[Headnote: SAGRESTIA NUOVA.] From this chapel a short narrow pa.s.sage leads to the +Sagrestia Nuova+, or the Cappella dei Depositi, containing the monuments and mortal remains of Giuliano, Duke of Nemours, and brother of Pope Leo X.; and of their nephew Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino, and father of Catherine of Medicis; these two monuments, with the statue of Moses at Rome, are the greatest works of Michael Angelo. The plan of the edifice was conceived by Pope Leo, but the design and execution were entrusted in 1521 to Michael Angelo. The interior is disappointing.
A formal square chapel, with walls partly encrusted with whitish marble, supported by two tiers of Corinthian pilasters of that cold grey stone called pietra dura, and pierced with doors and windows arranged in the same tame, flat style. To the right on entering is the grand monument of Giuliano. He is represented in a sitting posture, with his left hand gloved and raised. The bent forefinger touches the upper lip, which seems to yield to the pressure. The helmet throws a deep shade on the countenance. The two statues reclining on the urn represent Day and Night. Day is little more than blocked, yet most magnificent. To have done more would have weakened the striking effect of the whole, which is heightened by what is left to the imagination. Night is finely imagined.
The att.i.tude is beautiful, mournful, and full of the most touching expression--the drooping head and the supporting hand are unrivalled in the arts. Opposite is the monument of the nephew. The att.i.tude of Lorenzo is marked by such a cast of deep melancholy brooding as to have acquired for it the t.i.tle of "il pensiero." Beneath are the personifications of Evening and Dawn. Twilight is represented by a superb manly figure, reclining and looking down; the breadth of chest and the fine balance of the sunk shoulder are masterly, while the right limb, which is finished, is incomparable. The Aurora is a female figure of exquisite proportions. In its serene countenance a spring of thought, an awakening principle, seems to breathe life into the face of stone, as if preparing it to open its eyes with the rising day. In front of the altar is a striking but unfinished Madonna, by Michael Angelo. On the right is a statue of San Cosmo, by Montorsoli, a pupil of Michael Angelo"s, and on the left Santo Damiano, by Montelupo.
[Headnote: BIBLIOTHECA LAURENTIANA.]
A door in the middle of the south aisle of the church of S. Lorenzo leads into the cloister, whence ascend the staircase, by Vasari, to the Bibliotheca Mediceo-Laurentiana. The books are kept in desks. Open from 9 to 3. Closed on feast-days. Fee, 1 fr. This library was founded by Cosmo in 1444. Amongst the remarkable ma.n.u.scripts there is one of Virgil of the 4th cent. in Roman capitals, not very different in form from the letters on ancient Roman marbles; it is on vellum, of the size of a small quarto, with notes; the notes written in the 5th cent. by the Consul Turcius Rufus Ap.r.o.nia.n.u.s, as his signature attests. This is one of the most ancient legible ma.n.u.script books in Europe of which the period is authentic. The ma.n.u.script of Virgil, in the Vatican library, with paintings, was said to be of the 4th cent., of the time of Constantine. The ma.n.u.scripts of the middle ages, instead of being in Roman capitals, are written in letters resembling in some degree the small Roman printed letter now in use; and, at a still later period, they are in a running hand. This library also possesses the celebrated ma.n.u.script of the Pandects, supposed to be of the time of Justinian, in the 6th cent., written in capital letters, which vary a little from the capitals on ancient Roman marbles; it is on vellum, of the size of a large folio book; it was brought from Pisa, and Cosmo I. caused an edition to be printed from it by Lelio Torelli. A Tacitus, of the 11th cent. is in a running letter. The library contains 8000 volumes of ma.n.u.scripts. Many of them are chained to the desks.
[Headnote: ETRUSCAN MUSEUM.]
Between S. Lorenzo and San Maria Novella in the Via Faenza, No. 144, is the Etruscan and Egyptian Museum. Open from 9 to 4. Fee, 1 fr. Free on Sundays.
_First Room_, The vases stand round the room in gla.s.s cases. The earliest are in the first case to the right. Next, case 11, is the entrance to an Etruscan tomb, which in its main features resembles that in which our Lord lay. From the frescoes, which are copies of the original on the tomb near Orvieto, it will be observed that the Etruscans seem to have treated death as a feast, to which the spirits were invited by the G.o.ds. _Second Room_, In the centre is the vase of Peleus, or vase of Francois, by whom it was discovered in 1845 near Chiusi. It is supposed to have been modelled by Ergatimos, and painted by c.l.i.tias. _Third Room_, Minor objects. _First Octagon Room_, Beautiful gold ornaments, beads, and gla.s.s bowls. Etruscan coins. From this room a corridor extends to a similar room, in which is a beautiful bronze statue of Pallas Athene with the aegis, and some fine Etruscan mirrors.
_Fourth Room_, In the centre stands the Chimaera, one of the celebrated statues of antiquity. _Fifth Room right_, Armour. _Sixth Room_, Etruscan sculpture. Both of the gems of the collection are in this room--_The Orator_, a bronze statue above life size, discovered near Lake Thrasymene; and an _Etruscan Sarcophagus_, which lay nearly 2000 years buried in the earth, and is supposed to have been made about 300 years B.C. From this we enter, by a pa.s.sage covered with inscriptions, into the Egyptian Museum. _First Room_, In the centre, a Scythian war-chariot (the only specimen known), and by the side of it the remains of the Egyptian soldier who probably captured the chariot in battle. _Second Room_, The most interesting object here is the fresco of the _Last Supper, by Raphael_, in 1505, when only twenty-two. On the border of St.
Thomas"s dress are the date and name. In the last great hall are sarcophagi, reliefs, statues, obelisks, idols, mummies, portraits, and tabernacles.
[Headnote: S. MARIA NOVELLA.]
Close to the railway station, and a short way west from the cathedral and S. Lorenzo, is the church of +Santa Maria Novella+, facing the piazza of the same name, adorned with two large obelisks of Serravezza Mischio marble, crowned with Florentine lilies in bronze, by G. Bologna, 1608.
[Headnote: RUCELLAI CHAPEL--GHIRLANDAIO--BRUNELLESCHI.]
This church, standing south and north, was commenced in 1221 and finished in 1371. The facade was designed by L. Alberti, and erected at the expense of G. Rucellai, whose name is inscribed on the frieze, "Joannes Orcellarius, 1470." Affixed to it are gnomonic instruments, made by Ign.a.z.io Dante in 1573. In the interior, the fresco over the princ.i.p.al door is after the Lippi school. The crucifix is by a pupil of Giotto, Puccio Capanna. On the wall to the right of the door is a remarkable fresco, a Trinity, by Masaccio; opposite is a fresco attributed to Gaddi. But the most interesting objects are all at the northern or apsidial end of the church. At the extremity of the east or right transept, up some steps, is the +Rucellai Chapel+. On the reredos of the altar is the Madonna painted by Cimabue, considered his masterpiece. The walls of the chancel, or recess occupied by the high altar, are covered with exquisite paintings in fres...o...b.. D. Ghirlandaio, nearly all representing scenes from Scripture. The stalls are by B.
d"Agnola, and the windows by G. Fiorentino. In the chapel on the left, or west from this, the Cappella Gondi, is the famous wooden _Crucifix by Brunelleschi_. A curtain is before it. At the end of the W. transept, up some steps, is the Strozzi chapel, with frescoes by A. Orcagna and his brother Nardo, representing the Day of Judgment, Heaven, and h.e.l.l. The open door at the foot of the steps leads into the sacristy, where, immediately on one side of the door, is a beautiful terra-cotta basin, by L. Robbia; and, on the other side, one of marble by G. Fortini.
A large door in the west, or left aisle, opens into the cloister called the Chiostro Verde, because the frescoes on the walls, by Paolo Uccello, 1390-1470, and Dello Delli, 1401, are painted in green. Here the keeper, for a few sous, opens the door leading into the Cappella degli Spagnuoli, designated thus from having been used by the attendants of Eleonora de Toledo, wife of Cosmo I. The ceiling and the left wall are covered with admirably conceived and executed frescoes by Taddeo Gaddi, while those on the right wall are by Simone Memmi. Adjoining is the Chiostro Grande, ornamented with 52 frescoes, by Cigoli, Allori, t.i.to, Poccetti, and other artists of the 15th and 16th cent., ill.u.s.trative of the history of the Dominicans, with views of Florence in the background.
At No. 16 Via della Scala is the entrance to the _Spezeria_, or pharmacy of the convent, long noted for its perfumes, as well as for a red liquor called Alkermes, a specialty of Florence, resembling in taste the liqueur made at the Chartreuse, near Gren.o.ble, only sweeter. It is also made and sold at the Certosa (see page 250). The chapel contains some beautiful frescoes, ill.u.s.trative of the last hours of our Saviour, by Spinello Aretino.
The Santissima Annunziata, 268. San Marco, 270. Picture-Gallery of San Marco, 270. Academy of Fine Arts, 271. Galleria dei Lavori in Pietre Dure, 273. North-east side of Plan.
From the N.E. end of the Cathedral the street, the Via dei Servi, leads straight to the Piazza and Church of the _Santissima Annunziata_ the only church in Florence open the whole day. All the others close at 12; but most of them re-open about 2 or 3 P.M. On the right side of the Piazza is the Spedale degli Innocenti, a foundling hospital designed by Brunelleschi, and ornamented in 1470, by Andrea della Robbia, with pretty terra-cotta figures over the columns of the arcade. In the centre of the square is an equestrian statue of the Grand Duke Ferdinand I., by Bologna, in 1608, and two bronze fountains by Pietro Tacca. The +Church of the Annunziata+ was built in 1250 by the Order of the Servi di Maria.
At the entrance is a narthex or vestibule decorated with admirable frescoes, protected by gla.s.s. To the right, on entering, an a.s.sumption by Il Rosso, 1515; then follow a Visitation, by J. Pontormo, 1516, pupil of A. del Sarto; a Marriage of the Virgin, by Franciabigio, 1513; a Birth of the Virgin, by Andrea del Sarto, as also the next picture, an Adoration of the Magi, both among his greatest works; a Nativity by A. Baldovinetti. The next five are by A. del Sarto; Children being Healed by touching the Dress of the Servite Filippo Benizzi; a Dead Child recalled to life by touching the Bier of Filippo; the Cure of a Woman possessed of a Demon; Men destroyed by Lightning who had insulted Filippo. He parts his Cloak with a Beggar. By Rosselli: Filippo a.s.sumes the habit of the Order. In the narthex is also the tomb of Andrea del Sarto (died 1606), with bust by Caccini.
[Headnote: THE ANNUNZIATA--NARTHEX FRESCOES. SACRED PICTURE.]
The design of the interior of the church is by Ant. da S. Gallo.
Gherardo Silvani added the marble decorations. The pictures between the windows are almost all by C. Ulivelli. On each side of the aisle are five chapels, and at the termination of the aisle are two short transepts and a circular tribuna designed by Alberti, covered with a cupola painted by B. Franceschini and Ulivelli. In the right transept is the tomb of Bandinelli, with a Pieta by himself. Immediately behind the high altar, adorned with a ciborium or canopy by B. Agnolo (1543), is the Cappella del Soccorso, with the tomb of Gian Bologna (d. 1608), who constructed this chapel for himself, and ornamented it with some of his best works. Under the organ in the second chapel is an a.s.sumption by Perugino. In the third chapel is a Crucifixion by Stradano, his best work. In the fourth, a copy of Michael Angelo"s "Judgment Day," by Allori. Next it, and to the left of the main entrance, is the chapel and shrine of the _Annunziata_, built in 1445, by Michelozzi, and lighted by forty-one silver lamps and one gold lamp glittering among costly polished stones. Over the altar is an Annunciation in fres...o...b.. Pietro Cavallini (d. 1364), said to have been done by angels. This picture is shown only once a year; but a duplicate of it, also by Cavallini, is in San Marco, on the wall to the right on entering. Over the altar is an "Ecce h.o.m.o," by An. del Sarto, in silver. Adjoining is the cloister built by S. Pollaiolo. Over the door opening into the church is a "Holy Family," by A. del Sarto, a production in the highest style of excellence, called the Madonna del Saco, as Joseph is seen in the background seated on a sack. The other fresco paintings in the cloister are by Poccetti, A. Mascagni, M. Rosselli, and V. Salimbeni (1542-1650), all displaying rich colouring without gaudiness. In this cloister is also the chapel of _St. Luke_, with the fresco of "St. Luke painting the Virgin," over the altar, is by Vasari, while those on the walls are by Bronzino, Pontormo, and Santi di t.i.to.
[Headnote: S. MARCO--PICTURE-GALLERY.]
By referring to the plan, it will be observed that near to the Annunziata are the Academy of Fine Arts and the +Church of S. Marco+ (standing from S.W. to N.E.) We shall commence with _San Marco_, erected in 1290, and enlarged in 1427 by Michelozzi. Interior.--Over central door a "Crucifixion" by Giotto. First altar right, Thomas Aquinas before the Cross by S. di t.i.to, and an Annunciation by P. Cavallini (covered).
Second altar, Madonna and Saints, Fra. Bartolommeo. Third, Madonna. Here a small door opens into the sacristy built by Michelozzi, with statue of Christ by Novelli, and of S. Antonino by Montorsoli. To the left of the high altar is the Chapel of the Sacrament, with paintings by t.i.to, Empoli, Poccetti, and Pa.s.signano. In the left transept is the chapel of S. Antonino, with frescoes by Pa.s.signano in his best style, and a painting by Bronzino. Between the second and third altars on this the left side of the church, are the graves of the scholar Pico della Mirandola, d. 1494; the poet Girolano Benivieni, d. 1542; and of Poliziano, d. 1494, tutor to the sons of Lorenzo the Magnificent. To the right of the main entrance is the Convent, now the _Picture-Gallery_, of St. Mark. Open from 10 to 3. Fee, 1 fr. Sundays free. During the 15th and 16th cent. this convent had for its superiors the good Bishop Antonino (d. 1459), Fra. Angelico Fiesole (d. 1455), Fra. Girolamo Savonarola, the great preacher and martyr (1498), and Fra. Bartolommeo della Porta (d. 1517), the best collection of whose works is in this convent. Among the very fine frescoes are--On the door of the church, left hand wall, "St. Peter, martyr, with his hand on his mouth,"
B. Angelico. On the end or S.E. wall, "Crucifixion," with St. Dominic, B. Angelico. The door in the wall opposite the church opens into the refectory, with a fresco representing Angels bringing food to St.
Dominic, by Sogliani (d. 1544), pupil of L. Credi. Above is a "Crucifixion" by Fra. Bartolommeo. The door in the south corner of the east wall opens into the chapter-house, with a large fresco of the Crucifixion by B. Angelico. A very famous work. The crucifix on the left is by B. Montelupo, and the other by his son. The door in the middle of the east wall gives access to the picture-gallery in the upper storey.
At the foot of this stair is a grand picture, a Last Supper (Cenacolo) by Ghirlandaio, who has dressed the company in the costume of the brotherhood. From this ascend to the first floor to what were the cells or rooms of the monks, ranged on each side of a narrow pa.s.sage ornamented with paintings in fresco. At the head of the stair is a very beautiful Annunciation by Fra. Angelico, and also by him, on the opposite wall, a St. Dominic embracing the Cross. Opposite the Crucifixion is the best of the corridors. The cells of the right corridor are ornamented with frescoes, princ.i.p.ally by Fra. Benedetto, and those of the left princ.i.p.ally by his more famous brother, Fra.
Angelico. Next the staircase we have the library. Second room, banners used for Dante"s festival in 1865. Next, two frescoes by Benedetto. In the last two rooms, one a little higher than the other, Cosmo de" Medici (Pater Patriae) used frequently to reside. His portrait is by Pontormo, "The Jesus of Nazareth" is by Fra. Bartolommeo, and the beautiful fres...o...b.. Angelico. In the cell opposite is a Crucifixion by Angelico. In the third room, painted on wood by Angelico, are an "Adoration" and an "Annunciation." In the fourth, also by him, other two famous pictures on wood, the _Madonna della Stella_ and the _Coronation of Mary_. Turning to the right we find all the cells (as far as that of Savonarola), with paintings by Fra. Benedetto or some pupil of Angelico. In the middle of this corridor is the beautiful Madonna enthroned, an admirable work of B. Angelico. At the end, in a kind of chapel, are two Madonnas on the wall by Fra. Bartolomeo: a Virgin in _terra invetriata_, by L. della Robbia; the bust of Savonarola, full of expression, modelled by Bastianini; and a sketch of the bust of Benivieni by Bastianini. In the two little cells at the side, in which dwelt Savonarola, are preserved some ma.n.u.scripts, a crucifix, and other objects which belonged to him; as also his portrait painted by Fra. Bartolommeo, and a view of the Piazza della Signoria, with the burning of Savonarola and his companions. Proceeding along the corridor, in which there are no cells on the right for some distance, we come to more frescoes by Benedetto, the best being a "Coronation" in the third cell.
[Headnote: ACADEMY OF THE FINE ARTS.]
At the south-west corner of the Piazza San Marco, at No. 34 Via Ricasoli, is the entrance to the +Academy of Fine Arts+. Open from 9 till 3. Fee, 1 fr. Sundays, free. The princ.i.p.al door is by Paoletti. In the vestibule are reliefs and busts of contemporary artists by L. della Robbia. In the cloister are bas-reliefs by the brother and nephew of Robbia, and Bologna"s models for his statues of Virtue and Vice, and of the Rape of the Sabines. A corridor, containing statues in stucco, to the right of the main entrance, leads to the library. Midway, left hand, a door opens into the princ.i.p.al gallery, the hall of the large pictures, with 124 paintings, by the following artists: M. Albertinelli, A.
Allori, B. Angelico, Spinello Aretino, Fra. Bartolommeo, Biliverti, F. Boschi, Botticelli, Brina, Bronzino, Buffalmaccio, Calabrese, A. Castagno, Cigoli, Cimabue, Credi, Curradi, C. Dolci, I. Empoli, Gen.
da Fabriano, A. and T. Gaddi, R. del Garbo, Ghirlandaio, Giotto, Ligozzi, Fra. F. Lippi, Aur. Lomi, Masaccio, Giov. da Milano, Monaco, S. P. Nelli, L. di Niccolo, D. Pa.s.signani, Perugino, F. Pesellino, Fra.
P. da Pistoia, Poccetti, Fr. Poppi, C. Rosselli, A. Sacchi, A. del Sarto, L. Signorelli, G. A. Sogliani, A. Squazelli, Santi di t.i.to, Vasari, Veracini, Verrochio, Vignali. In No. 43, the Baptism of Christ, by Verrochio, the angel to the right of the spectator was painted by Leonardo da Vinci when he was twenty-three years old. No. 115, by Cigoli, St. Francis. It is said that in order to obtain the unearthly expression of the face the painter kept a poor pilgrim for many hours without food, until he fainted from hunger. This room is followed by a chamber communicating with the +Tribune+, built in 1875, for the celebrated statue of _David_, sculptured by Michael Angelo when 28 years of age. It was brought here in 1873 from the Piazza della Signoria, where it had stood 369 years. From the library a door opens into the Hall of Ancient Pictures, containing sixty paintings. The artists of a large number are unknown. The others are by B. Angelico, S. Aretino, M. Arezzo, A. Baldovinetti, B. Berlinghieri, Neri di Bicci, Sim. da Bologna, S. Botticelli, P. di Buonaguida, A. Ceraiolo, D. Ghirlandaio, Bicci di Lorenzo, G. Pacchiarotto, and Signorelli. In the hall of the small pictures there are seventy-one paintings, by artists already named, the most important being Fra. and B. Angelico, who, with Sandro Botticelli, Francesco Granacci, Luca Signorelli, and Lorenzo di Credi, are better represented here than anywhere else. The most remarkable are 41, "The Day of Judgment," by Fra. Angelico. 13, A "Nativity," by L. di Credi; and 18, Portraits of two Vallombrosian friars, by Raphael or Perugino. Beyond this is a collection of original designs in a room called the Sala dei Cartoni. 2 and 5 are by Raphael. 6, Correggio. 3 and 12, Ben. Poccetti. 1, 4, 9, 10, 11, 18, and 22, Fra. Bartolommeo. 19, Bronzino. 7, 8, and 20, F. Barroccio. 24, Credi, and 23, Carlo Cignani.
From the vestibule a staircase leads up to the Galleria dei Quadri Moderni, a collection of 160 modern paintings, distributed in six rooms.
The custodian of the academy keeps the keys of the Cloister dello Scalzo, No. 69 Via Cavour, adorned with fourteen frescoes by A. del Sarto, and two by his friend Franciabigio, in chiaroscuro, during 1517 to 1526, ill.u.s.trative of the life of John the Baptist. They are not in a good state of preservation.
[Headnote: MOSAICS--GALLERIA DEI LAVORI IN PIETRE DURE.]
Adjoining the Accademia delle belle Arti, at No. 82 Via degli Alfani, is the entrance into the Galleria dei Lavori in Pietre Dure, open from 10 to 3 daily. Entrance free. Rooms 1, 2, and 3 contain, in gla.s.s cases, specimens of all the minerals and rocks used in Florence in the manufacture of mosaics. They are numbered, and accompanied with explanatory catalogues. They consist chiefly of varieties of marble and alabaster, agates of different shades, chalcedony, jasper, lapis lazuli, and red porphyry. The large room contains the finished mosaics, all for sale, at prices from 80 upwards. Mosaics are made and sold in numerous establishments throughout the city, but the best and most artistic are sold here.
THE PALACES OF FLORENCE.
The palaces of Florence are great square edifices of a grand and gloomy aspect, built of dark blue stones (pietra forte) measuring from 3 to 4 feet. The bases, to the height of from 20 to 30 feet, consist of coa.r.s.ely chiselled rubble work, which lessens the baldness, and contributes character and effect to the from 200 to 300 feet of plain wall. At intervals are strong bronze banner-rings and torch-sockets, while at each corner is a curiously-shaped lamp of wrought-iron. Near the main entrance there is generally a niche, with an opening called a "cantina," just large enough to allow a quart bottle to pa.s.s through, whence various articles of food are transmitted into the house. Those that sell by retail the oil and wine from their estates have painted over this niche "Vino e Olio." The empty bottle, with the money, having been pa.s.sed through, it reappears shortly after full. The windows of the first range are generally 10 feet from the ground, and are grated and barred like those of a prison. Under the eaves runs a deep cornice with bold projecting soffits. The roofs of the palaces, as well as those of the smallest houses, are of a low pitch, and covered with tiles of two different forms--a flat tile with ledges on the side, and a tile nearly semi-cylindrical and tapering upwards, which thus covers the interstice between the ledges of the flat tiles. The entrance to the palaces is by a high arched ma.s.sive gateway, giving access to a court surrounded by an arcade or loggia, whence ma.s.sive stone staircases lead up to the highest storeys. The lofty ceilings of the princ.i.p.al rooms are decorated, and the beams though displayed, are carved, painted, and gilded, and contribute to the grandeur of the whole. The floors are of thin bricks, either laid flat or edgeways in the herring-bone or _spina di pesce_ fashion. As in Genoa, several of the palaces contain collections of works of art open to the public on certain days. [Headnote: PALAZZO VECCHIO.] Of these the best are--first, the +Palazzo Vecchio+, in the Piazza della Signoria, erected in 1218 by Arnolfo di Lapo. It is surmounted by a n.o.ble antique tower 305 feet high, commanding an excellent view of Florence. The entrance is through a superb but gloomy court, surrounded by an arcade on ma.s.sive columns, by Michelozzi, subst.i.tuted for those of Arnoldo in 1434. They are 8 feet in circ.u.mference, and of admirable proportions. In the centre is a neat little fountain by Andrea Verocchio, intended originally for the Villa Careggi. Having traversed this court, ascend first stair left hand, and keep turning to the left the length of the first storey, where take first door right, which opens into the great hall or council chamber, 170 feet long by 77 broad, built in 1495, but altered by Vasari in 1540, who also added the frescoes on the walls and oil-painting on the ceiling ill.u.s.trative of events in the history of Florence. Now ascend to the second storey, where enter the ante-room to the left, the Sala de"
Gigli, with a grand but injured fres...o...b.. Ghirlandaio in 1482. The lintel of the door in this room opening into the next, the Sala d"Udienza, is by Benedetto da Majano. On one of the leaves of the door is a linear drawing of Dante, and on the other one of Petrarch. The Sala d"Udienza is painted in fres...o...b.. Salviati, ill.u.s.trative of Roman history. It communicates with the Cappella S. Bernardo, beautifully painted in imitation of mosaic by R. Ghirlandaio. Near the chapel of St.
Bernard (sometimes approached by the four rooms of Eleanora de Toledo, painted by Stradan of Bruges, and at other times by a narrow pa.s.sage), is a small chapel beautifully painted by Bronzino, and an adjoining chamber painted by Poccetti.
[Headnote: DANTE"S HOUSE.]
North from the palace, by the Via dei Magazzini, is the +Via S. Martino+, in which is a house with a marble slab over the door, bearing the following inscription: "In questa casa degli Alighieri nacque il Divino Poeta." --_Dante._ He was married to Gemma in S. Martino, a humble little church close by, in the +Via dei Magazzini+.
The Beatrice of Dante (like Petrarch"s Laura) lived in the Palazzo Salviati, in the Via del Proconsolo. She married Giovanni delle Bande Nere, and became the mother of Cosmo I.
[Headnote: PALAZZO STROZZI--CORSINI--RICCARDI.]
In the Via Tornabuoni is the Palazzo Strozzi, open on Wednesdays from 11 to 1. It was built in 1489 from designs by Majano. The ironwork, rings, and lanterns are by Grosso di Ferrara, 1510. The picture-gallery on the first floor is contained in four large rooms elegantly and comfortably furnished. In each room there is a list of the paintings on a card. The two most remarkable are--+Portrait+ of one of the ladies Strozzi by Leonardo da Vinci; and another of one of the children, "La Puttina," by Tiziano. Between the Strozzi Palace and the Arno is the Piazza S. Trinita. In it, opposite the Hotel du Nord, is a column of Oriental granite from the baths of Antoninus, presented to Cosmo I. by Pius IV.
A short way down the Arno (see plan), at No. 10 Lungarno Corsini, is the Palazzo Corsini, built (1618-56) by G. Silvani, staircase by Ferri. The collection of paintings, contained in twelve rooms, may be visited on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sat.u.r.days from 10 till 2. Entrance by No. 7 Via Parione.
Next to the church S. Giovannino (see p. 264), at No. 1 Via Cavour, is the Prefettura della Provincia di Firenze, formerly the Palazzo Riccardi, 300 feet long by 90 in height. This, the cradle of the Medicean family, was erected in 1431, after the design of Michelozzi, by Cosmo Pater Patriae, and continued to be the residence of the Medici till 1540, when it was abandoned for the Palazzo Vecchio. The first row of large windows was opened by Michael Angelo; for originally the base, rising to 30 feet, presented one unbroken s.p.a.ce, varied only by the projection of the vast and rudely chiselled stones of which it is composed. In the court below the corridor are statues and busts, and the sarcophagi which were formerly outside the baptistery, and a curtain beautifully sculptured in stone over one of the arches. Upstairs are the Biblioteca Riccardi, a picture-gallery, and a small chapel covered with most charming frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli 1400-1478, painted by lamplight, as the chapel at that time had no window. Palace open from 12.30 till 2.
Down the Arno, beyond the Ponte alla Carraia (see plan), is the Church of Ognissanti. In the chapel next the door of the sacristy repose the remains of Amerigo Vespucci, who gave his name to America. In the centre of the nave are frescoes by Ghirlandaio and Botticelli. The frescoes in the cloisters ill.u.s.trating the life of St. Francis are by Giovanni and Ligozzi. The Last Supper, in the refectory, is by Ghirlandaio. A little way up the street called the Borgo Ognissanti is the Hospital S. Giovanni di Dio, founded by Amerigo Vespucci; while the house in which he lived and died stood on the site of the present No. 21 Borgo Ognissanti.
[Headnote: PARK OF FLORENCE--VILLA CAREGGI--PALAZZO TORRIGIANI.]
At the west end of the town, near the +Porta Prato+, is the Cascine or Park of Florence, on the right or north hank of the Arno, much frequented in the afternoon. An omnibus runs every 10 minutes between the Porta Prato and the Piazza della Signoria. Opposite the Cascine is the hill Monte Oliveto, page 251. Nearly two miles north from the railway station by the Romito road is the Villa Careggi, built by Michelozzi for Cosmo Pater Patriae, in which he died on August 1, 1464, as also Lorenzo the Magnificent, on the 8th of April 1492. At the Ponte alle Grazie, the first bridge above the Ponte Vecchio, is the Palazzo Torrigiani, built by Baccio d"Agnolo, containing a valuable collection of paintings, accompanied with catalogues. Open daily excepting Sat.u.r.days and Sundays.
FIESOLE.
At the east side of the town, by the +Via Alfieri+ or +Pinti+, is the Protestant cemetery, between the Boulevards Eugenio and Amedeo, the latter leading northwards to the Piazza Cavour with the Porta S. Gallo.
From this Porta commences the road to the Etrurian city of Faesula, the modern _Fiesole_, 3 miles from Florence, and about 600 feet above it, on the summit of a ridge composed of a dark-coloured sandstone. Rail to Fiesole. Carriage there and back, 8 to 10 fr. From the Porta S. Gallo it is an easy walk of about 2 miles. See the excellent map of the environs (Dintorni) of Florence, published by the "Ist.i.tuto Topografico Militare," 1 fr. Beyond the Porta S. Gallo take the road leading up the left or east bank of the Mugnone for about 1 mile, as far as the Villa Palmieri, where, in 1348, Boccaccio wrote his Decameron. From this the road ascends between walls about 1 mile more to the Church and Convent of S. Domenico, in which Beato Angelico was one of the monks. The church contains an Annunciation by Empoli; a Baptism of Christ by Credi; a St.
Francis by Cigoli; and in the choir a Virgin with Saints by B. Angelico.
Near S. Domenico is the Villa Landore, which was occupied for many years by Walter Savage Landor. The road striking off to the left or towards the Mugnone, leads to the venerable abbey of La Badia di Fiesole, rebuilt in 1462 by Brunelleschi. The road from St. Domenico to Fiesole is rather steep, and pa.s.ses, at about two-thirds of the way, the beautiful old mansion with terraced gardens called the Villa Mozzi or Spence, once a favourite residence of Lorenzo il Magnifico, and the place in which the Pazzi conspiracy was formed in 1478. A short way beyond, the road enters the Piazza of _Fiesole_ (pop. 11,500. _Inns:_ Locanda Firenze; Trattoria l"Aurora), famous for views and stone-quarries. One side of the Piazza is occupied by the Cathedral, dedicated to St. Romulus, commenced in 1028, and in form resembling S Miniato. To the right of the high altar is the mausoleum of Bishop Salutati, and a marble tabernacle by Mino da Fiesole in 1465. The frescoes on the ceiling of the chancel are by Ferrucci; and the statue of St. Romulus in a sitting posture by Luca della Robbia or his nephew.
In a garden behind the church are the remains of a Roman theatre. The road pa.s.sing this garden leads to the ruins of the ancient walls, formed of huge uncemented blocks, not parallel, but of different sizes, and some of them indented into each other. Fronting the Cathedral is the commencement of a little stony road leading up to the terrace of a Franciscan convent, commanding a glorious view, and to the church of S. Alessandro, with columns of Cipollino marble.
[Headnote: S. SALVI--VENCIGLIATO--SETTIGNANO.]
S. SALVI. VENCIGLIATO. SETTIGNANO.--1 mile east from the Porta S. Croce, by the road following the railway, is S. Salvi, containing a Last Supper, by A. del Sarto, in the refectory. From S. Salvi northwards to the Via Settignano, which follow for 1 mile eastwards, then take the road to the left going northwards, and crossing the Mensola above its union with the Fra.s.sinaia, is the Castle of Vencigliato, founded in the 10th cent., 5 miles north-east from the Porta S. Croce, and situated on the summit of a hill commanding a splendid view. In 1860 it was restored at the expense of an Englishman, Temple Leader. 1 mile east from the part of Settignano road, whence the Vencigliato road ramifies, is Settignano, the birthplace of Michael Angelo.
Straw-plaiting gives employment to numerous females around Florence. The wheat used is sown in March, and is cut before the grain is ripe. The straw is then divided into pieces from 6 to 8 inches long, and exposed for sale in the markets in small bunches. In this state it is bought by the plaiters, who in their turn expose for sale yards of plaited straw to the hatters.