SAN LORENZO neighbourhood

ITINERARY 8
MAKE BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME - LESSER-KNOWN THINGS TO SEE IN THE SAN LORENZO
NEIGHBOURHOOD
Thinking of poking around one of the world's best, or certainly most famous, leather markets for that special jacket to take home? Why not get a little
sightseeing in at the same time? You'd be amazed at the number of lesser known monuments, churches and, well, things just worth seeing within a
relatively short radius of the leather market but "far from the madding crowd". We've prepared an itinerary for you that won't take you far from your
original goal, but that'll allow you to unearth some of the city's best kept secrets. As always, our aim is to provide you with the information you'll need
to locate the monuments and visit them. We don't claim to be exhaustive, so you'll need a good guide book to help you get into the meat of each
individual sight. Enjoy the stroll!
The tour starts at the:
1 - Cappelle Medicee (Medici Chapels and tombs)
The "chapels" actually consist of a series of rooms that include the so-called "new sacristy" of the church of San Lorenzo. We shall be visiting the
church itself at the end of this tour, but it's worth noting that when architects Bernardo Buontalenti and Matteo Nigetti built the late Mannerist and
Baroque adjuncts to Michelangelo's "new sacristy", they did so at the expense of a masterpiece, because their plans entailed the destruction of the
church's original chancel designed by Brunelleschi. And as though that weren't bad enough, the chancel had been decorated with a fresco of the
Last Judgment by Pontormo in the final decade of his life. In any event, the entire complex was designed to house the tombs of the Medici family.
Michelangelo set the ball rolling in 1521 with the "new sacristy" which houses the tombs of, among others, Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother
Giuliano de' Medici. The statues adorning the tombs of another, younger Lorenzo and Giuliano de' Medici are, of course, of unparalleled beauty, but
take a few minutes also to admire the sacristy's overall architecture, one of the first instances of "built" Mannerism.
On leaving the chapels, bear left, away from the market, crossing the top of Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini, and carry on straight on down Via
del Giglio. This seemingly unassuming street is in fact a near-perfect paradigm of the city as it struggles to hang on to its identity while gearing up to
meet the needs of a changing world. The architecture is the usual mix of 13th to 19th century, but a little way down on the left you will find first, a
pizzeria run by a genuine Neapolitan family; then a Renaissance palace whose courtyard has been converted into a garage, with an ingenious
double-decker mechanism for "stacking" modern cars in a restricted, medieval space; and finally, the city's first Oriental supermarket!
Carrying on towards the traffic lights, pause a while at the Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni Vivai, at number 2, Via del Giglio. You will notice a miniature
door set in a rather elaborate stone frame about halfway up the ground floor wall, close to the main door of the palace. This is a splendid example of
a peculiarly Florentine invention known as a "wine tabernacle". These tabernacles were used by the landowning gentry to sell their farm produce
(mostly wine and olive oil) in the city without having to sink as low as actually coming into physical contact with the hoi polloi! The tabernacles were
built just large enough to accommodate the 1.75 lt. "fiasco" or straw-covered flask in which Chianti was sold, although some aristocrats also sold it
by the glass. Notice also the white marble plaque above the tabernacle, giving opening hours and other useful information for customers.
Sometimes these little doors were also used to collect food and drink to give to the poor, in which case the word "limosine" or "charity" is generally
carved on the frame. When the food ran out, a little candle was placed in the door to let prospective takers know that there was no more food, and
even today in Florence, when something is nearing rock bottom you say it is "ridotto al lumicino" or "reduced to the little candle"! If you keep your
eyes skinned as you walk around the city, you'll seem many more, some bricked up, others still with their little wooden door on its hinges, but none
as well preserved as this.
Retrace your steps, crossing the cul-de-sac called Chiasso degli Armati, and turn right into Via dell'Alloro, then at the end of the street turn right into
Via de' Conti. Cross the broad and traffic-bound Via de' Cerretani (it'll be traffic-free when the tram i up and running in a few years' time, but in the
meantime you may wish to use the zebra crossing a few yards to your right!) and enter the church of:
2 - Santa Maria Maggiore
This church, possibly founded in the 8th century but certainly documented as early as in 931, is one of the first in Florence to have been dedicated to
the Madonna. It was rebuilt in its present, Gothic form in the 13th century, though it's still possible to see the (much smaller) shape of its
Romanesque predecessor preserved in the facade, and the bell tower is, of course, Romanesque in its entirety: note the late Roman head of a
matron, known affectionately as "Berta", re-used by the Medieval masons as ornamentation. Needless to say, legends abound regarding Berta, the
most popular one being that it is in fact the head of a woman who was imprudently leaning out of her window when a cart bearing a condemned
criminal passed underneath. Incensed by her morbid curiosity, the criminal cursed her and she turned to stone without further ado!
Only fragments are left of Spinello Aretino's fresco cycle in the chancel, but one thing not to be missed is the 12th century wooden bas-relief of the
Madonna and Child in the north transept chapel. Until recently this was thought to be a 13th century work by Coppo di Marcovaldo, but recent
restoration has proved it to be a whole century earlier, making it possibly the earliest extant representation of the Madonna and Child in Florence.
The chapel also contains a tomb by 14th century sculptor Tino da Camaino, and an inscription was found in the 18th century stating that it is also the
last resting place of Dante's beloved master Brunetto Latini.
Finally, if the sacristan is around, ask him to show you the fine 16th century cloister, placed unusually behind the chancel rather than to the south of
the nave: "Scusi, possiamo dare un'occhiata al chiostro, per favore?"
Leave the church by the main door, crossing the street straight in front of you. When you get to the other side, you can turn round for a fuller view of
the facade, before heading off down Via del Teatino. Follow the street as it bears round to the left and you should emerge in front of the former
cloister of the next church on our visit, San Gaetano. The cloister, incidentally, is another interesting example of how ancient buildings can be
adapted to more modern needs: It now hosts designer Tommy Hilfigger's Florence outlet! Turning right, then first left, we enter Piazza Antinori. On
our left is the baroque edifice of:
3 - San Gaetano
whose main interest lies in the fact that it is one of the very few churches, or indeed buildings of any kind, in that style in Florence. The first church
on this site was dedicated, by Olivetan (reformed Benedictine) monks, to St. Michael the Archangel in the 12th century. Many Florentines still know
it as San Michele Berteldi, even though the dedication was changed to San Gaetano of Thiene when the Theatine Fathers took over in the late 16th
century. Construction of the present church began in 1604, with financial aid from the wife and son of Medici Grand Duke Ferdinand I, and was
complete by 1701, thus providing us with a unique overview of 17th century Florentine art in a single vessel.
Leave the church by the main door, turn right until you come to the newstand and bus stop. Notice a rather shabby little building nestling in the
corner between the church and the former convent (now Tommy Hilfigger's outlet), bearing the legend "Oratorio degli Antinori". This oratory, in its
present form, is coeval with the rebuilt church, but it stands on the site of the Antinori family's original family chapel, which they authorised the
Theatine Fathers to demolish when the new convent was put up in 1604. It now houses a few, pitifully few, but absolutely beautiful sculptural
remains of the church of San Michele Berteldi and a rather fine Antinori family tomb. Sadly it is hardly ever open, but plans are afoot to restore it and
open it on a semi-permanent basis.
Now go straight across the street to the imposing Renaissance palace in front of you. This extraordinary building, built (possibly) by Giuliano da
Maiano in the 1460's, originally belonged to Giovanni di Bono Boni; but when he got into financial difficulty and it came on the market, it is said that
even Lorenzo the Magnificent himself was interested in buying it, so beautiful and a la page was it considered. It eventually came into the hands of
the Antinori family in 1506, and it is still their family residence today. While the palazzo itself cannot be visited, you can get a taste of how "the other
half live" by wandering in through the main door and entering a small door on the right just before the beautiful courtyard. This will lead you into the
Cantinetta Antinori, a wine bar (first established long before the phrase had been coined) where you can sample the family's wines and enjoy
traditional Tuscan cooking to boot!
Emerging from the palazzo, bear right then right again, down Via del Trebbio. Almost immediately on your left are stairs leading down to another
eatery, the Buca Lapi. It is a peculiarly Florentine habit to house restaurants down in cellars beneath palazzi and to call them "buche" (holes). This
one is one of the oldest in town, and its setting in the 15th century Antinori cellars is superb. Further down the street you pass another wine
tabernacle in the side wall of the palazzo, then a high wall hiding the Antinori garden and finally the former stables at the end of the street on your
left.
The cross in the square ahead of you is known as the Croce al Trebbio (from the Latin tres viae, meaning three streets, though five now lead into
this oddly shaped square!). It was erected above an old well in 1338 to mark the victory of St. Peter Martyr's militia, the so-called Knights of St.
Mary, over the Patarene heretics. A Medieval tabernacle on top of the column carries liknesses of Christ and of St. Peter Martyr, and you'll see an
inscription on the base of the column telling the story of the victory, if you can see through the bicycles usually locked to its railings.
A short walk down Via delle Belle Donne ("Beautiful Women" street - no prizes for guessing the trade practiced in the area in the Middle Ages!)
will bring you to the Piazza Santa Maria Novella. Halt for a second and pause to reflect on the fact that if you had been standing where you are
about 2,000 years ago, you would very probably have been mown down by a chariot taking part in one of the Ben-Hur style races held here.
Sure enough, the irregular shape of the square at this point is due to the presence, until well into the Middle Ages, of Florentia's Roman circus.
Not to be confused with the circular amphitheatre (on the other side of town near Santa Croce) or the semicircular theatre (underneath Palazzo
Vecchio), this lozenge-shaped circus where the citizens enjoyed the relatively bloodless sport of chariot racing stretched from this, its southern
end, right up to the south transept of the church in front of you. And what a church! This is:
4 - Santa Maria Novella
*one chapel open for private prayer and mass at 07.30 and 18.00 during the week, or 08.30, 10.30, 12.00 and 18.00 on Sunday and special feast
days.
The facade, dated 1479, is quite possibly one of the most beautiful in the city. It was designed by the "other" early Renaissance architect, Leon
Battista Alberti, whose fame internationally has been rather unfairly eclipsed by that of Brunelleschi solely on the strength of the cathedral dome.
Now, the dome is indeed a masterly work of engineering, but Alberti was certainly no less capable an architect than Brunelleschi. At any rate, it's
worth studying the facade at some length before entering the church, which is so full of masterpieces of the early and mid-Renaissance that you
really will need a guide book (just make sure you don't miss the Masaccio fresco of the Trinity).
Coming out of the church, walk past the facade and you will come to the entrance to the monumental cloisters, for which you will need another ticket.
5 - S.Maria Novella, Museo e Chiostri Monumentali (Museum and Monumental Cloisters)
Again, listing the marvels in this part of the former convent lies outside the scope of this itinerary, but Andrea di Bonaiuto's frescoes in the Chapter
House depicting some of the triumphs of the Dominican Order are superb. It is interesting to note that, while painted in the late 1360's, thus some
years before Brunelleschi was even born, the fresco showing the Exaltation of the Dominican order portrays a church that bears an uncanny
resemblance to Florence cathedral (nothing odd about that: it was in the process of being built) but complete with its dome, which was still many
years in the future. However, Andrea wasn't blessed with 'the sight' and the riddle is easily solved. When Arnolfo di Cambio designed the cathedral
in the early 14th century, he included a design for the dome, and that is what Andrea painted. The trouble was, poor Arnolfo had no idea how to
actually build it, and that problem wasn't solved until Brunelleschi the extremely talented engineer, a forerunner of Isambard Kingdom Brunel or
Thomas Telford rather than of Palladio or Christopher Wren, came up with his brilliant intuition!
Back on the pavement, or parvis ("sagrato" in Italian) with your back to the church facade, look straight ahead and you'll see a 15th century
Renaissance portico by Michelozzo (the early Medici's favourite architect) adorning the building on the south side of the square. Known as the "exScuole Leopoldine" after a famous girls' school that it housed in the 19th century, this former 13th century pilgrim hospice and convent now hosts
one of the most recent additions to Florence's collection of museums, the MNAF or "Alinari National Photography Museum" named after the Alinari
brothers, famous for their pioneering work in the field.
6 - MNAF Museo Nazionale Alinari della Fotografia (Alinari National Photography Museum)
Bear left on emerging from the museum, and walk a short way down Via della Scala, the street leading west off the south side of the square, until
you come on your right to number 16, home to the world-famous
7 - Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella (Pharmacy of Santa Maria Novella)
This is one of the world's oldest pharmacies, dating back to 1221 as a "concept" and officially founded in its present form in 1612. Do take
advantage of this unique experience to stock up on some of the weird and wonderful preparations on sale here, most of which are still made to
recipes and formulae devised by the Dominican friars of Santa Maria Novella over the centuries. The pharmacy's website claims that: "No one who
enters the portal can ever forget the indescribable range of scents that linger in the air: this is the magic of potpourri, a sagacious mixture of flowers
and herbs from the hills surrounding Florence. Its unmistakable fragrance is the fruit of lengthy seasoning in old terracotta jars. During the
eighteenth century the renown of the Farmacia crossed many borders and exports even reached the Indies and distant China. Many of the Officina’s
preparations have made history and have marked an epoch: the essences, as well as the famous and much requested perfumes, are still prepared
to a large extent following the formulas studied in 1500 for Caterina de’ Medici. The history of Eau de Cologne is quite special in this regard. Indeed,
it seems that this was the essence that Caterina de’ Medici, Queen of France, took with her to Paris, where it acquired the name of Eau de la Reine.
Later, the Italian Giovanni Paolo Feminis, who moved to Cologne in 1725 and began to make it there, changed its name to Acqua di Colonia, as a
tribute to the city where it was produced. Among the other preparations still produced following the old formulary of the Dominican friars is Aromatic
Vinegar or Aceto dei Sette Ladri, very useful in the case of fainting-spells, whose formula dates back to 1600. Acqua Antisterica, today known as
Acqua di Santa Maria Novella, in the past boasted a sedative and antispasmodic effect and was created by Fra’ Angiolo Marchissi in 1614. The
Acqua di Rose, an excellent refreshing tonic for red eyes, was already available for sale in the second half of the fourteenth century. A very famous
liqueur is Alkermes which held the sales record in the nineteenth century; also held in high regard are Elixir di China and Liquore Mediceo which was
named in honour of the Medici family and the Elisir di Edimburgo, an excellent bitter. Not to be forgotten are the hair products and a wide range of
products for treating the skin, such as Pasta di Mandorle, an excellent hand cream and Polvere per Bianchire le Carni, a valid vegetable expedient
for thoroughly cleansing the skin as well as milk, creams and oils for the body, bubble-baths and soaps. Soaps, hand-moulded one by one, aged for
sixty days in ventilated cabinets and hand-wrapped are still produced with the machinery of the nineteenth century. Lastly, other favourites include
the perfumed powders produced from the ground rhizome of the iris, the flower that grows freely on the hills around Florence in such profusion as to
be adopted as the lily symbol of the city, still represented in its coat of arms.
The Officina di Santa Maria Novella is also a herbalist’s shop. When the Dominican friars’ ancient formulas, no longer in use, were catalogued, a
period of careful study revealed their up-to-date qualities and, in addition, the possibility to produce them. The Antica Farmacia has therefore
enriched its lines with other exclusive products based on medicinal plants and herbs cultivated with natural methods and without the use of
pesticides, thus offering customers the best service and a line of products which is all but complete. The Officina’s past and present activities are
integrated in a process of continuous osmosis which finds its natural complement in cultural activities spanning various fields: from the artistic, with
evenings devoted to the theatre, concerts and art exhibitions, to the scientific, with conferences and book presentations. These events are held in an
impressive room, originally a church abounding in frescoes, which was donated by the Acciaioli family to the friars in 1335 in recognition of their
services and then transformed in 1848 into the current Salesroom in order to meet the increased demands of the company. This and the other
museum rooms of the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella can be visited in small groups on appointment."
Walk back towards Santa Maria Novella church, noting the tabernacle on the corner of Via della Scala and the Piazza di Santa Maria Novella that
houses a copy of a 14th century fresco of the Madonna and Saints by Antonio del Chierico. Cross the square diagonally and walk up the short,
pedestrian street called Via degli Avelli after the (much restored) Medieval tombs lining the convent wall on the left.
Cross the square to your right with the large obelisk in the centre -- currently Piazza dell'Unita` Italiana but better known as Piazza Vecchia di Santa
Maria Novella until the late 19th century -- and head straight down Via Sant'Antonino, which leads off the north side of the Majestic Hotel. Turn first
left into Via Faenza, and a short way down on your left you will come to the beautiful (and recently restored) church of:
8 - Sant'Jacopo in Campo Corbolini
Sadly, the church is generally kept locked and opening times can be quite erratic, but you can enquire at the "Lorenzo de' Medici" language school
next door, located in the convent formerly attached to the church. If nothing else, at least you'll get a glimpse of the charming cloister. The church,
founded in 1206, was a Templar establishment for about 50 years, and was subsequently held by their rivals the Hospitallers, or Knights of Malta as
they're known today. Notice the Maltese crosses on the capitals of the pilasters holding up the portico, and over the convent entrance.
Further down Via Faenza, after it crosses the noisy thoroughfare of Via Nazionale, you will see a church on your right looking very locked indeed.
But just next door to the church is a small door leading into the former convent, and that houses what you've come to see, the:
9 - Cenacolo di Fuligno (Refectory of the former Convent of Sant'Onofrio)
On leaving the former convent, walk back down Via Faenza and then turn first left into the busy Via Nazionale. A little way up on your left you come
to one of the most beautiful tabernacles in Florence, across the street from the start of Via dell'Ariento with its market stalls. The "Tabernacolo delle
Fonticine" is named after the seven angels' heads spouting water into a marble trough below it. It was commissioned in 1522 by the "Reame di
Biliemme", one of several associations formed by the "common people" to celebrate feast days, sponsor works of art designed to adorn the city,
perform plays and "feats of arms" and generally enjoy themselves in Medieval Florence. The glazed terracotta Madonna and Saints above the
fountain is by Girolamo della Robbia, possibly with help from his better-known brother Giovanni.
Cross the street and walk down Via dell'Ariento, trying to avoid the temptation to stop at every market stall or to nip into the huge covered market of
San Lorenzo to stock up on cheese, wine, salami, exotic fruit and vegetables, and a host of other traditional Florentine goodies. If you're beginning
to feel thirsty, why not take the second on the right, Via Sant'Antonino (again!) and stop for a glass of wine at one of Florence's oldest surviving
institutions: Zanobini, a cross between a wine bar and an off-licence. The Zanobini serve only wine from their own estate south of Florence, at San
Casciano which is known as the gateway to Chianti country.
Suitably refreshed, we emerge from Zanobini, turn left, and walk straight over Via dell'Ariento, on through the irregular square at the back of the
covered market -- currently a glorified car park, but plans are afoot to return it to its former status as a fully fledged part of the market -- and up the
last small stretch of Via Sant'Antonino, which ends at a T-junction opposite a charming early 16th c. palace, now the Botticelli Hotel, which a
wonderful open loggia. Notice on your left the rusting scaffolding surrounding a huge if rather shapeless mass of masonry known as Sant'Orsola.
This former convent became a cigar factory after it was suppressed in the early 19th c., but it has been lying empty for decades, waiting to find a new
purpose. It would hardly be worth mentioning if recent research hadn't revealed that this convent contains the (as yet unidentified) tomb of Lisa
Gherardini del Giocondo, better known as the Monna Lisa!
Turn right down Via Taddea, then left at the next T-junction up Via de` Ginori. Crossing Via Guelfa, with the Adventist church of St. Basil (founded in
1332 by Armenian Orthodox monks) on the right, this now becomes Via San Gallo. Fairly soon you will come on your left to the facade of a church
followed by a long stretch of walling. This housed one of the largest convents of nuns in Medieval Florence, Sant'Apollonia, founded in 1339 but
largely rebuilt in the mid-15th century. It is currently divided up between the military (the former church), the University (the cloister and convent), and
the former refectory. When work was being carried out on the church recently, evidence was found of some very early Christian burials, making this
probably one of the first places of Christian worship in Florence, to rival Santa Felicita across the Arno.
The part occupied by the military also contains some fine early 14th c. frescoes, but they, too, are out of bounds. What we can see, and shouldn't
miss under any circumstances, is the:
10 - Cenacolo di Sant'Apollonia (Refectory of the former Convent of Sant'Apollonia)
The former refectory is best known for its Last Supper by Andrea del Castagno, painted in the 1450's and one of this major artist's few surviving
works. But it also contains a Resurrection, a Crucifixion and an Entombment by him, as well as the few remaining fragments of the 15c. frescoes
that used to decorate the church of Santa Maria Nuova in the hospital of the same name.
11 - San Giovanni Decollato (San Giovannino dei Cavalieri di Malta)
with the former convent to the north of the church now occupied by a secondary school. One shouldn't be misled by the huge Maltese Cross on the
facade into thinking that this was a house of the Knights of Malta. It was originally a Celestine convent founded in the mid-14th century. But in 1392
Fra' Riccardo Caracciolo, Grand Master of the Order of Rhodes (as the Knights of St. John or Hospitallers were known by then) passed through
Florence and founded a convent comprising five Florentine noblewomen, who were placed under his jurisdiction. They embraced the Augustinian
rule and were entrusted with the running of a hospital for pilgrims, in best Hospitaller tradition, near the city's Porta Romana. Their convent was
demolished ahead of the famous siege of Florence in 1529, and after some years they were transferred here (while the Celestines moved to S.
Michele Visdomini near the Cathedral). It was at about this time that the Knights of Rhodes changed their name to Knights of Malta, which explains
the cross on the facade. The church contains some splendid works of art, including a Coronation of the Virgin by Neri di Bicci, a Nativity by Bicci di
Lorenzo, and a Last Summer by Palma il Giovane. A legend tells us that the wooden Crucifix in the right aisle was carved from the wood of the tree
that sprang miraculously back to life in mid-winter when St. Zenobius' coffin passed it on its way from San Lorenzo to the former cathedral of Santa
Reparata.
The next building of interest, adjacent to the former convent, is a rarity indeed. The:
12 - Palazzo Pandolfini
was designed in the early 16th century for Cardinal Giannozzo Pandolfini, Archbishop of Troia, by no less an architect than Raphael himself. The
cardinal met Raphael in Rome while the latter was working on the new St. Peter's, and he so liked what he saw that he persuaded the Pope to allow
him to "borrow" Raphael to design his palace in Florence! Raphael couldn't spare the time to journey to Florence in order to oversee the building
work, so he dispatched a pupil, one Giovanfrancesco da Sangallo, in his stead, but da Sangallo died in 1530, leaving the palace unfinished. Still, the
absence of a storey on the righthand side, replaced by a terrace now adorned with trees, simply adds to its picturesque quality, and the palace is still
lived in by the Pandolfini family today. If the doors are open, don't miss catching a glimpse of the beautiful internal garden.
Walking on up to the end of the street, we come to the:
13 - Porta San Gallo (city gate of San Gallo)
This city gate, part of the last circuit of walls built in the mid-14th century, used to be three storeys higher, but like all the city gates on this side of the
Arno, it had its upper part lopped off with the advent of cannon fire in the 16th century. Tall gates, which had been an advantage to defenders in the
Middle Ages when they could shoot arrows at attackers from a great height, suddenly became a liability, because if hit by cannon fire, they were
likely to topple backwards and crush the defenders behind them! To see what it would have looked like when first built, you have to cross the Arno
to the Porta San Niccolo` (below Piazzale Michelangelo), the only city gate to have succeeded in maintaining its original shape.
The baroque triumphal arch that you can see through the gateway of Porta San Gallo was built in 1738 to welcome the first prince of the House of
Lorraine to the city after the last member of the Medici dynasty died. And the early 20th c. buildings beyond that, an exhibition area known as the
Parterre, covers the site of the former Convent of San Gallo, demolished ahead of the siege in 1529.
Turning right at the top of Via San Gallo, we follow the 19th century portico for one block before turning right again into Via Cavour. Our next stop is
at number 69, about three blocks down on the right.
14 - Chiostro dello Scalzo
One of the least known yet most appealing of the "lesser" sights in Florence, this "cloister" hosts a series of early 16th c. monochrome frescoes
(telling the story of St. John the Baptist) which many consider to be the masterpiece of Andrea del Sarto, although two of the scenes were actually
painted by his friend and colleague Franciabigio when del Sarto himself was away from the city in 1518/19. The frescoes are in grisaille rather than
in full colour, because that would probably have been too expensive for the patrons who ordered them from del Sarto.
The "cloister", designed and built by Giuliano da Sangallo, was in fact the vestibule of a church that disappeared when Via Cavour was extended
from Piazza San Marco to the city wall in the 18th century. The church belonged to a confraternity known as the "Compagnia dei Disciplinati di San
Giovanni Battista", known as Scalzo, or Barefoot, because the member carrying the cross in their processions traditionally went barefoot. Notice
also del Sarto's four Virtues -- Faith, Hope, Charity and Justice -- beside the entrance.
Turning right after you emerge from the cloister, you will come to a large building now housing the Florence Appeal Court. This palazzo, known
originally as the Casino Mediceo and built by Mannerist architect Bernardo Buontalenti for Grand Duke Francesco I in the late 16th century, covers
what was once an extensive park owned by the Medici family.
A tiny part of that park, hosting a flower shop, can still be seen at the very end of the Casino Mediceo, near the bus stop. This is all that's left to
remind us of a "sculpture garden" set up by Lorenzo de' Medici under sculptor Bertoldo in the mid-15th century to foster youthful talent. It was in this
garden that a young stonemason called Michelangelo first revealed his genius to the world at large.
Crossing Via degli Arazzieri, we carry on down Via Cavour until we come to the:
15 - Palazzo Medici Riccardi (Medici Palace)
Renaissance architect Michelozzo designed this palazzo for Cosimo il Vecchio ('The Old') de' Medici in the mid-15th century. He had worked for
Cosimo before, but mainly on converting safe if uncomfortable medieval castles in the hills around the city, into something a little more in keeping
with the improving living standards of the day. This, however, was his first attempt at designing a "town house" reflecting new renaissance values of
civic harmony. The two corner windows on the ground floor were originally an open loggia where passing citizens could stop and chat with members
of the Medici family. Be sure not to miss the exquisite Medici family chapel frescoed by Benozzo Gozzoli, a pupil of Fra Angelico. While in the
chapel, you may notice how the Riccardi family, who bought the palazzo in the 17 th century, took great care to actually move walls around rather
than damage the frescoes, when they built a monumental new staircase up to the first floor. Turn around after entering the tiny chapel, and you can
clearly see (particularly if you also look up at the ceiling) how its south-west corner has been inverted. One of the horses has even been chopped in
half!
On leaving the palazzo, turn right and right again, until you come to Piazza San Lorenzo. The plinth in front of you bears a statue by Baccio
Bandinelli of Medici mercenary captain Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, the son of Giovanni de' Medici and Caterina Sforza and father of Duke Cosimo I.
Giovanni dalle Bande Nere bears the distinction of being the man Niccolo` Machiavelli thought could unite Italy -- some 400 years before the
Risorgimento!
This brings us to the bare facade of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the last sight on this tour. One of the major sights of Florence, this church by
Brunelleschi with works by Donatello, Michelangelo and many others, lies outside the scope of the present itinerary. But on no account should it be
missed, so we can only suggest you get hold of a good guidebook and... enjoy your visit!