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Best Places In Florence - The Palazzo Strozzi And Santa Maria Novella Districts

By Levi Reiss

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Published: 06Dec2011
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The Palazzo Strozzi area of central Florence is situated just west of the Duomo (Cathedral) and the Uffizi Gallery districts. It is named for a palace constructed for the Strozzi family built in the late Fifteenth to early-mid Sixteenth Centuries. This is Florence's biggest palace. Its exterior is relatively simple, but the interior courtyard must be seen. Try to get there during an art show.

This neighborhood is palace country. Here are some of them. The Fourteenth Century Palazzo Davanzati was built for merchants and subsequently became a residence as well as a place of business. About fifty years ago it opened to the public as the Museo della Casa Fiorentina Antica (The Museum of the Antique Florentine House), showing the great unwashed how the other half (1%?) lived way back when. The Palazzo Antinori was built in the mid-Fifteenth Century and acquired by the Antinori family in 1506. In case you don't know, Antinori is a big, big name in Tuscany wines. Make sure to see the palace courtyard as well. The Palazzo Corsini was built in the mid-Seventeenth Century in grandiose Roman Baroque style. The terrace overlooks the river. Try to visit during its annual Antique Exhibition. Other local palaces include the Fifteenth Century

Palazzo Rucellai and the Fourteenth Century Palazzo di Parte Guelfa. Do you remember from your Italian History course that the Guelphs supported the Pope, while their enemies, the Ghibellines, were fans of the Holy Roman Emperor? Dating back to the Ninth Century, one of Florence's oldest churches is the Church of San Pancrazio, which has become the Museo Marino Marini, a museum devoted to one of Italy's most important abstract artists. His work is noted for rugged and elemental bronzes featuring hoses and riders. Another really old church in these parts is the Church of Santi Apostoli, dating back to the Eleventh Century (or more, depending on who you ask.) Don't miss the panel with the Immaculate Conception by Giorgio Vasari.

Florence's famous Mercato Nuovo was built between 1547-1551 by Grand Duke Cosimo I. The locals call it " Il Porcellino" (swine) in honor of a fountain by Pietro Tacca, 1612. They say if you rub piggy's snout you will return to the city. Improve your chances by placing a coin in his mouth. The money goes to local charities.

The Santa Maria Novella district is located in the western part of Florence. But it is really quite central, hosting the railway station of that name. This district owes its name to the Basilica Santa Maria Novella, the most important Gothic church in Tuscany. It was built for the Dominican friars on the site of the 10th-century Dominican oratory of Santa Maria delle Vigne. Make sure to go inside and see the many great artworks including stained glass windows by classic Italian painters. The Cloister, the Chiostro Verde, hosts major beautiful frescoes. Among the many chapels of interest is the Filippo Strozzi Chapel, located on the right side of the main altar. This is where the first tale of Giovanni Boccaccio's Decamerone started when seven ladies decided to leave town for the countryside and flee the Black Plague. At the southern end of the square Piazza Santa Maria Novella is the Loggia di San Paolo, the entrance to the Ospedale San Paolo dei Convalescenti (Saint Paul's Convalescent Hospital). Given the fact that you are near the Railway Station you should be careful when visiting this area at night.

Florence boasts many beautiful small streets. Don't miss Via dei Fossi running from Piazza Santa Maria Novella to Piazza Goloni next to the Arno River. You'll enjoy the shops. Stop by the Church of Ognissanti (All-Saints Church) first erected in the mid-Thirteenth Century and then reconstructed in baroque style some four hundred years later. Only the bell tower remains from the original edifice. One of the frescoes is entitled The Last Supper, painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio, and said to be known to Da Vinci. You might want to compare Dom's and Lenny's versions. This was the church of the Vespucci family and one frescoes is said to depict Amerigo Vespucci as a child.

If you like visiting city gates make sure to stop by the Porta al Prato in the northwest corner of the district, dating back to the late Thirteenth Century. It boasts a fresco of the Madonna with the Child and Saints. Not all Italian churches are Roman Catholic. The century-old (what a newcomer) American Church of Saint James is an Episcopal Church, situated in the historic gardens of the Orti Oricellari. I am told that it hosts multiple community activities, including Alcoholics Anonymous. The Teatro Comunale presents the "Maggio Musicale Fiorentino" music festival from March to June and from September to December.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but prefers drinking fine wine with the right foods. He teaches computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his Italian travel website www.travelitalytravel.com and his global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com featuring weekly bargain wine reviews.

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