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| FLORENCE HOMEPAGE » SAN MARCO AREA » FLORENCE MONUMENTS |
San Marco |
This area is characterized by the beautiful 13th century convent
of San Marco that with its church, monastery and museum is one of
the favourite places of artlovers.
The San Marco’s convent was founded during
the XIII century and enlarged in 1437 by Michelozzo, when Dominican
Monks from nearby Fiesole moved here at the invitation of Cosimo
the Old. The sober cloisters and the simple cells are the contest
in which are located many beautiful frescoes by Beato Angelico (1438/45).
Giardino dei Semplici |
Near the square is possible to visit the museum of the Galleria
dell’Accademia that houses the famous original Michelangelo’s
statue of David. The Florence’s Fine Arts Academy was created
in 1563 and it was the first school to teach design, painting and
sculpture.The collection here exposed was gathered in 1784 as material
to copy and to study for pupils. Since 1873 many of Michelangelo’s
works are housed in the Academy: the most important are the “David”
(1504) and “San Matteo” (1508). Important are the paintings
by Filippino Lippi, Bronzino, Rodolfo del Ghirlandaio (XV and XVI
centuries).
In this area you will also find the well-known Cenacolo di Sant’Apollonia,
and the enchanting botanical garden (Giardino dei Semplici).
Palazzo Pandolfini |
Sant’Apollonia was a former convent and it
is mainly characterised by the cloister and refectory. The main
wall of the refectory is decorated with the famous fresco of Andrea
del Castagno (1445-1450) and represents the “Ultima Cena”
(Last Supper). Del Castagno was one of the first artists to study
the perspective. The botanical garden, the Giardino dei Semplici,
laid out by commission of Cosimo I in 1545, houses flowers from
all over the world and close to it there are some specialized museums
like the Museum of Mineralogy and the Botanical one (the most important
in Italy).
Porta San Gallo |
Very interesting is a visit to the Opificio delle Pietre Dure: this
Museum (Workshop of Hard Stones) contains hard stone masterpieces
belonging to the Grand Dukes of Florence. Inside the newly-refurbished
rooms, one can admire the amazing materials and craftsmanship of
carvings, mosaics and hard stone furniture manufactured from 1588
to the end of the 19th Century by the workshop created by the Medici
family especially for this purpose. The Museum also presents the
collection of stones, the tools and information on the techniques
behind these magical creations.
Walking through this area, have a look to Palazzo Pandolfini,
an excellent model of the civil architecture of the XVI century,
it was built by the family of architects da Sangallo according to
a project of Raffaello, in 1520.
Another beautiful sight of Florence is the well-known Chiostro dello
Scalzo that was the entrance hall of the chapel belonging to the
Compagnia dei Disciplinari of Saint John the Baptist - or Passion
of Christ. It is called "dello Scalzo" (barefoot) because
the friar holding the cross used to go barefoot. The Chiostro dello
Scalzo really shows Andrea del Sarto's painting path: it is an absolute
masterpiece in the constant dialogue of space, architecture and
figures highlighted by the use of monochrome. All the artists of
1500 looked upon Sarto as an example.
Ospedale degli Innocenti |
In Piazza della Libertà lies one of the oldest constructions
of Florence: Porta San Gallo.
This gate dates back to 1284. It was included in the fortification
walls of Florence. It was modified substantially in XVIII the century
when it came enriched for greeting the arrival of the new Granduca
Francisco Stefano di Lorena. On the sides of the arch stand two
stone lions.
This area is mainly represented by the Ospedale degli Innocenti,
the ancient foundling hospital were orphanages were recovered during
the XV century. Remarkable the Brunelleschi’s arcaded loggia
of the hospital, decored with terracotta roundels by Andrea della
Robbia representing children in swadling bands.
Piazza SS. Annunziata |
The porch in Piazza Santissima Annunziata was designed
by Brunelleschi in 1419 and is the façade of the “Ospedale
degli Innocenti”. In the centre of the square stands an equestrian
statue featuring Duke Ferdinando I. The construction of this statue
started by Giambologna but it was finished by his pupil, Pietro
Tacca, in 1608, who built also the two bronze mannerist fountains.
The Church of Santissima Annunziata, located in the square, was
born in 1250 and completely rebuilt by Michelozzo between 1444 and
1480. In the atrium there are frescoes by Rosso Fiorentino, Andrea
del Sarto and Jacopo Pontormo (beginning XV century, XVI century).
The interior is very dark and the ceiling is decorated with a fresco
by Pietro Giambelli (1669). This site contains a famous relic: the
fresco of the “Annunciazione” that legendary was started
in 1252 by a monk and completed by an angel. In the cript is buried
Benvenuto Cellini.
Santissima Annunziata |
Many churches and temples are located in this area: interesting
is Santa Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi.
This ex-convent was restructured later on the 1966 flood. The “Sala
del Capitolo” presents the famous fresco “Crocifissione
con Santi” (Crucifixion) by Perugino (1493-96). The Major
Chapel is the most interesting example of baroque decorations in
Florence and it was designed by Ciro Ferri in 1675.
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