The Other Florence

There is a Florence that is different from that classic one seen on the postcards: it is the Oltrarno zone, which stretches along the left bank of the River Arno. It is the Florence of the age-old crafts and traditions, where, in addition to the artisans’ shops, flea markets and typical restaurants, you can also discover numerous churches, piazzas, monuments and museums that can hold their own in comparison to those on the other side of the river. In the districts of the Oltrarno, San Frediano, Santo Spirito and San Niccolò, you breathe the air of a more authentic “Florentine-ness”. In this labyrinth of lanes and alleyways you can still find craftsmen and women who conserve and hand down original and sophisticated working methods, the direct descendants of those who have enriched Florence with their manufactured articles in centuries past. The confines between these districts are rather fluid, and each guide interprets them in its own way. Here we have divided them up into chapters simply for the sake of convenience, but in reality the Oltrarno can be considered one large sprawling district.

A LITTLE HISTORY

Florence was founded in the 1st century BC on the northern bank of the Arno. The first settlements on the other bank of the river date back to the 4th century AD, when a Christian community was established in the zone. In the Early Middle Ages the city “beyond the Arno” was enlarged and gradually became more important, although it was the last zone of Florence to be integrated into the city, with the sixth circle of walls. At that time the population of the Oltrarno was composed above all of working families and artisans, but a drastic change took place in the late 15th century when the rich Florentine families began to look at this area - which was still rural and quiet - as a healthier space compared to the very busy north bank. Among the first new residents there were the Pitti family, who built the Palazzo of the same name, but it was only with the arrival of the Medici family in 1550 that the zone became truly “fashionable”. The presence of the Medici gave a major boost to the artistic craftsmanship of the Oltrarno: the courtly families wanted to adorn their residences in the most refined manner and therefore required a large number of engravers, mosaicists, carvers, gilders, goldsmiths, silversmiths and blacksmiths, who began to be attracted from all parts of Tuscany and who still form the historic identity of the district today. In 1865 other major works, as a consequence of the moving of the capital of Italy to Florence, led to the realisation of the panoramic Piazzale Michelangelo. Despite everything, the Oltrarno has never had a chaotic development and has maintained the most authentic traditional atmosphere of the city.

SANTO SPIRITO, HISTORY AND ENTERTAINMENT

The district of Santo Spirito, located in the south west zone of the historic centre, has the square of the same name as its beating heart, with the Basilica of Santo Spirito, one of the most beautiful Renaissance churches in Florence, built from a project by Filippo Brunelleschi. Not far away from there, it is worthwhile taking a walk along Via Maggio, one of the streets with the largest concentration of Renaissance buildings in the city. In the palazzo at number 26, with its elegantly decorated façade, there once lived Bianca Cappello, the protagonist of one of the most talked-about love stories of the Renaissance. Cappello was a Venetian noblewoman with whom Francesco I de’ Medici fell madly in love, even though he was already married. The two nevertheless spent time together, and on the premature death of his wife, they could finally marry, but their idyll was soon upset by the mysterious death of both, perhaps due to poisoning. The palazzo possesses an underground corridor that reaches Palazzo Pitti, which the two lovers used to meet in secret and thanks to which, during World War II, numerous artworks present in the Vasari Corridor were saved. Today it is a private residence. A few streets further along, in fact, is the imposing Palazzo Pitti itself, which was the residence of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, of the Medici, of the Habsburg-Lorraines and, after the Unity of Italy, of the Savoys; today it houses various unmissable museums (www.uffizi.it/palazzo-pitti). Once you have completed the cultural part of your visit, you can browse around the stalls of the many flea markets that, especially in summer, enliven the area, or stop off at the numerous venues that are open till late at night, or take in one of the numerous concerts and performances that make the district one of the liveliest in Florence. Among the venues not to be missed in Santo Spirito is Gurdulù, a gourmet restaurant and cocktail bar offering regional dishes and a drinks menu ranging from the more classic to the more creative (www. gurdulu.com). If you fancy a pizza, you must not miss out on O’ Munaciello, the environments of which echo the alleyways of Naples and which - obviously - offers classic Neapolitan pizza (www.munaciello.com). If you like original cocktails and are a mixology enthusiast, Gosh is the place for you. Its design blends vintage objects, wallpaper with pink flamingos and chairs and lamps designed by the owner, a former fashion stylist (www.facebook.com/ goshfirenze). In Piazza Santo Spirito itself you can also find Volume, a museum-bookshopcafé, hosted in the spaces of a former historic hat shop (www.volume.fi.it).

SAN FREDIANO, A COOL NEIGHBOURHOOD

The district of San Frediano stretches, broadly speaking, from Porta San Frediano to Ponte alla Carraia. It is here, over the last twenty years, that one of the most rapid processes of gentrification in Florence has taken place: the old artisans’ shops have been transformed into studio workshops, the popular buildings have now become boutique hotels and the old art laboratories host events of international scope. Once considered among the most infamous neighbourhoods in the city, today San Frediano has become fashionable, also thanks to the famous Lonely Planet guide, which defined it as “the coolest neighbourhood in the world”. In particular, the street Borgo San Frediano has become renowned both for its traditional artisan shops and for the many venues spread out among its lanes and alleyways, but there is also no shortage of churches and historical monuments. In Piazza del Cestello, from which you can enjoy magnificent views of the noble palaces on the right bank of the Arno, there is the church of San Frediano in Cestello, with its incomplete bare stone and brick façade, built in the late 17th century. Not far away is Piazza del Carmine, with the Brancacci Chapel inside the Del Carmine church, which has a marvellous cycle of frescos by Masaccio, Filippino Lippi and Masolino da Panicale. Around the picturesque Piazza de’ Nerli, Via dei Cardatori and Via dei Tessitori [which translate as Carders’ Street and Weavers’ Street] harken back to the old trades of the inhabitants of the district. The preparation of tripe, one of Tuscany’s traditional dishes, flourished in Via dell’Orto and Via di Camaldoli until the 1970s. Indeed, in Piazza de’ Nerli there is a Florentine institution: the Tripe Vendor’s Stall of San Frediano, where you can taste the traditional trippa alla Fiorentina or a panino with lampredotto.

Remaining on the subject of typical foods, not far from here, if you wish to enjoy the genuine bistecca alla Fiorentina, why not stop off at the Antico Ristoro di Cambi. Here you can also taste pappa al pomodoro, ribollita and tagliatelle al ragù di cinghiale [wild boar meat sauce] (www.anticoristorodicambi.it). If you cannot resist a glass of Chianti accompanied by Tuscan cold cuts and schiacciata, then Il Vinaino di San Frediano is perfect for you (https://it-it.facebook.com/pages/Il-Vinaino- Di-San-Frediano/101435113309542). Also in this district, obviously, there is a (top-notch) option for pizza lovers: they can meet all your expectations at Berberè, where the national dish is prepared using only quality ingredients from small-scale producers, also with dough without yeast (www.berberepizza.it). For the after dinner, you are spoiled for choice in San Frediano. If you love signature cocktails, stop at Mad-Souls&Spirits (www.facebook.com/pg/ madsoulsandspirits/about/?ref=page_internal), but if you are fans of sake, you must go to Kawaii, the first sake bar in Italy with a list of spirits that will definitely make fans of Japan happy (www.kawaiifirenze.it). After dinner do you prefer an ice cream? Enjoy the crema buontalenti (with cream, whipped cream and fiordilatte) at La Sorbettiera di Antonio Ciabattoni (www.lasorbettiera.com). For an aperitif, music after dinner or an afternoon break, drop into La Cité Libreria Cafè, a small multi-functional cultural space combining books, cocktails and live music events (www.lacitelibreria.info).

THE MEDIEVAL ATMOSPHERE OF SAN NICCOLÒ

With its thick 13th-century walls still intact and its narrow cobble streets, San Niccolò resembles a small Tuscan town. From the ancient Porta di San Niccolò, built in 1324 in Piazza Giuseppe Poggi as a defence for the last circle of walls to the south east, you access the ramps that take you directly to Piazzale Michelangelo. Abounding in craft shops, art galleries and typical restaurants, San Niccolò is a lively district, full of young people and artists. It is here that, for example, Clet Abraham, the controversial French artist resident for years in Florence, has his studio; he often leaves his signature on street posters. Via San Nicolò is the meeting place for the district: very busy in summer, it offers plenty of places to eat, such as San Niccolò Bistrot, where you can explore Mediterranean cuisine with dishes from both land and sea (www.sanniccolobistrot.it), or Zeb, a small delicatessen where you can eat typical Tuscan dishes at the counter (www. zebgastronomia.com), perfect for a gourmet stopoff before tackling the ascent of Monte alle Croci. This itinerary, which winds its way up the hill, giving you priceless views of the city, takes you - after quite a long trek - to the magnificent Abbey of San Miniato al Monte (www.sanminiatoalmonte.it).

Oltrarno gardens

Some of the city’s most beautiful gardens are to be found precisely in the Oltrarno. You need only think of the most famous ones, the majestic Boboli Gardens, which act as the setting for Palazzo Pitti (www.uffizi.it/giardinoboboli), but also the splendid Bardini Gardens, which, as well as boasting countless species of flowers and plants, including roses, irises, hydrangeas and other decorative plants, thanks to their hillside position, give priceless views of Florence from high up (www.villabardini.it). And don’t miss the Iris Garden, with the flower that is the symbol of the city (societaitalianairis.com) and a little further along, the Rose Garden, which intoxicates the senses with its colours and perfumes in spring. In the very heart of the Oltrarno is the Torrigiani Garden, an authentic green lung for the district with its six hectares of expanse, which is important from a botanical point of view on account of the presence of old and new greenhouses, lemon houses and tepidaria, in addition to a large number of plants (www.giardinotorrigiani.it).

BY CHIARA ZACCARELLI