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| FLORENCE HOMEPAGE » SANTA CROCE AREA » FLORENCE MONUMENTS |
Santa Croce |
Piazza Santa Croce was the place in which the historical football
match was played during the Carnival in 1530. Today, the statue
of Dante (1865) has had to be shifted from the center to the side
of the square to make way for the annual “calcio in costume”
(football match in fancy dress) and here lies the magnificent Gothic
Church of Santa Croce, started by Arnolfo di Cambio
in 1294 and finished in 1442. Its neo-gothic belltower was added
in 1842. The interior presents frescoes by Giotto and his pupil
Taddeo Gaddi. The church contains tombs and cenotaphs of important
men including the ones of Michelangelo and Galileo. Machiavelli
was buried here in 1527 and his funeral monument was erected in
1727 by Innocenzo Spinazzi.
Chiostro di Santa Croce |
In the cloister near the church, is the Cappella de’ Pazzi
by Brunelleschi, one of the masterpieces of the architecture of
the Renaissance. This chapel was built in 1443 but finished in 1461,
15 years after Brunelleschi’s death and is characterised by
an hemispherical dome, surrounded by Luca della Robbia’s terracotta
roundels of the Evangelists.
In the Museo dell’Opera di Santa Croce is exhibited the famous
Crucifix by Cimabue which has now been restored after it was ruined
by the floods in 1966. Donatello’s colossal bronze of St.
Louis is also here, as is Orcagna’s “Triumph of Death”.
Cappella de' Pazzi |
Interesting in this area is Casa Buonarroti: In
1508 Michelangelo bought this complex composed by three houses.
Today, this house shows an important collection of Michelangelo’s
works, including one of his first masterpieces: the “Madonna
della Scala” (1490-92).
An important collection of paintings, sculptures and historic furnitures
is housed in the Museum Horne, created by the English
art historian Herbert Horne (1864-1916).
Santa Croce |
The collection contains a fine “St. Steven” attributed
to Giotto and also a book containing sketches by Tiepolo (XVIII
century).
The green dome of the of Florence’s Synagogue
stands out on the horizon as you look down on the city from the
surrounding hills. It was built by Marco Treves between 1874 and
1882 in the Spanish-Moorish style. Its dome and decorations look
like the ones of a mosque. This Temple also houses a museum of ritual
objects dating to the XVII century.
Synagogue |
The church of Sant’Ambrogio houses the tomb of sculptors Mino
da Fiesole (1430-84) and Andrea Verrocchio (1435-88). The left side
chapel contains a marble Tabernacle by Mino da Fiesole with terracotta
angels from the Della Robbia school.; the façade can be seen
on a processional fresco dating from 1486. The area is also characterised
by the extended Giardino della Gherardesca, one of the most beautiful
gardens in Florence. Originally it was the “Giardino Pinti”
but at the beginning of 1600, Guido Alberto della Gherardesca changed
its planning with the creation of an artificial lake and the plantation
of tall trees. The architect Giuseppe Cacialli built the Ionic Temple
that was decored by Antonio Marini. Beautiful peaces from the etruscan,
roman, Greek and Egyptian era are housed in the
Museo Archeologico that is located in a building dated 1620, built
by Giulio Parigi for Princess Maria Maddalena de’ Medici.
The Etruscan collection was badly damaged by the floods in 1966
and today only a small section of it can be seen.
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