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 Florentine Baroque |
Piazza Ognissanti Florence 50123 Italy +39 55 239 8700 |
The Church was built in the middle of the thirteenth century and largely reconstructed during the Baroque period. Entering behind the third altar, notice the fresco by Sandro Botticelli of St. Augustine in His Study (1480) and, in the same partition, the second chapel. This belongs to the Vespucci family and contains frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio as well as other frescoes in which one can recognize members of the same family, probably including Amerigo Vespucci. From the cloister next to the church it is possible to enter the Refectory where there is the exemplary fresco by Dominico Ghirlandaio of Last Supper. This church is also the burial site of the great Renaissance artist, Sandro Botticelli. Admission: Free. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Fresco designed by Perugino |
Via Faenza, 42 Florence 50123 Italy |
The refectory is the only part of this vast convent complex which can be visited, that belongs to the Nuns of Foligno, from whom it takes its name. The fresco of the Last Supper seems to be a work by a number of artists who were linked to Perugino to whom the design is attributed. It was realized at the end of the fifteenth century, with a typical Umbrian style, above all in the landscape detail at the top. There are also other frescoes on display here, which were originally located in other parts of the convent, and were made by Bicci di Lorenzo in the first half of the 14th Century. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Centrally located tourist office |
Piazza Stazione 4/a Florence 50123 Italy +39 55 21 2245 |
Florence's tourist information office is located outside Santa Maria Novella railway station. There you can obtain information on accommodation, train and flight times, maps of the city, museum opening times and an updated list of exhibitions and cultural events in Florence. Leaflets and pamphlets are available on various places and public institutions worth a visit, both in and around Florence. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photographic collection and instruments |
Largo Alinari, 15 Florence 50123 Italy +39 55 2 3951 |
This museum was the first national institution dedicated exclusively to exhibiting photography. It keeps around 350,000 vintage prints, including those printed with albumen, bromide, on salted paper, calotypes, ambertypes and stereoscope. It unites the collections of Malandrini, Palazzoni, Zannier, Gabba and holds copies of the signatures of the greatest photographers of the 19th century including Alinari, Primoli, Peretti Griva and foreigners like MacPherson, Fenton and Von Gloeden. There are also many cameras, lenses and other objects from the history of photography including an impressive collection of both foreign and Italian photographic albums. The museum organises temporary exhibitions, normally in collaboration with the Alinari archives. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Sculpture collection |
Piazza San Pancrazio Florence 50123 Italy +39 55 21 9432 |
The museum, which can found in the deconsecrated church of San Pancrazio, contains around 180 works of art by Marino Marini, one of the major sculptors of the 20th century. There are sculptures, pictures, drawings and etchings which have been donated by the artist and his wife Marina. At the center of the exhibition there is the Equestrian group of Aja(1957). Marino believed that light was important to understand his work and this has been taken into account in the museum environment. + Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Jennella Young |
 Photo: Jennella Young |
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A Unique Photography Museum |
Piazza Santa Maria Novella 14a at the Leopoldine Florence 50123 Italy + 39 55 216310 http://www.alinarifondazione.it |
The "Museo Nazionale Alinari della Fotografia" (Alinari National Museum of photography) or MNAF as it is referred to, is a sort of itinerary into the history of photography from 1800 to the contemporary avant-garde. Displays feature not only Alinari, but other Italian and international works as well. The museum contains over three million negatives, about 900,000 vintage prints, and a great number of photographic albums. A collection of cameras and other objects related to photography is also on display, and a special exhibition has been created for visually disabled visitors; a "Touch Museum" consisting of about twenty of the museum's significant photos printed in relief. -Maria Frullini Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Fine architecture from the 15th century |
Piazza degli Antinori, 3 Florence 50122 Italy +39 55 29 2234 |
This building, an example of 15th-century civil architecture, is in the heart of Renaissance Florence, near the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and opposite the San Gaetano baroque church, which dates from the year 1000AD. Built for Giovanni Boni, it was constructed by Giuliano da Maiano who included a wide, internal courtyard, reflecting the geometric canons and harmonious equilibrium of the architecture of the time. The building is now private property, having passed out of the hands of the Antinori family in 1506. Their name, thankfully, has been preserved. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Tommaso Baldovino  |
 Photo: Nordthy |
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Albertian Renaissance classicism |
Piazza de Rucellai, 1 Florence 50125 Italy |
This palazzo is the model described in the refined 15th-century text by Giovan Battista Alberti, De re aedificatoria. It was built in the Piazza of the same name where a Loggia with three wide arcades was built for Giovanni di Paolo Rucellai, the same person for whom Alberti built the façade of Santa Maria Novella. The architectural model demands a Renaissance reading. There are three classical orders on three levels, and there are symbols and family crests which commemorate the Rucellai family, such as diamonds, feathers and sails, which can also be found in Santa Maria Novella. Construction began in 1455 while the Loggia was erected between 1463 and 1466. Until a few years ago it was the site of the Archivio Alinari and on the first floor there was the Alinari Museum of Photography, which was transferred to Piazza Alinari. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: J. C. Cuesta |
 Photo: Ann Silver |
 Photo: Keye Ratley |
 Photo: bronnygee |
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Filippo Strozzi's palace |
Piazza Strozzi, 1 Florence 50122 Italy |
This Palazzo was commissioned by Filippo Strozzi and the job was undertaken by Benedetto da Maiano, who began work in 1489. He enlisted the help of Simone del Pollaiuolo (most commonly known as Il Cronaca), who made the splendid jutting cornice in 1502, and who finished the large internal courtyard with porticoes on all sides. Even though it was inhabited from 1504 the building was never fully completed, leaving the cornice and the southern façade unfinished. The rustication is present on three sides of the façade, which features many iron embellishments, including torch holders, hooks for horses or standard bearers. Some of these were substituted in the 19th century with exact copies of the designs by Benedetto da Maiano. Today the Palazzo is a famous site for temporary exhibitions which take place in the first-floor rooms, while in other rooms accessible from the courtyard are based certain cultural organizations such as the Gabinetto Vieusseux, and the Instituto Nazionale di Studi sul Rinascimento. Admission to Special Exhibits: EUR 10. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Paolo Pan |
 Photo: Nick Wright |
 Photo: Renee R West |
 Photo: Renee R West |
 Photo: paula moya |
 Photo: Stephanie et Bruno |
 Photo: Ramon Rosati |
 Photo: Chiara Barbucci |
 Photo: Anthony White |
 Photo: boisderose |
 Photo: michaelrmclaughlin |
 Photo: Christine Haley |
 Photo: Nicola Barbato |
 Photo: Sara Marzocchi |
 Photo: kevioen |
 Florence's biggest public park |
Piazza Vittorio Veneto Florence 50123 Italy |
Spread over 118 hectares, this popular park is a favorite with joggers, horse riders and families with young children, especially on Tuesday mornings, when it is a market. Towards Piazza Vittorio Veneto on the park's east side is an open-air swimming pool (used during the summer months), while to the west is the park's amphitheatre, a popular summertime venue for dance performances and concerts. At the end of the 18th, century important buildings such as the Palazzina Reale, currently home to the Facoltà di Agraria dell'Università degli Studi di Firenze (School of Agriculture of the University of Florence) were added before the park finally became public at the start of the 19th century. Horse racing takes place not far from here at the Ippodromo delle Muline. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: FrancescoPasqualetti |
 Photo: FrancescoPasqualetti |
 Photo: Aldo Cavini Benedett |
 Photo: Roberta Lazzeri |
 Photo: Emanuele Noferini |
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The temple of San Sepolcro |
Via della Spada Florence 50123 Italy |
The small temple of San Sepolcro is at the center of the 14th-century chapel which is annexed to the church of S. Pancrazio, the current home of the museum Marino Marini. It was designed by Giovan Battista Alberti, the architect who was also commissioned to build the family palace. The harmonious proportions of the temple and its antique style make it one of the most important examples of Florentine renaissance architecture. The work was finished in 1467, and was based on the size of the Santo Sepolcro in the Holy Land. The interior frescoes represent the Death and Resurrection of Christ, and Alberti, inspired by the writings that covered the ancient Roman monuments, has inscribed a verse from the Evangelism of St. Mark, dedicated to the Virgin. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Marie-France |
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Seventeenth century church by Cerruti |
Piazza di Cestello Florence 50124 Italy +39 55 21 5816 |
The cupola of the Cestello stands out in the panorama of the Oltrarno and its bare, unfinished facade is visible from the bank on the other side of the Arno river. The church was built by the architect Cerutti at the end of the 17th Century and completed with the cupola of Antonio Ferri. The church is planned in the shape of a Latin cross with a single nave upon which there are chapels decorated with stucco and frescoes from the 18th century. Admission: Free. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Paul Villafuerte |
 Photo: Solveig Bang |
 Photo: Ian W. Smith |
 Photo: eric |
 Photo: Betty Carbuncle |
 Photo: g_u |
 Photo: Leslie Rodriguez |
 Photo: Matteo Terzago |
 Photo: Angela Hunt |
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Italian Architecture with Gothic Strains |
Piazza Santa Maria Novella Florence 50123 Italy |
This church was built in 1278 by architects (Fra Sisto and Fra Ristoro) who were part of the Dominican order, the work was carried on by Fra Jacopo Talenti and Fra Giovanni da Campi, and was constructed in a Gothic style. The church still bears evidence of the Gothic style in the lower part of the façade in its avelli (grave niches) with its pointed arches, which are clad in green and white marble these colours are to be found in the upper part of the façade elegant with its classical motifs, designed by Leon Battista Alberti in the 1470s at the request of Giovanni Rucellai (whose name is prominently displayed on the façade). The left side of the façade which leads to thecloisters of Santa Maria Novella. The most important and interesting objects of art are to be found in the chapels of the prized and famous families. The Rucellai chapel is on the right of the church, with a marble sculpture of Madonna and Child by Nino Pisano. The Cappella Bardi is the second on the right and was the resting place of the famous Maestà by Duccio, which is in the room of the Uffizi. The chapel adjacent is that of Filippo Strozzi and is decorated with stories of San Filippo by Filippino Lippi in the 1590s, and sculptures by Benedetto da Maiano. The chapel of Giovanni Tornabuoni has wonderful scenes of political and cultural life of the times with illustrious men, humanists and famous Florentines. The frescoes depict the life of the Madonna and Saint John the Baptist and were created by Domenico Ghirlandaio as well as his young apprentice Michelangelo in 1485-90. After the cappella maggiore is the Cappella Gondi with its wooden cross by Brunelleschi framed by Giuliano da Sangallo's architecture, and the Capella Gaddi encrusted with stones and marble. The Cappella Strozzi is to be found on the left side of the church and is decorated with 14th century frescoes of Heaven, Hell, and Judgment Day by Nardo di Cione, the brother of Orcagna, the author of the altar piece with Cristo risorto (Christ risen), completed in 1347. The sacristy and its furnishings can be seen on the left side of the church as you descend the steps from the Capella Strozzi, you can purchase books and religious objects from here. Finally, you can see the glorious fresco of the Trinity by Masaccio (circa 1427), can be found along the left side of the aisle, this is the fresco of the Madonna, St John and the fresco's patrons, the Lenzi family. Admission: EUR 3. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Peter Repetti |
 Photo: Paul Burani |
 Photo: Paul Burani |
 Photo: Boris Vergote |
 Photo: Natasha Sandmeier |
 Photo: Melissa Demos |
 Photo: Wade Lagrone |
 Photo: Jreese.com |
 Photo: Bill Strouse |
 Photo: Rich Gibson |
 Photo: Francesco Coschino |
 Photo: Jim Malone |
 Photo: Luca Gambetti |
 Photo: Scott Rathbone |