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Yes, our little trip around ancient Florence starts here, at Piazza della Repubblica, one of the largest, most modern and, if I may say so, least interesting of all piazzas in the city. (Although, when this photo was taken there was a food market going on and it was quite nice!)
Anyway.
This happens to be the site of the Roman Forum, in the days when Florence was Florentia. Founded by Julius Caesar in 59 BC as a military camp. The Forum was the heart of the city, placed where the two main streets intersected, and complete with a curia and a temple. Today the piazza is surrounded by grand 19th century buildings in classical style.
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Now we have moved ourselves to Piazza della Signoria and are looking up at Torre di Arnolfo. The tower on top of Palazzo Vecchio, where the city council has resided for ages. Literally.
This place was of great importance in Roman days as well, as it was the site of the theatre. There is still a small but noticeable slope down Via dei Gondi, a slope that indicates that we’re going downstairs into the theatre.
Under the piazza, archeological excavations have found remains of extensive textile production. Textile, besides leather goods and gold, has been the main traditional Florentine merchandise for centuries, maybe it started already in Roman times?
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As we trot on towards Santa Croce, which would have been way outside the Roman city walls, we come to Via Torta. It does not mean Cake Street, even though its curved layout might indicate that. 😉 Instead it means the distorted road, and it’s a very palpable souvenir from the gladiators. Via Torta outlines the walls of the ancient anfiteatro, Florentia’s Colosseum. I could seat 20000 spectators (compared to 87000 in Rome).
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We walk back towards the city center and find Piazza San Firenze and Via del Proconsolo. And now we are walking on the old Roman wall. If we could see it. And actually, we can! Right in between the Bargello, the old city prison, and the Badia, the 10th century Benedictine abbey, is a double circle in the street. It marks one of the watchtowers of the wall.
And if that isn’t visual enough, just take a few steps to the corner of Via del Proconsolo and Via Dante Alighieri. Look through the window of the exclusive clothes boutique. Beneath the glass floor you will see the actual Roman wall. I would show you if I could, but all I got was some blurry photos of my own shoes…
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Finally I took the liberty of improving these Google satellite pictures a bit to show you Florentia within Florence. The blue line is the medieval city wall, around what is now called the Centro Storico. And the red line is the roman wall. You can see the Duomo at the northeast corner and Palazzo Vecchio at the southeast.
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The south part is not 100% accurate, but you get the idea. The blue rectangle is Forum, now Piazza della Repubblica. The orange lines are Via Roma and Via del Corso/Via degli Speziali. The blue D shape around Palazzo Vecchio shows the theatre and the C outside the wall is the little Colosseum, now Via Torta. At the green dot you find the watchtower circle and in the green corner you can see the remains of the wall through the window.
There is more Roman stuff to see, for instance the ancient church of Santa Reparata under the Duomo.
Dig, and thou shalt find 😉
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FLORENSICS 