Buongiorno! Fabulous Unforgettable Florence – Part Two is a continuation of travel tips for the captivating city known as Firenze.
With the help of AAA and Monograms Independent Travel, Florence was our half-way stop between Rome and Venice. Monograms thinks three days in each major location is a good start for travelers to experience city “highlights,” but we quickly realized we wanted more time in this city!
The Duomo
In Part One, I covered The Florence Cathedral (Duomo), Campanile and Baptistry, plus the Dome Climb; the Basilica of San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapels; the Accademia Gallery and Michelangelo’s David; the Ponte Vecchio bridge and the secret Vasari Corridor.
We begin Part Two in the famous Piazza della Signoria.
The Piazza della Signoria
This piazza, combined with the Palazzo Vecchio, has been the political City Hall and spirit of Florence for centuries. In the city’s most important plaza, you’ll find the Uffizi Gallery, the Loggia dei Lanzi, the Neptune fountain, and lots of sculptures.
The plaza was first a square for the Roman town Florentia, established by Julius Caesar in 59 BC, with a theater and baths. Part of the theater can still be seen beneath the Palazzo Vecchio.
The Palazzo Vecchio
Towering over the Piazza della Signoria is the Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace) designed by Arnolfo di Cambio (1298-1314) for the signoria (city government). After the Medicis moved to Pitti Palace, the Ducal Palace became known as the Old (vecchio) Palace.
The building originally housed and defended the officers of the guilds (priori or consuls) who represented civic power. It has a military appearance with rustic stone walls, a battlement, and a 350-foot bell tower known as the “Martinella.” The bell called citizens to meetings or warned of enemy attack, fires, or floods.
In 1540, the Grand Duke Cosimo de’ Medici made this both his home, the Ducal Palace, and the center of Florence government.
While the outside of the building exudes medieval dominance and power, the courtyard of the palace has a different feel.
Courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio
In the late 1500s, Cosimo de’ Medici commissioned the courtyard and loggia to be redecorated for the wedding of his son, Francesco, to Joanna of Austria (1565). To honor the bride, Giorgio Vasari repainted the walls and ceilings with Habsburg monarchy cities like Vienna, Linz and Innsbruck, as a reminder of her homeland.
The interior was remodeled in 1540 by Vasari who finished the massive frescoes of battle scenes and achievements in the famous Hall of the Five Hundred, or Salone dei Cinquecento. It was large enough to host and hold the 500 Great Council members.
The Hall of the 500
The ceiling contains 39 painted panels of Cosimo’s military victories and Tuscan provinces who were subject to Florence. An abundance of sculptures surround the hall including Michelangelo’s The Genius of Victory (1525).
Side Note: This hall at the Palazzo Vecchio plays an important role in Dan Brown’s book and movie Inferno. For an extra fee, you can take a tour of the secret palace passageways, or escape routes, which are also featured in the movie.
At the end of the hall is a small secret study for Francesco de’ Medici designed by Vasari. The barrel vaulted ceiling and walls are filled with paintings, stucco and sculptures by the School of Vasari representing the four elements: fire, water, earth and air.
The second floor jewels are the richly decorated Medici apartments and a private chapel, the Room of Elements, Cosimo’s Map Room, the Audience Hall and the Hall of the Lilies.
Statues and Fountains in Piazza della Signoria
The Piazza della Signoria is filled with statues to commemorate the city’s historical events and the Renaissance.
Everything changed when wealthy families commissioned paintings and sculptures for their squares, homes and gardens “just for their pleasure” as opposed to stained glass windows or art to teach the Bible and/or statues to pay tribute to kings.
The most famous statue in the plaza is a copy of Michelangelo’s David which symbolizes triumph over tyranny. The original was moved to the Galleria dell’ Accademia in 1873 to protect it.
Michelangelo’s David
I keep a handy journal with me on trips for taking notes and jotting down memories. Our Monograms’ tour guide told us “the people of Florence were absolutely not ready for this type of three-dimensional art at the time.”
Originally, the Old Testament statue of David was to be placed on top of the Duomo, but the 12-ton block of marble was just too heavy. It was controversial for many reasons, including the political decision to put it in this piazza.
The David was placed outside the Palazzo Vecchio as a symbol of a boy who killed Goliath to defend his people and later became a king. For Florence, the sculpture conveyed a city who defended their independence and encouraged all to overcome their own Goliaths.
Speaking of controversy: On this square in 1497, a fiery Dominican preacher, Girolamo Savonarola and his followers from San Marco Monastery, carried out the Bonfire of the Vanities — burning anything considered sinful or a luxury: books, fine clothing, art, musical instruments, manuscripts and poetry. He called for censorship and hated the nude statues popping up all over Florence. But he went too far! In 1498, Savonarola was convicted, hanged and burned in the plaza. A plaque near the Palazzo Vecchio’s entrance marks the spot of his execution.
Two additional plaza statues celebrate the land and sea ambitions of Cosimo I and the Medici.
Statue of Cosimo I by Giambologna
The Bronze equestrian monument by Giambologna (1578-94) was commissioned by Cosimo’s son, Ferdinando to represent Cosimo’s power and land victories.
Surrounded by water nymphs, the Fountain of Neptune (the Roman sea god) by Ammannati (1563-75) celebrates Cosimo’s Tuscan sea and naval victories. Our guide told us Cosimo demanded the face of Neptune be modeled to look like his face.
The Fountain of Neptune
The Loggia dei Lanzi
The Loggia dei Lanzi
The Palace also has its own sculpture gallery in the plaza. In 1377, a loggia, or covered platform of stone, was built for official public ceremonies. During the 1500s, the loggia became the Swiss guard-house (known as lanzichenecchi) in the service of Cosimio I–shortening the name to “Lanzi.”
Today it is a free open air museum (typically full of tourists and birds) housing important ancient and Renaissance statues celebrating Medici power.
Hercules and the Centaur Nessus
Walk around the sculpture of Giambologna’s Hercules and the Centaur Nessus (1529-1608). It was carved from a single block of marble and is a symbol of the strength of mortal man. Hercules is depicted beating the centaur, who tried to steal his wife. Later, he would be killed by the poisoned blood of the dead centaur.
Note: We are traveling to Greece soon, and I’ve been trying to “brush up” on both Greek and Roman mythology.
Perseus holding the severed head of Medusa
The bronze statue of Perseus holding up the decapitated head of Medusa by Cellini (1554) was being cleaned both days we were near the Loggia dei Lanzi. It was intended to warn Cosimo’s enemies of their probable fate.
Oddly, the face of the young Greek hero is similar to that of the decapitated Medusa, who turned all who looked into her eyes to stone.
Walk around this statue as well. In one of my university art classes, we learned this sculpture has a mystery: there appears to be a face on the back of Perseus’s head. I found it! Perhaps it was his face shield to keep from being petrified by Medusa.
No trip goes exactly as planned. I finally got to Florence, and not only was the statue of Perseus surrounded by workmen, but The Rape of the Sabine Women, below, by Giambologna (1583), was covered and being repaired– behind scaffolding. It’s as if she was shouting out, “hey, please come back and see me soon!”
I was disappointed but did get to see the artist’s cast of the sculpture at the Accademia Gallery Museum (shown in Part One and below). It is another Roman mythology story about the men in newly founded Rome kidnapping Sabine women from other cities–all sculpted out of one block of marble.
Giambologna’s cast of The Rape of the Sabine Women
Uffizi Palace and Gallery
Also found in the plaza is Italy’s greatest art gallery, built between 1550-80 as the uffizi (which means “offices”) for Duke Cosimo I. Between the architect Vasari and his successor Buontalenti, they created an almost continuous wall of glass on the upper level of their offices for Francesco I to display the vast Medici art collection and jewels.
After the Medici dynasty died out, their art collections were given to the city of Florence by the last surviving Medici heiress. Once only open to visitors by request in the 1600s, the art gallery has been opened to the public since 1765 and became a museum in 1865.
In the 1800s, many sculptures were moved to the Bargello, and ancient objects were moved to the archaeological museum. But, it was still a huge collection! A new Uffizi renovation and expansion project began in 1989 and lasted well into 2021.
The Uffizi has the greatest collection of Italian Renaissance paintings but also houses masterworks from the world accumulated by the Medici. It is one of the most visited art museums in the world, so don’t miss it!
Monograms Travel pre-booked our tour with a private guide, and each item on my long “must see” list was addressed. There are hundreds of masterpieces in Florence, and a majority are in the Uffizi Gallery.
Here’s a list of my Top Ten:
- The Ognissanti Madonna altarpiece by Giotto (1310). One of the most important art pieces at the Uffizi, Giotto was the first Italian “modern painter” to introduce realism and linear perspective. An oversized Mary sits on a throne as an angel offers her a crown while she’s holding an oversized Jesus Christ. (This is one of many famous Uffizi altarpieces).
2. The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (1485) – a massive 9×6 foot painting which depicts the goddess Venus arriving on land on a giant scallop shell (a perfect pearl) after her birth as a symbol of feminine perfection and beauty.
3. La Primavera by Sandro Botticelli (1480s) – another enormous painting depicting classical mythology figures (not religious subjects) in a garden. It’s the most famous mythology allegory of the 15th century, and it is based on the lush growth of spring and contains almost 200 different species of flowers.
4. Madonna of the Goldfinch by Raphael (1506). Painted during Raphael’s stay in Florence, it depicts a young Virgin Mary with Jesus and his cousin, John the Baptist, holding a goldfinch (a symbol of Christ’s crucifixion).
5. The Holy Family by Michelangelo (1506) – Known as the Doni Tondo, it is the only finished panel painting by a mature Michelangelo to survive. It portrays Joseph, Mary, and Jesus and was commissioned by Agnolo Doni, a Florentine merchant. And look at that original frame!
6. Adoration of the Magi by Leonardo da Vinci (1481) – Painted on a wooden panel – An unfinished early painting of the Virgin Mary depicted with the Magi kneeling before Jesus.
7. Medusa by Caravaggio (1597) – A gift for Grand Duke Ferdinando I by a cardinal, Caravaggio captures the moment Perseus beheads Medusa. The canvas was mounted on a shield. Perseus used his shield as a mirror to prevent Medusa from looking at him and turning him to stone.
8. Venus of Urbino by Titian (1538) – depicts a young nude woman, identified as the goddess Venus, reclining in a Renaissance palace. A young bride is about to be dressed to take part in a ceremony before her marriage to express her consent.
9. Portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino by Piero della Francesca (1472) – These were painted after the Duke of Urbino’s wife died, age 26, and her portrait was probably based on her death mask. The stoic duke is presented from his good side, as he lost an eye and the bridge of his nose in a jousting tournament. Della Francesca based his paintings on mathematics and geometry.
10. Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci (1472) – In a garden alluding to purity, the kneeling archangel Gabriel announces to an unknowing Mary that she will soon give birth to the son of God.
And why is Da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa not in Italy but in France at the Louvre? Leonardo da Vinci worked on the Mona Lisa while living in Italy (it was commissioned by an Italian) but he moved to France before it was finished. Da Vinci died and left the painting to his apprentice Salaì in his will. Salaì sold it to a representative for the king of France who added it to his collection. It is now considered one of the greatest masterpieces in the world and is housed at The Louvre in Paris. Although Italy believes the Mona Lisa should come “home,” it will most likely never happen.
The Mona Lisa – smiling behind bullet-proof glass, a terrible glare, and hundreds of tourists attempting to photograph her during my first trip to Paris in 2013.
Funny note: Our Uffizi guide, Sam, did a fantastic job and was SUPER passionate about Italian art. After our tour, I asked him where I might find the self-portraits of Rembrandt I had read about. He threw up his hands in dismay and with all sincerity said, “After all of these Italian masterpieces, why would you even want to see a painting by a DUTCH artist?” Ooops! I went on my own and found the Rembrandt paintings. The Uffizi has collected over 1600 self-portraits, from all over the world.
The Bargello Palace and National Museum
Not far from the Piazza della Signoria is the Bargello Palace and National Museum
Italy’s finest collection of Renaissance sculptures can be found at the Bargello which opened as a National Museum in 1865.
The Medieval palace (1255), which looks similar to the Palazzo Vecchio, was built to house the highest magistrate of the City Council. Between the 1500s and 1800s, it served as a justice center, it housed the bargello (the police chief of Florence), was an ancient prison and also used for capital punishment.
One of the three David sculptures at the Bargello (all created before Michelangelo’s David)
Donatello’s bronze statue of David (1440s) is known to be the earliest surviving full-scale, freestanding nude bronze sculpture from the Renaissance. It depicts David as a young boy, posed with his foot on Goliath’s head just after defeating the giant. It was commissioned for the Medici courtyard, not a church.
The Bargello contains masterpieces by Cellini, Michelangelo, Donatello, Verrocchio, Giambologna, and many others. There are also precious ivories, enamels, jewels, tapestries, coins, weapons and an original sonnet collection.
My husband and daughter indulged me to see “this one last museum” on the morning we left for Venice.
Basilica of Santa Croce
Santa Croce
Once positioned outside the western city walls of Florence in a marshy area, the original structure dates from 1212 when St. Francis of Assisi visited, later settled in the city, and founded the church.
The present church was rebuilt for the Franciscan Order in 1294 by Arnolfo di Cambio and is considered the largest Franciscan church in the world. (Above – my photo from the top of the Duomo).
Santa Croce sanctuary
Wow! Santa Croce is home to almost 4,000 works of art from the 1200s to the 1900s. Look at all the frescoes behind the main altar by Agnolo Gaddi! The early Italian altarpiece is by Ugolino di Nerio (1325-28). One of Santa Croce’s masterpieces is the Crucifix of Cimabue (1280) which hangs above the altarpiece.
Sixteen family chapels are also richly decorated with frescoes by Giotto and his pupils. The Last Supper and the Life Tree by Tadeo Gaddi (1335) can be found on the west wall, ironically located in the former dining hall of the friars.
Today, the Franciscan friars’ dormitory houses the famous leather school, Scuola del Cuoio. Not only can you watch artisans at work, you can make purchases in the shop.
Santa Croce is filled with over 300 tombs honoring celebrities and artists of the Renaissance era. Below are the most significant:
Michelangelo’s Tomb was designed by Giorgia Vasari and represented paintings, sculptures, and architecture. Michelangelo lived his life between Florence and Rome (he’s most famous for the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican). He died in Rome, but his body was secretly moved to and buried in Florence.
The Tomb of Michelangelo
Galileo Galilei (the great astronomer) died in 1642, but his tomb dates from 1737. When Galileo claimed the earth revolved around the sun, people thought he was crazy. He was tried by the Inquisition and exiled from Florence. Later, when it was proven he was right, his remains were moved back to Florence.
The church also houses the tomb of Lorenzo Ghiberti (who created the famous Baptistry bronze doors of Duomo), and Nicollo Machiavelli’s tomb (the father of political theory who coined the phrase “the ends justify the means.”
Included is an honorary tomb to Dante Alighieri (a Tuscan poet whose most famous work is The Divine Comedy), a memorial plaque to Leonardo da Vinci (buried in France), and Gioachino Rossini’s Tomb (nicknamed the “Italian Mozart“) who is famous for the William Tell Overture and the opera The Barber of Seville.
The Oltrarno District
Cross the Ponta Santa Trinita on the Arno River to escape the hustle and bustle of Florence and discover a quieter, authentic, old world Florence.
Here you’ll find some hidden treasures “beyond the Arno” (which means Oltrarno) and get a glimpse at true Florentine artisan workshops, galleries, antique shops, studios weaving silk, repairing artwork, bookbinding, plus making marbled paper, handmade shoes and jewelry. There are no imports here!
The Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens
If you love art, make time for the Pitti Palace. It once belonged to Luca Pitti, a Florentine banker and rival of the Medici. The massive construction project caused Pitti to go bankrupt, and he died before it was finished.
By the middle of the 16th century, the Medici family had become European royalty when Cosimo I married Eleanor of Toledo, a Hapsburg princess.
In 1459, she purchased the Pitti Palace (which became the main Medici residence) and embarked on a grand expansion; she tripled the size of the palace to 140 rooms and added eight art galleries. (I took the above Pitti Palace photo from the top of the Duomo).
The Palazzo Pitti now houses world famous masterpieces from the family’s personal collection. Its sister museum, The Uffizi Gallery, houses the Medici’s state collection.
Today Pitti Palace is divided into five museums: the Treasury of the Grand Dukes and the Museum of Russian Icons (including the Palatine Chapel); the Palatine Gallery and the Imperial and Royal Apartments; the Gallery of Modern Art, and the Museum of Costume and Fashion.
You might go to see the masterpieces by Raphael, then realize the treasure-trove of art by Rubens, Titian, Perugino, Correggio, Lippi, Caravaggio, and Veronese.
The Boboli Gardens, directly behind the Pitti Palace, have 11 acres of public parks combined with an open air sculpture museum, an amphitheater, grotto, lots of fountains and fresh air.
Also in Oltrarno, the Basilica of Santa Maria di Santo Spirito is worth seeing, and Piazzale Michelangelo is an amazing place to photograph old town Florence day or night.
Now for the reality. . .
Can you properly tackle Florence in three days? We could not! Our Italian adventure was planned to see the “highlights” of Rome, Florence and Venice, but a good week will allow one to see all the sights and go beyond Florence to other Tuscan cities and the countryside. Connect with the locals, take a cooking class or wine tour, or bike/hike around the Tuscan hills.
Pick your battles wisely when traveling with a group. Except for me, Florence might have been a bit of an art “overload” for our group of five. Instead of visiting the Pitti Palace museums, we decided to hop on the train to Pisa and climb the Leaning Tower with our teenage daughter. Gelato and shopping helped balance my art appreciation.
Build in time to shop! In Florence, shopping is a must, especially for leather! We made purchases in both reputable, branded stores and also visited the most popular outdoor leather market, San Lorenzo. Our favorite branded leather stores were near Santa Croce, and some of those boutiques had stalls at the San Lorenzo Market. Inspect for authentic “Made in Italy” labels before purchasing any items. The five of us bought purses, wallets, jackets, belts, gloves, keychains, shoes, and gifts for others. § Since 1874, Mercato Centrale (not far from the Maria Novella train station) has an Italian food court and sells Tuscan products, including leather. § A member of our group also purchased some beautiful artisan jewelry from the famous master jewelers on the Ponte Vecchio Bridge. Wonderful keepsakes!
And, after all the shopping, be sure to pack an extra expandable tote bag for getting home your treasures. Our dear friends let us borrow their Baggalini tote (expands from a small zipped-up pouch to a large bag) for this trip knowing we would need it. I now have one, plus large capacity folding travel bags from Toosea and Foldie purchased from Amazon.
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Venice was our next stop, but before leaving Florence, we took the train to Pisa for a fun afternoon. Meet me in Pisa for my next travel blog! Until then, keep exploring!
Resources:
AAA Travel – http://www.aaa.com
Monograms Travel is now Globus Independent http://www.globusjourneys.com
Uffizi Gallery http://www.uffizi.it and http://www.visituffizi.org
My travel blogsite http://www.traveltipsbytami.com
Tami Kooch