Posts Tagged: Art

Anotomical models in wax made between 1770-1850.  La Specola, the oldest science museum in the world, should be the newest addition to a visitor’s Florentine itinerary. Opened to the public in 1775 by Grand Duke…. continue ›

Florence is the home of the first orphanage in the world. A structure entirely dedicated to the care and maintenance for the foundlings, or the ‘Innocents’ of the city. In the early fifteenth century two of…. continue ›

John the Baptist is the patron saint of Florence and his day of celebration is coming up very soon, on the 24th June, a public holiday for the Florentines. You can recognise St John the Baptist in visual imagery as…. continue ›

I am hopelessly in love with the piadina, the large flat round bread (25cm circa in diameter) of the Romagna region, north of Tuscany (the region is Emilia-Romanga). It was love at first sight and I…. continue ›

Santa Maria Novella pharmacy is a beautiful place to visit. It mixes the old with the new and it smells divine. As soon as you open the door, the wonderful aroma from the herbs and…. continue ›

The bell tower in the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square) is often overshadowed by the real protagonist, the house of God (the Duomo = domus dei = house of God), but it is one of…. continue ›

A wonderful American professor, who brings students to Florence every year, will be tickled pink when she hears of another old tall monument to climb in her beloved city. She climbs every tower or tall…. continue ›

I love a good chevalric order and the symbol of the uber prestigious Order of the Golden Fleece is my absolute favourite. Cosimo I de Medici, Duke of Florence at the time, was awarded the…. continue ›

Since the medieval period, the lion has been the animal symbol of Fiorenza (medieval Florence). The lion, representing the Republic of Florence, became known as the Marzocco. The origin of the name is believed to…. continue ›

Considering it’s Halloween, and tomorrow All Saint’s Day, I thought it appropriate to write a few lines on the so-called ‘English cemetery’ in Florence. Located in piazzale Donatello, the cemetery appears like an elevated island…. continue ›