Florence it certainly needs no introduction for the tourist who crowds Piazza del Duomo, Piazza della Signoria and all the iconic places of the City of Giglio. But for those looking for something more exclusive and authentic, in the city but away from the crowds, here it is 5 things to do and see in springto then leave the Tuscan capital… with a great desire to return.
Sleep in Heaven or Hell?
Nights in a soft heavenly atmosphere or among infernal shades of fire (in the company of Topotto)? You can choose to 25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino, a hotel complex of three properties on 10,750 m2, with 170 rooms in the heart of Florence, a stone’s throw from Santa Maria Novella on one side and the Lungarni on the other. The structure, designed by interior designer Paola Navone and her team, is inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedyin an elegant and fun game that begins in the corridors, with the walls decorated with illustrations by the American artist Seymour Chwast and Benigni’s voice reciting the “Comedy”.
Entrance to the Paradiso room at the Hotel 25 hours
And then there are the rooms each dedicated to a Dante character, light rooms if from Paradise, red if from Hell, and all with elements of ironic, fun writings and objects. On the beds we find a large plush “mouse” which, designed by Studio Otto, is called Topottoand we also find it in the hall, an ironic thread of a journey between Hell and Paradise where distances are canceled out at the table.
The San Paolino restaurant, in a lush covered garden (in the historic building that once belonged to the Bank of Italy), offers from the classic “Fiorentina” to local and international dishes, with typical and seasonal products. The Companion Bar offers, from aperitif until night, the classic bitter-sweet cocktails, with a wide selection of Bitters, Spirits or Vermouth, without forgetting the Negroni, the drink born in Florence.
Grocery shop 25 hours
Then there’s the Food shop and bakery, where you can buy local products, but above all sit at the tables in the small square to enjoy cold dishes: sandwiches, pizzas, porchetta, pasta or vegetable salads, all in a privileged location because it is quiet even if a stone’s throw from the centre. The hotel’s flagship is the wellness area, from the Finnish sauna to the 70 m2 fitness area on two floors: ranging from yoga to Pilates, to the room with Technogym equipment for cardio and strength training. Finally, for those who love cinematic “goodies”, the Paradise cinema offers regular cycles of cult screenings. The hotel is well suited for celebrating corporate and private events, such as in the Garden House, a loft with swimming pool, kitchen, etc. ideal for dinners and parties.
On the trail of Dante
After a stay between Hell and Paradise it is almost obligatory to delve into “Dantesco Quarter”those places between Piazza della Signoria, the Church of Orsanmichele and the Badia Fiorentina where Alighieri lived from birth (1265) to exile (1302).
A visit that is not as obvious as it would seem: for example, how many non-Florentines know the “Dante’s Stone”? Yet it is there, behind the Cathedral, a little away from a wall: it is the stone on which the great poet sat to observe the works of the Cathedral (a forerunner of the umarell who stop in front of construction sites?). One story goes that a passing acquaintance asked him what his favorite food was and he replied “egg.” A year passed, Dante was still sitting there and that acquaintance came by again and asked “With what?” and he “With salt”. A story perhaps invented but which aims to underline Dante’s excellent memory.
Dante’s stone, where it is said that the great poet sat in observation
In whose footsteps we can follow the “talking stones”, the epigraphs which on the Florentine walls recall the places by Dante or mentioned by him in the Divine Comedy. It is a path that takes us from the Poet’s alleged birthplace (now a museum) to the Church of Santa Margherita dei Cerchi where the first meeting with Beatrice took place: here the young woman is said to be buried and many lovers today leave notes in a basket (even if according many scholars would rest in Santa Croce in her husband’s family tomb).
A curiosity to see: the profile of the Poet carved on the floor of the church square. Dante said he was born in the shadow of the Badia Fiorentina, and nearby was the church of San Martino, the site of Alighieri’s wedding with Gemma Donati, although according to another version they married in Santa Maria dei Cerchi. In the nearby Via del Corso, at n.6, it stands Portinari Salviati Palace where Beatrice lived her childhood. Suggestive stage, in Hall of the Priors of Palazzo Vecchio we find the plaster mask of Alighieri which became famous in Dan Brown’s film.
To conclude a Dante journey you need to go to the wonder that is there Basilica of Santa Crocewhere in the churchyard we find Dante’s monument by Enrico Pazzi placed there for the Dante celebrations of 1865, and inside the church there is Dante’s cenotaph by Stefano Ricci from 1829.
Restoration school at Studiolo Ponzani
The Studiolo Ponzani
From the 25hours Hotel, crossing Ponte alla Carraia you arrive at Oltrarno, in the most authentic Florence, in the heart of San Frediano. Here in via Santo Spirito, 27 we find Ponziani’s Studiolo, the laboratory where the Ponziani family has been involved in the artisanal restoration of furniture and paintings since the 19th century. Cited by the most prestigious international magazines, the venue is still a treasure chest today ancient manufacturing secretswhich can also be learned with courses in decoration, restoration, reproduction of antique furniture and valuable furnishings which are organized on request.
Already in the 19th century the Ponziani were cited as experts in the art of gilding (which today is taught with the use of ancient raw materials, such as glue): thus the Ponziani company was born, on the ground floor of a building in 1500, Palazzo Graziosi. History and art can also be felt outside, in the exclusive garden of the Studiolo, which makes it a unique place in Florence to organize an event: over 200 m2 of space, with hedges, flower beds and lemon trees that transform the garden into a splendid location (www.ponzianilostudiolo.com).
Garden from Ponzani
We are in the most authentic and popular Florence where even the food reflects tradition. Gurdulu(via delle Caldaie 12R, www.gurdulu.com) is one tasty gastronomy also takeaway and an excellent restaurant, with a pleasant outdoor courtyard. The dishes are mainly from the Florentine tradition: tripe, lampredotto, porchetta, fresh pasta, excellent vegetable appetizers, artisanal bread products. One of the secrets of these delicious things is that most of the raw materials arrive from Fattoria Le Sodera, in Impruneta, owned by the father of Gurdulù’s chef, from poultry to pork, from the first fruits of the garden to oil, and the quality is really feels.
Basilica of Santo Spirito, the “rebirth” of Foschi
The interior of the Basilica of Santo Spirito
Let’s stay in Oltrarno to discover the treasure chest of works of art that is there Basilica of Santo Spirito, governed by the Augustinian friars, perhaps not well known enough to those who are not Florentines. And it’s a shame: designed by Filippo Brunelleschi – begun in 1444 it was the master’s last great work – it retains a wooden crucifix carved by a Michelangelo eighteen years old in 1493, as thanks to the Prior who hosted him and allowed him to study anatomy on the corpses coming from the complex’s hospital.
The building is bright, elegant, and has 40 altars enriched with numerous treasures and works of art. Among these stands out altarpiece of The Transfiguration by Pier Francesco Foschi, which was much talked about on the occasion of the very recent restoration which took place on site, and now the work has been relocated to the Capponi chapel in Altopascio. The restoration was carried out thanks to the Pier Francesco (1502- 1567) Florentine Painter exhibition at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence and which ended on 14 April.
Craft fair in front of the Church of Santo Spirito
An active and popular life takes place in front of the elegant and sober façade of Santo Spirito, a reflection of a genuine neighbourhood, with stalls selling Fierucolina products every third Sunday of the month. And every second Sunday of the month those of small antiques, crafts, organic food products, plants and flowers enliven this space until the evening where Florentines meet and mingle with tourists hunting for tasteful and artisanal souvenirs.
Boboli and the secret garden of camellias
We remain Oltrarno but in a completely different atmosphere, the magical one of the Boboli Gardens, to say the least, so large with its 45 thousand m2 that even though there are tourists there is always a little place to enjoy this paradise and that of Villa Bardini (with a single ticket). The Gardens are accessed from four entrances: from the Ammannati courtyard of Palazzo Pitti, from Via Romana (known as the Annalena entrance), from Forte Belvedere, from the Piazzale di Porta Romana.
The gardens derive from the vegetable gardens of the Borgolo family, behind Santa Felicita in Oltrarno, which were purchased in 1418 by Luca Pitti (client of the palace of the same name), whose ownership in 1549 passed to Eleonora da Toledo, wife of Cosimo de Medici, who entrusted the task of renovating the garden went to the architect Niccolò Tribolo. Over the centuries, the Medici, Habsburg-Lorraine and Savoy brought the Boboli Gardens to their current splendor.
Wisteria tunnel at Villa Bardini in the Boboli Gardens
Once inside, it is impossible not to get lost among the woods and paths, statues and fountains, caves, avenues, buildings, lakes, built over the course of four centuries. Worth seeing there Lemon house which can hold 500 vases, the very famous one Buontalenti cavethe Neptune and Ocean fountainsThe Kaffeehaus pavilion of the 18th century. A path made even more fascinating if done with an environmental guide, who tells the story of the plants and the symbolism of the paths that lead up towards Forte Belvedere, the straight and steep path for the bravest, the secondary one for the calm, then for the undecided alleys and avenues such as that of the holm oaks (there is a 400 year old plant) which forms a somewhat dark arch. In short, even the paths are a symbol of the paths of life.
Another symbol, that of love, is in the secret Garden, that of the camellias, between the southern wing of Palazzo Pitti and the Meridiana bastion, built to connect the apartments of Prince Mattias de’Medici with the Boboli Gardens. It is a sort of long, narrow avenue flanked by the camellias so loved by Cardinal Giovan Carlo, brother of Prince Mattias, and it is a small oasis of great charm, which can only be visited at certain times. Once at the top of Boboli, at the Forte Belvedere, we find the entrance (Costa San Giorgio 2) of Villa Bardini, whose famous garden has some unique attractions, such as the baroque staircase, the terraces overlooking the city, and above all the pergola of the wisteria, 70 meters long and 4.6 meters wide, which blooms between April and May and creates an evocative and highly photographed passage.
It’s a real shame to leave parks and gardens in this Florentine spring, but this pleasure can be prolonged having dinner in a greenhouse!
Torrigiani greenhouses
Remaining Oltrarno, in via Gusciana 21, Santo Spirito area, the Torrigiani greenhouses in the Italian garden of the same name they are truly special. The Historic Greenhouse of over 200 m2 houses rare plants in their ancient terracotta pots and a 19th century fountain; the Serra Grande of 530 m2, from the second half of the 20th century, over 60 m long, allows the organization of various types of events; the high greenhouse of over 350 m2 houses the largest plants and is ideal for more carefree and informal moments. Dining at the Bistrot among the plants is a great experience, the menu is genuine and refined, the atmosphere enlivened by the music. A nice way to say goodbye to Florence not as tourists but as friends who will return.
