 |
NEW
SITE! Please return to home page Arttrav.com is under renovation - time to move to web 2.0 This section is no longer maintained.
|
| arttrav.com.
be informed. art. travel. food. shopping. |
|
The exterior of Florence is a museum in itself, best experienced by foot -- and it's free!
| images | name | tourist information |
Public Palazzi |
Palazzo is the italian word for city home; the plural of the word is Palazzi. Here I distinguish between those for public use and those for private, although architecturally in the Renaissance there was some cross-over between the two. | |
 |
Palazzo Vecchio, aka Palazzo della Signoria DOWNLOAD THE FREE PODCAST on piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio. |
|
 Brunelleschi's loggia |
Ospedale degli Innocenti The city's foundling hospital dates to 1445 and still operates, with limited functions, today. READ A LOT MORE about the Innocenti as an institution HERE!! |
Outside can be admired at any time. Museum open every morning 8,30 – 14,00, closed Wednesday. 4E entry. |
 |
Orsanmichele Technically a church, this building took on a civic function after a madonna it housed started performing miracles. The statues found in niches around this building are now all copies. The originals, important works by major artists of the early Renaissance, were installed in a museum on the top floor of the building, which is now unfortunately closed. These fantastic statues, evidence of the first flowering of the Renaissance, were commissioned by GUILDS, about which you can read in this essay about florence and guild membership. |
Closed, but can be admired from the outside. The statues are copies but the niches in which they are placed are original.
|
| Private Palazzi | ||
 |
Palazzo Davanzati This palazzo, comissioned by the Davizi family in the mid 14th century, has been undergoing drastic restoration after it was closed in 1995 due to structural safety problems. Over 3.5 million euros and ten years later they are still not finished. They have completed the architectural consolidation but are painstakingly working on the frescoes and floors of each room. See photos and read more here. |
AS OF JUNE 6/2005 NOW OPEN!!! you can now access the main courtyard and the first floor, with four rooms. Daily 8.15 - 13.30, free. Via Porta Rossa. |
Palazzo Medici-Riccardi |
Some areas of the interior are visitable, including the private chapel painted with and Adoration of the Magi by Benozzo Gozzoli. | |
| Palazzo Rucellai Commissioned by Giovanni Rucellai, probably from Alberti, and built around 1450, this palace is a monument to the importance of Giovanni's family in the Santa Maria Novella neighbourhood. Read more on Rucellai here. |
||
| Palazzo Antellesi The fresco facade of this building is notable, being one of the few polychrome facades with a still-legible programme. |
In piazza Santa Croce. Interior not open to the public. (Now a luxury rental apartment!) | |
| Ville | A villa (ville, plural) is a private home outside of the city, characterized by "good air" and pleasant views. Some can be reached by local bus. | |
| Medici Ville | Castello | more promised soon... |
| Poggio a Caiano - plan a day trip out here with this mini-guide | ||
| Petraia | ||
Arttrav's custom reading list: Amazon "aStore"
Get a 4% hotel discount by entering
this code at checkout on Venere.com
AMC69P5
