In The Very Heart Of Florence
The Location: Oltrarno
The Passera Royal Suite is located in via Toscanella, part of the Santo Spirito quarter, just a few meters from the characteristic Piazza della Passera, right behind the magnificent Palazzo Pitti, the Royal Palace where the King of Italy lived during the period of Florence Capital, with its Boboli gardens, a breath-taking example of Italian style gardens. It is just 3 min walk from Ponte Vecchio, the Old Bridge, and its shining jewelries, and just across the bridge you find the Uffizi and Piazza della Signoria. In 10 minutes you get to the Duomo with the Cupola of Brunelleschi and the Battistero with its magnificent bronze doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti.
PIAZZA DELLA PASSERA
Thia small square was once just a narrow street, and became a proper square only in the beginning of the XX century when the building that standed just in the middle was removed. This part of the Oltrarno is where the cathouses were set since at least the years 1500, and also Cosimo I de' Medici is told to have been a frequent visitor of the quarter. All the burdels were closed in the early XX century and now this square has become a very alive part of the Oltrarno movida, with trattorie, restaurants, and the very famous Gelateria della Passera, told to make the best ice-cream in town.
VIA TOSCANELLA
It's a narrow street just behind Palazzo Pitti, quiet and just out of the turistic movida, where the genuine florentine spirit is still alive with its many small artisans shops. Via Toscannela is very peculiar in many ways. In 2012, during some restoration workouts, the medieval "Pozzo dei Toscanelli", once believed lost, was found. This "Pozzo" is important because the famous writer Boccaccio ("Decameron") was born here, and also because Lisa Gherardini, aka Lisa del Giocondo or Monna Lisa "La Gioconda" portrayed by Leonardo da Vinci and now showed at the Louvre in Paris, was born in via Sguazza, just few meters from the Pozzo, where we can assume she was use to go to get water for her family. In this street the futurist painter and writer Ottone Rosai had his studio in the early 1900, and this street can be found in many paintings and also a book of novels is entitled after this street.
PALAZZO PITTI &
GIARDINI DI BOBOLI
According to Giorgio Vasari, Palazzo Pitti (Pitti Palace) was designed by Brunelleschi. This imposing building, commissioned by the Florentine merchant Luca Pitti, friend and ally of Cosimo de Medici, was built during the second half of the 15th century and was completed with the Giardini di Boboli, a magnificent example of Italian style gardens. In 1565 it became the residence of the Medici till their extinction in XVIII century. During the period when Florence was the Capital of the Italian kingdom (1865-71) Palazzo Pitti was the Royal Palace.
Today it hosts several museums and exhibitions with unique masterpieces.
PIAZZA DI SANTO SPIRITO
Like many other squares in Florence, Piazza santo Spirito takes its orgins in the years 1200, when the church of Santo Spirito with its monastry was built by Filippo Brunelleschi, probably his last build, for the followers of Sant'Agostino. Nowadays, this square is one of the palpitating hearts of the movida in the Oltrarno side of Florence, very genuine ans with plenty of places to eat and drink till very late. This is also the artists' area, where you can find many studios and little artisans shops selling very nice handcrafted pieces of arts and furnitures.
CAPPELLA BRANCACCI
One of the most significant examples of Reinassance frescos, this Cappella can be found in the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Carmine, in the Piazza del Carmine. Masaccio and Masolino da Panicale, famous Renaissance painters, started this marterpiece in the year 1424, suspended in the year 1436 due to the exile of the Brancacci family ordered by Cosimo de' Medici, and was completed around the year 1480 by Filippino Lippi when the Brancacci could finally return to Florence. The church of Santa Maria del Carmine with its monastry was build starting in 1268 by the Carmelitan monks but the façade was never completed.
PONTE VECCHIO
Nobody really knows for sure when the first built is dated, but it's believed to exist since the ancient roman times. Old Bridge is the first bridge built over the river Arno, and it's been the only bridge till the year 1218 when the "new" bridge (today's Ponte alla Carraia) was built. The Old Bridge is cited since 996 and since then it was destroyed by floods (most destructive was the famous flood of 1333) and rebuilt a few times. The Ponte Vecchio is built with stones and it's the only bridge remained intact during WWII. The houses build on the bridge along the centuries, once occupied by butchers, farmers and tanners, are today occupied mostly by jewelers.
