces an authentic, ethereal feel.

The museum is open from Saturday to Monday from 11-17.

Bardini Museum
Via dei Renai, 37 (Ponte alle Grazie)
Florence, Italy 5100
+39 055 2342427
www.rinascimentomoderno.it/museobardini

The Horne Museum takes its name from the English collector Herbert P. Horne (1864-1916) who left his palace and his collections of a lifetime to the Italian State.

This palace had belonged to the Albertis and then the Corsis who gave it its present appearance at the end of the fifteenth century. With its balanced and elegant exterior and its restrained courtyard.

The museum reflects its owner's taste in layout; Horne was a man of letters, an architect and a critic of some standing who came to Florence at the end of the last century to study the Italian Renaissance. He particularly favored works of art, furniture, ornamental and useful household objects, the contents in fact of the type of Florentine home which he wished to recreate for himself. The result was a large and rich collection, which has been recently rearranged after the damage of the flood of 1966 and which preserves the character of an inhabited home. The most precious piece is the painting representing "St. Stephen" by Giotto. The sculptures include works by Desiderio da Settignano, Giambologna and the "Angels in Glory" by Bernini.

The museum is open from 9-13 from Monday to Saturday.

Horne Museum
via dei Benci, 6
Florence, Italy 50122
+39 055244661
www.museohorne.it
[email protected]

The museum occupies a vast area of the Dominican convent and offers visitors an example of a perfectly preserved 15th century convent, based on the rational and harmonious plan inspired by Bruschelleschi's innovations. The complex also contains the works of Fra' Angelico, one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance. A Dominican monk, he closely collaborated with Michelozzo and his pupils to create the fresco of the large alms-house, the refectory, the cloister and the monks' cells on the first floor.

Other works by Fra Angelico, of various provenance, were assembled here in the 20th century, resulting in a remarkable collection of the artist's works. There is also an important collection of 16th-century paintings including numerous works by Fra Bartolomeo. The museum has a section devoted to fragments of sculpture and architecture from buildings of the city center which were demolished in the 19th century.

The museum is open from Monday to Friday from 8:15 to 13:50 and on Saturday and Sunday from 8:15 to 16:50.

Museum of San Marco
Piazza San Marco, 1
Florence, Italy 50123
+39 055 294883
www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei/sanmarco

The Palazzo Pitti is a grand Renaissance palace built in the second half of the 15th century based on the project of Filippo Brunelleschi and Luca Pitti. Today, it houses several important collections of paintings and sculpture, works of art, porcelain and a costume gallery, besides providing a magnificently decorated historical setting which extends to the Boboli Gardens, one of the earliest Italian gardens famous also for its fountains and grottoes.

The palace and the gardens house the Palatine Gallery, the Silver Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Costume Gallery, the Porcelain Museum and the Museum of Carriages.

Pitti Palace
Via della Ninna, 5
Florence, Italy 50122
Via della Ninna, 5
+39 055 23885
www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei/palazzopitti

The Opificio delle Pietre Dure literally translates to mean Workshop of Semi-precious Stones. It is a public institute of the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage based in Florence which is a global leader in the field of art restoration and provides teaching as one of two Italian state conservation schools.

The museum is contained within the workshop. It displays examples of Pietre Dure works, including cabinets, table tops and plates, showing an immense repertoire of decoration, usually either flowers, fruits and animals, but also sometimes other picturesque scenes, including a famous view of the Piazza della Signoria. There is also a large baroque fireplace entirely covered in malachite as well as copies of paintings executed in inlaid stone. An exhibition of the technical processes of Pietre Dure works through history, can be found on the first floor as well as a large range of finished works dating back to the time of the Medici. There are also vases and furnishings decorated with Art Nouveau designs of the late 19th and early 20th century.

The museum is open from Monday to Saturday from 8.15-14.00 and from Thursday from 8.15-19.00.

Museo dell'Opificio delle Pietre Dure
Via degli Alfani, 78
Florence, Italy
+39 055 265111
www.firenzemusei.it/00_english/opificio

The Archaeological Museum was inaugurated in the presence of king Victor Emmanuel II in 1870 in the buildings of the Cenacolo di Fuligno on via Faenza. At that time it only comprised Etruscan and Roman remains. As the collections grew, a new site soon became necessary and in 1880 the museum was transferred to its present building.

The museum houses Etruscan, Roman, Greek, and Egyptian collections.The Egyptian section houses the second largest collection of Egyptian artifacts in Italy.

Open Monday 14-19; Tuesday and Thursday 8:30-19; Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 8:30-14

Museo Archeologico di Firenze
Via della Colonna, 38
Florence, Italy 50121
+39 055 23575
www.comune.firenze.it/soggetti/sat/didattica/museo
[email protected]

Also known as the Museum of the traditional Florentine house, The Palazzo Davanzati was erected in the 14th century by the Davizzi family, who were wealthy members of a wool guild. In 1516 it was sold to the Bartolini family, and, later that century, to the Davanzati family, who held it until 1838. After the suicide of Carlo Davanzati, it was split into different quarters and modified. After escaping the numerous demolitions of 19th century Florence, it was bought by Elia Volpi, an antiquarian, who restored to its original state.

The Palazzo is entirely furnished with paintings, furniture and objects partly derived from other Florentine museums and partly from donations and acquisitions. Apart from the furnishings, which faithfully reflect those of a Florentine home from the medieval to the renaissance periods, the museum also has an important collection of lace from Italy and elsewhere.

Museum of Palazzo Davanzati
Via di Porta Rossa 13
Florence, Italy 50122
+39 055 2388610
www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/davanzati

The Uffizi is one of the oldest and most famous museums in the world and a must-see for any visitor to Florence. Its collection of Medieval and Renaissance paintings comprises several universally acclaimed masterpieced, including works by Giotto, Simone Martini, Piero della Francesca, Fra Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Mantegna, Correggio, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Caravaggio. German, Dutch and Flemish masters are also well represented with important works by Dürer, Rembrandt and Rubens.

The Uffizi is housed in the Palazzo degli Uffizi. The palazzo was erected by Giorgio Vasari between 1560 and 1580 to house the administrative offices of the Tuscan State. The Gallery was created by Grand-duke Francesco I and subsequently enriched by various members of the Medici family, who were great collectors of paintings, sculpture and works of art. The collection was rearranged and enlarged by the Lorraine Grand-dukes, who succeeded the Medici, and finally by the Italian State.

The museum is open from Tuesday-Sunday, 8:15-18:50.

Uffizi
Loggiato degli Uffizi, 6
Florence, Italy 50122
+39 055 294883
www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei/uffizi

This year's edition of "Fiera del cioccolato artigianale di Firenze" (artisanal chocolate fair) will take place from March 7th to 10th in Piazza Santa Croce. If you like chocolate, this event is a can't miss!

Here are some photos from the event in past years: