Florence originated as a Roman city, founded in 59 BC by Julius Caesar as a settlement for veteran Roman soldiers. Because of its location on the Arno River, it quickly became a commercial center. The Florentine merchant banking skills became recognized in Europe after they brought decisive financial innovation to medieval fairs. After a long period as a flourishing trading and banking medieval commune, it was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. It was politically, economically, and culturally one of the most important cities in Europe and the world from the 14th to 16th centuries. This was during the rise in power of the Medici dynasty and it was during this time that art and culture became well established by the Medicis in Florence due to the many commissions of work they bestowed upon artists such as Leonardo, Michelangelo and Botticelli.
Florence really is a magnificent city. It is fun to just wander around and see what’s around the next corner. The buildings are old, the architecture is fascinating and there is something to be learned everywhere. Today, Florence is also a fashion capital. The shops along every street have exquisite displays of fashion accessories, especially shoes (lots and lots of wonderful Italian shoes), handbags, leather goods, etc. And jewelry is everywhere. The entire Ponte Vecchio is bling city, lined on both sides with very flashy jewelry shops.
As we were leaving the apartment this morning, I noticed a rally or something happening across the river. There was a crowd of people as far as the eye could see marching down the other side. It was hundreds and hundreds of people, most of them wearing purple T-shirts with words and a logo. I was able to determine the words Corri la Vita (Life Run). What we were seeing was the Florence equivalent to our breast cancer walk Relay for Life. It was invigorating seeing this and when we crossed the Trinitas Bridge, to be among some of the participants.
Our destination today was the Piazzale Michelangelo. This is a hillside square that boasts the best panoramic views of Florence. We rambled our way through little streets heading towards an old city gate that would start us up the hill to the Piazzale. As I mentioned, the architecture is wonderful and there are many interesting facades on buildings.
We passed by a little church and stuck our head in. This was Chiesa Santa Lucia dè Magnoli dating back to 1078. Its interior was beautiful and had a Madonna and Child painting that fascinated me. It was in the Byzantine style with the subjects almost black-appearing.
As we were walking up the hill to the square, we came upon Giardino delle rose, the Rose Garden, which is a terraced garden park originally created by Giuseppe Poggi in 1865, the guy who also designed the Piazzale Michelangelo. The Rose Garden is a public park and has lots of rose bushes, some sculptures and a Japanese Garden section. For those who don’t want to keep climbing up to the Piazzale, the garden has a couple of great spots for seeing the panoramic views of Florence.
We did choose to keep climbing up to the Piazzale. We took it slow and steady and rested after each flight of steps, but the climb is definitely worth it. To reward ourselves in getting to the Piazzale, we went to the café in the loggia that overlooks the square and had a cappuccino. It was such a lovely spot to sit and enjoy a beverage and take in the view. Unfortunately, several motorcycle clubs came roaring up the hill into the Piazzale creating a great deal of noise and causing a huge traffic jam. I’ll bet there were 500 or more motorcycles in the groups. What a racket they made!
The view from the Piazzale is extraordinary. It’s hard to take it all in. And here are some photos showing that view.
We then went uphill some more and up more stairs to the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte. This is another historic and very old church. San Miniato (St. Minias) was the first martyr of Florence. His story is another story of beheading and as the story goes, after he was beheaded he carried his head from his hermitage across the Arno to the site of the current abbey. This is an abbey church and the monks produce famous liqueurs, honey and herbal teas. The façade of San Miniato is one of the masterpieces of Florentine Romanesque architecture, inspired by a solid and geometric classicism taken from the marble inlays of the Roman monumental buildings. The present church was built in the 11th century. In front of the church is a small cemetery with crypts and a very large columbarium where cremains are stored.
We then ambled our way back down the hill, this time taking shaded switchback roads and pass-through with few steps. We came out near the river at the Torre di San Niccolo. This was a tower and gate in the old defensive walls of Florence, erected in 1324.
We continued on our way back towards the Trinitas bridge, the next bridge down past the Ponte Vecchio and the closest bridge to or flat. I wanted to see if I could identify the church directly across the river from our flat, the tower the we see from our window. We learned that this was Chiesa di San Jacopo Sopr’Arno. It is an Orthodox church in the Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy and Malta, and it appears to be connected with the Greek branch of the Orthodox Church as much of the sign board outside the church was in Greek.
Before crossing back across the river, we treated ourselves to some scrumptious gelato, our first in Italy.
This was a very nice day and we both remarked that finding the Rose Garden unexpectedly was like when we found Sa Maison, the secret garden in Floriana the day we took our huge hike from Sliema to Valletta. I like these kind of low-key walkabout days where we can just explore and drink in the ambience of the place.
Just beautiful! I find myself looking forward to reading your posts and enjoying the pictures. It’s the next best thing to being there. I’m very glad that you share your adventures with us!
Thanks, Michele. I am so happy you are along for the ride. Hope all is well with you.
The Piazzale Michelangelo has a great view of Florence. Kay and I didn’t get there when we were in Florence. We saw the Duomo area and bridges up close, but I really like your overview photos. It was very busy in late May when we were there, but lots of beautiful and interesting things to see. You’re whole trip looks amazing. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and photos.