Discover Florence

magnificent Palazzo Vecchio, Florence

Palazzo Vecchio had always been the place where the governors ruled the city, the heart of the public life of Florence. Still today it houses the major of Firenze and several city offices.
The building is magnificent, in a characteristic tuscan gothic style, the architect was Arnolfo di Cambio, the same of Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral and Santa Croce who started the construction in1299. the façade is so elegant, made of solid rustic stonework, with its crenellated battlement supported by small arches and corbels.
The tower is placed in an asymmetrical position because Arnolfo di Cambio incorporated the ancient tower of the Foraboschi family in the new tower. The tower is named Tower of Arnolfo, to remember its great brilliant designer (he's my favorite architect ever!)

Bosco ai Frati convent, Mugello

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Founded in the 11th century by the Ubaldini prior (of the feudatory family of Mugello), this convent is one of the most ancient in the whole Tuscany.
In the 15th century Cosimo de’ Medici decided to rebuilt it, and the architect is once again Michelozzo (the same of the villas of Trebbio and Cafaggiolo, and also of Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Medici).

As with Cafaggiolo and the Trebbio Castle, the architectural structure of the convent unites the characteristics of the innovative Renaissance experience with those of the medieval one. Therefore, ribs, vaults and cornices, clearly late Gothic elements, were left in the building of the choir, while the new architectural lines of Renaissance were used to construct the cloister, the cenacle and the Monks' cells.
Early members of the Medici family left the convent many precious gifts, among which we find the beautiful wooden crucifix by Donatello. Today it’s preserved in the small sacred art museum beside the convent.

In the convent still lives Franciscan friars, so the opening hours are very limited to respect them. The convent is opened just in the weekend, from 11.45 to 12.30 and from 18.00 to 18.45.

You can find all the details about my daytrip in Mugello in this post!

inside the church

the altar of the church

the entrance to the convent of Bosco ai Frati
the small cloyster of Bosco ai Frati

the water well in the cloyster of Bosco ai Frati

the mini-van of the Franciscan friars of Bosco ai Frati :-)

Palazzo dei Vicari, Scarperia

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The Palazzo dei Vicari in Scarperia was built in the early XIV century and it’s a wonderful public palace, still with elements of a military building and a high tower that makes it look a bit like Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

On the façade are placed several coats of arms, one for every vicario (a sort of ancient major of the city) that ruled over Scarperia and the Mugello area. Some of this coats of arms are precious masterpieces of Della Robbia and Benedetto Buglioni.
The inner court is wonderful, with fresco paintings representing religious scenes and other coats of arms.

Inside the palace there’s the Museum of Cutting Tools, an exhibition that shows the ancient art of Scarperia, the production of handmade knives.

You can see the tour of my daytrip in Mugello in this post :-)

the ancient water well of Palazzo dei Vicari

coats of arms inside Palazzo dei Vicari, Scarperia

frescos inside Palazzo dei Vicari

the inner court of Palazzo dei Vicari, Scarperia

church of Sant'Agata, Mugello

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The church of Sant’Agata is in the heart of a small old town, Sant’Agata, near Scarperia, in the Mugello. The church is really ancient, surely existing before 984, and it’s a wonderful Romanesque building.
It’s a small and simple church, but so beautiful… inside there’s a nice marble baptismal font of XII century and a wonderful wooden Christ by Francesco di Simone Ferrucci, realized in the XV century.
Also the small town of Sant’Agata is really nice, a typical medieval borough in a wonderful landscape.

Go there and have a walk in the narrow streets, you’ll feel like going back in time.

You can see the tour of my daytrip in Mugello in this post!

the small cloyster of the church

the baptismal font of XII century, church of Sant'Agata, Mugello

the entrance of the church of Sant'Agata

the bell tower of the church of Sant'Agata, Mugello

the village of Scarperia, Mugello

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Scarperia is a small village in the heart of Mugello, known for the handcraft of knives, and is one of the most beautiful villages of Italy (see the site of Borghitalia to discover all the most beutiful villages of Italy!).
Scarperia was founded around 1300, when Firenze decided to build a fortified town to control Mugello, and had to fight against the Ubaldini family, the ancient feudatories of Mugello.
Scarperia is a very nice village, very interesting from an historical point of view, but it’s not so exceptional, considering all the beautiful villages in Tuscany.
What is really interesting is the Palazzo dei Vicari, (see this post about it!) a beautiful palace built in 1300, destroyed twice after earthquakes and always rebuilt.
Also the small village of Sant’Agata, very near Scarperia, is really nice and characteristic (much more than Scarperia itself), and the church of Sant’Agata is a precious ancient Romanesque building.
In the next post I’ll show you Sant’Agata, but now… here are the pictures of Scarperia, and here’s the main post with all the details of my daytrip in Mugello.