Lantern Festival of Florence – Festa della Rificolona

The Lantern Festival (or Festa della Rificolona) of Florence is a true family event in the Florentine calendar. The colourful lanterns, lit by candles are carried from Piazza Santa Croce, past the Duomo to Piazza Santissima Annunziata. The centuries-old tradition to celebrate the Festa della Madonna which is tomorrow is continued with modern enthusiasm and the addition of vans selling sweets for young and old alike. Many of the lanterns are traditional with the purple colour of Florence, other less so. Unless “Hello Kitty” has a Florentine history I’m unaware of. Not only do the kids get to carry real fire, they also use blowpipes to try to puncture the lanterns, or take out their mother’s eye depending on how much candy floss/cotton candy they’ve eaten.

Eskimo Bar – Florence’s Second Beach!

Eskimo Bar is new this year and it is definitely one for the Undiscovered Florence category. This cool bar is set beside a small man-made beach in the very centre of Florence, just down from the Ponte Vecchio. We got there by bicycle which is a cool way to see the city, especially when the weather is good!

It is a great place to hang out or tan; you usually have to pay for the sun longers (approx 3 Euros) but as it was late in the afternoon, the lady let us have them for free. OK, so we bought two Cokes for 6 Euros but still, this little beach in the center of Florence gets my vote! Some of you will notice that I have put this video in the nightlife category. That’s because, although the video wasn’t taken at night, Eskimo Bar also plays live music in the evenings. At other times there are DJs. The musical focus is South American/Latino mostly.

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Giotto’s Campanile (or Bell Tower), Florence

At 414 steps, the climb to the top of Giotto’s famous Bell Tower (Campanile in Italian) probably shouldn’t have been undertaken at 12:30 in the afternoon, in August. But the queue for Santa Maria Del Fiore and the famous cupola was massive (take note; early morning, it opens at 10, or late afternoon are better unless you book a tour which lets you skip the queue) and I wanted to make a Flip Florence Video with a panoramic view of the centre of Florence. I needn’t have worried as there are 3 stops on the way up which offer gradually more spectacular views. Be aware that although it doesn’t appear in most of the video, there are wire grids covering the apertures which can make photos less impressive.

There’s an interesting trick of perspective going on with the Campanile which is almost as good as David’s wonky eyes. The three top levels of the Campanile (which were designed by Francesco Talenti not Giotto) are not the same size so that they appear to be the same size. Follow? Each of the three is larger to give the illusion from ground level that they are in fact the same size. Plus, you can thank Francesco for not following orders not building the spire that Giotto had planned. With it, the tower would have been higher (by 120m) but would have been lacking the flat observation deck from which some of this video is taken.

The history of Giotto’s Campanile, like most Italian monuments is a long one. The Campanile was not even planned until 30 years after the death of the first Master of the Works of the Cathedral, Arnolfo di Cambio. At this time Giotto was a not-too-spritely 67 (this was 1334, remember) but he set about planning a great tower to accompany the main cathedral. Unfortunately (not for Francesco), Giotto died three years later having only finished the lower floor – just be grateful he wasn’t fitting your bathroom. In Giotto’s place, Andrea Pisano (he did the bronze door on the south side of the Baptistry; it took him 6 years) was appointed and he followed Giotto’s design exactly until the Black Death arrived in 1348. This was Francesco’s chance and he completed the campanile to his own specifications in 1358. 24 years after Giotto first put pen to paper, or quill to parchment.

Piazza San Firenze

Whilst it may not be the largest or grandest Piazza in Florence, with the law courts and the Hotel Bernini, Piazza san Firenze is a focal point for many of the city’s visitors (voluntarily or otherwise).

The great facade of the Law Courts, designed in 1667 by Pier Francesco Silvani was (in the fine tradition of Italian construction) only finished five years later in 1772. Opposite is the Palazzo Gondi, a fine example of the Florentine architect Giuliano da San Gallo and expanded in the nineteenth century. On the southwest corner is the rear of the Palazzo Vecchio, in front of which is the Columbia Parliament building. This was a hotel when Florence was the capital of Italy and it hosted the Italian members of Parliament who met in the Palazzo Vecchio.

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Piazza Della Repubblica – the lounge of Florence

It has been said that Piazza Della Repubblica is the lounge of Florence but that could probably be said of most of the piazze here. Being in the centre, it is certainly one of the most densely populated with tourists who come to see the buildings and often, the shops (everything from Gucci and Belstaff to Zara and H&M) that are nearby. For more, check out the Shopping in Florence post

The main highlights are Cafe Gigli (have your coffee standing it’s about a third of the price you pay if you sit) and the Giubbe Rosse Cafe that has long been a meeting place for famous artists and writers. There is a merry-go round for the kids and the standard of busking, if it can even be called that, is very high.

The piazza was built on land that was reclaimed after many important buildings were demolished. The Wikipedia entry on Piazza Delle Repubblica (Florence) goes into this in more depth.
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Piazza Santa Croce

In the East of the old town, Piazza Santa Croce is one the nicest and least touristy Piazze in Florence. There are artists and the shops are not aimed at locals in the main but sitting on the steps outside the church and having a drink is highly recommended!

Public drinking of alcohol is perfectly acceptable here and so a bottle of wine or beer from one of the local shops can be a great way to save money for doing something more exciting like the 500 Touring Club’s wine tasting tour!

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Ponte Vecchio – Florence’s Oldest Bridge

The Ponte Vecchio (as we should all know) is the only bridge that the Germans didn’t destroy. That they were so slap-dash in their bridge destruction means that we all get to see an historic landmark in the centre of old Florence. At some point it was probably called the Ponte Nuovo (or New Bridge) as to call it the old bridge from the beginning would be stupid. I wonder when it actually became the “Old Bridge”. . . answers on a postcard (or even better, in the comment section) please.

It is, like most of the main Florentine landmarks, a bit of a tourist trap but all those people come there for a reason. Whether it’s getting married and then having some lovely photos taken (the girl in this video’s wedding car was a Toyota Yaris – I’m not kidding) or just a stroll across and a bit of window shopping in the traditional jewelers, the bridge is definitely in the top Florence tourist attractions.

During the day there is a constant bustle of foot traffic and even the occasional copper on the beat (which translates into Italian as; “wander around, do nothing; especially don’t arrest someone,  just imagine the paperwork”) and it is one of the best spots to view the sunset (second, in my opinion to Piazzale Michelangelo though there’s no round of applause here). At night, the city pays for “buskers” and although you are more likely to hear a phonetic rendition of an Oasis song than something traditional, it doesn’t take away from the feeling of the place.

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