Tourist Attractions & Monuments Florence - Firenze

A place with an atypical history! There was once an oratory dedicated to the Archangel Michael, built in the garden of a Benedictine monastery. Since then, there has been a portico that was enlarged and consolidated in 1337, as the current two-storey structure was built above it to store wheat in the event of famine. In 1380, because of the increasingly intense devotion to an image of the Madonna placed on a pilaster in the portico, the arcades on the ground floor were closed. The portico was thus transformed into an unusual church with two naves, which is now the worthy setting for a splendid marble tabernacle in Gothic style, the work of the Florentine sculptor Andrea Orcagna. This old church, transformed into a grain market and then again into a church, houses a beautiful, albeit somewhat dark, interior of medieval architecture.

Among the statues that adorn the exterior of the Orsanmichele church are those of Lorenzo Ghiberti in bronze, on the side of Arte della Lana Street, representing Saint Matthew, at the corner of Orsanmichele Street, and Santo Stefano. Those of Donatello - Saint George - and Verrocchio - a group with the Unbelief of Saint Thomas - towards Calzaioli Street have been replaced by copies (the originals being at the Bargello Museum). These statues were financed by the Florence merchant corporations, proof that the commercial activity was closely linked to religion and art. A few steps away, stands the imposing Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria.

In Roman times, the Piazza della Repubblica, where the cardo and the decumanus meet, was home to a forum, the political and economic heart of ancient Florentia. Under the Medici there was a market, the Mercato Vecchio. It is a pleasant square nowadays lined with terraces, an obligatory passage to reach the Mercato Nuovo. This elliptical square is one of the lungs of the city because depending on the streets taken, very different aspects of Florence present themselves to the visitor. A remnant of the past, the Colonna dell'Abbondanza represents the exact centre of Florence.

This exceptional site is a former Dominican convent, one of Florence's spiritual and intellectual lungs in the 15th century, open to the public since 1869. Consecrated in 1443, it has welcomed such outstanding personalities as Fra Angelico, Savonarola, Fra Bartolomeo... and was enlarged by Cosme de Médicis. Housed in the 15th century convent, the work of Michelozzo di Bartolomeo, Cosme le Vieux's favourite architect, the museum pays tribute to Beato Angelico (known as Fra Angelico) who, during his stay there, painted intimate and moving frescos on the walls of each of the 44 cells. Images that are now considered icons. Fra Angelico's wonderful Annunciation is visible there, as well as other works belonging to him from Florentine churches and religious institutions. See also the grandiose and touching Crucifixion in the Chapter Hall.

Among the rooms on the first floor, in addition to the cells painted by Fra Angelico, and the apartment of the prior who was inhabited by Savonarola and where he was arrested in 1498, the three-nave room of the library, considered to be Michelozzo's masterpiece, with the Medici palace, should be noted. It is of great architectural and historical interest, and contains no less than thirty thousand works.
Behind the cloister decorated with frescoes by Fra Angelico, a second cloister, dating from the 15th century and dedicated to Saint Dominic, houses five Dominicans who still perpetuate the monastic tradition today in the heart of the urban whirlwind.

Discovering Florence is not so easy, group visits offer a traditional approach, but for those who want a vibrant visit to discover its curiosities, particularities and cultural richness, you have to get off the beaten track. A professional guide since 2010, Elva Conti is the right person to discover the soul of Florence and its inhabitants. It offers a great diversity of tours with an adaptation to everyone's wishes, which is why it only takes families or small groups of friends. An experience to live!

Florence's largest park has a curious name. Cascine comes from cascio which means "cheese" in old Florentine. In fact, since the 16th century, this place had been supplying the city with fresh produce. It was developed for this purpose by Alexandre and Cosme I de Médicis for the leasing of cattle and then for the cultivation of plants. The park evolved gradually, opening to the public on special occasions, until it became totally public under Napoleon. It was then transformed to resemble the romantic ideal.

The church is built on the oratory of the Order of the Servants of Mary, founded by seven young monks to whom Mary appeared in 1235. Then, as the ultimate renunciation of the world, they founded the monastery of Monte Senario in Fiesole. Michelozzo built the first cloister in the middle of the 15th century. The main body of the church, begun in 1440 by Michelozzo and Pagno Portigiani, was then modified by Alberti who created the powerful platform that can be seen on the right side. From the sober facade, decorated with the arms of Pope Leo X de Medici and the frescoes of the young Pontormo, you can access three different settings: on the right the chapel of the Puccio of San Sebastiano, on the left the vast cloister of the Dead decorated with frescoes by Andrea del Sarto, in the centre the first cloister (chiostrino dei Voti), decorated with frescos by the masters of Florentine mannerist painting from the early 16th century: Rosso Fiorentini, Pontormo, Franciabigio and Andrea del Sarto who, with the Birth of the Virgin, painted the most faithful portrait of his wife Lucrezia del Fede, unfortunately unfaithful according to Vasari.

The interior, designed by Alberti, but later covered with a sumptuous baroque decoration, consists of a nave covered with a large dome. The remarkable Baroque ceiling is by Giambelli according to a drawing by Volterrano (17th century). Many works of art are preserved in the side chapels: frescoes by Andrea del Castagno, an Assumption by Perugino, a Resurrection by Bronzino, sculptures by Giambologna and, in the transept, a marble Deposition by Baccio Bandinelli whose self-portrait can be seen in Nicodemo's face. On the left is a small marble temple designed by Michelozzo in honour of the fresco of the Annunciation, which is now venerated and displayed to the faithful every 25 March, the day of the Annunciation (Florentine New Year's Day for several centuries). According to legend, the anonymous artist of the 14th century who executed the Birth of the Virgin fell asleep after making the angel, but his sleep was disturbed by the fear of not being able to paint a Virgin of better quality than the angel already painted. When he woke up, he was surprised to find the fresco completed by a supernatural hand. The miraculous virtues attributed to painting by popular tradition since then have led young wives to go to the Annunziata church after their wedding to offer the Virgin of the small temple their bouquet of flowers.

After New York, Los Angeles, Dubai and Rome, the Selfie Museum has landed in Florence. Well, not really a museum. Let's say it's a space of over 1,000^m2 where immersive scenarios created by 400 different artists, light and mirror effects, kaleidoscopes, polka dots and coloured balls follow one another. The objective of making the visitor the protagonist of the exhibition has been achieved! Of course, you can have your own opinion about the selfie craze, but this is clearly the time to get out your phone! And to take full responsibility!

The Via Francigena was the route of a pilgrimage that led from Canterbury to Rome, passing through the Grand-Saint-Bernard Pass and the Tuscan countryside. It was one of the largest European communication routes in the Middle Ages. On this path of faith to the numerous alternatives, attended by pilgrims and the various passers-by (merchants and arms of arms), towns and cities have developed, giving rise to a frenetic economic life for hostels, monasteries and churches inside the Florentine countryside. The Via Francigena did not pass through Florence, but in the th century, becoming the capital of the Renaissance and one of Europe's most important cities for its trade and finance, it became obligatory. Men, goods, ideas and cultural and religious movements and movements had the opportunity to meet Florence with important channels of communication around the city: . life. These allowed to link it to the Via Francigena. They are 6 but the most important and fastest was certainly Via Sanese who led to Siena where it joined Via Francigena. Exploring these courses allows you to rediscover churches, abbeys and inns like the "Spedale di Bigallo" along Via Ny, which still has today its function of hospitality. A unique experience to explore a Tuscan countryside still to discover through Le Vie Romee.

A great idea for those who want to perfect their Italian while discovering Florence! In fact, the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci, founded in 1977, located in the heart of the historic centre, is the only school to offer an unusual walk through the historic streets of Florence accompanied by an Italian teacher as a guide. It is therefore an opportunity to associate the most beautiful places in Florence with the practice of Italian, its musicality, its expressions and its vocabulary put into context. A truly unique guided tour.

Beneath the ^16th-century arcades, known as Loggia del Porcellino (Piglet's Lodge), a statue of a wild boar stands on the south side of the structure (on the Via Calimaruzza side). Touch it and slip a coin into the beast's mouth for good luck! This bronze sculpture was created around 1633 by the Baroque master Pietro Tacca.

In days gone by, under the loggias, merchants sold luxury goods such as silk and precious objects. Today, a market, the Mercato Nuovo, sells mainly leather goods and souvenirs.