Strolling through Florence

The Definitive Walking Guide to the Renaissance City

Mario Erasmo

• Publisher: I.B. Tauris
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781786722768
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

To walk through Florence is to step into one of the most remarkable histories of any European city. From its establishment by Julius Caesar in the first century BC, through its Golden Age at the epicentre of the Italian Renaissance, to its position as an iconic cultural destination in the twenty-first century, Florence is a small city that packs a lot of punch. This is the city of Dante and Boccaccio, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, the Medici, Botticelli, Donatello and the `Mad Monk' Savonarola. Their stories permeate every corner of Florence, but the city's contemporary scene is just as alluring, from cutting edge art and fashion to food. It is only by exploring Florence on foot that the visitor can truly experience everything the city has to offer.

Sites: S. Maria Novella; Duomo and Baptistery; S. Lorenzo; Cappelle Medicee; Palazzo Medici-Riccardi; Galleria dell’ Accademia; Spedale degli Innocenti; Casa di Dante; Orsanmichele; Piazza della Signoria; the Uffizi; Palazzo Vecchio; the Bargello; Santa Croce; Ponte Vecchio; Palazzo Pitti; Boboli Gardens.

Distance: 1.25 km + Tour Options

Tour 1

FLORENCE IN A DAY

Arrive in Florence by train at the Central Station (Stazione Centrale di S. Maria Novella) and begin a fast-paced stroll in the heart of historic Florence under the shadow of Brunelleschi’s dome through winding medieval streets to Piazza della Signoria and across the Ponte Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens in Oltrarno.

The tour includes several options to explore the monuments and sites associated with important periods and personalities of Florence’s history: Dante Alighieri, the Medici, Brunelleschi and Michelangelo.

Begin the tour at Stazione Centrale di S. Maria Novella (Firenze SMN) that was built in 1935 in the Rationalist architectural style by Tuscan architects under the direction of Giovanni Michelucci. The station is a major transportation hub filled with travellers but linger a moment to visit a memorial at the end of Platform 16 that commemorates the Holocaust and the trainloads of Jews deported from Italy to Nazi Concentration Camps during World War II.

Exit on the left side with the tracks behind you into Piazza della Stazione. The back of the church of S. Maria Novella is straight ahead and Brunelleschi’s dome of the Duomo rises to your left. To reach the front of the church, follow the sidewalk around the right side of the piazza then turn right on Via degli Avelli (‘Street of the Tombs’) to walk along the right hand side of the church lined with tombs that formerly faced a cemetery into Piazza S. Maria Novella. The entrance to the church faces the piazza that has two obelisks with fleur-de-lys decoration.

Santa Maria Novella (Tour 6) with its early Renaissance facade is an extensive Dominican basilica complex with famous frescoes, including Masaccio’s Trinità and chapels with 15th-century fresco decoration, including the Tornabuoni Chapel with frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio and the Filippo Strozzi Chapel with frescoes by Filippino Lippi. The Spanish Chapel with beautiful frescoes is accessible from the Museum.

At the mid-point of the piazza, turn left on Via de’ Banchi to proceed to the Duomo. Continue on Via de’ Banchi when the name changes to Via de’ Cerretani. The dome of the Cappelle Medicee with the tombs of the Medici Grand Dukes is visible to your left on Via de’ Conti (an option to explore the area of S. Lorenzo after visiting the Duomo is below). Continue past the church of S. Maria Maggiore to your right (look up the tower to see the head of a Roman statue incorporated into the facade) into Piazza S. Giovanni past the Column of San Zenobio alongside the Baptistery into Piazza del Duomo. See Tour 2 for a detailed tour of the Duomo (S. Maria del Fiore), Brunelleschi’s Dome, Giotto’s Campanile and the Baptistery where the poet Dante was baptized. Michelangelo called the east doors, designed by Lorenzo Ghiberti, the ‘Gate of Paradise’.

Proceed directly to Piazza della Signoria on Via dei Calzaiuoli that starts in the piazza between the Duomo and the Baptistery and ends at Piazza della Signoria (Tour 2). Directions resume following the optional tour of the area.

To explore optional sites associated with the Medici, Michelangelo’s David and Brunelleschi’s Spedale degli Innocenti before proceeding to Piazza della Signoria (1.80 km), with the back of the Baptistery behind you, turn right on Borgo S. Lorenzo and follow into Piazza S. Lorenzo. The church of San Lorenzo (Tour 6) was the parish of the Medici whose tombs by Michelangelo are in the New Sacristy of the Cappelle Medicee with the later tombs of the Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany.

Exit Piazza S. Lorenzo on the left side (with the facade of the church behind you) past the seated statue of Grand Duke Cosimo I’s father, Giovanni delle Bande Nere, by Baccio Bandinelli (1540) to walk on Via de’ Gori for one block to Via Cavour. Turn left to walk along Palazzo Medici-Riccardi built by Michelozzo Michelozzi for Cosimo de’ Medici the Elder (Tour 6) with Benozzo Gozzoli’s ‘Adoration of the Magi’ fresco cycle (1459–1461) that includes members of the Medici family and follow into Piazza S. Marco. The church and convent of San Marco that includes frescoes by Fra’ Angelico (now Beato Angelico) and the cells of Cosimo the Elder and Savonarola is straight ahead (see Tour 5). If entering the Galleria dell’ Accademia with Michelangelo’s David (Tour 5) turn right at the beginning of the piazza then turn right on Via Ricasoli and walk to the middle of the block for the entrance to the Galleria dell’ Accademia. If continuing on the tour, walk around the right side of the piazza past Via Ricasoli to Via Cesare Battisti. Turn right for a short walk into Piazza della Santissima Annunziata.

The church of Santissima Annunziata (Tour 5) is to your left. Filippo Brunelleschi’s Spedale degli Innocenti (Tour 5) begun in 1419, was an orphanage (look for the infants in the tondi), is straight ahead. In the centre of the piazza is the equestrian statue of Grand Duke Ferdinando I that faces Via dei Servi. Stroll along the palazzo-lined Via dei Servi to reenter the Piazza del Duomo. A plaque at No. 17 commemorates property rented from the Bandini in 1427 by the painter Masaccio. At No. 12 at the corner of Via Castellaccio is the 16th-century Palazzo Sforza Almeni built for Antonio Taddei with famous ceiling frescoes by Giorgio Vasari (c.1555). The palace was confiscated by Cosimo I de’ Medici and given to Sforza Almeni. A plaque on Palazzo Pasqui (No. 44 red) commemorates the location of the 15th-century sculptor Benedetto da Maiano’s studio. Walk around the Duomo for the start of the Via dei Calzaiuoli to rejoin the tour.

As you stroll along Via dei Calzaiuoli, look to your right at Via degli Speziali for a glimpse at the triumphal arch in Piazza della Repubblica (Tour 7). At Via Orsanmichele, is the church of Orsanmichele (Tour 2) the former grain market that was later converted into a church for the city’s powerful guilds that commissioned statues of their patron saints for the tabernacles that line the exterior facade. A copy of Donatello’s St. George is in a niche along Via Orsanmichele.

For an optional visit to the Casa di Dante (Tour 2) dedicated to Dante Alighieri, the author of the Divine Comedy, before proceeding into Piazza della Signoria (.45 km), turn left on Via dei Tavolini and continue past Via de’ Cerchi through Piazza de’ Cimatori when the name changes to Via Dante Alighieri. The Casa di Dante is to your left at the corner of Via di S. Margherita. Look for the arch on Via di S. Margherita next to the church of S. Margherita de’ Cerchi known as the ‘Church of Dante’ where Beatrice Portinari is buried. Retrace your steps to Via dei Calzaiuoli.

Continue on Via dei Calzaiuoli into Piazza della Signoria (Tour 3) with Palazzo Vecchio to your left. The Uffizi Gallery is visible just behind the Loggia della Signoria (Loggia dei Lanzi) with a sculpture collection, including Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabines and Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus holding the head of Medusa. A copy of Michelangelo’s David stands at the entrance to the palazzo. A pavement marker near the Neptune Fountain of Bartolomeo Ammannati marks the spot where Savonarola was executed in 1498. Continue into Piazzale degli Uffizi that is lined with statues of famous artists and authors in the niches for the entrance to the Galleria degli Uffizi (Tour 3). Treasures include paintings from Giotto to the Mannerists, including works by Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Caravaggio. The arches at the end of the piazzale overlook the Arno River. Walk to the end of the piazzale and turn right to cross the Ponte Vecchio.

For an optional tour of the Museo Galileo, the Bargello and church of Santa Croce (1.25 km), before proceeding to the Ponte Vecchio, turn left at the arches at the end of the piazza and continue to the end of the block to the Museo Galileo (Museo di Storia della Scienza) in Piazza de’ Giudici. Walk up Via de’ Castellani past the exit of the Uffizi when the name changes to Via dei Leoni behind the Palazzo Vecchio. Turn right on Borgo de’ Greci to proceed immediately to the church of Santa Croce in Piazza Santa Croce or continue through Piazza S. Firenze (the Tribunale di Firenze is to your right) to first visit the Bargello (Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Tour 4) at the end of the piazza. The museum includes an important collection of sculpture by Donatello, Michelangelo and others, including Baccio Bandinelli, Bartolomeo Ammannati, and Giambologna. Look up to see the campanile of Badia Fiorentina that is across the street from the Bargello.

To proceed to the church of Santa Croce, turn right on Via della Vigna Vecchia then right on Via dell’ Acqua. At the end of the block, turn left on Via dell’ Anguillara and follow into the Piazza Santa Croce. Along the way, look to your left at Via Torta and right at Via de’ Bentaccordi for the curve of buildings that preserve the outline of the ancient Roman Amphitheatre. The church of Santa Croce (Tour 4) is straight ahead. Inside the church are frescoes by Giotto, early Renaissance funerary monuments and Michelangelo’s tomb designed by Giorgio Vasari. The complex includes a museum and the Pazzi Chapel designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and completed by others after his death in 1446. Exit the piazza by the left side (with the facade of the church behind you) onto Borgo de’ Greci and follow through to return to Piazza della Signoria. Walk through the piazza with the Loggia della Signoria to your left and exit just beyond it onto Via Vacchereccia. Turn left onto Via Por S. Maria (look to your right to see the Mercato Nuovo) and the Ponte Vecchio.

1. Panoramic view of Florence taken from S. Miniato al Monte

Cross to the other side of the Ponte Vecchio (Tour 9) that is ...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Author Biography
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Introduction: The Renaissance City
• Tour 1: Florence in a Day
• Tour 2: The Duomo Area, Dante’s Florence and Orsanmichele
• Tour 3: Piazza della Signoria, Galleria degli Uffizi and Museo Galileo
• Tour 4: The Bargello, Santa Croce, Synagogue and Jewish Museum
• Tour 5: Galleria dell’ Accademia, Piazza San Marco Area and English Cemetery
• Tour 6: Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, San Lorenzo, Mercato Centrale, Santa Maria Novella Area, Palazzo Rucellai and Palazzo Strozzi
• Tour 7: Piazza della Repubblica Area, Santa Trìnita Area, Oltrarno: Via Maggio
• Tour 8: Oltrarno: Palazzo Pitti, Boboli Gardens, La Specola, San Felice in Piazza, Santo Spirito, S. Maria del Carmine, San Frediano in Cestello and Santa Felicità
• Tour 9: Ponte Vecchio to San Miniato al Monte
• Tour 10: Fiesole
• Opening Hours of Churches, Monuments and Museums
• Glossary