Alla mia famiglia e amici.: Florence

our last Tuscan city is by far my favorite, Firenze! we stayed at Hotel Centrale, a great place for a bunch of students in a wonderful location, just a few blocks from the historic center. our first evening in Florence we had a delicious group dinner at Paoli, a great little place down an ally with amazing ribollita, a Tuscan soup made with vegetables, bread, and beans. the following morning we visited the highlights and key sites of the early Renaissance: the Duomo S. Maria del Fiore, the Bell tower by Giotto, the Battistero, Piazza della Signoria, and the Ponte Vecchio. the Ponte Vecchio was perfect for any girl looking for a flashy piece of jewelry or a class italian cameo (i had my eye on some black and white earrings.) we also had the opportunity to visit the “Capucci Foundation”, museum dedicated to the creations of fashion designer Roberto Capucci. we had to hike up the hills of Florence to get to the museum, was it worth it? eh, his idea of fashion isn't mind so i didn't think so but check out the pictures, to each is own. only a short break for lunch, and we were back fulfilling our busy schedule. the Accademia where Michelangelo’s DAVID, the world famous sculpture masterpiece, was our first stop and the Leather School wrapped up the day. Michelangelo's DAVID is awesome and perfect. Michelangelo had to know everything about the male body to accurately sculpt the protruding muscles and the perfect features, while capturing emotion in DAVID. it might be clique to say it's my favorite sculpture but it is, well right below Bernini's, Apollo and Daphne in the Borghese Museum in Roma. (the story of the Apollo and Daphne is a drama, click the link to learn about it!) before we left the following day for our weekend in Cinque Terre, we visited two last places: the showroom of Roberto Barthel and the Uffizi Gallery. Barthel's design concept was, and still is, to create functional household pieces from restored old florence found objects and things originally by florentine artists. Barthel's showroom/design studio was what i would love to aspire to have one day. rooms so creative, things very outside the box, and materials, samples, and show pieces to die for. if you're ready to drop a couple million euro on a new boat (well old, but new) roberto specializes in yacht restoration and design. inside the Uffizi Gallery were face to face with masterpieces from the Medici collection from the 1300s to the Baroque; including works by Giotto, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Caravaggio, Tiziano and others. the ones that caught my eye included the works by Botticelli: the “Birth of Venus” and the “Spring”. before saying arrividerci to Florence, i had to make one last stop...the San Lorenzo Leather Market. how can a girl resist a leather purse...or two. i'm the type of person who doesn't buy something unless: 1. i'd physically die without it or be in pain. 2. i'm in love with it. 3. i'm in love with it and it's completely unique that i'll probably never see it again. 4. i know i can afford it. 5. can't stop thinking about it. sooo when i went to the market i didn't think i was going to find anything. the purses kind of looked all the same, nothing special, i was looking for ostridge skin, it wasn't to be found. at the end of my search i thought i'd go into one last shop behind the street vendors. well i didn't find one purse, i found two. this great camel color bucket bag and a great over the body satchel kinda purse. i couldn't decide. but i knew what i was willing to spend so i ended up leaving with both bags, originally 88euro and 125euro ( or something like that), i ended up with both for 125euro. andddd i lovee them! it was a great end in a girl's mind to Florence. last stop on the agenda: Cinque Terre. not in the hills of Tuscany but on the water in Italy's Liguria region.

A replica of Michelangelo's David

Did You Know?

Julius Caesar founded Florence in 59 BC as the retirement location for his veteran soldiers. People who live in Florence are called “Florentines.” The Italian name for Florence is “Firenze”. The city of Florence is considered the “birthplace of the Italian Renaissance” and the “Athens of the Middle Ages”.
Florence was home to the infamous Medici family from the 14th century to the 18th century. Leonardo da Vinci, polymath; Niccolo Machievelli, poet and philosopher; Galileo Galilei, astronomer and physicist; Amerigo Vespucci, explorer; Donatello, sculptor; Rafael, painter; Robert Cavalla, fashion designer; and Guccio Gucci, fashion designer and founder of the Gucci label all lived in Florence.
In 1339, Florence became the first city in Europe to have paved streets. Florence Nightingale was born in and named after the city of Florence. There are 465 steps to the top of Brunelleschi’s cupola. Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge in Florence to have survived WWII intact. Hitler declared it was too beautiful to destroy.
Regional dishes include: Crostini Toscani, sliced bread rounds topped with chicken pate; Bistecca alla Fiorentia, a large very rare T-Bone steak cooked over charcoal; and Tagliata, sliced rare beef served on a bed of arugula, topped with slices of Parmesan cheese.

{}Ponte Vecchio “old bridge”{}

Ponte Vecchio is one of the best known images in Florence.
It is a Medieval close-spandrel segmental stone arch bridge over the Arno River.
In the 15th century these shops were greengrocers, butchers, and fishmongers. But then perhaps because of their bad smell, Ferdinando I replaced them with goldsmiths, making the road more elegant and cleaner.
It has always hosted shops and merchants who displayed their goods on tables before their premises.The back shops (retrobotteghe) that may be seen from upriver, were added in the seventeenth century.
In 1565 the Duke of Florence,had the famous Corridor built on the upper side passing over the shops. The Mannelli family who owned a medieval tower at the southern end, towards Pitti Palace, did not want to give the Duke right of passage. So the corridor had to be deviated, as we can still see today, around the tower.
During WWII, the Germans destroyed all of the bridges in Florence except for the Ponte Vecchio. Access was instead obstucted by destroyed buildings at both ends which have since been rebuilt with a combination of original and modern design.
The term “bankruptcy” is said to of originated here. When a merchant could not pay his debts, the table on which he sold his wares (the "banco") was physically broken ("rotto") by soldiers and this practice was called "bancorotto" (broken table).
Along the Ponte Vecchio, there were many padlocks locked to various places, especially to the railing around the statue of Benvenuto Cellini. This is a recent tradition for the Ponte Vecchio. It is popularly connected to idea of love and lovers: by locking the padlock and throwing the key into the river, the lovers became eternally bonded.
This is an example of the negative impact of mass tourism: thousands of padlocks needed to be removed frequently, spoiling or damaging the structure of the centuries-old bridge; however, it seems to have decreased after the city administration put a sign on the bridge mentioning a 50€ penalty for those caught locking something to the fence.
We can still see many jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers here today.

(via Rachel Smitherman)

Ponte Vecchio Bridge

"Love" Locks by the Arno River

{}Riccardo Barthel Interiors and Yachting{}

Ricardo Barthel Yachting was founded in Florence in 1976 from the idea of Riccardo Barthel because he wanted to transform his passion for interior design into something he could do for a living.
The first productions were of handmade decorative materials for bathrooms and kitchens.
His vision was to revive the finest tradition of Florentine and European craftsmanship.
The original vocation to restoration lead the family firm to design and create furnishings for whole spaces: including private homes, hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops.
1994 Barthel moved to Via dei Serragli in the Historic center of Florence. Here, there has flourished into fine exibitions of incredible interior design furnishings found in the most characteristic markets in Europe.
In 2001, a new location was built in Forte dei Marmi in order to gain the aristocratic audience of Versilia, which happened to be in a former boating storage space. This galowed the company to extend its activity to the nautical sector.
And since 2003, Barthel started to design unique furnishings for both vintage and modern day boats including the reproduction of original models.
Today, Riccardo Barthel is known for his unbelievable and impeccable designs that have given an edge to the Italian art of living spaces.
Mostly brass is used for on-board design as well as handmade porcelain and glass.
With the materials they use techniques such as turning, printing, engraving, and casting to create and reproduce original and unique elements. Huge focus on handles, lights fixtures, and vintage pieces.

(via Sallie Robbins)

+ Florence Duomo +

It is called the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and is located in Piazza del Duomo.
Construction began in 1296 in the Gothic style of Arnolfo di Cambio.
The dome is the 4th largest church in the world but with the largest brick dome ever constructed.
It was the site of an earlier cathedral dedicated to Santa Reparata, but the population began to increase so they had to build over it.
The construction started with Arnolfo di Cambio, but after Cambio’s death, had many architects who worked on it, slowing construction down due to deaths of architects and the black plague in 1348, which brought construction to a complete stop then resumed about 27 years later.
In 1418 most of the cathedral was built, but the dome still remained.
Brunelleschi designed the brick dome to go over the high altar at the crossing and was finished in 1436.
BUT the red, white, and green marble on the outside of the cathedral wasn’t finished until about 400 years later (1461).
The cathedral was consecrated by Pope Eugene IV on March 25, 1436.
The dimensions of the building are 502 ft in length and 124 feet in width, and the dome is 375 ft tall.
It consists of 44 windows with stain glass and depicts the saints from the Old and New Testament and the windows in the dome show Christ and Mary.
The Gothic interior gives an empty impression and responds with the religious life- many of the decorations have been lost or put into the museum opera del duomo.
Above the main door is the colossal clack face with portraits of four Prophets… it is a one handed liturgical clock that shows the Italian 24 hour time and is one of the few clocks from that time that still exist and is working.
The crypt contains the tomb of Brunelleschi close to then entrance and is open to the public.

(via Rae Ann Boswell)

Santa Maria del Fiore aka the Duomo if Florence

+ Brunelleschi's Dome +

The church is called the Santa Maria del Fiore (Saint Mary of the Flowers).
It is known as the Duomo of Florence.
Inside the Duomo is decorated with marble floors but the rest is pretty simple compared to some Italian churches.
The fresco is called “The Last Judgement” and was designed by Vasari and Zucchari. One side is painted with images of heaven and the other with images of hell.
The Duomo is 142 feet (larger than St. Peters, the Pantheon, or the Capitol Building in Washington).
It was the largest dome in the world until the Metrodome in Minneapolis was built.
There are two domes, a lighter one and a heavier outside dome that can withstand the high winds.
To support the dome Brunelleschi devised an ring and rib support from oak timbers.
Other than a few modifications to remove rotted wood, the supports still hold up the entire dome.
He created a herringbone pattern with the bricks that redirected the weight of the bricks outwards towards the dome's supports, instead of downwards to the floor. By observing carefully the curve of the dome as it took shape, Brunelleschi was able to place this bricks in key areas.
Most people thought there was no way that Brunelleschi could build the dome but today it has been through earthquakes and the replacement of several oak beams on the inside.
Brunelleschi was initially trained as goldsmith.
After a three year trip in Rome, he began studying art and architecture.
Brunelleschi kept many of his plans for building the dome secret as it was constructed, because he feared that his rivals would steal his ideas.
He was admired by DaVinci and he even did several drawings of the building process and contraptions of the dome.
Brunelleschi was born in 1377 and died in 1446.
He was one of the foremost architects and engineers of the Italian Renaissance.

(via Katie Whitehurst)

Brunelleschi's Dome: interior

+ Leather School of Santa Croce +

The school was created after WWII in the 1930s by Franciscan friars of the Santa Croce Monastery and the Gori family- their mission was to give orphans of the war a way to trade and earn a living.
The school is still owned by the Gori family today and resident friars.
The first students came from Pisa and they turned an old dormitory space into a classroom.
They were taught the differences between different leathers and how to cut leather.
The students started by making handbags, briefcases, and other small items, and the more gifted students would make desk sets, jewelry cases, and leather using 22 carat gold.
In May of 1950, the school was growing and opened its doors to clients- some of the first contracts were made with the US Air Force and Army and even President Eisenhower in the oval office (hand crafter leather desk set).
On November 4th, 1966, the Arno River flooded Florence and the school was engulfed with water and mud- which damaged the business for a whole year.
In 1968, President Saragat, helped recovery the school and bring back the business.
The school welcomes many international visitors such as: the Royal Families of England, Japan, and Sweden, the Queen of Greece, President Ronald Reagan and wife, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Sen. And Mrs. Ted Kennedy, Paul Newman, Audrey Hepburn, Spielberg, etc.
They also have partnerships all over the world, including: Mazda, American Express, General Electric, etc.
Today the school still accepts students and gives scholarships- full courses range from 3 months to a year and short courses can be 3 hours to a week.
They are in collaboration with CLIDA (Culture and Language School for foreigners in Florence) to give the students a deeper experience of Italian heritage and learn computer based applications for design/pattern making.
The products include: bags, apparel, luggage, home décor, small accessories.