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The convent of san marco museum
Overview The Dominican Convent includes the San Marco Museum. While in the English-speaking world a convent is a place for nuns, in Italy it can be for either nuns or monks, depending on their religious mission. This convent is for monks. San Marco has housed two famous brothers, Fra. Savonarola and Fra. Giovanni da Fiesole,…
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Palazzo Vecchio Florence
Overview The Palazzo Vecchio Florence, originally known as the Palazzo Signoria (Palazzo, Italian for palace), named for where the city government (the Signoria) met. Not allowed to leave the building during their term, which was only two months, they lived in the palace. When the Austrian Empire decided to make a Medici the Duke of…
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Baptistery of St. John
The Baptistery of St. John is located adjacent to the Cathedral of Florence (Santa Maria del Fiore), also known as the Duomo. When the building was built has been a subject of much debate. The latest consensus is that it was built around 1060. Many wonder why the baptistery is separate from the cathedral. There…
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Uffizi Art Museum
Overview The Uffizi Art Museum is the greatest museum for Italian Renaissance paintings. Most of the other art forms are in the Bargello Museum. Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici built the building as offices for the Duchy. Uffizi in Italian means offices. Shaped as a long U, with galleries on two floors, running north and…
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Loggia Lanzi
Overview Located on the Piazza della Signoria, adjacent to the Uffizi Museum and diagonally opposite the Palazzo Vecchio, the Loggia Lanzi contains several statues on public display. A loggia is a covered porch. Often attached to an important or grand building and originally used to entertain guests you did not want to admit to your…
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Art, history, and Churches- Florence, Italy has it all.
Overview Florence, Italy, may mean different things to different people. To some, the beauty of the Tuscan countryside draws them in. To others, it is all about one word: food. While there is no such thing as “Italian” food, there are regional dishes, and in Tuscany that is beef. To many, like me, Florence is…
Examining historic locations, experiencing new cultures, and exploring scenic beauty
