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December 2001

Spotlight: Florence, Italy

Views Over Florence
by Jane Lofton

The Lover's Florence
by Jackie Goyette

Photojournal: Florence and Siena
by Michael Strickland

The Artist's Florence
by Jackie Goyette

Beyond David
by Karen Bergeson

Florence at Night
by Elizabeth Wareham

Florence on Foot
by Sheri Ann Richerson

Elinore's Room
by Marco North

The Florentine Love Letter
by Phil Pisani

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Archives

December 2001—Spotlight: Florence, Italy

Views over Florence
by Jane Lofton

My daughter Elaine likes to go to the tops of places. Perhaps it's a reaction to growing up in a town with absolutely no elevation and few buildings over three stories, but every time we travel, her first goal is to find the tallest structure and go to the top. If there is a choice between going by elevator or by stairs, the stairs win. I'm not even sure that the view matters to her as much as the accomplishment of reaching the top. I, on the other hand, could live without the exertion of ascending so many stairs, but I find the resultant vistas make the labor worth it.

So, imagine Elaine's delight when our family arrived in Florence last summer at a hotel, the Torre Guelfa, with the tallest private tower in Florence. The Torre Guelfa is a small, 15-room hotel on the upper (second and third) floors of a building it shares with a bed and breakfast and several office suites. It has modest but comfortable guest rooms, a very spacious lobby, and the best hotel view in town from its picturesque 14th century tower. While there is an elevator to the hotel lobby, the top of the tower is accessible only by stairs. It is 73 steps above the hotel lobby level but well worth the trip. At the top, there is an open-air terrace with several tables. On some evenings in season, the hotel offers its guests bar service atop the tower. When the bar wasn't open, we were able to get drinks in the lobby and take them up ourselves. From the tower, we enjoyed a 360 degree prospect of the city. We were right in the heart of the historic district, only a block and half away from the Arno and Ponte Vecchio with the Palazzo Vecchio tower and Duomo fully visible.

The Torre Guelfa's tower has a long history. It was built by the Buondelmonti family in 1280. The Buondelmontis were part of the Guelph family, a pro-papal contingent that engaged in a longstanding feud with the pro-imperial Ghibellines. The Buondelmonti son was supposed to marry a Ghibelline girl, as part of a plan to create an alliance between the families. The son, however, fell in love with and married another girl. Following the wedding, the Ghibelline girl's brothers decapitated the Buondelmonti son and marched his head through the town for all to see!

Later, the tower became part of the Acciaioli Palace, which is the three-story (plus mezzanine) building housing the hotel today. The hewn stone, fortress-like building was commissioned by the wealthy politician Niccolo Acciaioli in the 14th century. When he died, he left the palace to the Certosa friars who occupied the building until 1806. The tower is only open to hotel guests, so if you relish lingering over a drink while enjoying a panoramic view of the city, you might consider making this your Florence hotel destination. You can contact the Torre Guelfa at Borgo Santissima Apostoli 8, Firenze, 50123, Phone 055-239-6338, Fax 055-239-8577, or by email at torre.guelfa@flashnet.it.

One of our first outings beyond the hotel in Florence was the Cupola del Duomo of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, definitely the best and highest view in the city. This dome was more than a century in the making. The plan was to build a church with the world's largest and tallest dome (140 feet wide and 180 feet tall), as a monument to Florence's wealth and status. Work began in 1294, with Arnolfo di Cambio as the architect, but he died only eight years later. Construction continued with a series of architects until it was finally complete, save the dome, in 1418. Those in charge were skeptical, wondering if such a massive dome was really feasible. It was Filippo Brunelleschi, with some assistance from Lorenzo Ghiberti, who finally succeeded in coming up with a plan for the dome. He completed it in 1436, and the Cathedral was consecrated that year. Brunelleschi also installed the lantern, a gold ball and cross cast by Verrocchio, as the dome's final piece in the late 1460s.

Ascending the dome is a 463-step climb in two stages. We first climbed between the inner and outer shells of the dome—a very narrow passage and not for the claustrophobic - and arrived at the inner gallery overlooking the nave of the Cathedral. Here we could see the fresco of the Last Judgment on the wall and the church floor with its many visitors below. Elaine, the intrepid climber, was completely intimidated by the narrow gallery space and overwhelming distance to the floor. Don't look down if you have any fear of heights! After a very short stop here, we continued up to the top of the Cupola, where we were rewarded with a panoramic view of all of Florence from the outdoor balcony.

There is a small admission charge to ascend the cupola, and it is open only during the day. You should check the latest admission hours before you visit.

Our final choice for climbing up and viewing Florence was the Piazzale Michelangelo. This piazza is a short walk down and across the Arno from central Florence. We chose it for several reasons—one, Elaine was still up for another climb and view, two, we wanted to get away from the seasonal congestion in the main part of Florence, and three, we understood we could enjoy a copy of Michelangelo's David with fewer crowds than usually surround the original at the Accademia Gallery. To get there, we crossed the Arno at the Ponte Alle Grazie, the first bridge east of the Ponte Vecchio, and continued along the river until we reached Porta S. Niccolo in Piazza Poggi. The Porta S. Niccolo was built in 1324 as part of a city wall. It is the only remaining gate with its complete tower still standing. At the Porta S. Niccolo, we turned up a long, winding pedestrian ramp, the Viale Giuseppe Poggi. Both the ramp and the Piazzale Michelangelo were built by architect Poggi between 1865 and 1871. Poggi retained the Porta S. Niccoli gate as part of his construction.

Getting to the top was quite a trek, but we were rewarded all along the way with lovely views of the Arno and central Florence. At the top, we found cafes and chose one for a rest and a cool drink. The square was much less crowded than central Florence, but it was still full of vendors, and visitors. From the square we enjoyed outstanding views of the Ponte Vecchio, up and down the Arno, the Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi, the Duomo, and the hills beyond Florence. In the center of the square, we saw Poggi's installations of copies of Michelangelo's David and four allegorical figures Michelangelo created for the Medici tombs in the New Sacristy in San Lorenzo. The square also offers the opportunity to visit the Church of San Miniato al Monte, constructed between the 11th and 12th centuries. We chose to pass on this option, and instead we headed back to our hotel for a well-earned rest.