The historic centre of Florence is part of
quartiere
A (; plural: ) is a territorial subdivision of certain Italian towns. The word derives from (‘fourth’) and was thus properly used only for towns divided into four neighborhoods by the two main roads. It has been later used as a synonymous ...
1 of the Italian city of
Florence. This quarter was named a
World Heritage Site by
UNESCO in 1982.
Built on the site of an Etruscan settlement, Florence, the symbol of the Renaissance, rose to economic and cultural pre-eminence under the Medici in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its 600 years of extraordinary artistic activity can be seen above all in the 13th-century cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore), the Church of Santa Croce, the Uffizi and the Pitti Palace, the work of great masters such as
Giotto,
Filippo Brunelleschi,
Sandro Botticelli and
Michelangelo.
Aspect
Closed inside the avenues traced on the old medieval walls, the historic centre of Florence collects the city's most important cultural heritage sites. Delimited by the 14th century wall circuit, built thanks to the economic and commercial power reached at the time, knew its maximum splendor in the following two centuries.
Spiritual center of the city is
Piazza del Duomo with the
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
Florence Cathedral, formally the (; in English Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower), is the cathedral of Florence, Italy ( it, Duomo di Firenze). It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally ...
, flanked by
Giotto's Campanile
Giotto's Campanile (, also , ) is a free-standing campanile that is part of the complex of buildings that make up Florence Cathedral on the Piazza del Duomo in Florence, Italy.
Standing adjacent to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore and the ...
and facing the
Baptistry of Saint John with the 'Gates of Paradise' by
Lorenzo Ghiberti
Lorenzo Ghiberti (, , ; 1378 – 1 December 1455), born Lorenzo di Bartolo, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Florence, a key figure in the Early Renaissance, best known as the creator of two sets of bronze doors of the Florence Baptistery ...
. From here to the north there are the
Palazzo Medici Riccardi by
Michelozzo, the
Basilica of Saint Lawrence by
Filippo Brunelleschi, with the precious sacristies of
Donatello and
Michelangelo. Furthermore, the
Museum of San Marco
Museo Nazionale di San Marco is an art museum housed in the monumental section of the medieval Dominican Order, Dominican convent of San Marco, Florence, San Marco dedicated to Mark the Evangelist, St Mark, situated on the present-day Piazza San ...
with masterpieces by
Fra Angelico
Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro; February 18, 1455) was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Vasari in his ''Lives of the Artists'' as having "a rare and perfect talent".Giorgio Vasari, ''Lives of the Artists''. Pengu ...
, the
Accademia Gallery which houses among other works the
David by
Michelangelo (1501–1504), and the
Piazza della Santissima Annunziata with the
Loggia of the Innocenti by
Filippo Brunelleschi.
Heading south from the Duomo there is the political and cultural center of Florence with
Palazzo Vecchio and the
Uffizi Gallery
The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian muse ...
nearby, near which are the
Bargello Museum
The Bargello, also known as the Palazzo del Bargello, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, or Palazzo del Popolo (Palace of the People), was a former barracks and prison, now an art museum, in Florence, Italy.
Terminology
The word ''bargello'' appear ...
and the
Basilica of the Holy Cross. Crossing the
Ponte Vecchio
The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge", ) is a medieval stone closed- spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy. The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during the Second World War, it is noted for the shops ...
we arrive at the
Oltrarno
The Oltrarno (''beyond the Arno'') is a quarter of Florence, Italy. It is located south of the River Arno. It contains part of the historic centre of Florence and many notable sites such as the church Santo Spirito di Firenze, Palazzo Pitti, Be ...
district with the
Pitti Palace and the
Boboli Gardens
The Boboli Gardens ( it, Giardino di Boboli) is a historical park of the city of Florence that was opened to the public in 1766. Originally designed for the Medici, it represents one of the first and most important examples of the Italian garden, ...
. Still in Oltrarno, there are the
Basilica of the Holy Spirit by
Filippo Brunelleschi and the
Church of Santa Maria del Carmine, with frescoes by
Masolino,
Masaccio and
Filippino Lippi
Filippino Lippi (April 1457 – 18 April 1504) was an Italian painter working in Florence, Italy during the later years of the Early Renaissance and first few years of the High Renaissance.
Biography
Filippino Lippi was born in Prato, Tusca ...
.
In the area west of the Duomo is situated the imposing palace
Palazzo Strozzi (home of major exhibitions and cultural institutions) and the
Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
Santa Maria Novella is a church in Florence, Italy, situated opposite, and lending its name to, the city's main railway station. Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence, and is the city's principal Dominican church.
The ch ...
, with the facade designed by
Leon Battista Alberti.
The old town can be appreciated in its entirety from the surrounding hills, especially from
Forte Belvedere, from the
Piazzale Michelangelo
Piazzale Michelangelo (Michelangelo Square) is a square with a panoramic view of Florence, Italy, located in the Oltrarno district of the city.
History
This Florentine piazza was designed by architect Giuseppe Poggi and built in 1869 on a hi ...
with the
Romanesque Basilica of
San Miniato al Monte
San Miniato al Monte (St. Minias on the Mountain) is a basilica in Florence, central Italy, standing atop one of the highest points in the city. It has been described as one of the finest Romanesque structures in Tuscany and one of the most scenic ...
and the hills of
Fiesole, which offers one of the most beautiful views of the
Arno
The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.
Source and route
The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a ...
valley.
The northern part of the old town is surrounded by the avenues of
Viali di Circonvallazione
The Viali di Circonvallazione are a series of 6-lane boulevards surrounding the north part of the historic centre of Florence.
History
The boulevards follow the outline of the ancient walls of Florence, that were demolished in 1865 according t ...
, a series of large six-lane avenues inspired by Parisian boulevard created when Florence was the capital of Italy.
The center of Florence, with its hundreds of business activities is a paradise for shopping and entertainment: elegant boutiques, historic cafes, the lively street markets, as well as hosting numerous nightclubs, discos, American-bar and meeting places for a drink (the famous
Negroni
A Negroni is an Italian cocktail, made of one part gin, one part vermouth rosso (red, semi-sweet) and one part Campari, garnished with orange peel. It is considered an apéritif.
A traditionally made Negroni is stirred, not shaken; it is built ...
cocktail was born here).
See also
*
Squares of the historic centre of Florence
References
Sources
*
External links
*
* Gianfranco Caniggia offers a comprehensive survey of the development process of Florence since the Roman era in his lecture
A Structural Reading of Florence presented at ETH Zurich in 1984 and reissued in 2022 as a film-video.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Historic Centre Of Florence
Historic districts
Quarters of Florence
Florence