Brief history of Florence. Interesting facts about Florence. Santa Maria Novella: temple and famous pharmacy

Florence (Firenze) - this Italian city is located in the beautiful mountainous region of Tuscany, on the banks of the Arno River. It has always been customary to associate it with the names of great sculptors, artists, poets and musicians.

The city's area is about 102 km² and its population is only about 366,074 people. Florence is the capital of the Tuscany region, which is famous throughout the world for the beauty of its nature, as well as its cuisine and wines. The territory of Tuscany has hilly and mountainous terrain. The main mountain range is the Apennines, which surround the region to the north and east. Everyone should visit this magnificent city-museum at least once in their life, which is deservedly considered one of the most ancient cultural centers in Europe.

Climate of Florence

Florence has a continental climate. In winter, the air temperature here drops to -1C. In November and March there is frequent rain. This is a time when there are few tourists in the city, there are no queues at museums, and hotel rooms are cheaper.

The tourist season in Florence begins in the spring - in April-May. During this period the air warms up to +20C and above, due to frequent precipitation there is an increase in humidity. Summer in Florence is not considered the peak season - this is due to the intense heat that occurs here in July-August. Hotel prices drop again at this time, so tourists flock here who are not afraid of the heat. In autumn, the air temperature becomes comfortable again, at this time it is pleasant to walk around the city, and parks and gardens bloom with bright colors.

History of Florence

The city of Florence was founded in 59 BC. e. Julius Caesar. Initially, it was built as a military camp and had an appropriate layout. They called it Casta Florence - “Prosperous Military Camp”, and then it began to be called simply Florence (“Blossoming”).

In 1252, Florence already began minting its own gold coins - florins. From 1125, Florence conquered several neighboring regions and became the capital of the Duchy of Tuscany.

In 1434, the Medici dynasty came to power, the most famous representatives of which were Cosimo the Elder, Lorenzo the Magnificent and Catherine de' Medici. This dynasty made Florence the cultural center of Europe and greatly contributed to the formation and development of the Renaissance.

In 1860 the city became part of the United Italy. Florence was even the capital of the country from 1865 to 1871.

In the 19th century, part of the historical center was demolished due to the appearance of Piedmontese-Turinese architecture in the city. In the last century, during the war, the city was subjected to fascist bombing. All this changed the appearance of the city.

Florence is often called the “Athens of Italy” due to the huge number of architectural and artistic monuments that have survived to this day. The greatest masters such as Machiavelli, Dante, Rossini, Michelangelo, Galileo, Botticelli lived and worked here.

Sights of Florence

Florence is a small city and its historical center with many attractions can be explored on foot.

Uffizi Gallery
This gallery is one of the most famous attractions in Florence and is very popular among tourists. The building was built for the needs of the government. Today, the gallery is a magnificent museum where you can see many unique works of art. Masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Caravaggio, Perugdio, Rubens, etc. are kept here.

Palazzo Vecchio
This palace is located next to the Uffizi Gallery. Its construction began in 1294. Initially, this building was used as a military fortification that protected the residence of the rulers. Then such masters as Simone del Pollaiolo, Vasari and Buontalenti worked on its appearance. After this, the Palace building became the residence of the ruling Medici family.

Piazza della Signoria
Palazzo Vecchio's façade overlooks Piazza della Signoria. This square, the second largest, has always been the center of the city's political life.
The space in front of the Palazzo Vecchio is occupied by beautiful sculptures. On one side, in front of its entrance, stands the famous statue of “David” by Michelangelo. However, it is a copy, not an original; such a replacement took place in 1873. To the right of the entrance is the sculpture “Hercules defeating Cacus” by Baccio Bandinelli. The Neptune Fountain was designed by Bartolomeo Ammanati.
Next to the Palazzo Vecchio you can also see the Loggia Lanzi, filled with numerous sculptures. It was originally intended for meetings. The sculptures in it depict mythological heroes, almost all of them are copies, the only exception being “Perseus” by Cellini.

Ponte Vecchio
Florence stands on the Arno River, across which ten bridges are thrown. The most famous of them is the Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge. Construction began on it in 1345. The bridge turned out to be very durable and still stands. On both sides there are residential buildings that have been preserved since the 14th century. There is an observation deck in the middle of the bridge.

Palazzo Pitti Palace
Palazzo Pitti is another beautiful palace. It was built in the 15th century by the architect Brunelleschi. Since then it has been rebuilt several times. Currently, it is adjacent to the picturesque Boboli Gardens. There are several famous museums located on the palace grounds.

Cathedral square Piazza del Duomo
The Cathedral Square is the center of Florence, attracting crowds of tourists. This square contains several unique structures.

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiori
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiori, located in the square, is the city's most famous structure. It amazes with its scale and its beauty. Its magnificent dome, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, is clearly visible from afar. Construction of the cathedral began in 1294 and lasted 81 years. Its facade has a very beautiful finish.

Giotto's Bell Tower
This bell tower is located next to the cathedral and is 84 meters high. The facades of the bell tower are decorated on all sides with unique six- and tetrahedral medallions.

Baptistery of St. John
The Baptistery is also located next to the cathedral. It is the oldest building in Florence; it has been mentioned in chronicles since the 9th century. It was built in honor of John the Baptist, who is the patron saint of the city.

Church of Santa Croce
This church is located in the city center and also deserves the attention of tourists. The church is made in the Gothic style. Inside you can see the tombs of more than 300 great inhabitants of Florence: Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Lorenzo Bartolini, Dante, Galileo Galilei and others.

Holidays in Florence
In this city, tourists can find accommodation for every taste - there are luxury hotels and inexpensive guesthouses. In private houses you can rent a room. Guesthouses can often be located in historical buildings. You can rent an apartment with or without breakfast. There are also many inexpensive hotels designed for tourist groups.

Modern Florence is one of the world's recognized fashion capitals. In Florence, you can combine exploring the city with excellent shopping; there is a huge number of different branded stores and boutiques. The most convenient way to get around the city is on foot, but you can also take a taxi or bus.

Florence has a wide variety of restaurants, cafés and eateries. Here you can try Tuscan cuisine and the famous Chianti wine.

• 59 BC e. by By order of Julius Caesar, veterans of the Roman army were allocated a plot of land on the Arno River for settlement (and at the same time they were given the responsibility to look after the Via Flaminia road). It was built in the spirit of Roman military camps: a square with sides of approximately 500 m consisted of fortifications built along streets laid strictly from north to south and from west to east.
• IXIn the end. Margrave Ugo of Tuscany made Florence the capital of Tuscany.

• 1115. After the death of the last of the Tuscan margraves, the city gained independence. like some other Italian cities, it becomes a commune, receives internal self-government and begins to play the role of a more or less independent force in external affairs.
• 1138. Florence received consular rule.
• 1193. Podesta began to be elected in Florence. He was charged with the duty of examining the affairs of the Florentines fairly and impartially, therefore preference was given to nobles from other cities who were not involved in Florentine civil strife.
• Con.XII- beginningXIIIV. The formed workshop organization began to play an economic and political role in the life of the city. Particularly important and rich guilds were Lana - an organization of manufacturers and sellers of woolen products, Seta - silk suppliers, Cambio - money changers. The commune fought against the nobles - the owners of lands and castles in the contado. Many fortifications were destroyed and, together with land holdings, were transferred to the commune, and their former lords had to move to the city. In the 13th century, the population of Florence increased from 20,000 to 90,000 people, primarily due to the influx of settlers from the contado district.
• 1207. The position of podesta becomes the main one in the city. Usually this meant the development of the commune along a democratic path, while the position of consuls expressed oligarchic rule. There also arose the position of the head of the city militia - captain of the people, and the very structure of the military organization of the commune, which served as a model for many communes. Detachments of townspeople successfully fought wars with nobles for whom warfare was a profession.
• In the course of the political development of the commune, the need arose to legislate the changes that had taken place: in 1250, a constitution was adopted that met the interests of a wider circle of members of the commune (popolans). Two new bodies of democratic self-government appeared - the “Council of the Twelve Elders of the Florentine People” and the “Council of the People,” elected from the guilds. The guild organization thus became a political force. A decade later, this Polanian constitution was abolished, but the line of democratic development was not interrupted.
• 1248. The Ghibellines, relying on the support of Emperor Frederick II Staufen, expelled the Guelphs from Florence. The winners toppled 36 enemy towers, and they calculated the direction of their fall in such a way as to cause maximum damage to the churches belonging to the Guelphs. However, not even three years had passed since the emperor died. With the death of the monarch, military support dried up, and the Guelphs returned the city, sending the Ghibellines into exile.

• 1252. Florence mints its own gold coin - the florin, which becomes one of the most stable monetary units in Europe.
• 1260, 4 Sep. Battle of the Florentines and Sienese near the castle of Monteaperti. Expelled from their hometown, the Ghibellines, led by Farinato degli Uberti, fought on the side of the Sienese and, after a crushing defeat of their fellow Guelphs, recaptured Florence.
• 1266. The Guelphs again expelled the Ghibellines from the city, now forever. Symbolically asserting the inviolability of the newly established world order, the Guelphs built a square (present-day Piazza della Signoria) on the site of the house of the rebellious Uberti family. The victory of the Guelphs over the Ghibellines had a certain social background: they were supported by those whom the Florentines called the word “people” - traders. Power in the city soon passed to him.
• The Florentine “people” were for the most part heterogeneous and were divided into two large social groups - “fat” and “skinny”. The city began to be ruled by the “fat” people, who fought against the nobility who oppressed the “people.” The leaders of the Guelph party had to negotiate with the “people.” The compromise was that all townspeople of noble origin had to enroll in the “people” and be considered some kind of artisans. all those who did not register were subject to expulsion as enemies of the “people”, and their houses were to be demolished. (For example, Dante was enrolled in the workshop of doctors and pharmacists.) The severity of the laws did not pacify society. The nobility was not going to put up with the lack of rights, the “fat” were annoyed that the “skinny” were allowed to participate in city government, and the “skinny” considered the level of their participation insufficient.
• 1282. The Guelphs created a new system of Popolan government, which received its historical name Florentina libertatis. Executive power passed to a new communal body - the priory (which included representatives of the workshops - first 6, and then 9 priors). A short-term (2 months) position of the so-called standard-bearer (gonfaloniere) of justice also appeared.
• 1293. Publication of the “Establishments of Justice” - a constitutional law that excluded grandees from political elections.
• 1301. The “black” Guelphs carried out a coup, all the “whites” were expelled from the city (including Dante). Stubborn opposition and conflict between the guild corporations of Florence also emerged. The group of the richest workshops (7 workshops) sought to ensure that the remaining 14 corporations in the city could not expand their representation in government bodies.
• 1302. Dante was sentenced to death in absentia, and the house was demolished. Dante never returned to his hometown, either alive or dead. For reasons of prestige, the Florentines gathered their famous dead in the large Franciscan church of Santa Croce, which became something of a pantheon. Dante was buried near the Church of San Francesco in Ravenna, the city where he died. Two hundred years after his death, the Florentines unsuccessfully sought the return of the ashes. The intervention of Pope Leo X almost decided the matter in their favor, but when Dante's burial was opened, it turned out to be empty. The remains of the author of the Divine Comedy were hidden, and the Florentines left with nothing.
• Around 1300-1380. The almost century-long period from the adoption of the “Establishments of Justice” is considered the heyday of the Polish democracy of Florence. fairly broad sections of the population received the right to elect and be elected to high positions in the commune; the development of corruption was hampered by the frequent turnover of officials, the short-term powers of the highest legislative bodies of the commune council and the people's council (4 months).
• In the 1st half of the 14th century, Florence significantly expanded its possessions in the area, subjugating a number of cities: in 1331 - Pistoia, in 1337 - Arezzo, in 1350 - Prato, in 1355 - Volterra. The role of the commander of the armed forces of the commune - the captain of the people - acquired more and more weight. Unrest in the city itself had to be suppressed by the same detachments subordinate to the captain of the people. Therefore, it was precisely this initially democratic position that could serve as a cover for the tyrannical aspirations of ambitious members of the commune.
• The political development of Florence led to the formation of a seignorial regime of government, especially after the uprising of the urban lower classes - unskilled workers - wool carders (ciompi) in 1378–1382. From this period, power became increasingly concentrated in the hands of the Albizzi family, and in 1434 they were replaced by representatives of the Medici family, wealthy bankers and populace.

• XVV. The population of Florence is about 60,000 inhabitants. More than 3,000 people passed through the administrative apparatus per year, as well as 600 police officers who kept order in the city. The Florentines were extremely committed to various forms of civil control, creating many commissions that even intervened in the affairs of the church. The commissions especially closely monitored everything related to urban improvement. the houses and palaces of the families expelled from Florence by the Signoria came under the jurisdiction of the city, were sold to other families, or were used for public needs. Despite the decline of the republic, it was the 15th century that became the century of the heyday of Florence. The tyrannical rulers of Florence, as elsewhere in Italy, also became the organizers of grandiose construction that exceeded the scale of all previous public initiatives. The Medici also attracted the best experts in science, masters of arts and crafts to Florence at their own expense. Florence by the Quattrocento (after the 1400s) was considered an exemplary city of the new culture of the Renaissance by both contemporaries and historians of this era.
• 1427. The Medici family managed to achieve the adoption of a law on a progressive property tax in the Signoria. This ensured the Medici greater popularity among the poor and middle classes, but caused discontent among the magnates who supported Albizzi.
• 1470-1480s. The reign of the “uncrowned ruler” of Florence, Lorenzo de Medici, nicknamed the Magnificent (1449-1492). Although formally republican structures continued to exist, power was concentrated in the hands of representatives and proteges of the House of Medici.
• 1490. The prior of the monastery of San Marco, Fra Girolamo Savonarola from Ferrara, preached in the city. under the influence of his teachings, the Florentines, after the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent, restored the republic.
• 1494. After the expulsion of Piero de' Medici, the republic was restored in the city.
• 1498. Savonarola's dictatorship did not last long - he was excommunicated, arrested and executed in Piazza della Signoria.
• 1527. As a result of a new uprising, the republican system was restored in the city.
• 1530. The Medici, with the support of the Pope and the German Emperor, returned to Florence and received the title of Dukes of Florence. Cosimo I de' Medici partially restored Florence to its former splendor, conquered Siena and became Grand Duke of Tuscany.
• 1530-1737. Reign of the Medici Dukes in the Duchy of Tuscany.
• 1569. Cosimo I de' Medici received the title of Grand Duke of Tuscany with his capital in Florence, which he subsequently passed on to his heirs.
• 1571. The Laurentian Library was opened (built according to a design by Michelangelo), which contains 10,500 manuscripts, more than 700 of which date back to before the 11th century and are of extraordinary philological, artistic and historical significance.

• 1576-1582. under under the patronage of Count G. Bardi, the Camerata arose in Florence - an association of poets and musicians, theorists and experimenters in music (J. Corsi, E. de Cavalieri, G. Mei, V. Galilei, G. Caccini). The participants of the Camerata are interested in ancient Greek drama, in which the main thing, in their opinion, was the close unity of music and poetry. Based on the achievements of the Camerata, in 1598 the composer J. Peri and the poet O. Rinuccini composed “Daphne” - a kind of musical performance, apparently close to what we call opera.
• 1582. in In Florence, members of the Florentine Academy founded the Accademia della Crusca (existed until the end of the 18th century, renewed by Napoleon in 1808). Thanks to the activities of the Academy, the Tuscan dialect became a model for Italian literature of the 16th and 17th centuries. An important part of the activities of the Academy members was the compilation of commentaries on Petrarch and Boccaccio, the study of their stylistics, vocabulary, phraseology and imagery.
• 1587-1609. During the reign of Duke Ferdinando I, focusing on the French and then the Austrian royal court, the industrial and commercial activity of the city increased, and broad reclamation plans began to be implemented - draining the swamps around Florence; Livorno began to develop as a port city of the duchy.
• 1600. The first opera in the history of music was presented in Florence - “Euridice” by G. Caccini and J. Peri.
• 1671-1737. The reign of Gian Gastone, the last Grand Duke of Tuscany of the Medici family.
• 1737. The sister of the last Grand Duke of Tuscany bequeathed all the collections belonging to the Medici family to her hometown. The title of Grand Dukes of Tuscany passed to the Dukes of Lorraine, whose representatives increased the legacy received from the Medici.
• 1737-1859. The reign of the Dukes of Lorraine, representatives of a branch of the House of Habsburg, in the Duchy of Tuscany.
• 1784. Grand Duke Peter Leopold founded the Accademia Gallery, a collection of European painting of the 15th-16th centuries and Tuscan painting of the 13th-18th centuries.
• 1859. Duke Leopold II of Tuscany voluntarily left Tuscany.
• 1860. Florence became part of the Kingdom of Italy and was its capital in 1865-1871.
• 1944. After the surrender of Italy (1943), the northern part of the country, including Florence, was occupied by the Germans. Retreating under the onslaught of the Allies, German troops blew up all the bridges across the Arno, sparing only the Ponte Vecchio.
• 1966. Many works of art were damaged by a catastrophic flood, an explosion occurred near the Uffizi Gallery (1993).

The most famous definition of Florence is an open-air museum. I completely agree with this: the city that marked the beginning of the Renaissance can rightfully be considered a unique collection of values. Let's take a look inside this precious box?

When you get close to a painting in a museum or art gallery, only smears of paint and cracks in the canvas become visible. To appreciate the perfection of the artist’s plan, you need to step away and take in the entire canvas with your gaze. It’s the same in Florence: you can endlessly wander through the narrow winding streets with the same beige facades, but only when you step out into a large square with fountains and cathedrals, you realize how amazing it is. But for me, the real beauty of Florence is revealed from an even greater distance. The city looks best from a perspective: from a hill, an observation deck, or a roof.

The picture city of Florence cannot help but evoke associations with art. Have you heard the big names of Italian masters - da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante, Botticelli? They all lived and worked in Florence. The city has preserved everything that reminds us of the bygone era of Great artists and poets. Gone but not forgotten. The municipal authorities are indeed trying to keep that Florence unchanged. Thus, in the city it is prohibited to unauthorizedly repaint walls, change windows and doors, or redo roofs. And really, who would dare replace the window that Botticelli passed by?

Florence is considered an aristocratic city - the influential Italian clans of the Strozzi, Medici, and Pitti originate from here. Representatives of these princely and count dynasties still determine the life of Florence in many aspects. Maybe because of the big names of city patrons, Florentines consider themselves special and different from residents of other regions?

How to get there?

The heart of Tuscany can be reached by land and air. As a rule, transport problems do not arise in tourist Italy.

There are no direct flights from Russia to Florence. From Moscow and St. Petersburg you can get here with a transfer in Rome.

There are regular trains to Florence from other cities in Italy. Carriers are Trenitalia or its high-speed “daughter” Frecciarossa. It is convenient to come to the city from Milan (1.5 hours travel time), Venice (2 hours), Rome (1.5 hours). Electric trains run throughout the region to nearby cities, for example, Pisa and Siena.

From the listed cities, buses go to Florence, which, in my opinion, are significantly inferior to trains, since they are more expensive and go slower.

You can also come to the Renaissance city by car. A charming picture awaits you in the window, because on the way from Moscow to Florence lie the snow-capped Alps! However, not everyone finds it tempting to drive for 30 hours, paying for endless toll roads and cursing fuel prices in Europe.

By plane

The most popular flight from Moscow with a transfer in Rome is operated by Alitalia (in alliance with Aeroflot). The cost of round-trip tickets is approximately 16-20 thousand. You can find flight prices for your dates. The flight to Rome is 4 hours, and then the wait for a connecting flight can range from 5 to 12 hours. This time can be spent at your discretion - either at the airport or walking around Rome. As Monica Bellucci says, it is so beautiful that you completely forget about time. Therefore, I advise you to carefully watch your watch so as not to miss the next plane to Florence - it can really charm you! There is no need to collect your luggage in the capital of Italy; it will be registered at your destination.

The flight from St. Petersburg to the capital of Tuscany is approximately the same. From those that I have seen, connections from St. Petersburg were even more convenient (although, tell me, what is inconvenient about a 10-hour walk around Rome?). If you decide to stay at the airport, you will have to wait less, about 4-9 hours.

From both capitals of our country there are two or more flights per day. Flights from the main city of Italy to Florence are also carried out daily.

In Florence, the airport is located just 4 km from the city. It is located in the Peretola area and is named after Amerigo Vespucci (another famous Florentine).

I never recommend a taxi as the preferred mode of transportation in a country like this, but in this case the price of the trip will not be unbearably high (about 20 EUR), and the travel time to the center will be about 15 minutes.

Of course, there is public transport from the airport to the city center. Immediately outside the terminal you will see buses going to Santa Maria Novella Central Station. Buses run from 6 am to 8.30 pm every 30 minutes, and after half past eight every hour. It turns out that at night a taxi will be your only way to get to the city, but as we have already mentioned, in Florence this is by no means something problematic and expensive.

The price of a trip from the airport to the station by bus is 4.5 EUR.

By train

If for some reason the option of getting to Florence by air is not acceptable for you, you can try to create a train route. There is no direct train from Russia to Florence, but nevertheless, rails to Italy from Moscow have been laid across Europe. On the Russian Railways website you can check which Italian cities can be reached from Moscow. Information available

Once a week a train leaves from Moscow to. I talked about this route. After arriving in Florence, you will have to spend another hour and a half on wheels. There are too many trains in this logistics for my taste. Personally, I begin to suffer after the first 10 hours on the road.

How to get to the city center

In Florence, you will arrive at Santa Maria Novella Station, which is located in the city center.

The photo below shows Santa Maria Novella Station.

A trip to Florence from another city in Italy is another matter! A quick and comfortable trip. Let's list the main directions:

• Venezia - Firenze (from Venice). The train leaves every hour, travel time is 2 hours 5 minutes, cost from 34 EUR.

• Milano - Firenze (from Milan). The train departs every 20 minutes, travel time is 1 hour 40 minutes, cost from 36 EUR.

• Roma - Firenze (from Rome). The train departs every 15 minutes, travel time is 1 hour 30 minutes, cost from 30 EUR.

In Florence, trains also arrive at the main station (pictured below).

Booking regional train tickets is very convenient

By bus

You can get to Florence from other Italian cities by bus. But, again, buses in Italy are not the most preferred way of transportation. Bus travel is provided by various European carriers, one of the most popular being Eurolines. Tickets and directions can be viewed on the website. Buses often make long stops in other cities and often cost the same as the train or more.

The Florence bus station is located next to Santa Maria Novella (map in the “By Train” section just above).

Both the train and bus stations are located directly in the city center. You can easily reach any attractions on foot.

By car

I always support road trips, and in the context of Florence I’m ready to sing an ode to road tripping. Yes, (for example, from Florence to Pisa about 10 EUR), but they are of excellent quality, and it is a pleasure to travel along them. Yes, gasoline is more expensive than in Russia, but you can rent a diesel compact car with ridiculous consumption. You can read about the peculiarities of driving in Italy.

But not everyone will risk traveling by car to Florence from Moscow, because the cities are separated by about 30 hours by car along the highways of Russia, Belarus, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Italy.

But I assure you that it is better to travel around Florence itself on foot, leaving your car in the hotel parking lot. (Note: it’s worth finding out in advance that it exists). Because then there will be nowhere to put the car. Parking is a real problem in Italian cities, especially in tourist centers like Florence. The problem is not even that parking is paid, but that there are no parking spaces at all. After driving the fifth lap around one block, you begin to understand why Italians are such nervous drivers. To be honest, I learned Italian profanity during car trips. However, if you think that you can’t live without a car, you can compare prices from different rental companies.

Clue:

Florence - the time is now

Hour difference:

Moscow 1

Kazan 1

Samara 2

Ekaterinburg 3

Novosibirsk 5

Vladivostok 8

When is the season? When is the best time to go?

Usually, when traveling to a city like Florence, the weather is a secondary factor. In my opinion, Florence is always beautiful in any season. This is confirmed by the huge number of tourists here all 12 months of the year. Even in those seasons that are not formally considered high, there are a lot of people who want to visit the city.

Florence is not a beach holiday where the success of the trip depends on sunny days. There is something to do here in any weather. You can hide from the heat (or, conversely, cold and dampness) in art galleries and under the umbrellas of the ice cream man (mulled wine seller). However, to idealize the picture of the trip, let's look at the climatic conditions.

Florence in summer

In Florence, summer comes in summer :) Already in early June the temperature rises to +30. Combined with high humidity (the Arno River flows through the city), the heat is not tolerated very well. Therefore, many residents leave the city and go to the seashore. Tourists reign supreme in the city; their number is greatest in Florence during the summer. The weather becomes pleasant in the evening, when it gets colder to 17-20 degrees, and sometimes even lower (so even in summer in Florence you may need a light jacket).

Of course, you can go to Florence in the summer. But, in my opinion, only for a few days. In a week you can become extremely tired of the round-the-clock buzz of the crowd, queues at museums and cathedrals, and stuffy, humid air. In order not to lose the opportunity to enjoy your summer Italian adventure, it is better to combine a trip to Florence with a seaside holiday, and then return here in the fall.

Florence in autumn

Italian autumn is one of my favorite times of year, and Florence is no exception. True, autumn here can be very different. September (which is generally considered the summer month in Italy) is warm and pleasantly dry. From October onwards it gradually gets colder in Florence. But for a long time the weather remains very comfortable for travel. In November, the average temperature in the city is +10...+12.

And what colors are around! Don't forget that Florence is located in Tuscany - a picturesque region with a riot of greenery, which in the fall is saturated with new colors. You will be able to bring home not only memories of the warm Florentine autumn, but also delightful photographs in green, red and yellow tones.

Florence in spring

A trip to Florence in the spring is my favorite. Since March, gardens and trees bloom in the Tuscan region, and everything around becomes bright and colorful. Daylight hours are increasing, the sun is warm, but not hot. The atmosphere in Florence is amazing at this time. As you already understand, the flow of tourists is invariably high, but the queues are compensated by the azure sky, the aroma of flowers and spring freshness.

Florence is considered one of the cities you need to see before you die. I completely agree, this city deserves a visit. And if you managed to see Florence in the spring, you are very lucky!

Florence in winter

In winter, Florence becomes cloudy and rainy. Clear days are disappearing, but +7...+2 reign in the city. However, the cultural richness and vibrancy of Florence cannot be washed away by any rain. Sometimes the temperature drops slightly below zero: in the frost, the city's domes turn silver. December brings bright Christmas lights. Snow may fall, which melts quickly due to high humidity.

In January and February it becomes calmer and the flow of tourists finally subsides. Then it’s time to enjoy half-empty cathedrals and the absence of long lines at the art gallery. By the end of February, sunny weather returns to the city. Then all Florentines, putting on sunglasses, go for walks around the city or sit on open terraces in anticipation of spring.

Florence - weather by month

Clue:

Florence - weather by month

Districts. Where is the best place to live?

Florence has an official administrative division of the city into districts, but it is not used by tourists and guides. For convenience, the city is divided into quarters formed around the main attractions and places important for city guests. Below is a map of the main tourist areas with the average price per night for a hotel. I usually search on, and you can compare prices from different sites.

• District of Santa Maria Novella. If you come to Florence for a day or a couple of days, and then go to another city in Italy, it will be very convenient to stay near the main station of Santa Maria Novella. From here the Duomo and the city center are just 15 minutes on foot. Santa Maria Novella is an important transport artery in Tuscany, so the area is a bit noisy. However, you can find affordable accommodation options. Santa Maria Novella is not only a station, first of all it is the name of a beautiful church located very close by.

• Ognissanti area. South of the main station, towards the Arno River embankment, is the Church of Ognissanti (Church of All Saints), which gives its name to this quarter of Florence. On the embankment itself, along Lungarno Amerigo Vespucci Street, there are luxury five-star hotels, for example, The St. Regis Florence, The Westin Excelsior. A night in such a hotel can cost 500-600 EUR. But if you are looking for a hotel not on the “first line”, you can find acceptable options for 100-150 EUR per night.

• District of San Lorenzo. This is the historical center of the city, where the main attractions are located: the Church of San Lorenzo, Piazza della Signoria, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Baptistery of St. John and other beautiful and oldest places in the city. There are many places where tourists can stay, and in this area there is either a hotel or a palazzo. Indeed, even in simple hotels and hostels in the historical center of Florence you will see arches, columns, facades with stucco, paintings on the walls. This beauty also has a downside: such buildings often do not have elevators, there may be problems with sewerage and sound insulation, and there are staircases so narrow that two people of average build cannot pass on them. Prices here are higher than in the station area, but lower than on the embankment. Be careful when choosing hotels near the Church of St. Lorenzo: the city market is very close by, where active trading activity begins in the morning, accompanied by market noise. By the way, about the noise. In the center during the day you will constantly hear the hum of tourist groups and other sounds of the streets. In the evening the noise gradually subsides and a cozy calm reigns. At first I was surprised why Florence was empty in the evening, but later I realized that many tourists come here for a day sightseeing tour, and in the evening they board buses with a guide and go back. The photo below shows Piazza della Signoria.

• The area of ​​the embankment and Ponte Vecchio. Hotels on the waterfront provide stunning views of the majestic Arno River and the legendary Ponte Vecchio shopping bridge. The Uffizi Gallery and the Galileo Museum are also located here. Housing prices here are slightly higher than in the center, but there are many mid-price hotels. The closer to the Uffizi Gallery, the higher the price. But the hotels in this area are also part of ancient architectural complexes and are extremely pleasing to the eye.

• District of Santa Croce. It got its name from the Church of Santa Croce (Holy Cross). This is a continuation of the historical center of Florence, some even believe that the very center of Florence is here. Due to the fact that there is a lot to see in the Santa Crove quarter, there are also many tourists and a lively atmosphere. Prices are approximately the same as in the center, maybe even a little higher. This is a district of palaces: the Antella Palace stands majestically here, the Cocchi-Serristori Palace stands, the Spinelli Palace and others are located. Pictured below is the Church of Santa Croce.

• Oltrano area. This is my favorite area of ​​Florence. It is located on the other side of the Arno River, on its left bank. If the right one is famous for its churches and museums, then the left one is famous for its parks and garden complexes. You should definitely visit the Boboli Gardens, which I would call, without exaggeration, a work of art. You have never seen such urban gardens before! The Pitti Palace is also located here. You will also find many pleasant restaurants with Tuscan cuisine and artisan shops. In the Oltrano area, everything is cozy and Italian, and housing prices are lower than on the other side.

• District of San Nicolo. Hotels in this area are cheaper than in the city as a whole. It is a little far from the main attractions. But what is so special about the San Nicolò area? Because from here you can see the same view of Florence that I mentioned in the introduction. The city is a must see from Piazzale Michelangelo, located here.

What are the prices for holidays?

In Florence, prices are on average the same as in Italy, i.e. a priori, not very low for people who receive income in rubles, with which they will have to buy euros. By the way, it is better to do this in Russia - the exchange rate in Florence will be less favorable.

You can save money on a cultural program. If you are planning an active march to museums, it makes sense to buy. The card costs 50 EUR and is valid for 72 hours. It takes you to 72 museums (one hour each) throughout the city, including art galleries (including the Uffizi), churches and cathedrals. In general, it turns out to be quite profitable, considering that entrance only to sacred places in Duomo Square will cost 15 EUR.

In some places you can admire artistic paintings completely free of charge. For example, in the Basilica Santissima Annunziata - Basilica of the Most Holy Annunciation - you can see magnificent frescoes. The Church of Santa Felicità, which is also free to enter, houses paintings by Italian artists. There are other churches with open entrances and great works of art.

Of course, there are goods that are much cheaper in Florence (and the rest of Italy) than in Russia. These are, for example, coffee (1-1.4 EUR for a cup of cappuccino) and local food (pasta, prosciutto, pizza). Services of any other kind will, on the contrary, be more expensive - for a taxi, haircut or phone repair they will ask for 2-3 times more.

Clue:

Cost of food, accommodation, transportation and other things

Currency: Euro, € US Dollar, $ Russian Ruble, Rub

Main attractions. What to see

Top 5

When you visit Piazza Duomo for the first time, you will be very impressed. There is a magnificent architectural, cultural and Catholic complex located here. Each of its properties is worth a visit, and they all have different opening hours. To save time, Florence has introduced a single ticket for all attractions in Piazza Duomo. It costs 15 EUR and can be purchased at the ticket office opposite the entrance to the Baptistery or. The ticket is valid for 48 hours, so visiting different parts of the Duomo can be divided into 2 days. I can’t say that such a single ticket is very convenient. The price of 15 EUR remains unchanged, even if three of the five places are closed for reasons unknown to us. It is not possible to buy a separate ticket to the buildings you are interested in (or operating on the day of your arrival). Maybe the city administration is taking advantage of the fact that these are must-see places, and even if only one of them is open, they will still buy tickets? It’s insidious, but the approach is correct: if you have already arrived in Florence, you should not spare 15 euros for a ticket.

Where can you go with this ticket?

• Santa Maria del Fiore – Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.
• Cupola del Brunelleschi - Brunelleschi's Dome.
• Battistero di San Giovanni - Baptistery of San Giovanni.
• Campanile di Giotto - Giotto's Bell Tower.
• Museo dell'Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore - Museo del Opera Santa Maria del Fiore.

More information about Piazza Duomo can be found in a separate article dedicated to this majestic square -.

Piazza della Signoria – Signoria Square

This is one of the main squares of Florence, and like everything else here, it is an art object. Here you will see Palazzo Vecchio – the Old Palace. Next to it is the Lanzi Loggia - an arched pavilion with statues. There are both originals and copies here. One of the most incredible replicas is Michelangelo's statue of David.

I really like the Neptune fountain in this square. Everything here invites delight, surprise and admiration, so look in all eyes and directions. For example, it’s hard for me to imagine that the fires of the Inquisition once burned in this square.

Ponte Vecchio – Ponte Vecchio

The most postcard view of Florence. I still maintain that the best way to observe the beauties of Florence is to look at them from afar. For example, Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) looks very picturesque from the embankment or other bridges that span the Arno River nearby.

The bridge is remarkable not only because since ancient times it has allowed people to cross from one bank to another, but also because active trade has been carried out on it all this time. Nowadays, butcher shops have replaced luxury jewelry stores. There are also a lot of street vendors here, trying to sell souvenirs to tourists walking here. During high season, the bridge is packed with people and gives the impression of a metro station during rush hour.

Galleria degli Uffizi – Uffizi Gallery

Everyone has heard about the Uffizi Gallery; it is also a kind of calling card of Florence. It is located between Piazza della Signoria and Ponte Vecchio. This gallery contains masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Rubens, Botticelli, Rembrandt, Raphael and other legendary artists. It is not surprising that all visitors to Florence strive to get to the Uffizi. There are many jokes about the Florentine queues. They say that during the high season, the queue for the Uffizi Gallery (on the right bank of the Arno) and the queue for the Pitti Palace (on the left bank of the Arno) touch their tails. You can save time and buy a ticket on the museum website. The cost is about 16 EUR. The gallery is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday from 08.15 to 18.15. The ticket office closes at 18.05.

Giardini Boboli

A wonderful park complex on the other side of the Ponte Vecchio, next to the Medici residence and the Pitti Palace. The entrance to the garden is through the palace. This is a garden of sculptures, mysterious grottoes, bright greenery and unusual fountains. All as one hand of ancient masters of varying degrees of fame.

Dostoevsky loved to walk in this park (but I just don’t fit the existential literature of Fyodor Mikhailovich with the cheerful Boboli gardens). The park complex is both nature and art; here you can have a wonderful time taking leisurely walks.

On the territory of the park there is a museum complex and an art gallery. We also found here a piece of real Tuscany, which you usually don’t see in the city center.

The Boboli Gardens are open until 18.30, in summer until 19.30. Ticket price is about 14 EUR. There are discounts for students, but only those studying in Europe in history and art. The ticket includes admission to the Pitti Palace and all museums.

Churches and temples. Which ones are worth visiting?

In addition to the Florentine Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, which I have already talked about, there are other interesting and significant churches in the city. Here are the ones I recommend visiting:

Chiesa di Santa Croce – Church of Santa Croce (Holy Cross)

Another “box” church in Florence with a beautiful facade and green splashes on white marble.

This church is incredibly important for the city, because its greatest inhabitants found their final refuge here: Machiavelli, Galileo, Michelangelo. In addition to the tombs of noble citizens, the church is famous for its 16 chapels and beautiful frescoes by Giotto. In the courtyard there is a museum with works by famous Florentine artists. Church opening hours: from 9.30 to 17.30. Entrance costs 4 EUR.

Basilica di Santa Maria Novella – Basilica of Santa Maria Novella

This openwork church will be the first one you see when you arrive in the city by train. It contains the works of the Italian genius Brunelleschi, already known to you: the sculpture “Crucifixion”.

I highly recommend wandering around the inner gardens of the monastery. It is very quiet and peaceful here. The church is open from 9.00 to 19.00 (in winter until 17.00). Entrance costs 5 EUR.

Basilica di San Lorenzo – Basilica of San Lorenzo

And here it could not have happened without the talented architect Filippo Brunelleschi, after whose death the work on the church was taken over by Michelangelo Buonarotti.

This church is grandiose, and if you are not impressed by its facade, then when you go inside, you will definitely be amazed by the grandeur of its columns, the scope of the area, the intricacy of the carved patterns and the brightness of the frescoes and medallions. The church is closed on Mondays. Entrance costs 3.5 EUR.

Chiesa di Ognissanti – Church of Ognissanti (All Saints)

This church is much less touristy as it is a 15-minute walk from the center of Florence.

However, this is an extremely significant place, because here is the resting place of the great Florentine painter - the grave of Botticelli himself! In addition, the church has an incredible collection of sculptures and paintings. The entrance is free.

Basilica di Santo Spirito – Basilica of Sant Spirito (Holy Spirit)

San Spirito was designed by Brunelleschi, so you can immediately expect a magnificent architectural spectacle. By the way, this basilica is the last work of the Florentine genius.

From the outside the church looks very ascetic. But remember that the rule “don’t judge a book by its cover” also applies to ancient buildings. Inside you will find very touching bas-reliefs with angels, living frescoes depicting biblical events. The entrance is free.

Chiesa di Orsanmichele – Church of Orsanmichele

You will find this church in the very center: between the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio. It’s hard to pass by, and you shouldn’t pass by!

This church is amazing because it combines the functions of a spiritual institution, a museum and - suddenly - a concert venue! In addition, there is an observation deck. The height is not the same as from the Duomo Dome, but the view is nice. The entrance is free. The Orsanmichele Church pleases the eye with its decoration (in the openwork Gothic style) both inside and outside.

Chiesa Ortodossa Russa della Natività – Russian Orthodox Church

Many tourists from our country are very interested and pleased to see a piece of their Motherland abroad.

In Florence there is the Russian Church of the Birth of Christ and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Even on the street you will see a “gingerbread” facade with multi-colored domes like those of the Savior on Spilled Blood or St. Basil’s Cathedral. The architect of the Church of St. Nicholas was a famous Russian architect of the 20th century. The entire parish is made up of Russian clergy.

Museums. Which ones are worth visiting?

Accademia di belle arti di Firenze – Museum of the Academy of Fine Arts

A prestigious educational institution and a collection of paintings and sculptures. The art collection presented here is highly valued not only in Italy, but throughout Europe.

The original statue of David is kept here! At the very least, the works of Michelangelo and Giambolini make this museum noteworthy, but the exhibition includes works by other talented artists.

Museum opening hours: 08:15-18:50, closed on Mondays.

Ticket price: 17 EUR.

Palazzo Pitti – Pitti Palace

This is the same palace behind which are the famous Boboli Gardens. Actually, entry to this museum is with a garden ticket.

Palazzo Pitti is the largest collection of historical and cultural treasures in Florence. Titian, Botticelli, Rubens, Palantine left their mark here. The treasures of the Medici family are kept here. In addition to the art gallery, you can visit the Porcelain Museum, the Silver Museum and the Costume Museum. As I already said, these gates are open to guests until 18.30 (19.30 in July and August), and the ticket costs about 14 EUR.

Palazzo Vecchio – Palazzo Vecchio

You will definitely see it in Piazza della Signoria. The entrance to the palazzo is guarded by Michelangelo's David (a copy, as you understand) and Hercules Bandinelli.

In addition to works of art, brilliant interiors await you here. Be sure to walk through all the floors; the Palazzo Vecchio is not a place where you need to save time. You can also go to the Terrace of Saturn to get a view of the historical center of Florence from above.

Opening hours: from April to September from 09.00 to 23.00, in other months until 19.00. On Thursdays the museum closes at 14.00!

Ticket price: 10 EUR.

Museo Galileo – Galileo Museum

This is a museum of science and technology. Various areas of natural and technical sciences are presented here: astronomy, physics, biology, chemistry.

The museum is very interactive; you can touch some parts of the exhibition with your hands, activate mechanisms, and press buttons. It will be interesting here, including for schoolchildren. Here you will learn that Florence does not live by art alone, and that many scientific discoveries have been made here.

Opening hours: 09.00-18.00, Tuesday until 13.00.

Ticket price: 9 EUR (under 18 years 5.5 EUR).

Museo del calcio – Football Museum

In the Coverciano area (north-eastern part of the city) there is a museum for those who are partial to football.

It was opened by the Italian Football Federation about 6 years ago. In the museum you can learn about the famous players of the country and city, the history of the development of football in Italy, see photographs from the very first national matches, and personal belongings of famous football players. Bus number 17 comes here from the center, the stop where you will need to get off is called Museo del Calcio. The word “calcio” actually means “football”.

Opening hours: 09.00-13.00, 15.00-19.00 (on Saturday only the first half of the day).

Ticket price: 5 EUR.

Parks

In addition to the main Boboli Garden, Florence has several other picturesque places for outdoor recreation within the city.

Giardino Bardini – Bardini Gardens

The Bardini Gardens are located next to the Boboli Gardens - there is a transition from one park to the other. This garden delighted me with its greenery, flowers, elegant sculptures, mysterious stone grottoes.

There are far fewer visitors here than in the main gardens, which makes it feel very cozy and private. What a view of Florence from here!

As I was leaving the garden, I was struck and impressed by two olive trees planted nearby about 6-8 years ago, dedicated to the two tragic men and women who died here (a sign nearby said so). I was unable to find out what happened and who these people were. Maybe you know? Then please write about it in the comments.

This is such a mysterious but very picturesque garden.

Giardino Torrigiani – Torrigiani Garden

On the same bank of the Arno River, following Via dei Serailli, you will find a huge garden belonging to the Torrigiani family.

This garden is pure luxury in everything from the combed blades of grass to the English lawns to the lion statues scattered throughout the grounds. Here is a fragment of the old city wall.

And sometimes open lectures on painting and gardening are held in this garden. In Florence, it is not surprising how these two directions can coexist: Florentine gardens truly carry a spark of art.

There are also wild, mysterious corners with moss-covered stones and ancient sculptures.

Tourist streets

The main streets of Florence, where you should go for the most vivid impressions, are not streets, but squares.

• Piazza del Duomo – Duomo Square

• Piazza della Signoria

Florence's shopping streets are listed in the Shopping and Stores section.

What to see in 1 day

If you only have one day left, don't worry! This is enough to see the most important attractions of the city from the top 5 list of our guide. Namely:

• Cathedral Square and its buildings.
• Piazza della Signoria.
• Ponte Vecchio.
• Uffizi Gallery (though only for an hour or two).
• Boboli Gardens.

What to see in the area

By staying in Florence, you get the chance to see other Italian cities.

• . First of all, tourists strive to see the famous “leaning” Leaning Tower of Pisa. From Florence, regional trains depart from Santa Maria Novella Station to Pisa Centrale Station every hour. Train tickets will cost approximately 10 EUR. You will spend a little over an hour on the way.

• . One-day forays into university cities are also a success. Trains run with about the same regularity as to Pisa. And the price is about the same: a ticket to Siena and back costs from 9 EUR. Travel time is 1.5 hours.

• Milan. If you're drawn to big cities, Italy's excellent railways provide quick access to the main city of the neighboring region of Lombardy -

  This is perhaps the most famous Florentine specialty. Fiorentina steak is a huge (at least 1 kg) piece of beef from a special breed of cows raised in the Chianti Valley. Cooking and serving such a steak is a whole ritual. First, they will bring you a raw cut of meat and weigh it in front of you. If you are satisfied with the size and appearance, the steak is taken to the oven. Please note that you will not be asked for the degree of doneness. Fiorentina is always cooked the same way – minimal. Inside, the meat remains completely raw, with a fried crust. A wonderful thing, I tell you! Especially with a glass of dry red Chianti or Montepulciano. Steak is usually eaten without a side dish, but for me this amount of half-cooked meat alone is too much. In general, this portion is either for one hefty worker, or for two people with an average appetite. By the way, Fiorentina is not a cheap dish. On average, a steak costs from 60 EUR.

  • Panino lampredotto – cow stomach sandwich

  

  This is the oldest Florentine dish. It has been eaten in Tuscany for over 500 years. Originally it was the food of the poor who simply could not afford meat. Now well-to-do Europeans are queuing for panino lampredotto! Cow's stomach is not the most appetizing phrase. The smell during cooking is also very specific. But in fact, this sandwich is very tasty. The cow's stomach is washed, soaked and boiled for a long time with tomatoes, celery and herbs. Then put it between crispy buns. You can buy such a sandwich at special lampredottai kiosks, scattered not only throughout the historical center of the city, but also in working-class areas.

  • Ribollita – thick ribollita stew

  

  This is a thick Tuscan soup whose name means “overcooked,” literally “double-cooked.” It was also part of the peasants' diet. Ribolitta includes beans, slices of dry bread, various vegetables and herbs.

  • Pappa al pomodoro – tomato soup

  

  This is another very tasty Tuscan soup, very rich and thick due to the pulp of fresh tomatoes and bread. Garlic, olive oil and basil are added to the soup. As you have already noticed, the set of ingredients is again very, very simple! Laconicism and simplicity are inherent in the cuisine of the region, and despite this, Tuscan dishes are very tasty and self-sufficient.

  • Panazella – panacella salad

  

  This salad contains the same ingredients as pappa al pomodoro soup. Only the tomatoes will, of course, be fresh. Despite all the asceticism - bread, tomatoes, olives - the salad tastes great. I think the secret is the amazing vegetables grown in the fertile Tuscan soil. And Tuscan olive oil is considered the best in Italy!

  • Cantucci – cantucci cookies

  

  Be sure to try the Florentine dessert cantucci as a “dolce”! This is a very interesting gastronomic experience. Dried almond biscuits that you dip in wine before you bite into them. Sweet wine will be served along with cookies. A very unusual and light dessert. After you taste the Florentine steak, there is no question of any cake or other serious dolce, but dry and light cantucci certainly will not require much space in the stomach.

  Things to do

  Shopping and stores

  Florence has luxury shopping and interesting city markets.

  About shops

  The city is full of fashionable clothing stores and boutiques. Florentines, like all Italians, love to dress fashionably and look good. Clothing and jewelry stores are scattered throughout the center, and leather goods shops are literally at every turn.

  

  Main shopping streets:

  • Via Tornabuoni. Luxury boutiques - Tiffany&Co, Trussardi, Emilio Pucci, Armani, Hermes (including a children's clothing store), Rolex. Among the more democratic ones, Tommy Hilfiger is represented here.
  • Via della Vigna Nuova. Continuation of the theme of Italian luxury. On this street there are Lacoste, Valentino, Chopard stores.
  • Via del Corso. The global mass market is concentrated on this street and there are many outlets of famous brands: DKNY, Patrizia Pepe, Diesel. There are interesting Italian stores with their own collections; here you can find one-of-a-kind items.
  • Via dei Calzaiuoli. Here, democratic brands like Benetton and Tenzeis coexist with Chanel and Furla. You can buy clothes for every day and treat yourself to a chic bag. This is also where you will find the Disney Store. And don't forget that Ponte Vecchio is a trade bridge. Luxury jewelry and jewelry are sold there.

  About markets

  The main market of the city is San Lorenzo.

  There are a lot of leather products on display here. Of course, prices will be lower than in name-brand stores. Plus, you have the opportunity to recklessly bargain and bring down the price. However, let me advise you to be careful: market traders may try to sell leatherettes at the price of natural leather.
  

  In addition, clothing and souvenirs are sold here. Inside you can buy groceries: vegetables, fruits and Tuscan delicacies. The market is always an interesting gastronomic experience that can tell a lot about the traditions and life of the city. There are restaurants in the San Lorenzo market where the price for a meal will be significantly lower than in a cafe in the city center.
  

  Souvenirs. What to bring as a gift

  Local olive oil will be a wonderful souvenir from Florence. You can also take with you a bottle or two of the famous Tuscan wines Chianti and Chianti Classico. The city sells a large number of Tuscan ceramics. I really like the Bartolucci souvenir shop on via Condotta (this is the center), where Pinocchio figures are carved out of wood! In this store you feel as if you are in a fairy tale! Personally, like a child, I ran from stand to stand and said “I want, I want, I want.”

  

  And, of course, purple fan scarves of the Fiorentina club, magnets from the Ponte Vecchio and postcards with paintings from the Uffizi are sold at every turn. As a rule, souvenirs cost 5-15 EUR.

  How to get around the city

  Buses also run around the city: a trip costs approximately 1.2 EUR. I remind you that tickets must be validated (fines for inattention will cost a tidy sum from 100 EUR).

  Taxis in Florence can be ordered by phone, for example, or at special taxi stands. One of these is located near Santa Maria Novella station. You most likely will not be able to stop a checkered car with a wave of your hand while standing on the side of the road: drivers are prohibited from accepting passengers in this way.

  There is no metro in the city.

  Florence - holidays with children

  It would seem that museums are the least favorite part of most children's curriculum. But in Florence there are places to go with young travelers. Here are some places that will be interesting for children.

  • Museo dei ragazzi – Children's Museum. The museum is located in the Palazzo Vecchio. Costume shows and entertainment programs for children are held here. Here you can also play with toys that belonged to the descendants of the Medici family. Admission for children is 7 EUR.
  • Fontana del porcellino – Boar Fountain. The sculpture of a cute boar is one of the children's favorite places in Florence. Be sure to perform the following ritual: a coin is placed in the boar’s mouth, then you make a wish and remove your hand. The coin slides down and falls into the fountain: if it falls into the slot of the water grate, the wish will come true. If not, no luck. There are always a lot of families with children near the fountain, and the patch of Porcellino has been polished to a bronze shine (for good luck) by many generations of tourists. The fountain once so impressed the fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen that he dedicated his work to it. Why not introduce your children to a fairy tale before your trip?

  

  • Negozio Bartolucci – Bartolucci Store. I already mentioned this puppet shop in the “Souvenirs” section. Children will find it very interesting here, because this shop has a fabulous atmosphere. In addition to bobbleheads, many bright wooden crafts are sold here. Children will be able to watch the process of creating a toy with the hands of a master - just like 100 years ago, toys are made only by hand. You won’t be able to leave such a store empty-handed, so be prepared to leave a tidy sum here.

  

Even by Italian, clearly inflated standards , - an unusual city. The birthplace of the Renaissance, a cultural phenomenon that unusually enlivened the gloomy picture of the Middle Ages. Directing humanity along a new, much more promising path. Literally curing him of his inertia, ending his stagnation. And it gave impetus to development, which led to the formation of the Western civilization as we know it today.

Naturally, a city that stood at the origins of such a large-scale movement is capable of leaving many notches in the memory. Moreover, it is quite possible to see the main attractions of Florence in 2-3 days. Not because there are few of them, none at all, but due to their very compact location.

We remember that in the summer, that is, during the high season, the streets of the “Flower of Tuscany” are not crowded with tourists. And therefore, the chances of giving yourself a bump by colliding head-on with a fellow lover of beauty are immeasurably higher than having time to look at all the most interesting things!

History of Florence

A settlement in the form of a military camp was founded on the banks of the Arno River in 80 BC. This was done by the Roman commander and statesman Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Because he considered the place ideal for protecting the most important highway Via Cassia. Connecting Rome with the northern regions of the country.

It can be assumed, not without reason, that the Etruscans pushed him to take this step. Whose settlement of Fezula (now Fiesole, a chic suburb of Florence, an area of ​​wealthy mansions and villas of the local elite) already existed by that time.

Ancient Rome and the Middle Ages

Originally called Fluentia, Florence later acquired its modern name. The meaning is very simple: “blooming” (florentia). As you can see, the saying “whatever you call a ship, that’s how it will sail” turned out to be true in this case. Florence sailed proudly!

Thanks to its extremely advantageous strategic location (a stone's throw from the sea), Florence quickly transformed from a fortified camp into a city. If at the time of the conquest of this region of Italy (774) by Charlemagne (Charlemagne) it was not yet considered significant enough to become the capital (Lucca became it), then after only 250 years Florence had already become the center of the Tuscan Margraviate.

And 300 years later, as the chronicles say, it had grown so much that it was erecting the third row of city walls. By the time of the plague of 1348, the city's population was 94 thousand people. The epidemic that occurred claimed more than half the lives.

By the 15th century, Florence had become thoroughly rich - the basis of the fortunes of local oligarchs was trade and banking. In 1406, they purchased it from the Genoese for just 206 florins. Once one of the most formidable competitors.

Florence and the Medici

In 1434, a representative of the famous banking family (they started out as doctors - hence the surname) Cosimo Medici came to power in the city, whose power was later inherited by his brilliant descendant Lorenzo the Magnificent. One of the most brilliant pages in the history of the city is associated with the figure of Lorenzo. Under him, Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli worked here.

Restored in 1492, the Republic did not last long (already in 1537 the Medici regained power over the city, proclaiming themselves Dukes of Florence). But this was enough to decorate the main square of Florence, Signoria, with Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the statue of David.

Today, in the Lanzi loggia there is only a copy of the four-meter giant, and the original adorns the hall in the Academy Gallery. But the citadel of the city’s rulers is still there... As is the equestrian statue of Cosimo I de’ Medici, standing like a breakwater among the human river flowing through the square.

The Medici dynasty ruled Florence for a long time and in the minds of tourists is identified with this city. The family ended only in 1737 with the death of its last representative, Gian Gastone. The capital of Tuscany, together with the entire region, came under Austrian rule.

Florence is the capital of Italy

Conquered by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1800, Florence and its monuments were largely undamaged. Except that one of the main pearls of the city, the statue of Venus de Medici, changed its registration and went to France (later, however, it was returned). In 1860, the city became part of the finally united country. And in the period from 1865 to 1871 it was even the capital of Italy.

From that time to this day, Florence has remained aloof from political life and its attendant squabbles, focusing on welcoming and serving tourists. And he leads a slightly detached life, seemingly in little contact with reality.

However, the harsh reality reminded itself a couple of times. The Germans retreating under the onslaught of the Allies caused great damage to the city. In 1944, they blew up all the bridges across the Arno and spared only the unique one (“Old Bridge”).

And in November 1966, a severe flood of the Arno flooded the entire historical center. It turned out to be the strongest since the 16th century, causing the death of 150 townspeople.

When to go

Today, Florence remains a fairly large city (about 370 thousand inhabitants), whose population increases many times over in the spring and summer months. Italians themselves, as well as citizens of neighboring countries, gladly come here for the Easter holidays; other tourists arrive in full flow from May to September.

It is best to go to the capital of Tuscany in mid-spring, when the sun is just beginning to attract with its warmth, and potential travelers are still figuring out their vacation plans.

The weather in Florence in May or even April is ideal for the curious tourist - but others don’t come here!

In summer it can be hot and very stuffy. The swampy lowland has its effect, the hills surrounding the city in a ring happily accumulate moisture in the river valley.

In September and October, the heat subsides, and the rains do not fall so often as to ruin walking tours around the city. In November, the sky over Florence is constantly overcast and precipitation is frequent.

For those who are in a hurry, one day is probably enough to get acquainted with the main attractions (fortunately, they are all located quite compactly. In order to truly feel the spirit of this city, where Dante and Giotto, Brunelleschi and Michelangelo, da Vinci and Raphael, where Nicolo Machiavelli created his treatises, will require at least 2-3 days.

The main architectural pearls of Florence are within walking distance from. However, this ancient bridge itself, the creation of the architect Neri di Fioravante (1345), which has preserved most of the ancient jewelry shops, is a good place to feel the spirit of the Middle Ages.

Sights of Florence

Literally a stone's throw from the bridge, if you go from it to the right, is the heart of Florence, Piazza della Signoria. It is adorned by the imposing town hall building, Palazzo Vecchio. It is believed to have been conceived by the same architect, Arnolfo di Cambio, who built both the city's Duomo and the magical Basilica of Santa Croce.

• - a magnificent, truly Florentine building made of huge stone blocks. With fortress battlements on the roof and a high tower dominating the medieval city (height - 94 meters)

It was here that the Republican Councils once met, and from here the formidable Medici dictated their will.

By the way, you can climb to the top of the tower (on foot) and look at the rooftops and hills from above. See the Florentine Duomo, its blazing red-brown dome and Giotto’s bell tower, the Basilica of Santa Croce...

Note that “David,” like most sculptures of that time, was carved from a block of Carrara marble. Material also mined in Tuscany.

Piazza della Signoria

In the square you can also admire the sculpture “Judith with the Head of Holofernes” - this is an original work by Donatello. It first appeared here during the expulsion of the Medici in 1494 and marked the liberation of the city from the tyrant.

The Loggia dei Lanzi, a beautiful 14th-century (Quattrocento, early Renaissance) arcade in Piazza della Signoria, houses several sculptural masterpieces from the nearby Uffizi Gallery. And, among other things, “Perseus with the Head of Medusa” by Benvenuto Cellini.

• By the way, this elegant structure was built only to accommodate armed guards, Landsknechts from Germany. Which the authorities intended to use to protect against the frequent uprisings of the townspeople

Duomo

If you move north from Piazza della Signoria (away from the Arno), then after a short time you will reach the Duomo. The main attraction of the city and one of the most magnificent cathedrals ever built. The construction of the giant was dictated by the desire to show off the eyes of all of Italy. Declaring Florence as the first city of Europe.

The cathedral, however, became a long-term construction project (started at the end of the 13th century - completed in the 19th century), but it is a truly unforgettable sight. White and green marble, overwhelming scale. The area is clearly small for a giant. And happy is the one who manages to capture the entire building in his lens.

The famous spanless dome of the brilliant architect Brunelleschi, who was the first to come up with a complex, double-hull (external and internal vault) design, the beautiful green and white marble facade decorated with pointed arches and statues and the wonderfully proportioned square bell tower of Giotto together leave an indelible impression.

Next to the cathedral is the Bapsistery of San Giovanni, where all the famous Florentines were baptized. They say this is the oldest surviving building in the city. The ceiling of the small octagonal building in Romanesque style is lined with beautiful mosaic panels. And its amazing bronze gates by Lorenzo Ghiberti are considered one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance.

San Lorenzo and Santa Croce

Not every lover of beauty will visit the harsh brickwork. Despite the fact that Brunneleschi himself had a hand in the restructuring. And in the Medici Chapel lie the most prominent representatives of the powerful family. The sculpture for the chapel, the famous allegories “Day” and “Night”, “Morning” and “Evening” was sculpted by Michelangelo. And many art critics consider it the pinnacle of the work of the “Titan of the Renaissance.”

Very close to the square is the ancestral palace of the Medici-Riccardi. Attracting attention with the mighty stone rustication of the walls, Palazzo Pitti can envy it.

Among the iconic sights of the Tuscan capital, we will mention, once the main Franciscan church in Europe. And also the tomb of the most famous sons of Italy. Here rest: Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo, Rossini, Marconi, Fermi.

There is also a tombstone of Dante Alighieri, the famous Florentine. However, he found peace not here, but in Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna), on the other coast of the “Italian boot”. Despite the requests of the Florentines, Ravenna did not want to part with the ashes of the genius. As if declaring that he would not send Dante’s remains to a city that did not appreciate him during his lifetime.

Pitty

On the other side of the Arno, if you take a left after leaving the Ponte Vecchio, you will find a majestic view with the Boboli Gardens behind.

The Renaissance palace was built by the Medici's enemy and competitor in the struggle for power, the banker Pitti. Subsequently, it was turned into the main residence of the Medici, and then the entire Tuscan Duchy.

• The Palatine Gallery, located in the halls of the palace, is considered the largest art collection in Florence

There are as many as 11 paintings by the great Raphael alone. And also paintings by Titian and Tintoretto, Giorgione and Caravaggio, Rubens and Van Dyck, Murillo...

Another wonderful place where the lion's share of panoramic photos of Florence is taken is Piazzale Michelangelo in the southern part of the city. The views are breathtaking, and no sightseeing tour will pass by this point.

Where to eat

The author of these lines tried to eat in Florence twice and was dissatisfied each time. It’s not very tasty (store-bought frozen pizza from the Conad supermarket looks preferable), the service is lacking in desire and warmth - there are too many tourists - and the prices... The only consolation is that in Venice it’s even higher.

The most inexpensive pizza in a cafe in Florence will cost 6 euros, a plate of pasta at least 6-7. The check will definitely include a service charge - forget about additional tips.

It makes more sense to treat yourself to a piece of pizza from the window and eat it literally on the go. Which, by the way, is what most tourists do.

Gelato is very average in taste. From 2 € for a miniature horn.

How to get there

It’s not so easy to do this by plane - unfortunately, there are no direct flights from Russia to the Tuscan capital. First you will have to get to Pisa or Verona: by plane and train.

You can also get there by car or train: both from other cities in Italy and Europe.

If you are going to Florence for the first time, we strongly recommend that you spend at least three days here. During this time, you can not only explore the main attractions, but, importantly, begin to feel the pulse of this city, and, perhaps, fall in love with Dante’s homeland, because the Italian poet considered his homeland not Italy, but beautiful Florence.

Our plan for visiting Florence is designed in such a way that, on the one hand, you do not miss anything important, but at the same time, you are able to feel the unique atmosphere of the city where Donatello, Michelangelo and, of course, the great Leonardo worked. And historical inserts into the text will allow you to learn a little more about the morals and customs that reigned in Florence during its heyday.

Every significant city in Italy is awarded a stable epithet - a definition. For example, if Rome is the Eternal City, if Venice is the Most Serene Republic, if Florence is the Cradle of the Italian Renaissance. Surprisingly, but true, many guests of Florence who arrive here for the first time, for example, from Rome, experience slight disappointment. In fact, the city turns out to be small, although by Italian standards this is not the case, the streets are crowded with crowds of tourists, and in general the scale is not comparable to Rome or Venice.

In order to avoid such perception, I advise everyone to watch the BBC multi-part documentary before their first trip to Florence "Medici - godfathers of the Renaissance" (it is publicly available on the Internet), and also re-read the novel Dan Brown "Inferno" - despite all the disputes regarding the artistic merits of the book, Florence is described there very vividly, which puts you in the right mood.

If we talk about where to stay in Florence, I recommend the Santa Maria Novella area, which is near the station. Surprisingly, the station area in Florence is very clean and safe, plus there are charming restaurants where locals go to dine.

DAY ONE: EXPLORING THE OLD TOWN

The morning of the first day in Florence should definitely start with coffee and cantucci - Florentine biscuits with almonds or chocolate. Even if your hotel has breakfast, still indulge in the pleasure of starting your acquaintance with the city by tasting local pastries. If you are staying in the Santa Maria Novella area, I recommend checking out the pasticceria Il Cantuccio di San Lorenzo(address: Via Sant’Antonio 23/r, website: ), where exceptionally delicious cantucci are baked.

In the photo: coffee with cantucci - a popular Florentine breakfast

You can refresh yourself with them in the pasticheria itself, or take biscuits to go and, cheerfully snacking on them on the go, head along the streets to the Old Town, to Piazza del Duomo, from where we will begin our acquaintance with Florence.

MORNING – PIAZZA DEL DUOMO

Most often, guests of Florence, finding themselves at Piazza del Duomo for the first time, first freeze with their eyes spontaneously widening with delight (and sometimes their mouths open), and then, without paying attention to anything else, they rush as fast as they can to photograph the Cathedral of Santa Maria Del -Fiori, trying to distort it in such a way that the fifth largest cathedral in the world fits into the frame as much as possible.

It is not difficult to understand the delight of tourists; lined with white, green and pink marble, Santa Maria Del Fiori with its famous brick dome, erected by Filippo Brunelleschi, has not just become a symbol and living demonstration of the power of Florence. But let’s not rush to the foot of one of the most famous cathedrals in Italy, but first let’s pay attention to the Florentine Baptistery, which looks very modest against the backdrop of the beautiful Santa Maria Del Fiori.

FLORENTINE BAPTISTERY

Florence Baptistery or Baptistery of San Giovanni (San Giovanni - John the Baptist in Italian.) is one of the most ancient and mystical buildings in Florence, and many art historians, not without reason, rank it among the most mysterious monuments of world art. The fact is that the current baptistery building was erected in the period from 1059 to 1129, but before that there was a baptistery built here in the fifth century AD.

The Baptistery is the place where baptism is received, and it was in the Baptistery of San Giovanni that all the famous residents of Florence were baptized: from Dante, who, after his exile, was given the condition that in order to return to his hometown he must publicly repent in the same place where he was baptized, to all representatives of the Medici dynasty without exception. Like many Christian sanctuaries, the Baptistery of San Giovanni was erected on the site of a pagan temple; historians suggest that in this case it was the temple of the god of war Mars, however, during the first excavations carried out near the baptistery back in the twelfth century, workers discovered mosaic floors , which can often be seen on the ruins of villas and private houses of wealthy Romans.

Modern knowledge of the baptistery is a regular octagon, faced with white and green stone and decorated with striped pilasters, the same as can be seen on the façade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiori. At the same time, the building is divided into three tiers, and is crowned with a gently sloping light roof. By the way, the shape of the octahedron in this case is an illustration of symbolism in Christian art, for it symbolizes the six days of the creation of the world, the seventh - the day of God's rest and the eighth day - the rebirth that occurs during the sacrament of baptism. Unfortunately, in 2015, the baptistery began to be restored, so at the time of writing this article, the building is closed with scaffolding, but everyone can donate money for the restoration of the oldest landmark of Florence, they promise that then your name will be inscribed on the inside of the stones with which clad the building.

Another attraction of the Florentine Baptistery is the five-meter "Heaven's Gate"- the eastern gate made of gilded bronze, created by Lorenzo Ghiberti and decorated with bas-reliefs of biblical scenes. Ghiberti worked on them for more than 20 years, and as a result, his work was praised by Michelangelo himself, who said that the bronze gates were so beautiful that they could serve as the gates to Paradise.

In the photo: “The Gates of Heaven” by Lorenzo Ghiberti

Buanarroti’s statement went down among the people, and since then the eastern gate of the baptistery has been called nothing more than “The Gates of Heaven.” Unfortunately, the original Ghiberti gate is today in the Duomo Museum, and what we see is just a good copy of the original. The southern gate of the baptistery by Andrea Pisano does not look as impressive, but it is more ancient, and its bas-reliefs depict scenes from the life of John the Baptist and the main Christian Virtues.

When you find yourself in the Baptistery of San Giovanni, it is impossible not to raise your eyes to the dome, decorated with mosaic panels depicting biblical scenes; the effect of the radiance of the smalt mosaic is enhanced by the fact that in the center of the dome there is a window through which daylight penetrates. By the way, the frightening scenes of Hell that can be observed in the Baptistery of Florence are very close to the description of Hell in Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, well, we all come from childhood.

In the photo: mosaic on the dome of the Baptistery in Florence

Meanwhile, the Baptistery of San Giovanni is the burial place of one extremely odious, but very important character for understanding the history of Florence - Anti-Pope John XXIII. The fact is that in 1378, after the death of Pope Gregory XI, a great schism occurred in the Catholic Church, which lasted until 1417. During this period, first two Popes claimed the right to be called the head of the Catholic Church (one sat in Rome, and the second in Avignon), and since 1409, another, third Pope began to be elected by the College of Cardinals in Pisa. Anti-Pope John XXIII (the prefix “anti” appeared after the modern church decided that only Roman pontiffs had the right to bear the title of Pope) was elected as the third Pope from Pisa. Occurred in 1410, after the death of the first Pope of Pisa, Alexander V.

In the photo: the tomb of Anti-Pope John XXIII in the Baptistery of Florence

The biography of anti-Pope John XXIII is full of “wonderful details,” however, it is now practically impossible to figure out where the truth is and where the slander of enemies is. The anti-pope was accused of poisoning his predecessor Alexander V, and of raping nuns, and of torturing innocent residents of Rome and Bologna, and, of course, of trading in episcopal sees. It’s amazing how a person had time for all these atrocities! One way or another, but when the Ecumenical Council of Constance decided to restore the unity of the Catholic Church and demanded voluntary abdication from all the numerous Popes, John XXIII first fled from Italy to Freiburg, and then demanded for himself, in exchange for his abdication, a pension of thirty thousand gold florins, transfer to him the use of Avignon and Bologna, as well as the retention of the title of permanent legate in Italy.

Such insolent behavior of the pontiff becomes understandable if you know his biography - John XXIII in the world bore the name Balthasar Cossus and before the start of his religious career was a very successful pirate. This story ended predictably: anti-Pope John XXIII was arrested in Freiburg, after which he abdicated his rank, and, having been freed, confessed to the new Pope Martin V, who appointed the former pirate Bishop of Tusculan. Balthasar Cossa died on December 22, 1419. The question arises: why was such an odious personality buried in the holiest place in Florence, and Donatello and Michelozzo worked on his tomb, decorated with statues of the three Christian virtues of Faith, Hope and Love?

In the photo: statues of Faith, Hope and Love at the tomb of Anti-Pope Joan XXII

It's quite simple. The fact is that the career of Balthasar Cossa in the Vatican was sponsored not by anyone, but by Giovanni Medici, the founder of the famous Florentine dynasty. Two factors coincided here: Giovanni Medici was the first representative of the family who, thanks to his ability to conduct trade well and prudence in financial matters, managed to accumulate impressive capital, but to enter the ranks of the powerful families of the Florentine Republic, the Medici family lacked a serious patron. Giovanni calculated everything accurately; he knew that the papal throne was being shaken by unrest, which means that with the proper financial support, even a former pirate had a chance of success. The Medici not only gave Balthasar Cossa a large sum of money at the initial stage of his career, but also financially supported their protégé throughout his career: from priest to cardinal. When in 1410 Balthasar Cossa was elected the third Pope of Rome in Pisa, he transferred the management of all papal accounts to the Medici family, thus the Medici began to control the accounts of the Roman Catholic Church and nothing could prevent them from becoming one of the chosen families of Florence.

GIOTTO'S BELL TOWER (GIOTTO'S CAMPANIA)

We leave the baptistery and admire the cathedral complex, because it is a hundred meters high, lined with white and colored marble Giotto's bell tower(or Campanile Giotto) seems to be another component of Santa Maria Del Fiore, although it was built separately from the cathedral. According to Giotto's idea, the bell tower should have seemed to passers-by painted against the sky, and the illusion of the lightness of the structure actually arises; you even wonder how it has stood here since the fourteenth century, having survived numerous earthquakes.

Today, Giotto's Campanile is often called one of the most striking architectural examples of the "trecento" - a transitional movement in Italian art from Gothic and Renaissance. The bell tower was built from 1298 to 1359, the foundation was laid under the patronage of the architect Arnolfo di Cambio, Giotto created the bell tower project, but during the life of Giotto di Bondone, only the lower tier of the campanile was erected. The bell tower was completed by Andrea Pisano and Francesco Talenti; the latter, by the way, lined it with three types of marble: white from Carrara, red from Monsummano Terme and Siena, and green from Prato.

In the photo: the bell tower (campanile) of Giotto

As in the case of the baptistery, the external appearance of the campanile contains Christian symbolism - the bas-reliefs by Giotto, decorating the lower level of the bell tower, seven on each side, symbolize the human ability for self-improvement. Many of the statues that decorated the campanile were made by Donatello himself; unfortunately, the originals are now kept in the Duomo Museum, and only copies are exhibited to the public.

CATHEDRAL OF SANTA MARIA DEL FIORE

But on the façade of Santa Maria Del Fiore, not all of the original statues have yet been replaced with copies. For example, if you look carefully at the figures of Adam and Eve located on the facade at the gate of the temple, you may notice that the figure of Adam is lighter, but Eve has darkened a little over time. This is due to the fact that the sculpture of Adam is a copy, but the sculptors of the cathedral workshop are still working on the copy of Eve.

In the photo: facade of Santa Maria Del Fiore

By the way, you can watch the work of Donatello and Michelangelo’s successors in “live time” mode; the workshop where copies of the statues are made is located in the alley to the left of the cathedral (if you stand with your back to it). Watching the work of the sculptor Giuseppe is very entertaining, because he makes copies using the same technologies that were used in the fifteenth century. In general, if the Baptistery of Florence has always been the main sacred place of the city, then Santa Maria Del Fiori is not only a cathedral, but also the scene of political intrigues of the Florentine Republic. And here we again have to return to Giovanni Medici, who so successfully lent money to Balthasar Cossa. The fact is that today's pride of Florence, the beautiful Santa Maria del Fiori, has been the shame of the city for more than a century. The initial design of the cathedral turned out to be too bold; as a result, the temple was erected, but crowning it with a dome turned out to be technically impossible, and the duomo stood without a roof.

In the photo: the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore - a symbol of Florence

Then Cosimo Medici, the son of Giovanni Medici, together with his father, for the sake of the future glory of the family, decided on the unprecedented: he entrusted the construction of the dome to Filippo Brunelleschi, an architect and engineer of a new formation, whom many considered almost a city madman for his violent character and unexpected ideas. The Medici sponsored Brunelleschi's trip to Rome, where he studied the structure of the dome of the Pantheon. It was the study of the structure of the dome of the Roman Temple of All Gods that suggested to Brunelleschi the idea of ​​a double frame, that is, that the dome of the cathedral should be erected inside an octagonal drum. Also, using mathematical calculations, the architect deduced what degree of inclination the walls of the dome should have to prevent collapse, and calculated that the brickwork of the dome should be made with an inward slope.

The construction of the dome was completed only in 1436, when Giovanni Medici was no longer alive. But his son Cosimo won a complete political victory over his opponents, and now the Medici family could gain the glory of the most powerful dynasty in Florence. By the way, Cosimo’s path to the top of the Florentine political Olympus was not at all easy and was by no means safe. Thus, in 1433, due to the intrigues of the influential Albizzi family, Cosimo was first imprisoned and then expelled from Florence. True, already in 1434 the Albizzi party was put on trial, and Cosimo returned to the city, where he was greeted as the father of the fatherland. Cosimo de' Medici invited Pope Eugene IV himself to illuminate the Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiori, and although the final construction of the cathedral was completed only in 1887, Brunelleschi's gigantic dome has remained the main symbol of Florence since the fifteenth century to this day.

Immediately after the construction of the dome of Santa Maria Del Fiore, Cosimo de' Medici implemented another ambitious project: he decided to propose moving the ecumenical council of the Catholic Church - the main meeting of the clergy - from Ferrara to Florence. Especially for this occasion, thinkers and representatives of the church arrived in Florence not only from all over enlightened Europe, but even from India and Ethiopia (Cosimo, by the way, paid for the travel for foreigners entirely out of his own pocket). Under the shadow of Santa Maria Del Fiore, Platonic readings were held, the streets of the city were filled with foreigners, and Cosimo’s contemporaries began to call Florence the new Rome on the banks of the Arno River.

However, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore became not only a symbol of the triumph of the Medici, but also the place where tragic events took place: on April 26, 1478, during a mass in the cathedral, Florentine patricians tried to stab representatives of the Medici dynasty with daggers. Lorenzo Medici managed to hide behind the heavy doors of the sacristy, but his younger brother Giuliano Medici died.

In the photo: inside Santa Maria Del Fiore looks quite modest

Entrance to the cathedral is paid, it’s worth warning right away; the inside of Santa Maria Del Fiore is not at all as luxurious as the outside. However, it’s still worth going inside if only to feel the strange atmosphere of this place, because it was here, for example, that Girolamo Sovanarola preached, calling on everyone to quickly repent and renounce earthly joys, and in addition, Giotto di Bondone is buried in the cathedral - architect of the bell tower Giotto. Those who are physically strong can climb to the dome of the cathedral or to the top of Giotto's Campanile to admire the bird's eye view of Florence, but for others we suggest going to the very heart of the city - to Piazza della Signoria.

SIGNORIA SQUARE

Piazza della Signoria with the famous Palazzo Vecchio is the place where the heart of Florence beat in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It must be said that at that time this Italian city, or rather the republic, was, without exaggeration, the center of European life. All ambitious people endowed with a wide variety of talents flocked here, not only artists and poets, but also politicians, businessmen and clergy.

In general, Florence in the fifteenth century can be compared with New York in the twentieth century, the same rhythm of life, the same passion for discovering new things. The Palazzo Vecchio, the main government building of the Florentine Republic, has been compared to a rook chess piece, which is not far from the truth. By the way, an exact copy of the palazzo was erected in the town of Montepulciano, where the second part of “Twilight” was filmed, so the style of Florentine architecture was not only admired, it was copied.

At the entrance there is a copy of Michelangelo’s “David” in company with Ammanati’s “Neptune”, “Hercules and Cacus”. The abundance of naked male bodies confuses some tourists, while others, on the contrary, inspire, one way or another, but even Dan Brown in his “Inferno” talked about the fact that the number of stone penises in Piazza della Signoria is somewhat excessive for the eyes. By the way, in the square near the naked sculptures they burned the preacher Girolamo Sovanarola, who fiercely opposed the depraved Pope Borgia, depraved sodomites, depraved ladies and, by the way, depraved sculptures. Now the place of his execution is marked with a metal medallion, which is typical because it is located in close proximity to the sculptural riot of male nudity.

In the neighboring palazzos of Piazza della Signoria there are boutiques of the best brands: the flagship Chanel boutique looks at the Palazzo Vecchio, and on the right on the square there is a Gucci boutique with a museum of the Florentine fashion house. If you are partial to fashion, then you can look into the Gucci Museum - the visit will take a maximum of half an hour, and the most interesting thing in the exhibition is the exclusive dresses that the fashion house sewed for actresses for a spectacular appearance at the Oscars or at the Cannes Film Festival. We and those who prefer history to fashion are going to Palazzo Vecchio.

PALAZZO VECCHIO

Palazzo Vecchio is not only a museum, but also a government building, however, its most interesting part is open to tourists. Don't skimp and buy a full ticket to see not only the halls where the ruling families of Florence met, but also the catacombs, and also climb the tower to see the entire historical center of the city from its top.

It is best to start your visit to Palazzo Vecchio from below, going underground. Then it suddenly turns out that the history of Florence begins not with the Middle Ages, and certainly not with the Renaissance, but with the times of the ancient Romans, and the current center of the city at that time was the outskirts. The Romans often built theaters on the outskirts of cities, and Florence was no exception to the rule. Yes, hidden under the floors of the Palazzo Vecchio are the ruins of a huge ancient Roman theater. To enhance the effect of immersion into the depths of centuries in the truest sense of the word, projections using shadow theater technology are shown on the stone ruins: the shadows of actors playing flutes or dancing among age-old stones turn a walk through the ruins into an almost mystical act.

In the photo: a shadow theater on the ruins of an ancient Roman theater in the Palazzo Vecchio

We continue our walk through Palazzo Vecchio, going up to Hall of the Five Hundred(Salone dei Cinquecento) and immediately move from ancient times to the end of the fifteenth century. The Five Hundred Hall was once the largest hall of the government council, consisting of 500 people (hence the name), but now chamber concerts are often held here. The Hall of the Five Hundred acquired its current appearance thanks to the engineer Giorgio Vasari, who managed to raise the roof of the room - as a result, daylight began to penetrate into the hall through the windows, and at the same time decorated the walls of the hall with large-scale frescoes.

In the photo: Hall of the Five Hundred in Palazzo Vecchio

It is Vasari’s giant frescoes that immediately attract the attention of guests of the Palazzo Vecchio, and tourists who have read the novel “Inferno” immediately begin to look at the giant canvas “The Battle of Marciano”, on which there is a mysterious inscription "Cerca Trova" ("Seek and you will find"). But we are sadly forced to admit, no matter how beautiful Vasari’s frescoes are, previously in their place there was “The Battle of Anghiari” by Leonardo da Vinci and “The Battle of Cascina” by Michelangelo, neither from one nor from the second canvas after the reconstruction of the Vasari hall - Lorenzo’s favorite architect There was no trace left of the Medici.

In the photo: Vasari's fresco "Battle of Marciano" with the inscription "Cerca Trova"
(“Seek and ye shall find”) from the book “Inferno” by Dan Brown.

But among the statues of the Hall of Five Hundred you can see Michelangelo’s sculpture “The Spirit of Victory” (Italian: Genio della Vittoria). By the way, this statue is one of the most mysterious works of Buanarroti; for example, art historians still cannot clearly decide whether Michelangelo did not have time to complete the statue, or whether it was deliberately made using the “non finito” technique. The most curious thing is that initially the sculpture of an elegant young man (Michelangelo sculpted the statue from his lover Tommaso Cavalieri) was planned to be installed as a tombstone on the grave of the conservative Pope Julius II, an ardent opponent of homosexuality. One way or another, the statue was in Michelangelo’s Florentine workshop until his death, and now it can be seen in the Hall of the Five Hundred. By the way, as at the entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio, in the Hall of Five Hundred there is no shortage of male nudity, as are the statues demonstrating the exploits of Hercules, which, according to Renaissance sculptors, the ancient hero performed exclusively naked.

In the photo: Michelangelo’s sculpture “The Spirit of Victory” (Italian: Genio della Vittoria)

After admiring the frescoes and statues, take a look at Lo Studiolo- small office of Francesco I. All the walls of the office are decorated with an incredible number of paintings; more than three dozen masterpieces of fine art, one might say, crowd into a small space. Overall, Lo Studiolo is a great place to practice focusing on one object among many others, otherwise you will inevitably feel like you are inside a colorful kaleidoscope.

In the photo: Lo Studiolo in Palazzo Vecchio

Then stroll through the halls of the palazzo, many of them are dedicated to representatives of the Medici family, which is reflected both in the names of the rooms and in the decor - frescoes illustrate all the significant milestones in the history of the city's ruling dynasty.

In the photo: frescoes in the hall named after Cosimo de' Medici, on the frescoes
depictedconstruction of the dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

In one of the halls on the second floor you will see Dante's death mask. The author of the Divine Comedy was expelled from Florence; his tomb is located in Ravenna, but a mask-cast from the face of the deceased was brought to Florence. In “Inferno,” Dan Brown writes that Dante’s death mask makes a frightening impression on the viewer, but I don’t agree with this; rather, there is a feeling of aching sadness.

In the photo: Dante Alighieri's death mask in the Palazzo Vecchio

The visit to the Palazzo Vecchio ends in the Cartography Hall, the same one in the center of which there is a globe, and where Robert Landon, together with his assistant Siena, discovered a secret passage to the palace's bins under the map of Armenia. Of course, you won’t be allowed into any secret passage, but studying ancient maps on which, for example, Russia is called Tartary is a very entertaining activity.

In the photo: the Cartography Room in Palazzo Vecchio

Finally, climb the tower of Palazzo Vecchio for a bird's-eye view of the old town. The only thing is, be prepared to stand in line for some time; tourists are allowed to the top of the tower in small groups.

LOGGIA LANTZI

Leaving the Palazzo Vecchiu, we set off to wander around the statues. Here, under the arches erected between 1376 and 1382, there are sculptures that are the property of the Uffizi Gallery (by the way, it is located here, you just need to go through the arch).

In the photo: stone lion in the Loggia Lanzi

During the time of the Florentine Republic, receptions for the nobility were held in the loggia, but now young people smoke on its steps, and tourists shamelessly climb onto statues of stone lions and selflessly photograph “Perseus with the Head of Medusa” by Benvenuto Cellini or a copy of “The Rape of the Sabine Women” by Giambologna. By the way, some of the female statues exhibited in the galleries are ancient originals.

In the photo: “Perseus with the Head of Medusa” by Benvenuto Cellini in the Loggia Lanzi

SECOND HALF OF THE DAY: THROUGH DANTE AND PONTE VECCHIO

In the afternoon we suggest you take a walk through the places of Dante Alighieri, but first we will have a snack. However, in this case, we have the opportunity to combine a tasting of one Florentine gastronomic specialty with a walk through the places of Dante - a good eatery where they cook real lampredotto- a Florentine tripe sandwich - is located in the building next door to the Church of Santa Margherita dei Cerchi, the same one that is also called Dante's Church.

In the photo: a snack bar next to the Church of St. Margaret dei Cerchi

We take lampredotto from the window - a bun stuffed with boiled rennet - a cow's stomach, and, like true Florentines, we eat it right on the street. By the way, this sandwich has been eaten in Florence since the fifteenth century, and it got its name because of its external similarity with lampreys, which used to be found in large numbers in the Arno River, lamprey in Italian - “lampreda”.

CHURCH OF SAINT MARGARETA DEI CERCHI AND HOUSE OF DANTE

Having refreshed ourselves, we head to the outwardly unassuming Church of St. Margaret dei Cerchi (Chiesa di Santa Margherita dei Cerchi). Its ascetic appearance is explained by its age, because the church was built in 1032, that is, during the dark Middle Ages. It is believed that it was here that Dante met the love of his life, Beatrice Portinari, which, by the way, is not true; the poet met his muse at the age of nine at a party in her father’s house.

In the photo: Church of St. Margaret dei Cerchi

But in this church, Dante married his unloved wife Gemma Donati, and here is the tomb of Beatrice - Dante’s beloved died at the age of 24, that is, very young even by the standards of the Renaissance. Notes are often left at Beatrice's grave asking for help in love affairs, and her modest tombstone is invariably decorated with fresh flowers.

In the photo: Beatrice Portinari's tombstone

By the way, the small church of Santa Margherita dei Cerchi inside also looks more than simple: no frescoes, no paintings, the atmosphere is enlivened only by children's drawings depicting the life of Dante - this is the work of Italian schoolchildren. Literally a stone's throw from the church (just follow the signs Casa di Dante) there is also a house-museum of the poet. The building is not original, it was built only in the first decade of the twentieth century, however, on the site where the house that belonged to the Alighieri family actually used to be located.

In the photo: Dante's house-museum in Florence

There is a museum in the house, a visit to which will take you a maximum of half an hour, but you will be able to see not only clothes from Dante’s era and reconstructed furnishings, but also, for example, a home chemical laboratory - the best minds of the Renaissance conducted experiments in similar ones, by the way, Dante himself did alchemy I didn’t shy away from it at all.

PONTE VECCHIO - THE GOLDEN BRIDGE OF FLORENCE

We go from Dante's house to Ponte Vecchio - the old bridge of Florence, which is now often called the bridge from the film "Perfume". It's all about the external similarity of the structures - on the Ponte Vecchio, as on the Money Changer Bridge, there is an incredible number of shops, however, they sell not perfumes, but gold jewelry, hence the second name of the bridge - Golden.

However, this was not always the case; initially there were butchers’ shops on the Ponte Vecchio, but they emitted such a terrible smell that in 1593 the butchers were expelled from the bridge, and jewelers took their place. By the way, the name Vecchio, that is, “old”, is also not without reason; the current bridge was built back in 1345 to the design of the architect Neri di Fioravanti. Until this time, the two banks of the Arno River were first connected by a bridge built by the Romans, but it collapsed in 1117, then by a bridge of an unknown architect, which stood until 1333 and collapsed during a flood.

But the current design of the bridge is unique not only because it is surprisingly strong, but also because Giordo Vasari (author of the Hall of the Five Hundred) built a secret corridor above the bridge that connects Palazzo Vecchio with Palazzo Pitti, located on the other side of the river, the palace where they lived Medici. By the way, according to some reports, the butchers were driven away from the bridge precisely on the initiative of Lorenzo Medici, because the stench from their shops penetrated into the secret corridor. When you walk along the Ponte Vecchio, not only admire the panorama of the Arno River from the observation deck in the center of the bridge and look into the jewelers' shops, but also try to find plaques on the bridge with quotes from Dante's Paradise - the first one is located right at the entrance. These tablets are a reminder of the murder of the Florentine Buondelmonte, which occurred in 1216, but had centuries-old consequences.

In the photo: panorama of the Arno River from the center of the bridge

The fact is that the Florentine Buondelmonte, for the sake of his beloved, refused to marry the bride whom his family had chosen for him. The family of the rejected bride was not going to forgive this and brutally killed the young man right on the bridge, just like Frey killed Robb in “Games of Thrones.” Because of the murder, a split occurred between the two Florentine parties, then they were at odds with each other for centuries, and the number of victims of the conflict was no longer even in the dozens. By the way, it was this political strife that caused Dante’s expulsion from Florence.

In the photo: jewelers' shops on Ponte Vecchio

After walking along the bridge, return to the old city; on the way back, take a look at New Florentine Market(Loggia del Mercato Nuovo). In terms of shopping, there is absolutely nothing to do here, because the market has long been firmly occupied by suppliers of cheap consumer goods from the People's Republic of China, but this is where another symbol of the city is located - boar statue.

It is believed that if you rub the heels of a boar, you will definitely return to Florence. We give three animals a nose and go to dinner.

DAY TWO: VISITING MUSEUMS AND THE TEMPLE OF SANTA CROCE

MORNING AND AFTERNOON: UFFIZI GALLERY

To visit the Uffizi Gallery, one of the most famous and oldest museums in Italy, you need to budget at least half a day. The second mandatory point is to purchase tickets in advance on the website, otherwise you will spend a good half of the day in line to enter, and if you come to Florence at the height of the tourist season, you may not get into the gallery at all: there is a crowd of people who want to see “Spring” and “ The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli, "The Adoration of the Magi" and "The Annunciation" by Leonardo da Vinci or "Venus of Urbino" by Titian does not dry out from year to year. The second important point is that on Mondays, like all Italian museums, the Uffizi is closed; take this into account when planning your trip.

However, even if you buy a ticket in advance, you will still have to spend some time in line to enter the Uffizi. Don't waste it while you stand under the arches of the museum and study the statues of the great citizens of Florence, who silently look down on the city's visitors from their stone pedestals. Leonardo, Machiavelli, Donatello, Michelangelo, Giotto, Lorenzo Medici, Alberti - here they are, all over the place, the great men of the Florentine Republic, those who managed to turn the tide of history, speed up the passage of time and create the miracle of the Italian Renaissance.

One can talk endlessly about the Uffizi Gallery itself. Let's limit ourselves to just a few facts: it was originally conceived by Cosimo I de' Medici as a palace under the arch of which all the administrative services of the city would be united, but since 1575 the gallery has worked as a museum. The basis of the exhibition was the personal collection of the Medici, and here it is necessary to stipulate one important point: in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the art market in the modern sense did not exist in Europe, and all artists and sculptors worked only if they received a good order. The main customer was always either the Catholic Church or representatives of wealthy European families.

In Florence, as is understandable, such a family were the Medici. So, "Birth of Venus"- the most famous exhibit of the Uffizi today - Sandro Botticelli painted at the request of Lorenzo de' Medici the Magnificent, a representative of the ruling dynasty of Florence wanted to give his cousin an erotic painting for his wedding that would decorate the newlyweds' bedroom.

"Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli

By the way, all the men of the Medici family went crazy over the beautiful Simonetta Vespucci, with whom Botticelli painted his Venus: both Lorenzo the Magnificent and his younger brother Giuliano. According to rumors, the beauty chose the younger of the two brothers, because Giuliano had more free time to fully care for the most beautiful woman in Florence.

After visiting the Uffizi, be sure to have a snack; fortunately, a good place for lunch is located nearby, a stone’s throw from Piazza San Martino. Look for a three-table eatery Sogni e Sapori(address - Via dei Cimatori, 22r, 50122), they serve delicious soups and the famous ribollita - boiled vegetables with pieces of bread, a traditional Tuscan dish.

SECOND HALF OF THE DAY: TEMPLES OF FLORENCE

BASILICA OF SANTA CROCE

It must be said that several monastic orders operated in Florence at once and each of them erected its own basilica. In the south of the city, representatives of the Carmelite Order built Santa Maria del Carmine, in the north-west of the city the Dominicans built Santa Maria Novella, and in the south of Florence the Franciscans built a magnificent Santa Croce According to legend, the famous temple was founded not by anyone, but by Francis of Assisi himself.

In the photo: Basilica of Santa Croce with a statue of Dante at the entrance

Today, city guests go to the largest Franciscan church in Italy mainly to admire the frescoes and sculptures of Giotto, but in addition, Galileo Galilei, Niccolò Machiavelli, Michelangelo and other great men of Florence are buried here.

In the photo: Michelangelo's tomb in Santa Croce

SANTA MARIA NOVELLA: TEMPLE AND FAMOUS PHARMACY

We head to the north-west of Florence, more precisely to the area of ​​the railway station, where the Dominican Basilica is located Santa Maria Novella. Like Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella houses many works of art from the 14th to 16th centuries, but we would like to mention not the frescoes of Domenico Ghirlandaio and Sebastiano Mainardi that decorate the church, but the fact that this particular basilica is mentioned in “ Decameron" by Boccaccio, here a meeting of young people takes place, who together decide to flee from plague-ridden Florence.

In the photo: Basilica of Santa Maria Novella

Not far from the church there is a famous one (address: Via della Scala, 16, 501123, Firenze, Tel +39 055 216276), founded by Dominican monks.

Since 1612, it has been selling elixirs, all kinds of rubs, soaps, herbs, and the main hit of the pharmacy is perfumes "Acqua della Regina", which Catherine de Medici herself used.

EVENING: FLORENCE CENTRAL MARKET AND PAZA MICHELANGELLO

After a rich cultural program, take a look at the Lower Rows located in the same area, which are open only in the morning, but the second floor, where it is open until late. Here you can try all the Florentine gastronomic specialties at once; if you like it and want to expand your acquaintance with Tuscan cuisine, visit the market again the next morning, then you can take a walk along the lower rows of the mercato, where the Florentines themselves buy food.

In the photo: second floor of Mercato Centrale

If after dinner you have an irresistible desire to admire the sunset, then right next to the market, take one of the municipal buses heading towards Piazza Michelangelo. During the trip, you will definitely see the ancient Roman gate to the city, where bride fairs were held in ancient times, and Piazzale Michelangelo itself is very easy to identify - in its center stands another copy of “David”.

In the photo: panorama of Florence from the top of Piazza Michelangelo

But, most importantly, it offers an exceptional view of the old town of Florence and the dome of Santa Maria Del Fiore, and you can watch the rays of the setting sun caress its red roof until the velvet Tuscan night finally falls on the city .

THIRD DAY: MEET “DAVID” AND GO TO THE BOBOLI GARDENS

MORNING: BARGELLO NATIONAL MUSEUM
OR ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS

This is the story with the “Davids” in Florence. There are two famous sculptures: one is the well-known work of Michelangelo, the other is a statue by Donatello, by the way, his “David” is the first sculptural image of a naked male figure since antiquity.

In the photo: “David” by Donatello at an exhibition in Milan

Both sculptures were born thanks to the fact that the Medici actively patronized artists: Donatello received an order from Cosimo Medici, and the second famous representative of the dynasty - Lorenzo Medici the Magnificent - was the first to pay attention to the promising young sculptor Michelangelo, after which he invited the talented young man to live in Palazzo Pitti, where Buanarroti was able to develop his talent and cultivate high artistic taste.

The problem is that the statues are displayed in different places: Michelangelo's David is in the Academy of Fine Arts, and Donatello's David is in the National Bargello Museum (Museo Nazionale del Bargello). To decide which museum you want to visit, below is a brief information about both places.

Museo Nazionale del Bargello- the oldest public building in the city, looks very similar to the famous Palazzo Vecchio, which is not surprising, because it was the Bargello that was taken as a model during the construction of the palace where the government of the Florentine Republic met.

In the photo: the building of the Museo Nazionale del Bargello

Over the course of its history, the building has served as the residence of the podesta (city governor), the city council, a prison, and even a barracks. The sculpture museum was opened here in the 19th century. In addition to Donatello’s David, the Bargello exhibition includes four works by Michelangelo: the sculpture “Bacchus”, the bust “Brutus”, “Tondo Pitti” and “David-Apollo”. There is no need to buy tickets in advance to visit the museum; there is usually a short queue at the entrance.

In the photo: the original “David” by Michelangelo in the Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts

But the original sculpture by Michelangelo is exhibited in Florence Galleries of the Academy of Fine Arts. The gallery was founded by the Archduke of Tuscan Pietro Leopoldo I di Lorena in 1784, the collection of sculptures and paintings by masters of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance is huge, but remember, the Academy is not only a museum, but also an educational institution, so if you want to see “ David" and "Prisoners" by Michelangelo, as well as the original "The Rape of the Sabine Women" by Giambologna, buy tickets in advance and check the time of your visit on the website.

Admission fees and opening hours of the Academy of Fine Arts:

BOBOLI GARDENS AND PALAZZO PITTI

Since in our story about Florence the Medici surname appeared in every third sentence, it’s time to see where the representatives of the noble family lived and go along the Ponte Vecchio to the other side of the Arno River - to Palazzo Pitti And Boboli Gardens.

Palazzo Pitti(Palazzo Pitti) by the standards of the Renaissance was considered an impregnable citadel; here the Medici could hide from their enemies, and they arrived at the Palazzo Vecchio along Vasari’s secret corridor, built above the bridge. In the halls of the palazzo itself, an extremely diverse range of artistic paintings are now displayed: from family portraits of representatives of the Florentine aristocracy to examples of modern art. Whether it’s good or bad, now social receptions are often held in Palazzo Pitti: buffet tables are set in the halls of the palace, crystal chandeliers light up with bright light, and here, just like in ancient times, music sounds, women’s laughter and the clink of glasses are heard.

In the photo: reception at Palazzo Pitti on the occasion of the gastronomic exhibition

And here Boboli Gardens- a classic Italian park with the obligatory sculptures, grottoes, rose gardens, pavilions, fountains and alleys. They began to be laid out during the life of Cosimo Medici; the detailed plan of the park was developed by the architect Nicolo Tribolo, and some of the buildings were designed by Giorgio Vasari, one of the favorite architects of Lorenzo Medici the Magnificent. The Boboli Gardens are not as luxurious as the same Villa d’Este, located in the city of Tivoli near Rome, but even here you can find a lot of interesting things. For example, the Cerchiata Tunnel, which looks like endless green arches, or the “Fountain of Little Ugly Faces”, which in the times of Lorenzo Medici was used for hunting birds - water dripped from the stone masks of the fountain, and when the birds flew to drink, nets were thrown over them .

Pictured: "Fountain of Little Ugly Faces" in Boboli Gardens

Another interesting exhibit of the Boboli Gardens is the “Bronze Neptune” - a fountain by Stoldo Lorenzi. The artistic merits of this sculpture raise many questions among modern Italians, and Lorenzi’s creation is often mockingly called “Neptune with a fork.” However, the Italians are not too fond of the statue depicting a naked fat dwarf sitting astride a turtle; by the way, this is a court jester, a favorite of the Medici family.

But, of course, the most interesting place in the gardens is Grotto Buontalenti- a suite of three caves named after their creator. The walls of the caves are decorated with sculptures and bas-reliefs, and the statues are inscribed in the structure of the sandstone so organically that it seems as if they are frozen spirits of the cave, eager to break free from stone captivity. According to the idea of ​​the Medici, the grotto was to be used for the entertainment of young people; by the way, during the reign of the dynasty, water flowed along the walls of the caves, which, on the one hand, enhanced the mystical atmosphere that still reigns in the Buontalenti Grotto, and on the other, served as an analogue modern air conditioner, because it perfectly cooled the air of the cave even on a hot Tuscan afternoon.

In the photo: Buontalenti Grotto in the Boboli Gardens

After walking around the Boboli Gardens, sit down in the summer cafe, open at the highest point of the park, because the gardens are located on a hill overlooking Florence. Order yourself a glass of chianti reserve and, while sipping wine, enjoy the panorama of the evening city opening from the top of the hill.

It is impossible to find a better place to say goodbye to Florence than the Boboli Gardens, however, it is impossible to say to Florence: “Goodbye” and in no case should you, instead tell her: “Goodbye”, or even better: “See you soon” .

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Yulia Malkova- Yulia Malkova - founder of the website project. Former editor-in-chief of the Internet project elle.ru and editor-in-chief of the website cosmo.ru. I talk about travel for my own pleasure and the pleasure of my readers. If you are a representative of hotels or a tourism office, but we do not know each other, you can contact me by email: [email protected]