Cradle of Renaissance, as well as Capital of Italy twigs 1865 al 1871, Florence it is one of the most visited and loved places in our country. City of art par excellence, Florence was the home of Dante Alighieri, Boccaccio, Brunelleschi, Lorenzo De'Medici, Leonardo Da Vinci e Michelangelo Buonarroti, Donatello, Botticelli e Machiavelli. All these characters, with their works, have in fact contributed to the artistic and cultural magnificence of Italy in the world. The capital of the Toscana it is in fact a small local cultural jewel, an open-air museum. In the historic center of Florence, with its monuments, historic buildings and museums, you can only breathe art. Of course, there are also curiosities and mysteries that make a visit to the city even more interesting for the millions of tourists who flock to the streets of Florence every year.
Neighborhoods of the historic center of Florence
The center of Florence is "enclosed" within the circle of walls from Fourteenth century. Here you will find the most important monuments of the city, as well as the main points of interest. In 1982 the historic center has in fact been declared World Heritage Site by the 'UNESCO, for its uniqueness and for its being a work of art. The center is divided into four historic districts, which take their name from the most important monument in their area. The first is the neighborhood of Santa Maria Novella (to the north-west), it is named for the church of the same name and is characterized by its color red. The neighborhood of Saint John (for the Baptistery) is located in the north-east and is characterized by color Verde. The district Santa Croce (from the church of the same name) is located to the south-east and is characterized by color blu. Finally the neighborhood Holy Spirit, south-west of the city, takes its name from the basilica of the same name and is characterized by its color White.
Each neighborhood has its own banner. The Tournament of neighborhoods of the historical Florentine football. It is a sport halfway between football and rugby, according to some an ancestor of today's football. This sport has very ancient origins, the modern re-enactment is inspired by a game played during thesiege of Florence in 1530. Each team has 27 players, in the 50 minutes of time you have to try to score as many points as possible, putting the ball in the net. The great difference of the historical Florentine football compared to the current football (or rugby) is the blocking of the opponents with the boxing with bare hands. If you are unable to center the "door" (the hunting), the opposing team receives half a point.
Walking tour in the center of Florence
One of the best ways to visit the center of Florence is to get lost in the streets of the city. Starting from the station of Santa Maria Novella, you can visit the church of the same name a few meters from the station. Next to the religious building is thePharmaceutical Perfume Workshop of Santa Maria Novella, or the oldest pharmacy in Europe. Moving more to the center, you can visit the Duomo (with the Brunelleschi's dome) And the Baptistery of San Giovanni. A little further away is the magnificent one Piazza della Signoria, which it overlooks Palazzo Vecchio, seat of the municipality of Florence. Moving towards the banks of theArno, find the Uffizi Gallery, one of the most important museums in Italy, with works by Giotto, Botticelli, Raffaello, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Caravaggio, . Finally you can enjoy some shopping among the boutiques of Old Bridge and maybe enjoy a beautiful sunset from the deck.
Tour of the famous houses of Florence
Florence has been the city of some of the best known poets and artists in history. If you want to take a tour of the homes of famous people in Florence, you could start with Dante Alighieri house museum located in via Saint Margaret 1. If you look for the house where the famous one lived Leonardo Da Vinci before leaving for France (with Gioconda in the following), it is found in Piazza San Firenze 2. The home of Michelangelo (Buonarroti house), is instead located in the Santa Croce district, in via Ghibelline 70. The House of Lorenzo the Magnificent it is instead in the very central via Cavour (at number 1), a few steps from the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Finally the house of Carlo Collodi, father of Pinocchio, is located in via Taddea 4.
There are many personalities who have stayed in Florence (Mozart, Dostoevsky, Manzoni, etc.). To discover all the famous houses of the Tuscan capital it is recommended to book one of the dedicated tours, such as "Unusual Florence"Of the cultural association Archetype, promoted by the municipality of Florence.
Curiosities of the historic center of Florence: the inappropriate
One of the most curious things that can be found walking around Florence is the so-called "Inappropriate". It is a bas-relief of a face carved on a stone of Palazzo Vecchio, which many attribute to the hand of Michelangelo. Legend has it that the artist was often "taken hostage" by a tedious long-talking character (hence "inappropriate") to whom he owed money. One day, while the creditor was talking for endless minutes, boredom Michelangelo decided not to sculpt his face with his hands behind his back, so that he was never forgotten. Another legend has it that it is actually the face of Michelangelo, who sculpted his self-portrait without looking in the mirror, to win a bet.
The Berta
Still on the subject of faces, another curiosity of the historic center of Florence concerns "the Berta". It is a bust of a woman found between the stones of the church tower of Santa Maria Maggiore. One of legends about Berta tells that it was a tribute made by the Florentines to a local greengrocer who donated a bell to the church. The most curious one wants it to be the head of a petrified bishop. In the mid-fourteenth century, the scientist Cecco d'Ascoli he was sentenced to the stake for witchcraft. Passing in front of the church, a bishop looked out the window and shouted at the crowd not to give him a drink, because that way he would be saved. Cecco d'Ascoli, who had made a pact with the devil, cursed him with the words "And you the boss will never get out of there". The bishop's head would thus have remained there petrified.
The window always open
Another curious and mysterious story about the center of Florence concerns the "window always open"of Budini-Gattai Palace in the square Most Holy Annunziata. This window has always remained ajar (for centuries now). Legend has it that towards the end of the sixteenth century, a man of the Griffins family he had been called to war and his wife had looked out of that window to greet him for the last time. After his departure, his wife left the window open waiting to see her husband again, but the man never returned. The first ending wants the neighbors to always leave the window open in memory of the sad story of the woman. An alternate ending speaks instead of paranormal activities happened after the window was closed. To get everything back to normal, it was therefore decided to keep it open.
Santa Maria del Fiore clock
Finally, in Florence there is a curious clock that turns counterclockwise. It is the fresco of the clock of Santa Maria del Fiore, realized by Paolo uccello in 1443. Unlike today's watches, this is a liturgical clock and copies the movement of the shadow of the sundials. The dial is from 24 hours (Italian hour) in Roman numerals. The length of the hours differs according to the seasons and midnight marks the sunset. At the four corners are painted the heads of four saintsprobably of the evangelists, but their identity remains a mystery.
Florence is a magical city is one of the stops that every art lover and not, should at least do once in a lifetime. Getting lost among its monuments and discovering its mysteries is in fact a unique experience, which remains in the heart and soul of every traveler.
