FLORENTINE SQUARES

The life of any Italian town is centered on its square. Florence is no exception, for what is a city but a collection of neighborhoods, each very much like a town, and each with its square? Florence's squares reflect the character of their neighborhoods, from the frankly touristy Piazza della Signoria, which serves a neighborhood filled with offices, to Sant'Ambrogio's raucous outdoor market, which serves the most thoroughly blue collar neighborhood in theCentro Storico. In all, this walk should take between three and six hours, depending upon how fast you walk and how often you stop.

You will want to begin in Piazza della Repubblica. The plaque above the arch says "The ancient heart of the city brought to new life after centuries of squalor;" in the late 19th century the city fathers tore out the Jewish ghetto and the old market place, replacing the medieval houses with imposing, nondescript structures. Urban reclamation is not synonymous with progress, and now most Florentines regret the restoration, which has left them with a sizable section of the heart of their city that has more in common with the architectural traditions of Torino than those of Florence.

However, Piazza della Repubblica is, because of its location, a natural meeting place, and has three of the oldest and most elegant cafes in town: Pazkowski, Gilli, and the Giubbe Rosse. The former two are simply elegant, and both are excellent places to have a cappuccino and a pastry if you haven't had breakfast yet, while the Giubbe Rosse, which derives its name from Garibaldi's Red Shirts, was once a nationalist haven, and is now rather rakish, doing a brisk business late at night.

The column in front of Via degli Speziali supposedly marks the geometric center of the Roman city, and is called the Colonna dell'Abbondanza, perhaps a reference to the fact the piazza is located where the main agricultural market was in the middle ages.

Leave Piazza della Repubblica on Via degli Speziali, the street of the spice merchants, and continue onto Via del Corso. Turn right onto Via Santa Margherita (through the tunnel). The church dates to 1032, but was stripped bare at some point, and is now one of the plainest in Florence. It does however have the bones of Beatrice Portinari, Dante's source of inspiration. Walk by Dante's home (N° 1), which was rather fancifully restored a century ago, and turn right to see San Martino, the chapel where Dante married Gemma Donati in 1295. It now hosts the Congregazione dei Buonomini di San Martino, an organization founded by Florence's first Archbishop, San Marco Antonio Pierozzi, to give alms to people who had been ruined by strife between opposing political factions, but were ashamed to beg. The scenes from the life of San Martino were done by Ghirlandaio and his assistants, while the walled in opening on the right hand wall was used to distribute bread during the plague of 1522.

Follow Via Dante Alighieri to Via del Proconsolo. To your right will be the Bargello, the former palace of the Podestá, or chief magistrate, and now a national museum (Italy's first), with works by Donatello, Michelangelo, and Della Robbia, among others. Continue onto Via Pandolfini, and left onto Via Giraldi, which will lead you to Palazzo Pandolfini. The façade is beautifully frescoed, though the frescoes, are, alas, poorly preserved. Turn right on Borgo degli Albizi. Palazzo degli Albizi, to your left (N° 18), is known as Palazzo dei Visacci (Palace of the ugly faces), because of the curious statues of illustrious Florentines, including Dante, Boccaccio, and Amerigo Vespucci, placed upon its façade by Baccio Valori in the 15th century.

Borgo degli Albizi opens out onto Piazza San Piero Maggiore, a market place by day, and seedy by night. The portico with the arches is what remains of the church of San Piero, torn down in 1784 because it was unsound. To the left, there is the Volta di San Pietro, an odd archway that fills with people when it rains. Half way through it, on the right, is a wine and sandwich counter called L'Antico Noé, which has a beautiful antique mirror that advertises Antico Noé Vermouth (before the owners renovated the place, the mirror was mounted on the back wall, behind a white marble counter from which sandwiches and wine were served, while pigeons pecked at the crumbs dropped by the customers).

Cross Via Verdi and bear right at the Y, to Piazza dei Ciompi, site in the late 1200's of the Tumulto dei Ciompi, a revolt of the wool-workers, who wanted better pay. The neighborhood remains solidly working class to this day. The square, which now hosts a flea market (don't expect to find bargains, however), was once a fish market, and the portico was designed by Vasari in 1567. Lorenzo Ghiberti, author of the Baptistery's Gates of Paradise, lived on the far side of the square, in the house that has a plaque bearing his name; it now hosts the Casa del Popolo Buonarroti, a neighborhood social center.

Follow Via Pietrapiana to the Church of Sant'Ambrogio. Though the façade is rather uninspired, the church behind it is one of the strangest and most interesting in Florence. It's also one of the earliest; the present building, as you can see from the Gothic windows on the right wall, was begun in the early 13th century. As you enter, on your right, you will see Orcagna's Madonna Enthroned with Saints John and Bartholomew. The synopia, the under-drawing from which he worked when he did the fresco, was uncovered during the restoration done following the 1966 flood, and is now on the front wall of the church. Along the walls of the church there are odd stonework arcades that were added sometime in the Renaissance, perhaps because there was insufficient space for true side chapels. It's interesting to note that the Renaissance architect was quite willing to destroy earlier artworks that we now consider priceless, for example Nicola Gerini's Deposition from the Cross, to bring the building into line with the standards of his day. There's an obvious parallel with the renovation of Piazza Della Repubblica carried out by the Town Council in the 1890's. The church was further reworked in the early 18th century by Foggini, who designed one of the most harmonious Baroque apses in Florence, and added a spectacular altar inlaid with semi-precious stones.

Sant'Ambrogio also has the Cappella del Miracolo (to the left of the main altar), built in the 1480's to hold a flask containing the blood the parish priest, Ugaccione, found in the bottom of the wine chalice he'd forgotten to wipe dry after saying Mass one day in 1230. The tabernacle is by Mino da Fiesole, who is also buried in the church, the candle sticks are by Della Robbia, and the frescoes are by Cosimo Rosselli.

Turn right onto Via dei Macci, and then left at the Ristorante Cibreo, one Florence's more trendy restaurants. The market in front of you is Sant'Ambrogio. There's something reassuring about the bedlam, and it can be great fun comparing the produce in the different stands to decide who has the best. The best fruits and vegetables, which are called primizie, are of a quality that just doesn't make it to the supermarkets. Take your time to wander about; should you want a snack other than fruit, there's a lunch counter/bar inside.

The large fortress-like building with the mural on it behind the marketplace is Le Murate, a suppressed convent that was the women's prison until about 1982. Part of it has now been transformed into a social center, while the rest houses the School of Architecture of the University of Florence. The contrast between the modern prison architecture and the Renaissance convent architecture is interesting.

Leave the marketplace on Via Della Mattonaia; the town on the hill facing you is Fiesole. Turn left onto Via Niccolini, which opens out onto Piazza d'Azeglio, the heart of one of downtown Florence's nicer residential neighborhoods. The square is remarkably peaceful, and is a Mecca for pensioners and parents with small children. Follow Via della Colonna towards Piazza SS Annunziata; if you look left onto Via Farrini as you leave Piazza d'Azeglio, you will see the green dome of the synagogue, built in the 1870's.

Via della Colonna will take you past the Archaeology Museum, which has a very nice garden, that is, alas, closed to visitors. If you look left, you will see the belfry of the Badia Fiorentina, one of the prettier churches in town. Continue through the archway into Piazza Santissima Annunziata. Here again we are in the commercial section of the Centro Storico, and most of the buildings house offices or hotels. Consequently the square is more of a thoroughfare than a meeting place. It is however one of the architectural gems of Florence. The building to the left as you enter the square is the Spedale degli Innoceni, or foundling hospital, as you might guess from the babes in the rounds between the arches, which are by Andrea Della Robbia (the rounds not between the arches are copies). The porticoes of the hospital were designed by Brunelleschi between 1419 and 1426, and mark the beginning of Renaissance architecture. The foundling hospital now houses a games library for children and a pretty museum, with an annunciation by Della Robbia and a Madonna with Child by Botticelli. Visiting it will take you about 20 minutes.

Even if you decide not to visit the museum, you should, by all means, visit Santissima Annunziata. The original church was built in 1250 to serve as an oratory for the Order of the Servants of Mary, which was founded in 1234 by seven wealthy Florentines who withdrew to caves on Monte Senario, a wild mountain north of the city. The present church, built between 1444 and 1481, is one of the most sumptuous in Florence. You enter it through the Chiostro dei Voti, so called because the faithful would leave votive offerings of thanks for Grace received. The frescoes are beautiful: Immediately to the right there is the Ascension of the virgin, by Rosso Fiorentino, whose use of color is disturbing but unforgettable. Next is the Visitation, by Pontormo, and then the betrothal of the Virgin, by Franciabigio. Her face was hammered upon by the artist himself, because the monks peeked at the work before it was finished, and nobody has dared retouch it since. Next is the Nativity of the Virgin, which Andrea del Sarto did a beautiful job of transposing into a wealthy Florentine home; popular tradition holds that the woman in the center was his wife, Lucrezia del Fede, though he only married her several years later. The Arrival of the Magi as also by Andrea. The man pointing with the foreshortened arm is his self portrait. The next fresco, to the left of the main door to the church, is the Nativity, by Alesso Baldovinetti; it is followed by the Calling of Saint Filippo Benizzi, and then Andrea del Sarto takes over with several scenes of the Saint's life. The old man dressed in red and leaning on a cane in the final fresco is Andrea della Robbia.

To your left as you enter the church you will see an astonishingly ornate tabernacle, ordered in the 1450's by Piero De'Medici to house a 13th century Annunciation painted, according to legend, by a monk, Frá Bartolomeo, who just couldn't get the Virgin's head right. He fell asleep trying, and an angel took the brush did it for him. Word of the miracle spread rapidly, and there are several copies of the fresco, both in Florence (in Ognissanti, for example), and as far away as Milan. People make pilgrimages to it and devout Florentine brides leave their bouquets on the altar.

Most of the side chapels of the church contain nice, though not major works. The first and second chapels on the left side, however, have frescoes by Andrea del Castagno: the Savior with Saint Julian, which emerged when a painting that is now in the sacristy was taken down, and the Trinity, shown from what in 1454 was a truly revolutionary perspective. Before you leave the church, look at the presbytery behind the altar, a grandiose structure that was begun by Michelozzo and finished by Manetti, with the advice of Leon Battista Alberti.

The red brick palace you will see on the other side of the square upon exiting Santissima Annunziata is Palazzo Grifoni, home of Cosimo I De'Medici's personal secretary. It has one of the finest patterned brickwork façades in Italy, and is the only example of this sort of brickwork in Florence.

Proceed right from Piazza Santissima Annunziata, to Piazza San Marco. Though the distance is just a hundred yards, the two squares are totally different. First of all, Piazza San Marco has a small park, with benches and shade trees that make it a pleasant place to stop in during the spring and fall. Second, the administration of the University of Florence is located on Piazza San Marco, as are the Accademia delle Belle Arti and the Departments of Natural History and Earth Sciences of the University. Consequently, people are always coming and going, and the place is a popular meeting spot during the day (at night the only thing open is a penny arcade, and the square becomes decidedly seedy).

The monastery whose church dominates the square is San Marco, one of Florence's major Dominican monasteries. The Dominicans were known as God's watch dogs, because the order was founded to stamp out heresy (through, among other things, the Inquisition), and had Cosimo De'Medici the Elder and his brother Lorenzo been able to foresee the future, they might not have funded the enlargement of the convent that took place between 1427 and 1453. Indeed, Guglielmo Savonarola became Prior of the abbey in 1490, and his sermons against the moral laxity of the Renaissance resulted in the expulsion of the Medici family in 1494; under his influence a fanatically intolerant religious state was established and terror descended over the city as neighbors accused each other of crimes against God. This state of affairs continued until 1498, when Savonarola dared attack Pope Alexander the Sixth Borgia, who responded by excommunicating him and having him burned at the stake (in Piazza della Signoria, at the spot now marked by a brass disk). The Florentines are said to have greeted the returning Medicis with tears of joy.

The convent, whose entrance is to the right of the church, is one of the most beautiful and best preserved in Florence. Because Beato Angelico lived and worked in it, it is also a spectacular art museum. In addition about a hundred of his works, the museum hosts a Last Supper by Ghirlandaio, and houses a collection of architectural marbles salvaged from the buildings torn down to make space for Piazza della Repubblica (some, which have Hebrew inscriptions, are from the old synagogue). Perhaps the most interesting part of the museum, however, is the second floor, where you can see the monks' cells and Savonarola's studio (where he was arrested), all of which are decorated with fascinating, and sometimes oddly surreal scenes from the life and Passion of Christ painted by Beato Angelico and his assistants.

From Piazza San Marco take the number 17 bus to the train station, and follow the street that parallels the church into Piazza Santa Maria Novella. The square, one of Florence's prettiest and most welcoming, hosts several lively pubs and restaurants, and has also become the meeting place of the immigrant community; it is never empty, day or night. Not that it was much calmer in the past: the grass and the benches are relatively recent, but the obelisks, which perch on stands designed by Giambologna in 1608, used to serve as pylons for the Palio dei Ciocchi, a carriage race.

As is the case with most other Florentine squares, Piazza Santa Maria Novella is dominated by its church. The façade is one of the earliest and most beautiful in Florence. It was begun about 1300, and the lower part reveals the influence of both the Baptistery and San Miniato al Monte, while the main door and the upper half, with its graceful curves, are by Leon Battista Alberti, and date to 1470. The two astronomical instruments on the extremities of the façade were added by Cosimo I De'Medici's astronomer in 1572.

The inside of the church, which is simply vast, has a number of important art works. Off the right transept there is the Rucellai Family chapel, which used to have a Madonna with child by Duccio (it's now in the Uffizzi), and still has a Madonna with Child by Nino Pisano. Still on the right transept, next to the apse, is Filippo Strozzi's chapel, with frescoes of the Old Testament (on the vault) and the lives of the saints, by Filippino Lippi. The frescoes on the apse behind the main altar, are, instead, Domenico Ghirlandaio's masterpiece, stories from the life of the Virgin; he worked on them from 1485 to 1490 with the help of his brother, brother in law, and a bevy of assistants, including the young Michelangelo. The Gondi Chapel, immediately to the left of the altar, contains Brunelleschi's only surviving sculpture, a crucifixion he is said to have done sometime between 1410 and 1425, to show Donatello how he thought the Savior should be rendered. The Strozzi Family chapel, which is off from the left transept, has an interesting fresco cycle of the Divine Judgment, with paradise and hell that reveal Dante's influence, done by Nardo di Cione, Andrea Orcagna's brother, in about 1357. Andrea did the Redeemer and Saints in 1357. Continuing down the left transept, you will come to Masaccio's Trinity, with Mary and Saint John. The fresco, painted in 1427, is one of the most important early Renaissance works, because of the control employed in positioning the figures, and because it is one of the first to accurately render perspective (Brunelleschi may have advised Masaccio). The skeleton bears the warning, "I was what you are, and am what you yet shall be."

The entrance to the cloisters (Santa Maria Novella was a Dominican monastery) is to the right of the main door as you exit the church, and is well worth visiting. The refectory has the Creation of Adam and the animals, and the Creation and Temptation of Eve, by Paolo Uccello, as well as his masterpieces, the Flood and the Sacrifice of Noah, in which he astonished his contemporaries with his skill in rendering perspective. Among the many other frescoes in the cloisters, there is, in the hall that the Spaniards in the retinue of Duchess Elenore of Toledo, consort to Cosimo I De'Medici, used for religious services, an enormous allegorical fresco of the Militant Church, in which God's Watch dogs, Dalmatians and Dominican monks, watch over the flock of the faithful and savage wolves and heretics.

By this point you have seen many of Florence's major squares, your feet may well be tired, and it is most likely time for lunch. Both the Chinese restaurants on the square are acceptable, while if you want a taste of Ireland, try the Fiddler's elbow. Should you instead want something a bit more exotic, Amon, an Egyptian take out place on Via Palazzuolo (leave Piazza Santa Maria Novella on Via dei Fossi and take the first right) is quite good, while should you prefer Italian, the Croce al Trebbio, in the little square with column off Via Delle Belle Donne (the street of the Lovely Ladies, a reference to the neighborhood's past -- behind the scaffolded building to the left of the Piazza) is also good.