KICKSTARTER Campaign to restore the Pazzi Chapel!!
I have been remiss in not posting about this sooner - but - it is a super worthy cause and coming down to the wire. As I write, the project is only a few thousand dollars away from being funded. If you know anyone who loves Florence, Italy, art, culture, architecture - please share this post and help them to reach their goal. Just two days left to help!
Sign up to help here! Thanks!!!
The Great Cloister of Santa Maria Novella has been the home of the Scuola Marescialli e Brigadieri dei Carabinieri since 1920. Built in the fourteenth century thanks to the generosity of noble Florentine families, the cloister is decorated with a cycle of frescoes depicting the stories of St. Dominic and other Dominican saints, executed between 1570 and 1590 by over fifteen different painters of the pittori dell’Accademia. Thanks to a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the City of Florence and the School, the cloister is now open during special times and occasions in the city (most Sundays and many religious holidays).
This is an amazing space and definitely worth a visit!
Il Chiostro Grande è situato nella parte del complesso di Santa Maria Novella che dal 1920 ospita la Scuola Marescialli e Brigadieri dei Carabinieri. Edificato nel Trecento grazie alla generosità delle nobili famiglie fiorentine, il chiostro è decorato da un ciclo di affreschi raffiguranti le storie di San Domenico e di altri santi domenicani, eseguito tra il 1570 e il 1590 da oltre quindici diversi pittori dell’Accademia. Grazie al protocollo d'intesa stipulato fra il Comune di Firenze e la Scuola, il chiostro è visitabile in occasione di aperture straordinarie e di particolari ricorrenze cittadine.
From the SACI Art Blog:
Summer evenings in the center of Florence are perfect for the traditional passeggiata, or stroll, to see the city’s most beautiful monuments lit in a theatrical light. And now, the Baptistery of Florence is open to the public until 11pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays until September 28, 2013.
The Basilica of San Miniato al Monte is one of the oldest churches in Florence and is frequently called the finest Romanesque basilica in all of Italy. The church as we know it today was started around 1018 and took over one hundred years to complete.
St. Minias was possibly from Armenia and believed to have been martyred around 250 (he was beheaded during the anti-Christian persecutions of the Emperor Decius and was said to have picked up his head, crossed the Arno and walked up the hill of Mons Fiorentinus to his hermitage and buried on this hillside). The church is in a wonderful state of preservation and there are several important works inside, including a tabernacle attributed to Rossellino, the tomb of the Cardinal of Portugal with works by Rossellino, Della Robbia and others, frescoes by Agnolo Gaddi, and an amazing fresco cycle of the life of St. Benedict by Spinello Aretino, to name just some of them.
If you have more than a couple of days in Florence, this is must do for some fresh air, the views, and the amazing church. Click the image below for a slide show of San Miniato:
This Saturday night at 9PM, as well as more dates in the New Year:
Is this Friday! Sorry for the late notice. We went last year and had a great time.
You can find ticket info and even buy them online on the St. James website.
We went to a Christening last night at the Russian Orthodox church in Florence. I think if you were casting a movie and needed a Russian priest you could not find one that looked more the part than this one!
Funny what you find on Google news - this story about the purported Giotto crucifix of Ognissanti is news to me:
"The Ognissanti Crucifix, believed to be the work of early Renaissance artist Giotto, was presented to the press after undergoing an extensive restoration, in a lab in Florence, Italy.
The crucifix, which normally hangs in Florence’s Ognissanti church, had been attributed to “a relative of Giotto” until just over a year ago when researchers questioned the attribution after a cleaning of the paintwork."
Here is one of the most important documents you will ever see if you are visiting Florence. I found it buried on one of the official government websites a while ago and it has been languishing on my desktop half forgotten about. It may not be completely up to date, but it is pretty accurate, and lists tons of stuff, with hours and prices.
Couple of news items posted today on Orsanmichele.net - windows are being replaced, which should improve the views from the museum, and the tabernacle of St. John is being restored.
Please take a minute to visit and bookmark our Florence Calendar of Events for things to do in Florence, we recently updated it. You can also submit events from the page (below the calendar), etc. if you have anything of interest coming up in Florence.
