The Pitti Palace (Italian: Palazzo Pitti) is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence. It is situated on the south side of the Arno River, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio.
Wanted by Luca Pitti, an ambitious Florentine banker, to challenge the hated Medici family, Palazzo Pitti was, at the time of construction around 1440, the largest and most impressive private residence in the city of Florence.
The Birth of Venus is perhaps the most famous painting by Botticelli. It is a symbol of Florence, along with Michelangelo’s David, the Palazzo Vecchio, and a few other places and works of art.
The Boboli Gardens are one of the most important Italian gardens and a fantastic open-air museum that embraces another site of culture in Florence, the Pitti Palace.
More than a garden, more than just a “green lung” in Florence, this gorgeous park in the heart of Florence takes your breath away and brings to mind the splendor of the life of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany.
The Battle of Marciano (La battaglia di Marciano) is a huge, impressive fresco painted by the Italian architect, historian, painter, and writer Giorgio Vasari in 1565 for Cosimo I de’ Medici in the Hall of the Five Hundred in Palazzo Vecchio.
The exact name of the painting, which plays a key role in Dan Brown’s 2013 novel Inferno, is The victory of Cosimo I at Marciano in Val di Chiana (La vittoria di Cosimo I a Marciano in Val di Chiana).
Lorenzo de’ Medici (January 1, 1449 – April 9, 1492) – called Il Magnifico (The Magnificent) – is probably the most well-known member of the Medici family; he was the son of Piero de’ Medici and Lucrezia Tornabuoni and the grandson of Cosimo the Elder.
He was a magnate, diplomat, politician, and patron of scholars, artists, and poets. He is well known for his contribution to the art world by sponsoring artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo. His life coincided with the mature phase of Italian Renaissance, and his death coincided with the end of the Golden Age of Florence.
Here you find information and history about the Medici family, the world famous Italian noble family that had a great power in Florence from the 15th to the 18th century.
Fort Belvedere, located on the southern hills of the Arno River (specifically, on the highest hill of Boboli Gardens) in the Quarter of San Niccolò, is often referred to as «the most beautiful terrace in Florence». It is the second largest fortress to be built in Florence and was once connected to Palazzo Vecchio via the Vasari Corridor. From here, Robert Langdon, the main character in Dan Brown’s Inferno, would have the best panoramic view of Florence, the city in which his adventure in Italy begins.
The Opificio delle pietre dure, literally meaning Workshop of Semi-Precious Stones, is a public institute of the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage based in Florence.
The institute arose in 1588 from the passion of the Medici Family, of which author Dan Brown mentions in his latest book Inferno, for the semi-precious stone inlays.
Bianca Cappello (1548, Venice – October 20, 1587, Poggio, near Florence) was an Italian noblewoman and the daughter of Bartolomeo Cappello and Pellegrina Morosini. Both of her parents belonged to the oldest and most famous families in the Venetian aristocracy.
She was renowned for her beauty and intelligence, and her court intrigues were the most scandalous of her time. Her life is known through a mix of history and legend.
Cosimo I de’ Medici (Florence, June 12, 1519 – April 21, 1574) was Duke of Florence and later, the first Grand Duke of Tuscany. He ruled from 1537 to 1574.
Son of the mercenary captain Giovanni dalle Bande Nere and of Maria Salviati, Cosimo came to power in 1537 at the young age of seventeen.
“Cerca trova” (seek and ye shall find) is a mysterious inscription that is located at the top of Vasari’s fresco The Battle of Marciano positioned in the Hall of the Five Hundred in Palazzo Vecchio.
Palazzo Vecchio was known throughout the world for being the seat of political power in Florence for about seven centuries.
It used to be the symbol of the Republic of Florence and later of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and it still is the town hall.
