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From Palazzo Pitti to Ponte Vecchio
Palazzo Pitti was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi under the order of Luca Pitti; it was once the residence of the Grand-dukes of Tuscany, and nowadays it has been subdivided in various Galleries hosting the works of Raffaello, Tiziano and Caravaggio in the Palatine Gallery, and those of the Macchiaioli in the Gallery of Modern Art, without forgetting the furnishing presented in the Museum of the Silver and of the Porcelain.
At the shoulders of Palazzo Pitti is located the large Garden of Boboli that, after the original project probably firmed by the same Brunelleschi, owns its actual design with the pathways decorated with Renaissance statues to Niccolò Pericoli.
From Piazza de Pitti, taking the “Via Guicciardini”, one arrives to Ponte Vecchio, over the Arno River and from there, crossing “Borgo San Iacopo” and “Via Maggio”, one arrives to the church of the Saint Spirit made by Brunelleschi and to the Cenacle where is preservd a fragment of the Last Dinner made of Andrea Orcagna.
Crossing “Via Sant’Agostino” and “Via Santa Monaca” we finally reach the church of Santa Maria del Carmine, inside which is preserved the Brancacci Chapel, taking its name from the family who ordered the decorating frescoes to Masaccio.
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From Orsanmichele to Ponte Vecchio
The church of Orsanmichele starting point of our itinerary, is also famous under the name of “Loggia of the corn” because, during the Middle Ages, it was used for the market of the wheat.
Later on, the marble tabernacle was placed in the church, work of Andrea Orcagna, in order to preserve the image of the Madonna realised by Bernardo Daddi, while inside the building, more recently, has been set up a Museum where one can admire the statues that one time were decorating the façade.
Leaving Orsanmichele and taking “Via dé Calzaiuoli”, we reach the Loggia of the New Market, built by Giovanni Battista del Sasso and which was used during the 16th century for the gold and silk market.
In the immediate surroundings we find “Piazza della Signoria”, with the copy of the statue of the David of Michelangelo, which original is perserved at the Museum of the Academy.
On the same Piazza we can visit the Palazzo Vecchio, designed by Arnolfo di Cambio on the order of Cosimo I de’ Medici and nowadays headquarter of the City Hall, and the Gallery of the Uffizi.
At the meeting point between “Piazza della Signoria” and “Piazzale degli Uffizi”, we find the Loggia of the Lanzi, also known as Loggia of the Orcagna, where, among the various important statues exhibited, one should note the “Perseo with in his hands the head of Medusa” realised by Benvenuto Cellini.
From “Piazza della Signoria”, finally, walking along the “gallery vasariana of the Uffizi”, we arrive to the Arno River with its characteristic bridge Ponte Vecchiowhich can be reached on the right by crossing the “Arno embankment of the Arquebusier”.
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From Santa Maria Novella to the Cathedral
From the central train station, continuuing in the direction of Piazza of the Italian Unification, one arrives to the 13th century basilica of Santa Maria Novella, once a time headquarter of the Order of the Dominican, which definitive aspect is the work of Leon Battista Alberti.
Through “Via dei Panzani” and “Via de’ Cerretani”, one arrives then to Piazza San Giovanni, hosting the Baptistery, built in the honour of Saint Giovanni Battista, with the bronze doors work of Lorenzo Ghiberti and Andrea Pisano.
In the immediate surroundings we find the Cathedral, designed by Arnolfo di Cambio and then developped by Giotto, who also started its belfry. However, the definitive aspect is due to Andrea Pisano and above all to Brunelleschi who completed the structure with the imponent cupola.
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