Florentia

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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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Walking the Lucca wall

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The city wall of Lucca is the most impressive I’ve seen. 4 km long, intact with ramparts and bastions, surrounding the whole of the old city. Come take a walk with me!

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Yes, you can walk on top of it! Or jog or bicycle or rollerblade.

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From up there we have the new city and the villas on one side…

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…and the medieval city on the other.

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And this clear November day the autumn colours are just stunning.

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There is plenty of space up on the wall. Doubled or tripled allés line the broad road in the middle and the paths on the sides.

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We meet all kinds of people up there. Kids on their bicycles, American pensioner backpackers in shorts, Italian amicas in fur collars, even the odd bishop.

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The wall is easily accessed from the inside, but from the outside only through the city gates.

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Next time I’ll make sure to shoot a couple of those. And to spend one whole day just walking and exploring the wall. Right now I’m just happy to find the right exit for the train station and go back to Firenze. Will return here soon and show you churches, churches, churches… 😉

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The Wall – getting acquainted

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The remains of the medieval city wall of Florence. This is how I have mostly seen it before, at a distance, climbing up to Forte Belvedere. Or maybe from the bus, rushing through ancient city gates at a lethal speed.
This time, as I was staying in San Niccolò, I wanted to get close to it and explore.

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I could actually see the wall from the back window of my flat. Not the closest one with a tile roof, mind you, but the high thing in the background covered in bushes. That is the wall.

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Walking a few metres from my flat I could see the houses from behind. It is really very close, sometimes even tight between the houses and the wall.

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Trotting through the Porta San Miniato one immediately starts climbing uphill on via del Monte alle Croci. And steep it is!

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Here and there the wall looks tiny and blends right in with everyday life.

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In other places you feel its impressive height and its purpose through decades, to protect and preclude.

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The city gates are often painted with frescoes, like Porta San Giorgio, here from the inside.

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The same gate from the outside, a few steps from Forte di Belvedere and the end of Costa San Giorgio.

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Sometimes you will have to settle for a distance view, because private villa gardens prevent you from getting close to the wall.

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Sometimes you get so close you can feel every brick and inspect every plant and every root growing on it.

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And now and then you come closer than you’d want to, when the crazy traffic forces you to seek protection between parked cars and the wall, because there is no other place to go. To walk like these two, in the middle of a winding road, is not advisable 😉

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This last photo is from my April trip, when I stood at Piazzale Michelangelo and gazed longingly at the wall, which was out of reach and like cut out from a fairytale… Now I know it a little bit better. Not enough though! I still want to go back and stay in the same area to explore it further. It hasn’t lost its attraction, quite the opposite!

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Lucca lions

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Since I am a lion collector, not really for myself but for my friend who is the real lion hunter, I always look out for any marble or other cats I might come across. And Lucca had a few lovely kitties on display.

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First I spotted these two chums with their eagle buddy looking out over the walled city from the top of a villa. I was on the wall, so only saw them from behind. Nice curly manes on these.

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This one I found on the cathedral facade. Not quite sure what he is up to, but it does look a bit violent.

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The final two in my small selection are the ones guarding one of the main city gates. I don’t know if this one actually takes his job seriously, or if he’s just really enjoying it…
Maybe he’s just happy his tail is long enough to whisk away mosquitoes…

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… and what happened to his unlucky brother we will never know. Dropped not only his jaw but his whole face, poor sod.

More cats to come from Florence later on. Hope you enjoyed the Lucca lions!

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Step out into Tuscany

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From Viale Giuseppe Poggi, just below Piazzale Michelangelo, there is a really inviting view down old stone steps and into the Tuscan hills. The city wall to the right indicates that you are in the countryside and the olive groves and terraced vineyards just lie waiting a few minutes away…

Actually, the stairs just lead down to the next turn of the meandering viale, and you are still very much in the city.

But who needs to know the truth at all times? 😉

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Porta San Niccolò

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Florence’s newest attraction for lovers of stairclimbing and heights. The San Niccolò tower has recently been renovated and is now open for visits.

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Inside the gate there is a fresco with the virgin Mary, St John the baptist and St Nicholas, the patrons saints of the city.

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When I visited there was a big peace demonstration. Pace flags all around the old fortification tower. I like.

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San Niccolò has a buddy on the other side of the Arno, Torre della Zecca. Cool looking type.

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Porta San Niccolò is one of the latest of the city gates of Florence, built in 1324, but the only one that still has its original height. All the others were lowered, beheaded, in the 16th century.

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I am sure the view from the tower is great. Overlooking the Arno, Santa Croce, the pink synagogue, and Fiesole up in the hills.

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But since it looks really really high to me, I prefer to climb the hill just behind it instead, up to Piazzale Michelangelo and further up to San Miniato al Monte.

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From up there you have a nice view over what is left of the old city wall, of which Porta San Niccolò once was a part.

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