It is known that in Florence, from the abundance of masterpieces of painting, sculpture and architecture, some especially sensitive tourists get a feeling of “excess beauty”, which experts call “Stendhal syndrome”. But if you have already visited the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia Gallery, all the churches and palaces listed in the short guide, visited Piazza della Signoria, saw the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, decorated with the famous dome of Brunelleschi, walked along the Ponte Vecchio bridge and completed the program – minimum, and you still have a few days left in Florence, then we bring to your attention several not so famous, but no less interesting objects, the existence of which many travelers do not even know.
Medieval streets
To see what the streets of Florence looked like a thousand years ago, it is worth visiting the area of authentic medieval streets “Chiassi”, which is located between Piazza Carlo Goldoni, Via della Vigna Nuova,
Del Terme (Via delle Terme) and the Arno embankment. Tourists rarely appear here, but in vain. Here you can easily feel like a medieval Florentine and accidentally wander into Hell Street (Via dell’Inferno),
and then suddenly find yourself straight into Purgatory (Via del Purgatorio). There are no special attractions here, except for the fact that this entire area itself is a solid attraction.
Abbey of Saint Apollonia
In the former refectory of this abbey, located near Piazza San Marco, Andrea del Castagno’s “Last Supper” is exhibited, which he painted in 1447, fifty years before Leonardo’s famous fresco of the same name, and, of course, Da Vinci saw it in years of his apprenticeship in Florence.
The abbey is located very close to the center, but at the same time there are not so many crowds of tourists here, but even single visitors are quite rare.
Where is: 27th April Street (Via Ventisette Aprile)
Free entry
Monastery of San Marco
This is one of the oldest monasteries in Florence, founded at the beginning of the 12th century. Its uniqueness is that the monastery has been turned into a museum. Among the exhibits: the room of the monk-reformer Savonarola, who first conquered the whole of Florence for himself, and then was burned at the stake. The cells of other monks, each of which is decorated with a small fresco by Fra Beato Angelico.
Where is: Piazza San Marco,
3
Entrance: 4 euros
Rose Garden and Iris Garden
While in Florence, you will probably sooner or later find yourself in Piazzale Michelangelo – this is the city’s most popular observation deck. In the summer, rock concerts and other entertainment events often take place here. At sunset, the steps of the stairs leading to the square and facing the city center turn into a real theater box, from where spectators admire a postcard view of Florence. But few people know that next to Piazzale Michelangelo, just down the slope, there are two flower gardens: a rose garden (to the west of the square) and an iris garden (on the east side).
Best month to visit: May
Free entry
Museum of Antiquity in Oltrarno
A visit to the Museum of Antiquity is just an excuse to take a walk through the Oltrarno area, which means “beyond the Arno”, that is, located on the left bank of the Arno River.
The museum is located in the left aisle of the Church of Santo Spirito on the square of the same name. In the mornings there is a market, in the evenings there are youth gatherings, often turning into dances and impromptu concerts, and during important football matches a giant screen is hung on the wall of the church.
The Museum of Antiquities, owned by the Salvatore Romano Foundation, founded by a famous Neapolitan antiquarian, is decorated with fancy Romanesque bas-reliefs, statues of chimeras, gargoyles and other medieval monsters, architectural details of ancient buildings and no longer existing temples.
Where is: Piazza Santo Spirito,
29
Entrance: 2 euros
Gelateria “Vivoli”
The oldest gelateria (ice cream parlour) in Florence and, perhaps, the best. Operating since 1929. More recently, this was a special “secret” place for the Florentines, which tourists had no idea about. And although in the era of social networks it has become impossible to keep secrets, few tourists are able to find this place on their own.
Desserts here are made only from natural ingredients, no flavorings or dyes. Try persimmon or chestnut ice cream. Or maybe decide on chocolate with pepper.
The smallest glass of ice cream costs 2 euros. But there are also large ones for 3 and 5 euros. You can also drink a cappuccino here (a little more than a euro),
freshly squeezed juice (3 euros) or eat dessert (3 euros).
Where is: st. Isolla delle Stinche (Via Isola delle Stinche),
7
Galileo Museum
This museum, somewhat unusual for Florence (because in this city it is customary to admire exclusively masterpieces of painting and sculpture), is located in a gloomy 11th-century building on the Arno embankment. It is believed to have the world’s finest collection of medieval scientific instruments, which belonged to the Medici clan. In particular, the originals of Galileo Galilei’s telescopes of his own design are exhibited here. And the wax models of women in labor, intended for training midwives from the Santa Maria Nuova Hospital, produce no less impression than the sensational exhibition “Secrets of the Body” a couple of years ago. The universe is inside.”
Where is: Piazza dei Guidici, 1
Entrance: 9 euros
Text author: Dmitry Rzhannikov
