Read #3 below to discover that only one side of the Duomo has the completed balcony wall

Fascinating Finds in Florence

Spending a month in Florence was just a delight. We fell in love with Florence on our very first trip, and always made a short stop in this lovely Renaissance city. But we had never stayed for any extended time. Now we had the pleasure of leisure time to wander this city and find out why we so thoroughly enjoyed living here seasonally.

And we found so many new and varied discoveries about the city!

Here are a few of our latest Secrets of Florence. When you visit Florence, go on this scavenger hunt and see if you can find these city treats.

1. Find the statue of Ferdinand Medici in the Piazza della Santissima Annunziata. On the back at the base of the horse are sculpted a swarm of bees circling around their queen. 91 bees. Count them.
2. The golden ball on top of the famous Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral was struck by lightning on January 17, 1601. The 2000 kilo ball fell to the ground in the square. The ball was found the next morning and the spot is marked by a circular slab of marble. You can find the marker on the back side of the Duomo off of Via del Proconsolo.
3. Speaking of the Duomo, in 1507, Baccio d’Agnolo began adding a balcony to the base of the dome. One of the eight sides was finished by 1515. Michelangelo, whose artistic opinion was taken as cardinal law, was asked if he liked this new addition. The master reportedly scoffed, “It looks like a cricket cage.” Work was immediately halted and to this day the other seven sides remain rough brick. Walk around the Duomo to view the one completed side.
4. On our very first trip to Florence we found this beautiful tiny Romanesque church, Santa Margherita de’ Cerchi. According to legend, Dante walked out of this chapel and ran into Beatrice and instantly fell in love. Unfortunately, Beatrice was to be wed to a member of the Bardi family and Dante never recovered. Inside this quaint chapel is a basket for sentimental people to leave a note to their loved one. I leave a note each time I visit.
5. Stroll along Via dei Servi and notice a walled in window on the corner of Via del Pucci. THis is the Palazzo Pucci, home of the Pucci family. When Pandolfo Pucci was dismissed from the court of Cosimo I de’Medici, the nobleman planned his revenge. As Cosimo walked to mass at Santissima Annunziata, two assassins were at the window, ready to kill him. The plot was foiled and Pandolfo and the assassins were executed. Cosimo ordered the window to be filled in as a warning never to threaten the Medici supremacy. The window is still closed today.

 

6. The iconic red “Do not Enter” street signs are all over the streets of Florence. But, looking up at a sign with a black stick figure appearing to hold the white bar had us puzzled. At the same time, we were living in an apartment three doors down from a shop called Clet’s Studio. And walking in one afternoon, we noticed the same street signs with black stick figures on his wall. Clet Abraham is a French artist who has been living in Italy for 20 years and this signage is his colorful approach to brighten the city. The silhouette man street signs are all around the town and are created with removable adhesives that Clet and his friends apply at night. We made a point to stay aware and see how many different images we could spot during our stay in Florence. We discovered so many! It was a delightful scavenger hunt.

 

7. Take a bus up to Fiesole above Florence and hike up Monte Cicero to a relatively undiscovered history spot. Leonardo da Vinci launched his “Nibbio” flying machine from this wooded location in 1505 with his friend Tommaso Masini at the controls. Although the effort failed, the point is that 400 years before the Wright Brothers attempted their airplane flight, da Vinci had drawn and executed a flying machine design. How cool is that to stand where Leonardo walked. What an amazing inventor he was!

8. After viewing Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus in the nearby Uffizi Gallery years ago, we became great fans of this artist. We decided it was time to find his resting place and discovered an endearing story. The Venus in Botticelli’s painting, Primavera, was the ethereal beauty Simonetta Vespucci, an Italian noblewoman. Before Botticelli died, he asked to be buried at her feet. You can see that his request was granted. His circular marker is at the feet of the elegantly designed resting place for Vespucci in the lovely San Salvatore di Ognissanti church by the Arno River.

9. Michelangelo carved one of his first pieces, a crucifix of Jesus, at the age of eighteen. Living with the monks, he crafted this piece as a thank you for their hospitality. This crucifix is suspended at the Basilica di Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno area. What a master he was !

10. Because we had time to visit the city’s museums, one rainy morning we chose the Galileo Museum. Known as the Father of Modern Science, we were kept fascinated by displays of Galileo’s telescopes and thermometers, as well as a finger, thumb, and even a tooth of Galileo, carefully nestled in a bronze reliquary. Even the dozen globes in the museum are interesting.

11. The oldest operating pharmacy in the world is found at Via della Scalla, 16. But you have to watch for the door. It is so easy to miss. The Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy features 800 year old recipes and was established in 1221 when the Dominican monks began growing herbs to make balms and salves. The pharmacy is housed in the extraordinary original building with rooms complete with ornate gilding, frescoes, walnut cabinetry, and glass stoppered decanters full of colorful potions. Marble floors and glass stained windows with antique apothecary scales adorn this treasure. This was an exquisite find !

12. The house of Galileo is a decorated home located at Costa San Giorgio, 19 up in the hills behind the Forte di Belvedere and the Giardino Bardini. The facade is adorned with his image and the family coat of arms.

 

 

13. We felt like Indiana Jones as we read about some Michelangelo graffiti. Of course we had to find this. We read that etched into the ancient stones of the historic Palazzo Vecchio is a face, and an important face, that of Michelangelo. We discovered the carving situated on the corner nearest the Uffizi Gallery. The story, true or not, is a good one. Michelangelo returned to Florence in 1499 and began work on his famous sculpture, the Statue of David. Supposedly, he was challenged to deliberately deface the stonework of the Palazzo and to get away with this wanton act of vandalism, he carved it with his knife hidden behind his back. Whether or not it was him, it is another fun curiosity of Florence.

14. While we were living in Florence, an amazing historic event took place. After 450 years in storage, a female renaissance painting was going to be unveiled. Plautilla Nelli and her Last Supper has been hung on permanent display at the Santa Maria Novella Museum. This painting is 21 feet long. European museums are marking the 500 year anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci. During his time and Nelli’s, female artists were barred from going to school and could not study anatomy. Yet Nelli painted this masterpiece using powerful brushstrokes, and is the only known work to be made by a female artist from the Renaissance. The signature on the painting reads, “Sister Plautilla – Pray for the Paintress.” We have witnessed the Last Supper in Milan, and we were blown away by her faces and features. It is a definite find for my Secrets.

15. The skyline of Florence was characterized by as many as 150 tall towers by 1350. These towers embodied a family’s power and wealth and many can still be seen, particularly in the Oltrarno neighborhood of town. Make sure to see the Belfredelli Tower on Borgo San Jacopo, 9 and the Mannelli Tower of Via dei Bardi, 84. This tower was not destroyed when Cosimo I d’Medici built the Vasari Corridor above the Ponte Vecchio. You can see that the Corridor turns around this tower when you stand on the street. Look up during your walks and you will spot numerous towers that are squeezed between newer buildings throughout the streets and alleys of Florence.

16. There is an English Cemetery where Elizabeth Barrett Browning and descendants of William Shakespeare are buried. Piazzale Donatello, 38.

17. We just love, love, love Villa Bardini in the Oltrarno neighborhood, at Costa San Giorgio, 2. Strolling through the manicured grounds, sitting on the cool benches under the wisteria draped arbors, and sighing over the view of the Duomo is such a delight. it’s a perfect respite from the crowds you may be experiencing in town. 

18. The best view in town is not Piazzale Michelangelo where so many congregate for sunset. No, it’s not. It’s San Miniato al Monte. This ancient Romanesque church dates back to almost a 1,000 years, and is certainly offers a much less crowded viewing experience of the majestic town. Also take some time to walk through the free church and the beautiful cemetery, now home to the great Carlo Collodi, the creator of Pinnochio..

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