The usual language classes, back home for lunch, then an InterNations event in the afternoon. It was super-hot today and we were doing a walking tour of the city – oy. We all met at a café at Via Riscoli, 21 and celebrated several Germans who had finished a hike from Bologna to Firenze the day before – over 120km. Prosecco, antipasti, nice place. I met several new people and two of them are architects, Phillip Johnson (believe it or not) and Allan Brabo. Allan was the global head of retail design for Nike, and they did all the design work internally with a 50+ person “firm.”
We then headed out on our tour, led by a great young guy who clearly knew his stuff. The interesting thing about touring the same places with different people is that you learn new information. Our first stop was Piazza del Duomo and he noted that the plan of the cathedrals can be perceived as a flower from the sky. His position was that the Madonna can see the flowers and reaches down to pick some. It is always hard to understand the size of this cathedral as it is tightly enclosed by buildings all around – very different than Milano where the cathedral is quite open.
On our way to Piazza della Signoria we stopeed at a building I’ve passed many times but didn’t know anything about. The Orsanmichele (originally the church of San Michele in Orto) was the guild hall of Florence, and was a loggia originally built for the grain market. The church occupies only the ground floor, while the first floor was the real grain deposit and the second floor was probably used by the Florentine guilds as their offices. The building is surrounded by marble and bronze statues in niches called tabernacles, along with Della Robbia ceramic shields, representing the various guilds. Statues are by Donatello, Ghiberti, Verrocchio, and Brunelleschi among others. The bronze sculptures were for the major guilds (see following paragraphs) as they were more expensive to create. Our guide was born in Pietrasanta, near Tonfano, where the world of sculpture was centered owing to nearby Carrara marble.
The guilds of Florence were secular corporations that controlled the arts and trades in Florence from the twelfth into the sixteenth century. These Arti included seven major guilds (collectively known as the Arti Maggiori), five middle guilds (Arti Mediane) and nine minor guilds (Arti Minori). Their rigorous quality control and the political role in the commune that the Arti Maggiori assumed were formative influences in the history of Florence, which became one of the richest cities of late Medieval Europe.
The guilds, medieval institutions that organized every aspect of a city's economic life, formed a social network that complemented, and in part compensated for, family ties although in Florence the welfare side of the guilds' activities was less than in many cities. The first of the guilds was the cloth-merchants' guild, mentioned in a document from 1150. A single capo (CEO) was elected to manage all the business of the guild.
Next was Piazza della Signoria where our guide pointed out the intent of the loggia across the street. At the back it has marble benches, and it served as the place for officials and higher-level citizens to discuss issues of the day. At that time there were no sculptures in the loggia, and the Medici added them later. He described the intent of the lions at the entrance to Palazzo Vecchio to protect the city hall and the “balance” achieved by putting another sculpture opposite David at the entrance – Michelangelo was not pleased.
We continued on to the Uffizi and the architects all commented on how long the tower crane has been sitting in the courtyard along with scaffolding. Our guide told us that originally the art was simply put in each of the two major Uffizi buildings, then eventually there were galleries created, and part of the current project is to create galleries for specific artists. Firenze is also implementing a maximum number of guests to the Uffizi which will be capped at two million.
It was still boiling hot at 6pm and I headed over to Caffe Cibreo for dinner with Andrea Pelatti, wife Dani and totally cute 5-year old daughter Giulia. The food was spectacular and they refused to let me contribute. We had antipasti, primi piatti, secondi piatti and dolci (first course, second course and dessert). Dinner ended after 10pm and I walked the short distance back home.
We then headed out on our tour, led by a great young guy who clearly knew his stuff. The interesting thing about touring the same places with different people is that you learn new information. Our first stop was Piazza del Duomo and he noted that the plan of the cathedrals can be perceived as a flower from the sky. His position was that the Madonna can see the flowers and reaches down to pick some. It is always hard to understand the size of this cathedral as it is tightly enclosed by buildings all around – very different than Milano where the cathedral is quite open.
On our way to Piazza della Signoria we stopeed at a building I’ve passed many times but didn’t know anything about. The Orsanmichele (originally the church of San Michele in Orto) was the guild hall of Florence, and was a loggia originally built for the grain market. The church occupies only the ground floor, while the first floor was the real grain deposit and the second floor was probably used by the Florentine guilds as their offices. The building is surrounded by marble and bronze statues in niches called tabernacles, along with Della Robbia ceramic shields, representing the various guilds. Statues are by Donatello, Ghiberti, Verrocchio, and Brunelleschi among others. The bronze sculptures were for the major guilds (see following paragraphs) as they were more expensive to create. Our guide was born in Pietrasanta, near Tonfano, where the world of sculpture was centered owing to nearby Carrara marble.
The guilds of Florence were secular corporations that controlled the arts and trades in Florence from the twelfth into the sixteenth century. These Arti included seven major guilds (collectively known as the Arti Maggiori), five middle guilds (Arti Mediane) and nine minor guilds (Arti Minori). Their rigorous quality control and the political role in the commune that the Arti Maggiori assumed were formative influences in the history of Florence, which became one of the richest cities of late Medieval Europe.
The guilds, medieval institutions that organized every aspect of a city's economic life, formed a social network that complemented, and in part compensated for, family ties although in Florence the welfare side of the guilds' activities was less than in many cities. The first of the guilds was the cloth-merchants' guild, mentioned in a document from 1150. A single capo (CEO) was elected to manage all the business of the guild.
Next was Piazza della Signoria where our guide pointed out the intent of the loggia across the street. At the back it has marble benches, and it served as the place for officials and higher-level citizens to discuss issues of the day. At that time there were no sculptures in the loggia, and the Medici added them later. He described the intent of the lions at the entrance to Palazzo Vecchio to protect the city hall and the “balance” achieved by putting another sculpture opposite David at the entrance – Michelangelo was not pleased.
We continued on to the Uffizi and the architects all commented on how long the tower crane has been sitting in the courtyard along with scaffolding. Our guide told us that originally the art was simply put in each of the two major Uffizi buildings, then eventually there were galleries created, and part of the current project is to create galleries for specific artists. Firenze is also implementing a maximum number of guests to the Uffizi which will be capped at two million.
It was still boiling hot at 6pm and I headed over to Caffe Cibreo for dinner with Andrea Pelatti, wife Dani and totally cute 5-year old daughter Giulia. The food was spectacular and they refused to let me contribute. We had antipasti, primi piatti, secondi piatti and dolci (first course, second course and dessert). Dinner ended after 10pm and I walked the short distance back home.