WELCOME TO MARIO'S HOTEL IN FLORENCE

Welcome to Mario’s 3 Star Hotel in the Renaissance city of Firenze. With a cosy and friendly atmosphere and a great central location, Mario’s is a family run Guest House style hotel which offers comfort and service with a smile to guests from all over the world. Blending the old world charm of Florence in the fixtures and fittings of a 17th century building with the modern luxuries and comforts expected by today’s traveller, The Florentine hotel owners Leonardo and his brothers like to personally afford each and every guest that personal touch and leave you with happy memories of a pleasant and fruitful stay in Florence.

lunedì 29 marzo 2010

Pasqua a Firenze / Easter in Florence


La Pasqua a Firenze è veramente una bella occasione,oltre che di visitare la città,anche di assistere ai numerosi "avvenimenti" della città:primo fra tutti lo scoppio del carro. Questa antica tradizione si ripete ogni domenica di Pasqua, di fronte al Duomo di Firenze ed è una delle cerimonie più antiche e suggestive della città.Da tempi antichissimi a Firenze si usava accendere un cero benedetto che, dalla chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra Porta veniva portato in processione al Battistero.
Dall' 850, per volere del Papa Leone IV, il Sabato Santo vennero distribuite a tutti i fedeli le fiaccole accese.
Alla prima crociata, voluta dal Papa Urbano II, partecipò il valoroso Pazzino de' Pazzi, il quale, dopo la conquista di Gerusalemme, ritornò a Firenze portando come reliquia, delle schegge di pietra del Santo Sepolcro, con le quali, da allora, si accende il cero benedetto che dà il via alla cerimonia religiosa.
I Pazzi hanno provveduto per secoli all'accensione del Santo Fuoco pasquale ed alla successiva gestione del Carro, fino alla metà del 1800, quando si estinse il ramo diretto della famiglia. Da allora, della gestione del Carro e della Manifestazione si occupa il Comune di Firenze.Per secoli il fuoco benedetto, portato anche in Cattedrale, servì per accendere il cero pasquale, i ceri del clero e del popolo, i lumi della chiesa nel Sabato santo.
Un carro recava la fiamma nuova anche nelle abitazioni e, prima di tutto, alle case dei Pazzi, che per lungo tempo conservarono questo privilegio, accanto all'onere di organizzare la cerimonia.
Il carro fu reso via via più fastoso ed invalse l'uso di "caricarlo" con polvere pirica, cui veniva dato fuoco (quasi certamente a partire dal 1494) una prima volta davanti al Battistero, come tuttora, ed una seconda al "Canto de' Pazzi", dove abitava quella consorteria. Questo ulteriore "scoppio" cessò agli inizi del 1900.
Durante il pontificato di Leone X° (Giovanni de'Medici, 1513-1521) venne utilizzata per la prima volta la "colombina", vale a dire un razzo a forma di colomba con un ramoscello di ulivo nel becco (evidente richiamo allo Spirito Santo, "che è Signore e dà la vita", nonché simbolo della pace pasquale). Al "Gloria" della S.Messa il diacono accende, col fuoco benedetto di cui sopra, la miccia della colombina. Essa, scorrendo su di un cavo che parte dal coro maggiore del Duomo, va ad incendiare il carro. "Scoppiano" così fuochi artificiali: mortaretti, girandole, razzi.
Al giorno d'oggi La cerimonia è preceduta da un lungo corteo: scortato da 150 fra armati, musici e sbandieratori del calcio storico fiorentino, il carro si muove dal piazzale di Porta a Prato , trainato da due paia di buoi infiorati ed arriva al solito posto, in piazza del Duomo, fra il Battistero e la Cattedrale. I buoi vengono prontamente staccati ed un più moderno filo di ferro, che sostituisce la corda sugnata, viene teso a circa sette metri di altezza, da una colonna di legno, posta per l’occasione al centro del coro, fino a giungere al carro.

Lo scoppio del carro è un momento sempre emozionante anche per le sorti della colombina. Dal Duomo viene dato fuoco alla miccia della colombina che, sibilando, va ad incendiare i mortaretti ed i fuochi d’artificio sapientemente disposti sul Brindellone: una volta incendiati gli artifici, la colombina deve tornare indietro all’Altare Maggiore, da dov’è partita, ripercorrendo da sola il percorso di andata. Il buon esito di questo “ritorno” è considerato di buon auspicio per tutto l’anno. Per la cronaca, l’ultima volta che la colombina fallì tale “rientro” fu il 1966, e a novembre ci fu l’alluvione.


In English :

On Easter Sunday morning, a historic pageant of musicians, flag-throwers and dignitaries in colourful Renaissance costume escort a tall wooden cart which is actually 500 yrs old, along the streets of Florence to the Cathedral square (Piazza del Duomo) and place it between the main door and the Baptistery (Battistero di San Giovanni), where the ‘Explosion of the Cart’ (Scoppio del Carro) festival is held. An event not to be missed and visited by tens of thousands of people form all over the world.
Tradition holds that the explosion of the Carro, called the Brindellone, goes way back to the semi-legendary exploits of Pazzino de’Pazzi, a Florentine warrior who was the first man to climb the walls of Jerusalem in July 1099, during the First Crusade. For this deed he received from his commander two shards of stone from the Holy Sepulchre, shards which were subsequently used to start an annual “holy fire” during Holy Week. This ritual fire used to be transported through the city as a religious relic for all to see.
By the Middle Ages this “holy flame” had come to be transported in a Carro, a simple carriage that transported a large candle through town on the 24 June, day of Saint John the Baptist, patron saint of Florence.

When: 04 Apr 2010
Where: Piazza del Duomo
Opening Hours: Procession 10am; explosion 11am

domenica 28 marzo 2010

Loggia del Porcellino ( the new market of Florence )


The loggia was built around the middle of the 16th century in the heart of the city, just a few steps from the Ponte Vecchio. Initially it was intended for the sale of silk and luxury goods and then for the famous straw hats, but today mainly leather goods and souvenirs are sold.
In the corner niches statues of famous Florentines were intended to be placed, but only three were made during the 18th century: Michele di Lando, Giovanni Villani, and Bernardo Cennini.
The focal point of the loggia is the Fontana del Porcellino, "fountain of the piglet", actually a copy of a bronze wild boar by Pietro Tacca from the sixteenth century; the original can be found at Palazzo Pitti. Popular tradition has it that rubbing the nose brings fortune, so that the statue has acquired over time a certain shine in that spot. Visitors are encouraged to place a coin in the mouth of the boar after rubbing its nose, and superstion implies that the wish will be granted if the offering tumbles through the grate whence the water flows. The slope of the grate is such that most coins do fall through, and are collected by the city.
Another oddity of the place is the so-called pietra dello scandalo, the "stone of the shame", a round spot marked in bicoloured marble at the centre of the loggia, which is only visible when no sales stalls are there. The design reproduces one of the wheels of a medieval Carroccio, symbol of the Florentine republic, on which the city's standard was hoisted daily. The Carroccio was placed on this spot and, around it, Florentine troops met before every battle.
The spot was later chosen for another purpose, whence its alternative name pietra dell'acculata, "the stone of the bum punishment". During the Renaissance, the punishment of insolvent debtors included being chained to a post on this spot and then paddled repeatedly on the naked buttocks.

sabato 27 marzo 2010

Santa Maria Novella: Gothic with Italian Renaissance facade


In front of the railway station and two minutes walking far from Hotel Mario's, we can see the Church of Santa Maria Novella, a beautiful example of Gothic with Italian Renaissance façade.
"...Designed in the 1450's, [the facade of Santa Maria Novella] completed the exterior of a medieval church, and yet it has been rightly described as a 'great Renaissance exponent of classical eurhythmia,' for its dimensions are all bound to each other by the 1:2 ratio of the musical Octave. The marble panels, which produce a mosaiclike effect of discrete color patches on medieval Italian church exteriors... here contribute to a sense of rhythmic, geometric unity..."

— Joan Gadol. Leon Battista Alberti, Universal Man of the Early Renaissance. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1969. p112.

"From the trecento campaign, Alberti inherited the sepulchral niches with pointed arches, the lateral portals also enclosed by Gothic frames, and the geometrically patterned green and white marble revetment. It was this biochromatism—Tuscan Romanesque in origin and never out of favor in Florence—that Alberti chose as the departure for the revetment system of this new façade (c. 1456-70). Over it, he superimposed a series of tall and narrow arches to accommodate the vertical accent of the Gothic remnants. The arch and the capitals of the engaged order he shaped in a manner not Gothic but Romanesque-antique, thus making possible the introduction of the authoritative Classical language of the entrance, consisting of fluted pilasters framed by noble columns on tall dadoes—this in homage of the Roman Pantheon, a monument exhaustively studied by 'archaeologist' Alberti."

— Marvin Trachtenberg and Isabelle Hyman. Architecture: from Prehistory to Post-Modernism. p293-4.

San Lorenzo Central Market


San Lorenzo Central Market is at about two-three minutes from Mario's Hotel. The building was built some time between 1870 and 1874 by architect Giuseppe Mengoni and it is thought that it was built in part to provide an alternative for those who had shopped in the area around Piazza della Repubblica which at that time in history hosted the City of Florence's major vegetable market. According to history, the area around the Piazza della Repubblica was undergoing a renewal during these years.
It is Europe's largest covered food hall and is a most wonderful stone, iron and glass building. Mengoni is also responsible for Milan's celebrated covered shopping galleries.
It is difficult to appreciate the design of the Mercato though, one can imagine that in its day it probably was quite a site. The building's footprint is quite large and covers at least two blocks. The Mercato offers a huge variety of fresh items: produce of many kinds (from throughout Italy), fresh fruit, flowers, cheese of every imaginable variety, meats (including stewed boar, cow stomach and intestines), fish and seafood, poultry, pastas, dried fruits, porcini, spices, breads, pastries, dry goods, wines and truffles. There are also stands inside where you can have the vendor make you a sandwich and you can sit down at a little table and enjoy the atmosphere.

venerdì 26 marzo 2010

Train station in Florence : Santa Maria Novella


In the second half of the nineteenth century, railway stations were the most eloquent witnesses of the fruitful collaboration between the sciences, technology and art. Although the buildings were often beautifully and carefully designed (some even resembled basilicas), they were nonetheless difficult to integrate into the urban fabric. The station Maria Antonia, for instance, was erected withing the city walls, behind the church of Santa Maria Novella, thus opening a "new door" to the city. It was founded on 3 February 1848, and consisted of a number of separate buildings. The facade of the central building had four large round arches, which allowed one to see from the outside in, and vice versa, as if the architect had wished to emphasise the interpenetration of city and station. It had four tracks, and served as the point of departure of the Florence-Prato-Pistoia railway. The other Florentine Station, the "Stazione Leopolda", was also build in 1848. After the unification of Italy, the Station of Maria Antonia was rebaptised the Station of Santa Maria Novella. A new station was built during the 30s. “Maria Antonia” station was demolished to make way for the present station facing the church of Santa Maria Novella: a masterpiece of rationalist architecture, one of the finest expressions of the modern movement in Italian architecture.
Firenze Santa Maria Novella has amongst the most architecturally significant recent buildings of any Italian railway station.in 1932 a national competition was launched for the design of the new Travellers Building. It was won by the Tuscan Group of architects headed by Giovanni Michelucci and including Baroni, Berardi, Gamberini, Guarnieri and Lusanna. The station was opened in 1935: its chief features are the spacious entrance hall with its glass and steel roof structure and the main gallery, whose functional layout heralds the one later built in Roma. Its outer facings and finishings reflect the materials and colours of the city around it, while its interior is adorned with important artworks including sculptures by Italo Griselli and paintings by Ottone Rosai and Mario Romoli.
The plan of the building, as seen from above, was based on the fascio littorio, the symbol of Mussolini's fascist movement. The building is one of the key works of Italian modernism, but has little to do with the Italian Rationalism movement, being more strongly influenced by the Viennese architecture of Loos and Hoffman, with perhaps a nod to Wright; but it is the building's complete originality that makes it outstanding.While it is of a 'modern' design, the use of pietra forte for the station's stone frontage was intended to respond to and contrast with the nearby
Gothic architecture. It is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture of the church of Santa Maria Novella.
The train station is used by 59,000,000 people every year and is one of the most important in Italy.
It is at the northern end of the Florence–Rome direttissima, which was completed on 26 May 1992 and the southern end of the Bologna–Florence Direttissima, opened on 22 April 1934. A new high speed line to Bologna opened on 13 December 2009. The station is also used by regional trains on lines connecting to Pisa, Livorno, Lucca, Viareggio, Bologna and Faenza.
Hotel Mario's is just some metres far away from this beautiful train station and to get here is an easy walk from the station. You cannot imagine how close is. We are in a wonderful position, because off from the noisy of the around of every train station of the world.

giovedì 25 marzo 2010

The via Francigena


The Via Francigena is a historical itinerary leading to Rome from Canterbury, a major route which in the past was used by thousands of pilgrims on their way to Rome.This route bears witness to the importance of the practice of pilgrimage in medieval times; the pilgrim was to travel mostly on foot (for penitential reasons), covering about 20-25 Km a day,and was driven by a fundamentally devotional reason: the pilgrimage to the Holy Sites of Christianity.The road road is between Rome and Canterbury, passing through England, France, Switzerland and Italy.The Via Francigena was the major medieval pilgrimage route to Rome from the north; even today pilgrims travel this route, but in far fewer numbers than the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago).
The Via Francigena is not just an important pilgrimage route concerning a large area of Italy, but its discovery represents a unique opportunity to get in touch with the places it runs through: an extremely rich heritage of culture, art, history, lovely natural spots and warm hospitality.he Way of Saint James originated and was supported as a defensive bulwark against Islam; the Via Francigena was just one of the many routes leading to Rome or, at most, the converging path of many different trails and during past centuries was never supported by political will. Stretches of the ancient trail have remained intact: in Castellonchio, a few miles before Berceto and nearby the pass of Monte Bardone or in Galleno (Tuscany) or, further South in Capranica, near Viterbo; here you can still walk through age-old hazel groves linked to the memory of Charlemagne and chivalric literature or on the grass-overrun paving stones of the Roman Via Cassia, which is still in perfect conditions in Baccano, near Rome.

IN TUSCANY

Today the Via Francigena enters Tuscany at the Cisa Pass in the area called Lunigiana north of Pontremoli and heads south toward Acquapendente in Latium passing through Lucca and Sienna. It is still possible to follow approximately the ancient road and to find refuge in most of the same villages mentioned by Sigeric. The route passes through four distinct geographical areas where the landscape, the building materials and the gastronomic traditions follow their own local traditions, occasionally still reflecting mediaeval influences.The first of these four areas begins at the Cisa Pass, the crossing point from the Region of Emilia Romagna into the Region of Tuscany, north of Pontremoli in the Appennine mountains, and follows the valley of the Magra river down to Aulla and Sarzana. This area is called Lunigiana, after the Roman port city of Luni.This area is characterised by castles, walled mediaeval villages and isolated monasteries, constructed primarily of the gray limestone found locally.The second area begins at Sarzana and goes past Lucca to Altopascio. The principal characteristic of this sector is that the road hugs the foot of the Appuan alps and stays inland from the sea coast. The main towns one sees are Sarzana, Carrara, Massa and Pietrasanta, all in the marble working area, and Camaiore which is the only village mentioned by Sigeric after Luni.The third sector is the longest segment of the Francigena and runs from Altopascio, down to Fucecchio, and on to Sienna passing through Castelfiorentino, Certaldo, Poggibonsi, San Gimignano and Monteriggioni before it arrives in Sienna. The fourth sector begins in Sienna and goes south to Abbadia San Salvatore.From Sienna south, the Via Francigena closely follows the Via Cassia, another of the old roman roads. Visits to Isola d'Arbia, Buonconvento, Montalcino, the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore and San Quirico d'Orcia are all worthwhile. However the last two stops of Sigeric, Bagno Vignoni and Abbadia San Salvatore, are the most spectacular. Bagno Vignoni is where for centuries people have gone for health cures because the sulphur water baths.
When you walk through Tuscany, why don't stop for some days in Florence? At Hotel Mario's you could enjoy some rest days and visit the city from a spectacular position.
We are waiting for all of you pilgrims and walkers.

mercoledì 24 marzo 2010

Rificolona Festival ( the Festival of lanterns )


Rificolona Festival, a traditional festival where each 7th of September children carry lanterns through the streets of the city.
The celebration takes its origin from the Middle Ages.Florentine children still get out their lanterns in the beginning of September and there are parties in the squares, with street theater and much merrymaking. The Festa della Rificolona is a major festival held every year in Florence and it is a tradition that dates back to the late Middle Ages. In those days, a big annual market was held in Florence at the beginning of September. In order to reach the city on time, farmers had to leave the countryside well before dawn. They used lanterns to light their way, creating a colourful cortege. City folk later transformed this ritual into a procession of lanterns which culminates in a big party far into the night. The procession starts from Piazza San Giovanni.
If you would like to see something very traditional and if you are here in Florence during the beginning of September, you'll surely enjoy this Festival.

venerdì 19 marzo 2010

Arno



The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.
The river originates on Mount Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and takes initially a southward curve. The river turns to the west near Arezzo passing through Florence, Empoli and Pisa, flowing into the Tyrrhenian Sea at Marina di Pisa. With a length of 241 kilometers, it is the largest river in the region. Its main tributaries are: the Sieve (60 kilometers), Bisenzio (49 kilometers), Ombrone, Era, Elsa, Pesa and Pescia. The drainage basin amounts to more than 8,200 km² and drains the waters of the following sub-basins:
* The Casentino, in the province of Arezzo, formed by the upper course of the river until the confluence with the Maestro della Chiana channel.
* The Val di Chiana, a plain dried in the 18th century, which, until the 18th century, was a marshy area tributary of the Tiber.
* The upper Valdarno, a long valley bordered from East by the Pratomagno massif and from West by the hills around Siena.
* The Sieve's basin, which flows in the Arno immediately before Florence.
* The middle Valdarno, with the plain including Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Prato and Pistoia.
* The lower Valdarno, with the valley of important tributaries such as the Pesa, Elsa and Era and in which, after Pontedera, the Arno flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea. The river has a very variable discharge, ranging from minimum values such as 6 m³/s to more than 2,000. The mouth of the river was once near Pisa, but is now several kilometres westwards.
It crosses Florence, where it passes below the Ponte Vecchio and the Santa Trìnita bridge (built by Bartolomeo Ammanati, but inspired by Michelangelo). The river flooded this city regularly in historical times, the last occasion being the famous flood of 1966, with 4,500 m³/s after a rain of 437.2 mm in Badia Agnano and 190 millimetres in Florence, in only 24 hours.
The flow rate of the Arno is irregular. It is sometimes described as having a torrent-like behaviour, because it can easily go from almost dry to near-flood in a few days. At the point where the Arno leaves the Apennines, flow measurements can vary between 0.56 m³/s and 3,540 m³/s. New dams built upstream of Florence have greatly alleviated the problem in recent years.
A flood on November 4, 1966 collapsed the embankment in Florence, killing at least 40 people and damaging or destroying millions of works of art and rare books. New conservation techniques were inspired by the disaster, but even 40 years later hundreds of works still await restoration.

Bargello National Museum



The Palazzo del Bargello, which has housed the Museum since its foundation in 1865, is one of the oldest public buildings in Florence , with origins closely linked to the emergence of the Comune. After Florence had set itself up as a free Comune, beginning to mint its own money and in its new-found independence moving towards a period of major economic expansion, it established a constitution with a Podestà and a Capitano del Popolo at its head. Thus the palazzo was built, to provide a fitting premises for the Capitano del Popolo, nearly fifty years before Palazzo Vecchio.
The design of the oldest part of the building, that overlooking Via del Proconsolo, was attributed by Vasari to Lapo Tedesco, the father and master of Arnolfo di Cambio. The construction incorporated pre-existing structures including the Palagio and Tower of the Boscoli, as well as various houses and towers belonging to the church of the Badia. Building began in 1255, as confirmed by a stone walled into the facade.

Polo Museale Fiorentino

giovedì 18 marzo 2010

Wifi connection at Hotel Mario's

Dear Guest, dear visitors,

Hotel Mario's is an hotel with a long history and is situated in the city centre of Florence, near the railway train station and the Duomo, in a very good position, even if you arrive from the airport; there is a shuttle bus every 30 minutes that takes 20 min. to get to Santa Maria Novella railway station; from there only 250 metres to get here.
Despite an ancient building, Hotel Mario's got the most modern technology and one of that is wifi connection for clients staying at our Hotel. We already had this option, but we have improved it with a very fast and safe connection for all the type of computers. From every room you can surf on internet with your personal computer.
Do you need to work? do you need to keep in touch with your friend in facebook? do you need to have information from the train schedule? Would you like to use Skype? At Hotel Mario's, no panic, no way. I know, Hotel Mario's

THE PLACE WHERE TO BE

mercoledì 17 marzo 2010

The Cathedral Squares goes Pedestrian


All traffic is now forbidden on the Cathedral square and next - by streets, with important changes to bus routes : the closest stops become Piazza San Marco, Piazza Stazione ( railway train station ), Piazza Antinori and the corner of via Oriuolo / via del Proconsolo.
Three electrical minibuses continue to connect the main touristic poles of the city centre.
It's absolutely beautiful walk in the Duomo area and enjoy the quieteness of the square. It's still busy, but instead of loudy cars, there are visitors, tourists, Florentines. Fantastic! The city centre is always been pedestrian friendly, but with this new big and important squadre, close for cars, it's everything changed.
We would need more areas pedestrian, but we cannot forget the resident centre population and give them the possibility to move themself easily in their city.

The illustration is by Leo Cardini

martedì 16 marzo 2010

FIRENZE: PONTE VECCHIO


The bridge spans the Arno at its narrowest point where it is believed that a bridge was first built in Roman times,when the via Cassia crossed the river at this point.The Roman piers were of stone, the superstructure of wood. The bridge first appears in a document of 996. After being destroyed by a flood in 1117 it was reconstructed in stone but swept away again in 1333 save two of its central piers, as noted by Giovanni Villani in his Nuova Cronica.It was rebuilt in 1345, Giorgio Vasari recorded the tradition in his day, that attributed its design to Taddeo Gaddi,besides Giotto one of the few artistic names of the trecento still recalled two hundred years later. Modern historians present Neri di Fioravanti as a possible candidate. Sheltered in a little loggia at the central opening of the bridge is a weathered dedication stone, which once read Nel trentatrè dopo il mille-trecento, il ponte cadde, per diluvio dell' acque: poi dieci anni, come al Comun piacque, rifatto fu con questo adornamento. The Torre dei Mannelli was built at the southeast corner of the bridge to defend it.

The bridge consists of three segmental arches: the main arch has a span of 30 meters (98 ft) the two side arches each span 27 meters (88 ft). The rise of the arches is between 3.5 and 4.4 meters (11½ to 14½ feet), and the span-to-rise ratio 5:1.

It has always hosted shops and merchants who displayed their goods on tables before their premises, after authorization of the Bargello (a sort of a lord mayor, a magistrate and a police authority). The back shops (retrobotteghe) that may be seen from upriver, were added in the seventeenth century.

It is said that the economic concept of bankruptcy originated here: when a merchant could not pay his debts, the table on which he sold his wares (the "banco") was physically broken ("rotto") by soldiers, and this practice was called "bancorotto" (broken table; possibly it can come from "banca rotta" which means "broken bank"). Not having a table anymore, the merchant was not able to sell anything.

During World War II, the Ponte Vecchio was not destroyed by Germans during their retreat of August 4, 1944, unlike all other bridges in Florence.This was allegedly because of an express order by Hitler. Access to Ponte Vecchio was, however, obstructed by the destruction of the buildings at both ends, which have since been rebuilt using a combination of original and modern design.

In order to connect the Palazzo Vecchio (Florence's town hall) with the Palazzo Pitti, in 1565 Cosimo I de Medici had Giorgio Vasari build the famous Vasari Corridor above it. To enforce the prestige of the bridge, in 1593 the Medici Grand Dukes prohibited butchers from selling there; their place was immediately taken by several gold merchants. The corporative association of butchers had monopolised the shops on the bridge since 1442. A stone with an inscription from Dante (Paradiso xvi. 140-7) records the spot at the entrance to the bridge where Buondelmonte de' Buondelmonti was murdered on behalf of the Amidei, in 1215, initiating the urban fighting of the Guelfs and Ghibellines.

giovedì 11 marzo 2010

Sandro Botticelli, a Florentine painter



Did you know that the " birth of Venus " of Sandro Botticelli is at the Uffizi gallery?And that Sandro Botticelli is from Florence?
He was born in 1445 in Florence, Italy, the son of a tanner (one who converts animal skins into leather). Not much is known about his childhood or early life. In 1460 he began training with Fra Filippo Lippi (c. 1406–1469), one of the greatest painters of the Renaissance. Botticelli's first works followed the current version of the popular style in Florence used by artists such as Andrea del Verrocchio (1435–1488).
Thus his first training, like that of Ghirlandaio and many of the best artists of the time, was in jewellery and metal working. He showed talent and fancy, and was presently transferred from the school of Botticello the goldsmith to that of Lippo Lippi the Carmelite brother, then in the height of his practice and reputation as a painter. Under that master Sandro acquired a perfect proficiency, and on his death in 1468 appears to have begun independent practice.Of all the Florentine school, Botticelli is the richest and most fanciful colourist, -- often using gold to enrich the lights on hair, tissues, and foliage, with a very exquisite effect.
In the Uffizi is an Adoration of the Magi, in which Botticelli has introduced the portraits of Cosimo, Guiliano, and Giovanni de’ Medici.
By that house he, like all the artists of his time, was much befriended; and for Lorenzo’s villa at Castello he painted the most beautiful of his pictures of classical mythology, the Birth of Venus now at the Uffizi, and the Venus with the Graces now with the Florence Academy.
When you'll come to Florence you could visit Uffizi gallery and other beautiful churches where you can see the art of this great master: SANDRO BOTTICELLI

martedì 9 marzo 2010

March, crazy month, but in 1985...


Today, coming here at the Hotel Mario's to work like every single day, it started to snow, a light snow,but a real cold March snow.In Italy we use to say March is the craziest month of the year, because it usually rain one day and the day after is sunny and hot. The differences are given from the clouds and the water, but not for the SNOW.Firenze is a beautiful city, romantic too and if you are just visitors could be nice to stay in Florence when is white.
The last big snowfall was before last Christmas, but the biggest one was in 1985, more than 25 years ago.What did it happen?The Arno river froze solid that year,for the first time since 1929.The Tuscan spring is often lazy, taking its time in arriving. Though by mid-March the days are longer, so we have to wait only for a little bit and we'll have, im sure, a very very hot Spring and of course Summer.I invite everybody to come in Florence during April and May, that in my opionion, are the most fantastic months of the year.

lunedì 8 marzo 2010

San Miniato, an unique and tremendous church



Walk up at the top of the hill of Piazzale Michelangelo and reach San Miniato al Monte a fascinating church of the XI Century.
St. Miniato was an Armenian prince serving in the Roman army under Emperor Decius.He was denounced as a Christian after becoming a hermit and was brought before the Emperor who was camped outside the gates of Florence. The Emperor ordered him to be thrown to beasts in the Amphitheatre where a panther was called upon him but refused to devour him. Beheaded in the presence of the Emperor, he is alleged to have picked up his head, crossed the Arno and walked up the hill of Mons Fiorentinus to his hermitage.The Basilica has an unfinished 15th century campanile that was damaged during the siege of Florence in 1530.The interior of this magnificent example of Florentine Romanesque architecture and the pavement in the centre of the Basilica includes marble intarsias representing the signs of the zodiac and symbolic animals.The beautiful Zodiac, which is originally a pagan motif, here assumes a Christian symbolic value, according to some, by its subdivision into twelve signs which allude to the twelve Apostles. The sacristy is decorated by a cycle of frescoes of Episodes from the life of Saint Benedict by Spinello Aretino (c. 1387). In 1447 Piero de’ Medici commissioned Michelozzo to build the chapel of the Crucifix, the little tempietto at the end of the nave.
Visit the place of ancient longing and hear the echoes of Gregorian Chants and perhaps you can even catch a wisp of incense from vespers. The fortitude of San Miniato al Monte Basilica in Florence Italy is resilient and ready to greet another ten thousand years of faithful fellowship. Whether you are on pilgrimage or a student of art and history, the Basilica is watching out over the Valley, awaiting your arrival.
From the centre is 30 minutes walking, but there are bus ( number 12 and 13 ) that goes there from the train station, even close to Hotel Mario's.If you are looking to be far from the crowd and chaos, go to rest there.

sabato 6 marzo 2010

History of Florence

The history of Florence stretches back as far as the eighth century B.C. when a primitive settlement lived in the valley, close to the Arno. 'Florentia' is recorded as an official Roman colony in 59 B.C. and was designed according to the typical Roman road system, which can be seen in many Italian cities today. There are two principal roads: the 'cardus' descends from the Baptistery to Via Roma and continues on to Via Calimala, while the 'decumanus' stretches from Via del Corso to Via degli Speziali until it reaches Via degli Strozzi. The Forum (public meeting place and market) was built at the point where the roads meet, on what is now the Piazza della Repubblica. During Roman rule, Florence was the most important city in Roman Tuscany.

Florentia was invaded by numerous tribes in the following centuries: Goths, 'Silicone', Ostrogoths and Longobards. Many inhabitants adopted Christianity at the time of the Silicone, and the first churches appeared outside the Roman walls of Florentia: San Lorenzo and Santa Felicita were built during the fourth century A.D and can be visited today.

Charlemagne's arrival put an end to the colony's expansion. Buildings were still constructed however, and the 'Battistero di San Giovanni' dates back to this time. The city flourished in the ninth and tenth centuries, a great deal of money was spent on the construction of many religious buildings e.g. the 'Badia Fiorentina'. Many public works were undertaken, including the building of the city walls in 1078. Florentia was a cultural and economic success!

Florence's wealth and power grew at an enormous pace; a second set of city walls had to be built; the district of Oltrarno became part of the city and Romanesque-style architecture ruled (e.g. San Miniato and Santi Apostoli churches). Florentine craftsmen became involved in the textile trade (beginning with the trading of wool and silk), which lead to gradual urbanization. Political tension began to rear its ugly head in the thirteenth century as two political factions (the Guelphs and the Ghibellines) fought for power. At the end of the thirteenth century, there was something of a cultural revolution'. A major player in this revolution was the architect Arnolfo di Cambio who designed the Palazzo dei Priori (which became the Palazzo della Signoria a century later) and also started work on the reconstruction of Santa Maria del Fiore, which was completed in successive centuries. Arnolfo also continued with the construction of the third and final set of city walls.

The city was devastated by plague in 1348, and political conflicts were still rife. The Ciompi Riot occurred as a result of the people's frustration - the poor reacted against their 'unjust' governor. Meanwhile, Florentine merchants and bankers were already working hard to increase their wealth in order to attain power over the nobility.

Lorenzo de' Medici played an important role in Florence's history; he strengthened the political interests of the nobility, while dedicating himself to his love of the Arts and philosophy. The city underwent a cultural rebirth, which became known as Humanism. After Lorenzo's death in 1492, the city came under the harsh, puritanical rule of the Dominican friar, Girolamo Savonarola, who was elected to the leadership of the Republic. He was so unpopular that he was burned alive six years later by angry citizens. The leadership of the city was unstable for several years after that, but the de' Medici clan regained power and Florence had her first Duke in 1530.

The succession of the Grand Dukes of the Medici family continued until the end of the eighteenth century, but Florence gradually lost the central role it had occupied in preceding centuries. The last heir of the Medici's handed over power and all the family's riches to the House of Lorena, whose rule continued until 1859, when Florence was united with the rest of Italy (which later became the Kingdom of Italy). Florence was only the capital of this kingdom for a few years and the court transferred its official residence to the Palazzo Pitti. A lot of urban design and restructure took place during the nineteenth century, including the construction of embankments along the Arno and piazzas in the centre of the new districts of Barbano and Mattonaia (which are now Piazza dell'Indipendenza and Piazza D'Azeglio). The 'arnolfiane' wall and the Jewish Ghetto were demolished, to make way for a series of ring roads which were to lead to the Piazzale Michelangelo, and the Piazza della Repubblica.

World War Two had a devastating effect on Florence. The city sustained many damages, especially to its bridges and the area inside the 'Ponte Vecchio'. The flood of 1966 further hindered the preservation of valuable Florentine treasures.

venerdì 5 marzo 2010

Florence and Science. The 19th-century collections

Florence is not only Uffizi or Accademia. There are so many things to see that is impossible to be informed of all that we have here.Today we would like to talk about Florence and Science, that is also the name of an exhibition of three institutions in the centre of the city containing the richest and most important scientific collections in Europe: Museum of the History of Science, “La Specola” Museum of Natural History, and the Physics Cabinet of the Science and Technology Foundation.The exhbition will be until 9th of May 2010. The Itinerary displays thousands of objects, instruments, and artefacts as well as paintings, drawings, and sculptures of especial value and rarity.
The aim is to commemorate the extraordinary period before the unification of Italy when Florence was its intellectual capital and one of the European centres of scientific knowledge, as well as the city in which, among others, the first telegraph, teletypewriter and even piston engine were invented, and experiments on the telephone carried out.




The Museums and the Exhibitions





Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Florence, 1829. Art, Science and Society
curated by Silvestra Bietoletti


Museum of Natural History - “La Specola” Zoology Section
Tribune of Galileo and the Florentine Specola
curated by Fausto Barbagli

Museum of the History of Science (Galileo Museum)
Physics in 19th-century Florence. Functioning Machines and Models
curated by Mara Miniati and Simone Contardi

Science and Technology Foundation – Physics Cabinet
Educational Methods for Science in the 19th Century
curated by Paolo Brenni, Anna Giatti and Guido Gori


The Firenze Scienza Card


The Firenze Scienza Card is the ticket valid for all the various seats of the exhibitions and entitles you to special discounts and services from the moment you buy it till May 9th, 2010

Full-price Card € 10

Reduced-price Card € 7
Visitors over 65, groups of minimum 15 people, as well as ACI, Coop, Touring Club, CTS, Lions and Rotary members, holders of single or season ATAF tickets, holders of tickets for theatres of the Associazione Firenze dei Teatri, holders of Orchestra della Toscana tickets, clients and employees of Banca CR Firenze and Gruppo Intesa Sanpaolo, soldiers, holders of admission tickets to one of the Florentine museums listed below

Special ticket for families
Two adults with children are entitled to the reduced-price Card

Special Card for Schools € 4.50
It is valid for 7 to 18 year olds.
Valid for students of schools of all levels and types, as well as for university students.
The special card for schools entitles the holders to free guided visits
and workshops!

Free of charge
Children under the age of 6, those escorting the disabled, group leaders, journalists with a press card, tourist guides of Florence, teachers with Edumusei Card, ICOM and ANMS members

giovedì 4 marzo 2010

Magritte,Max Ernst at Palazzo Strozzi

A new great exhibition that we already visited.It's at Palazzo Strozzi and is been named A LOOK INTO THE INVISIBLE and is on from 26th of February to 18th of July 2010.The foundation of Palazzo Strozzi is making such a good job that all in Florence should be glad to have this organization that is producing a change in Florence.Art is the base here.Florence is a stylish city that lost a lot in the past 50 years and must change.Not only looking the back to its glorious past, but mostly to the future.
"Few Italian artists had such an important impact on 20th century art as Giorgio de Chirico" said James M. Bradburne, Director General of the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi,"As the century hurtled towards World War I, this experience
of alienation prompted De Chirico—long before his peers—to paint what he called the ‘great silence’.
This exhibition doesn't show only the painting of De Chirico, but also Balthus,Morandi,Ernst,Magritte,Carrà and Nathan.All great artists that made the history.
Only this exhibition should be a good reason to visit Florence during this Spring 2010.

mercoledì 3 marzo 2010

Why Hotel Mario's, why Italy?

Hotel Mario's is an old style Hotel in the heart of the city of Florence.Have you ever been in Italy? Italy is called Belpaese, "Beautiful country" because of its art,food and style.We are glad to be part of this nation and in particulary, of this city.
Come to Florence and enjoy Hotel Mario's.

FIRST DAY FOR THIS BLOG

We are born! Hotel Mario's has a new blog and this will be used to communicate with all our guests from all over the world.We don't want to talk only about Hotel Mario's but also about what's going on in Florence and Tuscany.
We hope this could be a new way to keep in touch with all of you.

Greetings from Florence