FLORENCE - CODE: TEDFRZ
Godi, Fiorenza, poi che se' sí grande,
che per mare e per terra batti l'ali,
e per lo 'nferno tuo nome si spande!
(Inferno, Canto XXVI)
Fiorenza mia, ben puoi esser contenta
di questa digression che non ti tocca,
mercè del popol tuo che si argomenta.
Molti han giustizia in cuore, e tardi scocca
per non venir sanza consiglio all'arco;
ma il popol tuo l'ha in sommo della bocca.
(Purgatorio, Canto V)
Fiorenza dentro dalla cerchia antica,
ond'ella toglie ancora e terza e nona,
si stava in pace, sobria e pudica.
(Paradiso, Canto XV)
Dante and Florence:
Dante Alighieri was born in Florence in 1265 from a family of minor Florentine gentry. Here he meets Brunetto Latini, his first teacher on art and life, and frequents "courtly" city life. He befriends some of the most important poets of the Dolce StilNovo school, or "sweet new style", including Guido Cavalcanti and Lapo Gianni, and shares with them an ideal of aristocratic culture and elegant poetry.
Guido, i’ vorrei che tu e Lapo ed io
fossimo presi per incantamento […]
(Rime)
In 1295 he became actively involved in the city's political life, at the time subject to infighting between the White Guelphs, supported by the Cerchi family, and the Black Guelphs, supported by the Donati family. His political career reached a peak in 1300, when, as a White Guelph, he was elected Prior (the most important office in the city of Florence): he's a moderate but a firm believer in Florence's autonomy, free from the meddling of Papal power. The following year, Pope Boniface VIII, whom Dante despised, decided to send Charles de Valois, the brother of the King of France, to Florence, to eliminate the White Guelphs from the political arena. Dante, together with two ambassadors, goes to see the Pope to convince him to avoid French intervention, but it is too late. Dante is still in Rome when Charles de Valois arrives in the city and supports the power of the Black Guelphs: the poet will never again set foot in the city, sentenced to exile.
In the Divine Comedy Florence is a recurring theme, a place of pain and longing for the poet, a place of dramatic passion in the Inferno; a historical symbol and a source of outraged fervour against the ills that plague Italy in the Purgatorio; a place of happy memories in the Paradiso, where the virtues of forgiveness and moral values are exposed.
Dante and the monuments
Basilica of Santa Maria Novella: one of the most important churches in Florence, it is located on the square of the same name. Inside, in the Strozzi Chapel, Nando di Cione painted the Last Judgement according to the model traced by Dante in the Divine Comedy. Dante is portrayed in the fresco amongst the "Elects".
Piazza del Duomo, is the heart of the city. Its current layout is the product of a series of interventions made in the 19th century, intended to make monuments more uniform. Those who walk into the Piazza del Duomo are awestruck by its beauty and the grandeur of the works there, made with red, white and dark green marble. Here is the most important religious complex of the city: the Baptistry of Saint John, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo) with the Brunelleschi dome and Giotto's Bell Tower.
The Baptistry of Saint John was called by Dante "my beautiful Saint John" (Non mi parean men ampi né maggiori/ che que' che son nel mio bel San Giovanni,/fatti per loco de' battezzatori. Inferno, Canto XIX), and it was here that the poet was baptised.
Also worth a visit are the small streets that go around the Duomo, which have never lost their medieval atmosphere: Via della Canonica, Via delle Oche and Via Sant’Elisabetta (where you can see the only, ancient, circular tower in Florence, the Torre della Pagliazza).
House of Dante Museum: opened in 1911, and reorganised many times, traces Dante's life and works. The house was built in 1906 in the area previously occupied by the Alighieri homes.
The Torre della Castagna: in front of what was previously the Alighieri homes, the Tower was the old meeting place of the Priori, an important position that even Dante served in 1300.
Chiesa di Santa Margherita de' Cerchi: also known as Dante's Church. Here, Dante Alighieri married Gemma Donati, and, within these ancient walls, the Donati family are buried, as well as the Portinari, Beatrice's family. It is likely that Dante met Beatrice for the first time here. Inside the church, there is an English 19th century painting by H G Holiday depicting the meeting between Dante and the young woman along the Arno river.
Via del Corso: this is the street of the Palace where Beatrice was born, and now Palazzo Salviati is in its place: the façade bears a plaque with a few verses by Dante.
Palace of Bargello: in times past, justice was meted out here. It's the symbol of 13th century Florence, with the Guelphs, Ghibellines and their fights. The palace is now home to the National Museum of Bargello, housing works by Michelangelo, Luca della Robbia, Benvenuto Cellini, and timeless masterpieces, such as Donatello's David. In the Bargello Chapel, painted by Giotto's school, there is also a portrait of Dante.
Piazza della Signoria: As the poet tells us, it was here that the Uberti family resided, a Ghibelline family, their houses demolished after the Guelph faction won. This location was chosen to house the beating heart of the city, sealed with the construction of the 14th century Palazzo della Signoria, designed by Arnolfo di Cambio.
Piazza and Church of Santa Croce: To the left of the façade of Basilica of Santa Croce, on the square of the same name, there is a statue commemorating the Great Poet. The statue, in white Carrara marble, was made by Enrico Pazzi in 1865, 600 years after Dante's birth. In 2011, on the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the Italian Unification, this statue was restored. In the Basilica of Santa Croce is the Cenotaph to Dante Alighieri, the work of Stefano Ricci in 1829.
The Badia Fiorentina: one of the oldest and distinguished churches in Florence. It was here that, according to the Vita Nuova, Dante as a child first met Beatrice Portinari, the love of his life. It was inside the Badia, at the Pandolfini Chapel, that public readings of the Divine Comedy were held for the first time, thanks to a great admirer of Dante, Giovanni Boccaccio.
The Uffizi: One of the most important Italian museums, and one of the greatest and most renowned in the world. The exhibition displays works from the 12th to the 18th centuries, with the best collection of Renaissance works in the world. Within, are some of the greatest masterpieces of the world, created by artists such as Cimabue, Caravaggio, Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raffaello, Mantegna, Tiziano, Parmigianino, Dürer, Rubens, Rembrandt, Canaletto. The collection of the works by Sandro Botticelli is unparalleled.
San Lorenzo Church: with the Medici tombs sculpted by Michelangelo.
The Ponte Vecchio: The current bridge was built in 1345 after a violent flood had destroyed the previous one. Above the goldsmiths’ shops that line the sides of the bridge, is the famous Vasari Corridor that Giorgio Vasari built in 1565 on behalf of the Medici. This passageway allowed them to cross from Palazzo Vecchio to Pitti Palace in complete safety, without having to set foot on the streets of Florence.
Pitti Palace: this was the residence of the grand dukes of Tuscany and the kings of Italy. Today, it is an imposing complex that includes Galleries and Museums, where important collections of paintings and sculptures, objets d’art and porcelains are stored. It is graced by the famous Boboli Gardens, one of the marvels of Italian gardening.
