The top monuments to see in the city

The Rape of Polyxena Rosa Garden in the Loggia dei Lanzi (ph. Pasquale Paradiso) (ph. Lorenzo Cotrozzi)

STROLLING AMIDST BEAUTY

A walk exploring the most beautiful monuments of Florence

TEXT Martina Olivieri

Florence was once called the

beautiful. A well-deserved epithet, since its streets, squares and buildings jealously preserve the best expression of the Italian Renaissance. The Tuscan capital is steeped in history and culture, art and beauty, always alluring authors, architects, poets and artists. Since there are so many sites to visit, we shall help you discover the city’s must see monuments.

SANTA MARIA DEL FIORE CATHEDRAL

We shall start from here. With its dome, the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral is the most iconic of Florence’s monuments. Together with the nearby baptistery and bell tower, it forms one of the most precious architectural complexes of the Italian Renaissance. Construction works on the Cathedral commenced in the late 13th century, carried out by Arnolfo di Cambio, and were completed

two centuries later with the extraordinary dome. With its impressive beauty and featuring a diameter of 46 m, the dome is the architectural and engi-

HISTORY, ART, AND BEAUTY: THE CITY’S MUST SEE MONUMENTS IN FLORENCE

neering masterpiece of Filippo Brunelleschi. The white, green and red marble façade echoes the style of Gio o’s 14th-century bell tower.

PONTE VECCHIO, THE OLD BRIDGE

The symbol of the city, it is the most famous bridge over the Arno, and also the only one that was not destroyed during World War II. A treasure trove of the city’s most famous goldsmiths, these charming li le shops line the central passageway. The Vasari Corridor runs above them, along the east side.

SANTA TRINITÀ BRIDGE

Other bridges within easy reach of the city centre include Ponte alle Grazie, Ponte alla Carraia and, last but not least,

David by Michelangelo

Ponte Santa Trinità, which is renowned for its beautiful sunsets. It is centrally placed in a late 19th century painting by Henry Holiday entitled Dante and Beatrice. The work by the English painter Henry Holiday refers to an episode in the Vita Nova, and shows Dante meeting three women on the Ponte di Santa Trinità. The one in the centre is Beatrice. The original bridge by Bartolomeo Ammannati was destroyed during World War II. The present one was rebuilt in 1958, with the original statues of the Four Seasons placed at the two entrances.

PALAZZO BARTOLINI SALIMBENI

A historic building located on Florence’s Piazza di Santa Trinita. Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni was designed by Baccio d’Agnolo, and marks a turning point in residential architecture in the city; its features were initially criticised, but widely reused and developed in later centuries. Since 2018 the building has been home to the Roberto Casamonti Collection of modern and contemporary art from the late 20th century to the current day.

THE UFFIZI LOGGIA

The niches under the porticos of the Uffizi Gallery were originally designed by Vasari as purely architectural elements, while Cosimo I wanted sculptures of “Florentines who had distinguished themselves in ba le, le ers and civil government”. Only in the early half of the 19th century, on the initiative of the printer Vincenzo Batelli (1786-1858), were the 28 marble statues of illustrious figures chosen from the political, artistic, literary, scientific, judiciary and religious scenes installed.

THE VASARI CORRIDOR

The elevated corridor linking the Uffizi and Palazzo Pi i was built by Giorgio Vasari for Cosimo I de’ Medici and runs for about a kilometre above the city and the river. It enters palaces, encircles the Torre de’ Mannelli, overlooks the Church of Santa Felicità and reaches Pi i and Boboli. While waiting for the new fi ings to restore its origi-

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1. Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral and Brunelleschi Dome 2. Neptune’s Fountain 3. The Uffizi Loggia (ph. Ottavia Poli) 4. Statue of Hercules and Cacus 5. Ponte Vecchio

nal function of connecting the Uffizi and Pi i Palace, admire it from below during our walk.

NEPTUNE’S FOUNTAIN

It is the city’s first public work, commissioned by Cosimo I to celebrate the Medici’s maritime achievements. It stands in Piazza della Signoria. The majestic statue of Neptune in white Carrara marble, affectionately called Biancone by the Florentines, is the work of Bartolomeo Ammannati. The god stands on a chariot drawn by four horses and surrounded by a court of bronze sea gods. In addition to Ammannati, numerous sculptors took part in the overall work, adopting the approach of exploiting the nature and colour of a wide variety of materials. The result was subjected to fierce criticism from the time of its completion, while today it is seen as an iconic example of the renewal of Mannerist sculpture shortly a er the mid-16th century, as opposed to the prevailing academicism typical of Michelangelo.

STATUE OF HERCULES AND CACUS

Arriving from the Uffizi, it is the first of the large statues adorning the arengario [government buildings] in Piazza della Signoria, opposite Palazzo Vecchio. Depicting the hero’s victory over the monstrous being, it was made to celebrate the return to power of the Medici.

JUDITH AND HOLOFERNES

The original work dates back to 1457. Authored by Donatello, it is preserved in the Gigli Hall in Palazzo Vecchio. The bronze copy of Judith and Holofernes has a place of honour on the arengario of the Palazzo Vecchio for its symbolic value. Indeed, it represents the victory of virtue over evil.

STATUE OF MARZOCCO

The Marzocco, the lion with his paw on a shield with the Florentine lily, is the symbol and protector of Florence. It is located between Judith and the Fountain of Neptune. A copy of Donatello’s sculpture of 1419 stands majestically in Piazza della Signoria, while the original is preserved at the Bargello.

DAVID BY MICHELANGELO

The original masterpiece is in the Accademia Gallery. A copy was placed in Piazza della Signoria in 1910, while we find an earlier copy in Piazzale Michelangelo. It dates back to 25 June 1873, and was pulled by nine pairs of oxen. Although they lack the pathos of Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the copies are fascinating. If you are already facing the Palazzo Vecchio, the walk to the Piazzale offers a delightful route amidst the city’s vegetation.

LOGGIA DEI LANZI

Situated on the southern side of Piazza della Signoria, this 14th-century gallery is one of the most interesting examples of Florentine Gothic architecture. Called Loggia dei Lanzi because the German mercenaries known as Landsknechte once found shelter here, since the 16th century it has practically been an outdoor museum of Renaissance sculpture, including statues such as Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa (1554), the Rape of the Sabine Women (1580), Her-

cules and the Centaur Nessus

(1598) by Giambologna, the Rape of Polyxena by Pio Fedi and the Roman marble statue Patroclus and Menelaus from the 1st century AD.

FONTANA DEL PORCELLINO

Here, good luck counts more than prestige. A stop at the 17th-century Fontana del Porcellino in the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo to stroke the nose of the bronze boar seems to be a good luck tradition.