A street in Oltrarno The Church of Santa Spirito The Uffizi Gallery The Old Market in Florence A distant view of the Cathedral The Palazzo Corsini The…
Tag: Florence
The Palaces in Florence
Renaissance Florence was politically and economically extraordinarily powerful and the ruling élite built suitably grand homes for themselves in the centre of the City. The Strozzi Palace was built in the 15C for Filippo Strozzi the Elder, a political rival to the Medicis. The Palace was intended to underline the family's status and power, and it…
The Piazza della Signoria, Florence
The Piazza della Signoria is dominated by the 14C Palazzo Vecchio, the Town Hall of Florence. The building became 'The Old Palace' when the Medicis moved into the Pitti Palace across the river. The Palazzo Vecchio in the Piazzo della Signoria The Piazzo della Signoria [caption id="attachment_21295" align="aligncenter"…
The Bargello Museum in Florence
The building that is now The Bargello Museum dates back to the 13C, and in the 16C it was the headquarters of the police, the 'bargello', and was used as a prison. The museum was established in the 19C. The Courtyard of the Bargello Museum The Courtyard…
Raphael in the Pitti Palace
Raphael in the Pitti Palace, Florence Raphael in The Pitti Palace
The Pitti Palace in Florence
The Pitti Palace dates from the mid-1400s and was the town residence of Luca Pitti, a Florentine banker. In the mid 1500s it was bought by the Medici family. We visited in order to see the paintings, particularly those by Raphael, but I found I was completely overwhelmed by the opulence of the building and…
Santa Maria Novella in Florence
The Church of Santa Maria Novella was built in the 13C by the Dominican Order on the site of a earlier church, hence 'Novella', and the new church was finally consecrated in 1420. The site is large, with a small burial ground and three cloisters in addition to the Church. Google map…
The Cathedral in Florence
The first stone of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence was laid in 1296 and the building was finally consecrated in 1436. The complex of Cathedral (with Brunelleschi's Dome), Baptistry (11C-12C), and Giotto's 14C Bell Tower dominates the centre of the City and is perhaps even more startling at night time. [caption id="attachment_21080" align="aligncenter"…
The Convent of San Marco, Florence
In November we squeezed in a few days in Florence. I hadn't been to the city for many years and although I thought I knew Florence it was a discovery and adventure all over again. On our first morning we set off for The Convent of San Marco which dates from the 15C. Cosimo de Medici the elder, ruler of Florence, was…