Florence Fun Facts - 30 Reasons to Love this Enchanting City
Florence, Italy - This fascinating Renaissance city sits in the heart of Tuscany and is dripping in the riches of history, culture and art. It’s museums and galleries house some of the most precious artwork in the world and it’s medieval walls have been the home to artists like Michelanglo, Leonardo Da Vinci and Botticelli, as well as writers and politicians like Dante Alighieri and the Medici. Florence is a very special place, but I think to truly enjoy it the way it deserves, you need to know it on a deeper level. Depending on the time of year you visit, Florence could easily be loved or you could come away thinking it was crazy and not worth your time. So before you go, get to know it’s food, people and culture. Take the time to read about its past, study its curiosities, and peel away some of its layers, because when you do, you will discover that it is truly unparalleled.
I hope this post will be the beginning of your journey there! Enjoy!
Florence, Italy (Firenze, Italia) - established in 59 BC by the Romans
did you know that…
1. Florence is called the Capital of the Arts - according to UNESCO, 60% of the world's most important works of art are located in Italy and approximately half of these are in Florence. This is reason enough to go!
2. Florence was once enclosed by a defensive wall. Most of it has been destroyed over time but there are still sections of the wall and gates that remain today. The most well-preserved gate is the Porta San Miniato, near Piazzale Michelangelo.
3. In the Middle Ages Florence had over 100 massive towers built by the rival families. When Florence became a free city in 13th Century and a republic was founded, all towers were shortened to signify that the age of clans and civil wars was over. The stones from the towers were used to build houses.
4. The city of Florence has had four major floods with the two biggest oddly occurred on the same date, November 4th. The first one took place in 1333 and the second in 1966. The flood of 1333 completely washed away the Ponte Vecchio. The flood of 1966 was devastating to the city of Florence but luckily many young Italians and foreigners rushed to help rescue the city and it’s treasures. These helpers came to be known as Gli Angeli del Fango (The Mud Angels). Spread throughout the city you can find markers that show the height of the water level from 1966. It is truly hard to believe when you see one that the water could have ever been that high!
5. Florence’s cathedral, Santa Marie del Fiori or Il Duomo, is the 11th largest church in the world but it has the world’s largest masonry dome! Over 4 million bricks make up this breathtaking work of art. It is the size of a football field and weighs 28,000 tons. Pretty hard to wrap your head around that one considering it was built in the 1400’s.
6. Florence’s cathedral (Il Duomo) took140 years to built. Construction started in 1296 and finished in 1436. The Duomo itself took just 16 years to and was built by less than 100 skilled workers.
7. Basilica di San Lorenzo is one of the oldest churches of Florence. It may be the oldest but there are a few churches that lay this claim. It was consecrated in 393 AD. San Lorenzo was the perish church for the Medici family and is the final resting place for many of it’s family members.
8. The Uffizi Art Gallery, which opened to the public in 1769, wasn’t always a museum. It was originally constructed by order of the Medici in 1560 to house the administrative and judiciary offices of Florence. The word “uffizi” means offices in Italian.
9. The Uffizi Art Gallery houses the largest collection of Renaissance art in the world. Collected largely by the members of the Medici family during the 16th and 17th centuries.
10. The Vasari Corridor (Corridoio Vasariano) is a secret corridor that joins the Uffizi Gallery to the Medici’s home - The Pitti Palace. It runs above the Ponte Vecchio and through many buildings and towers before ending at the Boboli Gardens at the Pitti Palace. It was made so that the family could maneuver through the city without having to walk on the street. Apparently there is a door that leads to a balcony in the church of Santa Felicita so that the Medici could attend mass, again without having to walk on the street. The corridor was built to celebrate the marriage of Cosimo’s son, Francesco, to Giovanna d’Austria in 1565. It took just 5 months to build. This is something I have yet to see in person but it is on my list :)
11. The iconic Ponte Vecchio bridge was saved in WWII because it was deemed “Too beautiful to be destroyed”. It is said that when Hitler visited Florence in the last 1930’s he was quite charmed by city, especially the art of the Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio. On August 4th 1944, during the German army’s retreat from the advancing British Army, all of the bridges in the city were being destroyed. Hitler made an emergency call to one of his generals and gave direct orders to cancel the bombing of the Ponte Vecchio. Thank goodness!
12. The Ponte Vecchio is filled with goldsmiths, silversmiths and jewelry makers, but it wasn’t always so glamourous. Until 1565 the Ponte Vecchio was a bit more smelly….housing fish-sellers, butchers, and tanneries.
The Ponte Vecchio
13. Michaelangel’s statue of David was created between 1501 and 1504. During it’s unveiling a committee (that included Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli) decided that the statue should be placed in a public location. Piazza della Signoria was chosen. It took a reported 40 men four days to move the massive statue one-half mile.
14. There are 3 statues of David in Florence. The original is now at the Academia Gallery. Moved in the early 19th century for preservation purposes. The second sits in Piazza della Signoria where the original was on display for all those years. The third sits in Piazzale Michelangelo. A beautiful place to take in the skyline of Florence. I wrote about watching the sunset from there >>HERE<< and included it in this Perfect Day Itinerary >>HERE<<
15. In the Galileo Museum you can see some of his fingers and teeth on display. This is because at the time of his death he wasn’t on good terms with the Catholic Church and so he wasn’t given a proper burial. 100 years after his death his remains were moved to the Santa Croce Church. During this time one of the antiquarians decided to take a small souvenir and took Galileo’s middle finger. It was retrieved and reunited with other fingers and teeth that had been stolen and purchased at an illegal art auctions.
and DId you know?…..
16. America is named after a Florentine. Yep that’s right…the famous explorer Amerigo Vespucci (whom America was named after) was born on March 9th, 1451 in Florence.
17. The story of Pinocchio was born in Florence. Florentine writer Carlo Collodi wrote The Adventures of Pinocchio (Le Avventure di Pinocchio) in the early 1880’s.
18. The piano was born in Florence. The piano was created by Bartolomeo Cristofori around the year 1700. The original name was pianoforte (piano meaning soft or level and forte meaning loud or strong).
19. The Opera was born in Florence. In 1598 the Jacopo Peri composed La Dafne. It is the first music composition that by modern standards can be considered to be an opera. This opera was so loved by The Medici family that they decided to commission to Peri the opera “Euridice”. It was performed for the wedding of Maria de’ Medici to Henry IV in 1600.
20. Gelato was invented in Florence. This famous Italian dessert was invented by Bernardo Buontalenti and was served for the first time in the 1500’s at banquet organized for the Spanish King by the Medici family.
21. The famous luxury fashion brand Gucci was founded in Florence by Guccio Gucci in 1921. The original Gucci store tat opened in 1921 is still open today. It is at Via della Vigna Nuova 7.
22. Florence Nightingale was named after Florence. She was born on 12 May 1820 into a rich, well-connected British family at the Villa Colombaia in Florence and was named after the city of her birth. There is a memorial monument for Nightingale in the Santa Croce Church.
23. Florence has a deep history in paper making. It started in the middle ages and took off during the Renaissance with the production of manuscripts. Florence is also famous for it’s beautiful marbled paper (carta marmorizzata). Make sure to stop in one of the lovely paper shops when you are there. I read that the 2 most famous paper shops are Parione and Rilegatura di Libri.
24. Florence has a shoe museum. The Museo Salvatore Ferragamo would be a fun visit for any shoe or fashion lover. The museum houses more than 10,000 privately commissioned shoes. That’s a lot of shoes!!
25. When your think of Florence and Italy you probably think of pasta, but did you know one of the most delicious specialties in Florence is called Bistecca alla Fiorentina. Its a huge grilled t-bone steak that you order by weight. If you love steak then it’s an absolute must!
26. The bread that the Florentines (and Tuscans) eat is made without salt. There are a few theories but one of the most popular is that salt was heavily taxed and so it was simply to expensive for most people, so they just didn’t use it in their bread. Another popular story is that during a trade dispute between Pisa and Florence in the 12th century, Pisa blocked salt shipments from moving further along the Arno into Florence. Rather than give in, Florentine’s left the salt out of their bread entirely.
27. The street Via dei Leoni (Lions Road/Street) got it’s name because the Florentines used to keep lions in dens on this street that lays behind the Palazzo Vecchio. The lions were an important symbol for the city but they were also used for entertainment…you could even buy tickets to go see them. The most famous lion in Florence is named Marzocco. There is a statue of him in Piazza Signoria next to the Fontana del Nettuno.
28. The white Lily flower has been the symbol of Florence since the middle ages. For the Florentine’s it was a symbol of purity. One of Florence’s nicknames in Italy is “la città gigliata” (the Lily town).
29. In the 1300’s, Florence became the first city in Europe to have paved streets. The city paid for this through donations from wealthy families, merchants and banks.
30. Hopefully after all of the magnificence of Florence you don’t get the Florence Syndrome. This condition can involve rapid heart beat, confusion, fainting and even hallucinations. The term was created in the 19th century when French writer Marie-Henri Beyle visited Florence and was overwhelmed by it’s sheer beauty.