Wedding in Florence

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Today it’s Valentine day so my post is dedicated to all the loving people of the world!

A Romantic wedding in Florence is a dream, and a lot of people come from all over the world to get married here.
There are several agencies that offer a complete wedding-planner service: you can get married in the suggestive Sala Rossa, the “red room” of the town-hall (Palazzo Vecchio), or in a church of any religion: Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and more.

Surely the most perfect place to have a romantic wedding in Florence is the church of San Miniato al Monte, an ancient Romanic church on the top of the green hills around the city, just a few meters away from Piazzale Michelangelo, where you can have a breath-taking view of the whole city.

Those agencies offers complete packages containing wedding, documents, interpreter, flowers, makeup and hairstyle for the bride, transportation, professional photographers, wedding reception, special travels for the couple, etc, etc…

Here are some useful links if you’re dreaming to get married in Florence:

http://www.weddingflorence.com/
http://www.weddingandflorence.com/
http://www.florence-weddings.com/

http://www.weddingsitaly.com/

Piazzale Michelangelo

Sunday, January 25, 2009

The Piazzale Michelangelo is surely one of the most beautiful places to visit in Florence Italy. Placed high on a green hillside overlooking the city, visitors can enjoy a breathtaking view of the whole city: you can spot the duomo, Palazzo Vecchio with its tower, Giotto’s bell-tower, the Arno river that flows and tear the city in two parts, with its bridges in sequence.
Then turn around and look at the green hills around you, with classic and elegant Tuscany villas and the remaining ancient walls of Florence.

Piazzale Michelangelo was built in 1869 and designed by architect Giuseppe Poggi, when Florence became the capital city of Italy (for a short period) and needed big, magnificent public spaces to represent the power of the newborn Reign of Italy.
A replica of Michelangelo's Statue of David stands in the centre of the plaza.

San Miniato al Monte

Near Piazzale Michelangelo there’s a wonderful Romanesque church, San Miniato al Monte, that’s so beautiful that lots of people from all over the world come here to get married. Beside the church there’s a monumental cemetery, and it’s surrounded with a nice small cypress forest where is such a pleasure to take a walk!

the wedding of a japanese couple in San Miniato al Monte

the monumental cemetery of San Miniato al Monte

You can reach Piazzale Michelangelo from the historical center with bus, number 12 or 13, it’s about a 15 minutes ride.

The Duomo of Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore

Monday, January 19, 2009

The construction of the Duomo, the Cathedral also called Santa Maria del Fiore, was started by Arnolfo di Cambio on the 8th September 1296. It is the fourth longest church in the world (after Saint Peter in Rome, Saint Paul in London and the Cathedral in Milan). In some experts' opinion, Arnolfo's project was quite different from the present building, but the outside walls undoubtedly are the same as those in the original plan. When Arnolfo died in 1310, there was a delay in the works. They however were started again in 1331, when the Guild of Wool Merchants took over the construction of the church. In 1334 Giotto was appointed ‘master’ of the works. He mainly attended to the building of the campanile (bell tower) and died three years later. There were several interruptions until 1367, when a competition was held and a final model for the church by four architects and four painters was accepted. The vault of the nave was finished in 1378 and the aisles were completed in 1380.
Between this year and 1421 the tribunes and probably the drum of the dome were built. The octagonal dome, consisting of two concentric shells linked together, was completed in 1434. A competition was held for the dome in 1418 and, after many doubts, Filippo Brunelleschi's project was accepted in 1420. The church, dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore (fiore referring to Florence) was consecrated on the 25 of March, 1436.
The remarkable differences in the various parts of the Cathedral show the evident changes in taste during the long time passed between the foundation of the church and its completion. Outside the shape of the round blind arches is a Romanesque vestige. The whole interior, with its huge arches, doors and windows, is Gothic . The dome is a masterpiece of the Renaissance. The façade, though in Gothic style, is from the 19th century. On the north side of the Cathedral, the Porta della Mandorla, dating from the 15th century, shows a Gothic influence both in the architectural design and decoration.

The interior, in the shape of Latin cross, consists of a nave and two aisles. Massive pillars with composite capitals support the Gothic groined vaults.
The frescoes on the north aisle, representing two 'condottieri' on horseback, are by Paolo Uccello and by Andrea del Castagno. In the lunettes above the entrances to the two sacristies there are terracotta works by Luca della Robbia. The design of the round stained glass window is by Lorenzo Ghiberti.

Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence Dome

Saturday, January 17, 2009

I took these pictures of Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore) in a bright fresh morning of June 2008, just after a thick but quick rain, the air was clean and the sky was so bright... the big red silhouette of the dome was making a perfect contrast with the blue of the sky.

I always think that Filippo Brunelleschi did a great job building this dome!

The Abbey of San Galgano and the (real) Sword in the Stone

Monday, January 12, 2009

The abbey of Saint Galgano rises approximately 30 km from Siena, between the towns of Monticiano and Chiusdino, in a wild and unspoilt landscape, the sweet and charming Tuscany countryside.The Abbey of Saint Galgano was built between 1218 and 1268: it has represented throughout the centuries an important stop and point of reference in this corner of Tuscany for travellers, pilgrims and people of every kind, which was densely populated, rich in churches, castles, villages, abbeys and monasteries.

The abbey was built in a wonderful gothic Italian style, with pointed arches and big decorated pilasters. It’s an excellent example of tuscanian gothic architecture, with the typical elements of Pisa’s and Siena’s architecture.

Nowadays the Abbey is deconsecrated, abandoned and partially ruined, but still full of charm: it has no more ceiling, but when you’re inside the church and look up, you can see the most beautiful ceiling in the world: the bright blue sky of Tuscany! As floor there’s green soft grass… seems that nature re-integrated the abbey with the landscape: in my own opinion this is a perfect example of how men and nature worked together to build a huge tribute to God… and they reached a perfect equilibrium.
Near the abbey there’s the Montesiepi Chapel, a small church where is the famous Sword in the Stone, not the King Arthur’s one (this is just a legend), but the only existing original sword in the stone, in the whole world.

The sword in the stone has been stuck by San Galgano into the rock emerging on the top of the hill in 1180, to symbolize his rejection of war, he plunged his sword into the rock, which miraculously "parted like butter", leaving only the hilt exposed to form the shape of the Cross: the Saint used to pray in front of this Cross.

To honour the Saint, around it has been built a small lovely round chapel, between 1182 and 1185.

The sword has been considered a fake for many years, but a metal dating research in 2001 made by the University of Siena has indicated that it really has medieval origins. The composition of the metal used for the blade doesn't show the use of modern techniques, and the style and shape is compatible with that ones of an original 12th century sword.

Very near the Abbey and the Montesiepi Chapel there’s a small bar-reastaurant where you can stop and taste a glass of local red wine with some sandwiches stuffed with the tasty salame, ham and others typical tuscanian foods.

Santa Maria Novella

Monday, November 10, 2008

Santa Maria Novella is one of the most celebrated churches of Florence, and probably it's also my favorite one. It had been built by the Dominican friars in the second half of 13th century in gothic style; it became quickly one of the main reference model for the italian gothic style. The church had been planned by some architects-friars in 1200 AD, while the facade instead was added during the renaissance, and had been designed by Leon Battista Alberti.

The church externally presents the typical aspect of medieval architecture of Florence: solid and simple, made with local yellow stone (pietra forte), a simple kind of stone, not refined. A lot would seem a confidential church, focused on the inside, but the three enormous decorated windows of the apse let the light shine, as beautiful as innovative considering the time of the ages and and height of the openings too.

The inside is a real masterpiece of gothic architecture: I mean the italian gothic, if you're looking for things like Notre Dame de Paris you could be disappointed, because that is french gothic which is quite different. Italian gothic was born before french one and has established canons and rules of the style; in France then the style has been reinterpretated in a very characteristic way. The gothic style of Santa Maria Novella is sober, strict and essential, ornaments are not elaborated sculptures and hazarous vaults, but it is adorned with the most simple and true qualities: geometry, the contrasting colors of the materials, an incredible constructive skill.

The plan is cross shaped, with three aisles and pointed arches. Arches are decorated with alternated green and white stones. The spans as they are approached all' apse reduces own width, increasing the perspective effect and giving the illusion that the aisles are longer than they really are. This testifies the huge skills of architects of 1200 AD: a careful study of the perspective, in an age in which it was still unknown. Over the altar has been recently replaced the famous wooden Christ by Brunelleschi, eventually restored. The ambient inside is wonderful in its simple perfection given from geometry, and is more lightful thanks to the three great windows of the apse.

The facade by Leon Battista Alberti represents the synthesis of all the ideals of beauty in renaissance: a modular, geometric facade, organized with geometric rules and proportions. The two lateral curls in the upper part of the facade are an addition stuck there in baroque age, try to imagine the facade without the curls and find the perfect proportions.

Santa Maria Novella is not only a church, is a complete monastic complex with a cemetary, a botanical garden, the refectory and various chiostri. Also these places are wonderful and decorated with spectacular frescoes and sure deserve a visit.

There is also an ancient herbalist shop runned by friars since 1500 AD, with lots of typical herbal products and wonderful ancient furniture and jars.

Here's a video guide that I found on youtube of the church of Santa Maria Novella, very useful for your tour!