Concerts in Florence in this nice period of the year

We are very excited about the Caetano Veloso's concert, tomorrow at Villa Solaria in Sesto Fiorentino, a town 15 km far from Florence.
The day after,in Piazza Santa Croce, in Florence, there is gonna be the concert of a great Italian duo: Lucio Dalla and Francesco de Gregori, the location is magic!
Again in Sesto Fiorentino, at Villa Solaria, the 31st the great band Buena Vista Social Club with Omara Portuondo! what a spot!
Of course that if you stay in Florence cannot forget to stay at Hotel Mario's . Get info at info@hotelmarios.com or check the website : www.hotelmarios.com
We are a 3 stars hotel in the heart of the city, close to the train station Santa Maria Novella and to the San Lorenzo Market.

How to get to the airport from Santa Maria Novella station,Florence

Dear Friends,

as you probably know we are located next to the railway station in Florence, only 200 metres far from it. How to go to the airport? 2 possibilities: one is the taxi, very easy to take ( we can call it from Hotel Mario's or you find many of them at the station ); taxi costs 20 Euro ( plus 1 euro per luggage ) from Station to Airport Amerigo Vespucci.
The second possibility is to catch a Sita bus from their station, just some metres out the train station Santa Maria Novella ( via Santa Caterina da Siena,next to Bar Deanna ).It runs every 30 minutes from 6 o'clock am and takes about half an hour.
There is also a third possibility :ATAF bus 65,runs almost every hour up to 2300 (this service makes other stops). €6/35 mins. For more info: SAF-Società Aeroporto Fiorentino, Tel +39 055 30615.
Even in this way, our fantastic position helps clients to get here in a very easy way. Then, we'll take care of you for all the rest.
Hotel Mario's Florence, via Faenza 89, 50123 info@hotelmarios.com www.hotelmarios.com

Florence, Italy: Brunelleschi's Dome

The building of the dome on Florence cathedral, by Filippo Brunelleschi, can be considered one of the Renaissance's main building enterprises. The highest expression of a new attitude, placing man and his abilities at the centre of the world and finding in classic antiquity the premises for cultural rebirth after the dark Middle Ages.

Renaissance society was based on completely different values to the medieval ones of chivalry and nobility. The new ideals were self-sufficiency, civic virtue, intelligence and almost unlimited trust in man's abilities.

Even though the Middle Ages weren't that far away and nor could they be considered the backward world depicted for so long, Renaissance men were aware they were different: in less than twenty years, starting from the building of the Brunelleschi Cupola, a small group of artists in just one city, Florence, brought about one of the most important revolutions in cultural history, and not just Italian.

The figure of Brunelleschi was in tune with this new world. He perfectly incarnated the figure of the Renaissance man, free, intelligent and trusting in the strength of his ideas. He was the son of a wealthy Florentine Notary and had been educated in a liberal manner; from boyhood onwards he'd shown interest in sculpture, mechanics and mathematics. To him we owe the study of the linear prospective which up until him, had already been used, but without precise rules of reference.

THE FLORENCE FLOOD: 4th of November 1966

"On November 4, 1966, in Florence the Arno river swollen with dark, muddy waters, spilled over sweeping away everything in its way. When the waters subsided, only destruction enveloped the city." (main source: the book "Florence flood 1996")

This flood, happened between the 3rd and 4th of November, was the worst of all in Florence and in the surrounding villages, due to the big quantity of water that flowed into all of the region, about the third part of the annual average ( about 200 litres for square metre ) and also because of the fact that the level of the Arno rose up to 11 metres.
The 4th of November flood, damaged not only the historic centre of Florence but also the zone of the Arno’s dock. Moreover, the surrounding fields continued to be flooded for many days after the disaster and a wide range of smaller communes were damaged heavily and also isolated.


The Chronicle Of The Drama

The last few days of October and the first ones of November were characterized from intense rainfalls, interrupted only from short clearings during the All Saints’ Day.
Even if during the following days the rainfalls continued and increased in intensity, the inhabitant of Florence weren’t worried because they can’t imagine the catastrophe that will happen, above all because they are accustomed to the autumnal floods of the near river and watercourses.
The victims were relatively few, because the horrible flood didn’t overtook them while they are going to work or while they are working in the fields, but the majority of them was at home to pass the 4th of November with their families.
3rd of November
In the evening: the first worrying news come from the Mugello and from the province of Arezzo ( Casentino, High Valdarno),where river and torrent have flooded.
At the Midnight: The River Arno begin its work of destruction, firstly in the zone of Casentino and High Valdarno , secondly in the zone of Incisa, where have to be interrupted the motorway of the Sun and the railway to Arezzo and Rome. In a second moment, the waters of the Arno flood the surrounding villages such as Montevarchi, Figline Valdarno, Incisa, Rignano sull’Arno,Pontassieve and many more. An episode to remember with sadness, happened in the zone of Reggello, is that of an habitation, where lived seven persons, completely destroyed by the flood.
4th of November
1:00: the Arno overflows in the zone of “la Liscia” in the commune of Lastra a Signa . The state road Tosco-Romagnola and the secondary ways between Florence and Empoli were interrupted.
3:00: the fury of the Arno reaches Florence.
3:30: The Arno breaks the levees in the zone of Rovezzano. Moreover, many quarters of Florence are flooded and there is the first victim of this natural catastrophe, a man called Carlo Maggiorelli, who was an overseer of the water establishments. In the historic centre the sewers and the cellars are being flooded.
From this moment, during all the night and also during the next day the situation becomes even more critical. In fact, the destructive strength of the water causes problems to the things and to the persons; maybe, among the damages to the things, those to the National Library and to the well known quarter of Santa Croce can be considered the most serious.
12:00: The worst moment of this drama for the artistic town of Florence, because the water reach the first floor of the buildings and the first victims are made known ( a couple of old persons and a young prisoner ) .
18:00: the River Arno begins slowly to return into its levees.
Finally, a strange image of a fact happened during the flood and filmed from all the means of communication, has been considered the symbol of this tragic day, that it is the image of a group of cows gathered at the first floor of the “Casa del popolo” in the zone of San Donnino, due to the attempt to save them.


About The Rescue Work - the "Angeli del fango"

The flood was the first episode in Italy that underlined the absolute lack of an efficient body for the civil protection. In fact, in this critical situation the first official helps arrived six days after the beginning of the catastrophe.
Luckily, there were some non-official helps that tried to solve the problems caused by the flood, such as a multitude of young voluntaries of various nationalities, called “ the angels of the mud “ , who came to Florence to save the books and the works of art from the destruction. However, the damage to the artistic and historical heritage was considerable, in fact in the storerooms of the National Library, thousands of precious volumes were completely destroyed and the world famous picture by Cimabue, the “ Christ Crucified “ was destroyed at its 80%, in spite of the subsequent restoration.
The only financial help from the government was of five- thousand-lira to the traders.
Finally, we haven’t to forget the documentary about the flood by the world-famous Franco Zeffirelli , very useful in the work of sensitisation, with the sorrowful call by the English actor, Richard Burton.

Florence, June 24: Florence celebrates the feast of its patron, San Giovanni.

THE HISTORY: FROM GOD MARTE TO SAN GOVANNI BATTISTA The choice of San Giovanni Battista as the Saint Patron of the city of Florence, comes only after the total transformation of the city to Christianity. Initially, the Patron (or Protector) of the city was the God Marte whose statue was located at the north entrance of Ponte Vecchio and remained there until 1333, when it was completely destroyed by the Arnio flooding.

Feast of the Patron of Florence: old cartIt was however in the Longobard period (6th to 7th century), that San Giovanni Battista was recognize as the Saint Patron of Florence. San Giovanni Battista was already chosen as the Saint Patron of the Longobard people. In fact, it is in this period that the San Giovanni Baptistery was reconstructed in Florence (6th-7th century) over the rubbles of what it once was the Marte Temple.

The selection of San Giovanni wasn't only first and foremost for his clear and brief pedagogy, but also for his strong and courageous personality. However, it was until June 24th in the 13th century that the first celebration dedicated to San Giovanni Battista took place.

Thanks to these celebrations the San Giovanni Baptistery and the Duomo Square became the city heart of the Religious and Political life of Florence. In fact,it is in front of the Baptistery that the festivities of June 24 end. History narrates that an ancient tradition asked to the Noble people of Florence to donate their big candles richly ornamented which had then to be burned in front of the Baptistery. Originally, the festivisty ended with a large candle that was transported in a wagon from Piazza Signoria to the front of the Baptistery. That same wagon named Carro di San Giovanni (San Giovanni's Wagon) gave birth to the Scoppio del Carro festivity (Wagon's Outburst); however, at a second stage, this festivity was devoted only to Easter ceremonies instead to the Patron.

Florence, June 24, 2010: Fireworks for Saint John

June 24th, it's a day where several festivities take palce in Florence throughout the day such as parades, the Rowing Club competition along the Arno river, fireworks, etc.

The final game of the Calcio in Costume (football soccer in costumes) was played on this same day. The famous Historic Florentine Football, was a peppy Medieval version of football, usually played in Santa Croce square. In 2006, the event was cancelled because an article of a document from the fifth council commission of sport and culture prohibits sporting events that cause violent celebrations by its fans. “The unjustify events that took place on the opening match of the 2006 edition, forced the Municipality of Florence to take action on this important sporting event.”

Along with the Historic Florentine Football, another sporting event is celebarted on this day. The Notturna di San Giovanni (night run marathon), it's one of the oldest marathons in Italian history.

Firework show in Florence for the feast of the PatronIn order to salute the Saint Patron, at around 9:00pm, you can admire a firework show in Florence. The best spot to see them it's in Ponte Santa Trinita (Santa Trinita Bridge). From there you can see Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), and behind it the beautiful fireworks reflecting in the Arno river. The bridge and its surrounding streets gets jammed of people, so it is recommended that Florentine people having houses with view towards Piazzale Michelangelo open their doors to their friends and relatives, so you can enjoy the show in company of your loved ones.

Again, during the same weekend it is usually organized another funny event, concerning just one side of the city: Nottarno, la notte bianca in Oltrarno (Nottarno, the White Night in the Oltrarno zone). This year, the event is expected for Saturday 27 of June 2009. Various and different events will be organized and dislocated along the streets and squares of the city district, and have been already inserted in the program of the night (download the pdf of the program): music, exhibitions and various kinds of entertainment. On the occasion, shops, pubs and restaurants of the Oltrarno district stay open all night long and arrange tables on the streets of the centre.

Terravision, the bus to Pisa Airport

There is a good connection to Pisa Airport from Florence. You can take a train from Santa Maria Novella train station, the one close to Hotel Mario's and via Faenza ( the street where we are ). Train for Pisa are aesily taken about every 20-30 minutes, while the direct train to Pisa Airport there is not so often; only 3 or 4 per day. The best is take the train to Pisa and from there to the airport. Otherwise there is the Bus.The Terravision company makes this service and you can find the time schedule, on the website : http://www.terravision.eu/florence_pisa.html
The ticket costs 10 Euro one way and 16 Euro with return. There are bus at least once per hour, it's very handly. Terravision bus station is at Bar Deanna, just outside the train station of Santa Maria Novella.Also in this case, Hotel Mario's is only 5 minutes walking far from there.So easy.That's true, i would say: Hotel Mario's, a place where to start or end your holiday days so easily.
Contact us at info@hotelmarios.com or check our website : www.hotelmarios.com

Florence, Italy: One Day Itinerary

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with 367,569 inhabitants (1,500,000 in the metropolitan area).

The city lies on the River Arno and is known for its history and its importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture. A centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the richest and wealthiest cities of the time, Florence is considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance; in fact, it has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. It was long under the de facto rule of the Medici family. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy.

The historic centre of Florence attracts millions of tourists each year and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. Florence is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and its artistic, historic and cultural heritage and impact in the world remains vast up to this day. The city has also a major European impact in music, architecture, education, cuisine, fashion, philosophy, science and religion. The historic centre of Florence contains numerous elegant squares (piazzas), Renaissance palaces (palazzi), academies, parks, gardens, churches, monasteries, museums, art galleries and ateliers. The city has also been nominated, according to a 2007 study, as the most desirable destination for tourists in the world.

The city boasts a wide range of collections of art, especially those held in the Pitti Palace and the Uffizi, (which receives about 1.6 million tourists a year). Florence is arguably the last preserved Renaissance city in the world and is regarded by many as the art capital of Italy. It has been the birthplace or chosen home of many notable historical figures, such as Dante, Boccaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Niccolò Machiavelli, Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Donatello, Galileo Galilei, Catherine de' Medici, Antonio Meucci, Guccio Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Roberto Cavalli, Florence Nightingale and Emilio Pucci.

Panorama of Florence, Italy from Piazzale Michelangelo

Piazzale Michelangelo is a famous square with a magnificent panoramic view of Florence, Italy and is a popular tourist destination in the Oltrarno district of the city. The view from this most famous observation point of the city landscape has been reproduced in countless postcards and snapshots over the years.

It was built in 1869 and designed by architect Giuseppe Poggi on a hill just south of the historic center, on completion of retraining of the left bank of the shore. From that fact, Florence was the capital of Italy and the whole city was involved in an urban renewal, the so-called rehabilitation, or the rebirth of the city middle class: they were created lungarni; on the right bank, instead of the fourteenth-century walls were open the avenues of the ring of a boulevard, on the left bank was traced, wind on the hill of San Miniato, the Viale dei Colli, a street tree overview 8 kilometers long, at whose climax the square was built as a terrace with a panoramic view inside the city. The chronicle of the early construction of the company has been described in detail by the Italian journalist Peter Ferrigno (known under the name of Yorick) that does not fail to report as a part of Florence is dispiacesse "for the excessive spending of the construction.
The square Michelangelo square, dedicated to the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo, has copies of some of his famous works in Florence: the David and the four allegories of the Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo. These copies are made of bronze, while the originals are all in white marble. The monument was brought up by nine pairs of oxen on 25 June 1873.
Poggi designed the loggia in the neoclassical style that dominates the whole terrace, which today houses a panoramic restaurant. Originally it was supposed to house a museum of works by Michelangelo, ever. In the wall of the balcony, under the loggia, an epigraph is a banner characters reminiscent of his work: Florentine architect Giuseppe Poggi turn around here is his monument MCMXI.
The panorama encompasses the heart of Florence from Forte Belvedere to Santa Croce lungarni through the bridges of Florence and in sequence, especially the Ponte Vecchio, are the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, the Bargello and the octagonal bell tower of the Badia Fiorentina, without forgetting opposed to the hills north of the city with the center and Settignano Fiesole.

FIRENZE: PIAZZA DELLA REPUBBLICA

Piazza della Repubblica is a city square in Florence, Italy. It is on the site, first of the city's forum and then of the city's old ghetto, which was swept away during the city improvement works or Risanamento initiated during the brief period when Florence was the capital of a reunited Italy, work that also created the city's avenues and boulevards. The ghetto's remains may still be seen in the square, as may the Mercato Vecchio, the Loggia del Pesce. Among the square's cafes, the Giubbe Rosse cafe has long been a meeting place for famous artists and writers, notably those of Futurism.
The present appearance of the square is the result of the city planning announced and carried out on the proclamation of Florence as the capital of Italy (1865-71), with particularly intense activity in this Piazza between 1885 and 1895. In this period, known as the Risanamento in the commemorative nineteenth-century terminology (or, by its detractors, the sventramento or ruining), large parts of the city centre were demolished.
The decision to broaden the square allowed the total destruction of buildings of great importance: medieval towers, churches, the corporate seats of the Arti, some palaces of noble families, as well as craftsmen's shops and residences. The demolition was presented as a necessity if the area's insanitary conditions were to be improved, but was in reality led above all to building speculation and to legitimization of the will of the emerging middle-class emergente, protagonist in the events immediately prior to unification.
The town in fact underwent an enormous loss, minimally compensated for by the rescue of monuments like Vasari's Loggia del Pesce that was dismantled and reassembled in piazza dei Ciompi. The appearance of the square before the nineteenth-century demolitions is documented in prints, paintings and drawings in the Museo di Firenze com'era in Via dell'Oriuolo. A plentiful supply of works of art and architectural fragments fed the antiquarian market, and only some of them could be saved for the Museo nazionale di San Marco, whilst others were returned to the town as donations such as those that allowed the founding of the Museo Bardini and Museo Horne. Artists like Telemaco Signorini depicted with melancholy this disappearing part of town.
In 1888, after the demolition of the hovels in the center of the Mercato, the old piazza del Mercato Vecchio reappeared, with the Loggia, the Column of Plenty and the church of San Tommaso, but the shrewd restorers preferred to proceed with a more radical demolition yet.
On 20 September 1890, with the building-sites still open to rebuild the palazzoni in the square, the equestrian monument to Vittorio Emanuele II was inaugurated in his presence. This monument gave the piazza its original name. An old photograph taken on the day of the inauguration show the buildings of the square still incomplete and covered for the civil ceremony in scenery representing good luck. The statue, a commemorative and rather rhetorical work which did not please the Florentines, was mocked in a biting sonnet by Vamba, entitled Emanuele a corpo sciorto. Today the sculpture is in piazzale delle Cascine.
The palaces that rose in the new square, painted bitterly by the young Telemaco Signorini, followed the eclectic fashion of the time and had been planned by already well-known architects: Vincenzo Micheli, Luigi Buonamici, Giuseppe Boccini. Following this transformation, the square became a kind of "lounge" for the town; since then refined palaces, luxury hotels, department stores and elegant cafes have sprung up around it, among which the known Caffè delle Giubbe Rosse, where famous scholars and artists met and clashed.
The inscription on the arch
The porticos with the triumphal arch, called the "Arcone", was designed by Micheli and was inspired by the most courtly Florentine Renaissance architecture, even if its additions to that style seem to be distant from the true ancient style. The pompous inscription that dominates the square was dictated, it seems, from Isidoro del Lungo, or another literary source:


L'ANTICO CENTRO DELLA CITTA
DA SECOLARE SQUALLORE
A VITA NUOVA RESTITUITO
(The ancient centre of the city / restored from age-old squalor / to new life)

On top of the Arcone is an allegorical group of three women in plaster, representing Italy, Art and Science. The Florentines instead nicknamed them after three famous prostitutes of the era, la Starnotti, la Cipischioni e la Trattienghi. Having deteriorated, the group was removed in 1904.

PITTI W Florence, ex-Dogana Via Valfonda, June 15-18, 2010

A special platform to launch new products
previews and capsule collections

The sixth edition of Pitti W_Woman Precollection, the Pitti Immagine fair-event devoted to women’s collections will be held in Florence from 15 to 18 June 2010 concomitantly with Pitti Uomo 78. A selected group of about 60 international brands will present exclusive previews of their 2011 spring-summer collections in the Dogana on via Valfonda.

Pitti W has already made a name for itself as a strategic event, and it is chosen by exhibitors for preview launches, for capsule collections and for specific projects linked to new approaches to female elegance. In response to a need expressed by many buyers, this edition of the fair-event will focus even more on collections built around a selection of key items. The reason behind this is to generate greater impact in terms of sales and communications, by starting the game early when buyers’ budgets are still open. In parallel, the Pitti W offer is becoming broader – with more space in the sections dedicated to vintage items and fragrances – with a refreshed layout designed by Olivero Baldini and a new approach to how the space is used – everything is more open to enhance dialogue among the products.

At the Dogana, the third edition of Vintage for Pitti W
and the special area dedicated to artistic perfumery

After last season’s success, Pitti W will once again feature the “Vintage for Pitti W” area produced in cooperation with A.N.G.E.L.O. Vintage Palace and dedicated to…vintage, of course!. A special setting will host a selection of some of the best from this unique world who will be showing their collections of vintage couture, accessories, jewels and signature scarves.
The area for Fragranze, with the latest developments from the world of artistic and selective perfumery - important lifestyle components of the contemporary woman’s wardrobe – will feature some of the exhibitors from the Pitti Immagine September event with the same title. The participating brands will include: Biehl, Calé Fragranze d’Autore, Histoires de Parfums, La Maison de la Vanille, Laboratorio Olfattivo, Profumi di Pantelleria and Solange.
The area “Vintage for Pitti W”, includes the project dedicated to the vintage universe, in cooperation with A.N.G.E.L.O. Vintage Palace. A special setting will show a selection of some of the best operators for the vintage fashion that will bring in Florence their best selection of vintage couture, accessories, jewelry and foulard.

The special section: Designer Collections

And, once again, Pitti W will host Designer Collections, the special area for brands that best interpret the concept of design research in feminine elegance. The buyers who come to Florence will have the opportunity to see preview showings of the collections by well known and young designers.

The brands participating in Pitti W n.6 will include:
1-one, 50100 Firenze, A.N.G.E.L.O., A-Lab Milano, Alberto Fasciani, Amazonlife, Banci Gioielli, Barbara Boner, Bhcrafts, Bibi Chemnitz, Biehl, Bloch, Bp Studio, Brebis Noir, Ç Les Maçons Danseurs, Calé Fragranze D’Autore, Cappi Vintage Bijoux, Carta e Costura, Mario Caruana, Charlottenborg, Chic Appeal by De Pio, Cloli', Cocchi, Collection 00, Collezionando, Coral Blue, Cut It Out, D.L.& Co, D. Del Cima, Dominique Aurientis, Es’ givien, Emak Bakia Vestirsi Vintage, Fabi, Gaudelis, Get U, Gherardini, Gilli, Giora' by Giovanna Raspini, Gossip, Gotha, Grange Yard, Henry Beguelin, Histoires De Parfums, Insideout, It Is di Cut It Out, Juicy Couture, Un Dimanche A Venise Par Kalliste', Kartell, Key-Tè, Komlan, La Maison de la Vanille, Laboratorio Olfattivo, Lika, Mary Frances, Mauro Gasperi, Monica Bianco, Ok.tober, Paolo Pecora Donna, Peridot London, Piera, Pierre Ancy, Pinkmemories, Profumi di Pantelleria, Roberta Guercini Fashion, Sara Roka, Solange, Star Chic, Stephen Venezia, Tarina Tarantino, Urbanikab, V.Level, Venturino Vintage, Veronica Bettini Mood, Violanti Stone, Youdith, Yrusha.

Hotel Mario's is 5 minutes walking far from this important fair-event!!!

Basilica di Santa Croce: Firenze

The Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross) is the principal Franciscan church in Florence, Italy, and a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church. It is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about 800 metres south east of the Duomo. The site, when first chosen, was in marshland outside the city walls. It is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile, Rossini, and Marconi, thus it is known also as the Temple of the Italian Glories.
The Basilica is the largest Franciscan church in the world. Its most notable features are its sixteen chapels, many of them decorated with frescoes by Giotto and his pupils, and its tombs and cenotaphs. Legend says that Santa Croce was founded by St Francis himself. The construction of the current church, to replace an older building, was begun on 12 May 1294, possibly by Arnolfo di Cambio, and paid for by some of the city's wealthiest families. It was consecrated in 1442 by Pope Eugene IV. The building's design reflects the austere approach of the Franciscans. The floorplan is an Egyptian or Tau cross (a symbol of St Francis), 115 metres in length with a nave and two aisles separated by lines of octagonal columns. To the south of the church was a convent, some of whose buildings remain.
In the Primo Chiostro, the main cloister, there is the Cappella dei Pazzi, built as the chapter house, completed in the 1470s. Filippo Brunelleschi (who had designed and executed the dome of the Duomo) was involved in its design which has remained rigorously simple and unadorned.
In 1560, the choir screen was removed as part of changes arising from the Counter-Reformation and the interior rebuilt by Giorgio Vasari. As a result, there was damage to the church's decoration and most of the altars previously located on the screen were lost.
The campanile was built in 1842, replacing an earlier one damaged by lightning. The neo-Gothic marble façade, by Nicolò Matas, dates from 1857-1863.
A Jewish architect Niccolo Matas from Ancona, designed the church's 19th century neo-Gothic facade, working a prominent Star of David into the composition. Matas had wanted to be buried with his peers but because he was Jewish, he was buried under the porch and not within the walls.
In 1866, the complex became public property, as a part of government suppression of most religious houses, following the wars that gained Italian independence and unity.
The Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce is housed mainly in the refectory, also off the cloister. A monument to Florence Nightingale stands in the cloister, in the city in which she was born and after which she was named. Brunelleschi also built the inner cloister, completed in 1453.
In 1966, the Arno River flooded much of Florence, including Santa Croce. The water entered the church bringing mud, pollution and heating oil. The damage to buildings and art treasures was severe, taking several decades to repair.
Come and stay at Hotel Mario's and the staff will help you to visit the amazing city of Florence!!!

Battistero di San Giovanni - Baptistery of St. John

The Florence Baptistery or Battistero di San Giovanni is a religious building in Florence (Tuscany), Italy, which has the status of a minor basilica.
The octagonal Baptistery stands in both the Piazza del Duomo and the Piazza di San Giovanni, across from the Duomo cathedral and the Giotto bell tower. It is one of the oldest buildings in the city, built between 1059 and 1128. The architecture is in Florentine Romanesque style.
The Baptistery is renowned for its three sets of artistically important bronze doors with relief sculptures. The south doors were done by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The east pair of doors was dubbed by Michelangelo "the Gates of Paradise".
The Italian poet Dante Alighieri and many other notable Renaissance figures, including members of the Medici family, were baptized in this baptistery. In fact, until the end of the nineteenth century, all Catholic Florentines were baptized here.
The Baptistery has eight equal sides with a rectangular addition on the west side.
The sides, originally in sandstone, are clad in geometrically patterned colored marble, white Carrara marble with green Prato marble inlay, reworked in Romanesque style between 1059 and 1128. The pilasters on each corner, originally in grey stone, were decorated with white and dark green marble in a zebra-like pattern by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1293.
The style of this church would serve as prototype, influencing many architects, such as Leone Battista Alberti, in their design of Romanesque churches in Tuscany.
The exterior is also ornamented with a number of artistically significant statues by Andrea Sansovino (above the Gates of Paradise), Giovan Francesco Rustici, Vincenzo Danti (above the south doors) and others.
The design work on the sides is arranged in groupings of three, starting with three distinct horizontal sections. The middle section features three blind arches on each side, each arch containing a window. These have alternate pointed and semicircular tympani. Below each window is a stylized arch design. In the upper fascia, there are also three small windows, each one in the center block of a three-panel design.
The apse was originally semicircular, but was it was made rectangular in 1202.
The vast interior of the Baptistery recalls the interior of the Pantheon in Rome. The interior is rather dark, light entering through small windows in the ambulatory and through the lantern. The interior is divided in a lower part with columns and pilasters and an upper part with an ambulatory. The Florentines didn't spare any trouble or expense to decorate the baptistery. The interior walls are clad in dark green and white marble with inlaid geometrical patterns. The niches are separated by monolithic columns of Sardinian granite. The marble revetment of the interior was begun in the second half of the eleventh century.
The rectangular apse was faced with mosaics in 1225.

Hotel Mario's in the area of San Lorenzo Market

Just in the area outside the Central Market are numerous and are open every day from 9:00am to 7:00pm (except Mondays in winter). The vendors sell a great variety of products and you could spend hours roaming through them all.What about the histoy of the market? Because the population was growing and the New Market, under the Loggia del Porcellino was clearly insufficient, it was decided to create three new markets instead of one, taking advantage of the occasion to revitalize one of the older neighborhoods in Florence called the Camaldoli. The largest market would be constructed in San Lorenzo, the Herb Market in Sant’Ambrogio and yet another, which was demolished in the beginning of the 1900s, in San Frediano.
It was a great idea but San Lorenzo had no room for a new market. It was therefore necessary to open up a vast area in the labyrinth of narrow streets that had grown up outside of the first set of Roman walls and between the two sets of medieval walls.The ecclesiastical neighborhood centered around the city's original cathedral, San Lorenzo (it was outside the city walls, and, according to tradition, was funded by a pious Jewish woman), and the commercial neighborhood centered around the mercatino, the street market, and the Mercato Centrale, the city’s major produce market. The former, with Brunelleschi and Michelangelo’s Sacristies, Pontormo’s paintings, Michelangelo’s sculptures, and the Laurentian Library (also designed by Michelangelo) is one of Florence’s intellectual cornerstones. In these days the market is specialized in clothing, leather goods, gifts and souvenirs, and is one of several places in the city frequented by tourists; it’s possible to find a wide choice of leather jacket and bags, jeans, t-shirts, shoes…everything of reasonably good quality and at reasonable prices.However The main attractions of San Lorenzo (apart from shopping, of course) are the San Lorenzo Basilique (made up of several buildings including the San Lorenzo church, the Brunelleschi Sagrestia Vecchia, the annex cloisters, the Canonici area and the Laurenziana Library with the famous staircase by Leonardo da Vinci) consecrated by St. Ambrose in 393, it is the oldest church in the city. It was then rebuilt along Romanesque lines in 1060. The present building dates to 1423 and was designed and built by Brunelleschi) and the Cappelle Medicee (the Medicean Chapels – are a precious tomb which preserve the Medici family remains, representing the mausoleum of the big family).
Hotel Mario's is located between San Lorenzo Market, Central Market, Santa Maria Novella church and the central railway station Santa Maria Novella.This is a great opportunity to visit the city in a very fantastic location. Reserve a room in the old historic building at Hotel Mario's, you'll enjoy part of Florence's history.
Visit www.hotelmarios.com or write an email to info@hotelmarios.com

PITTI IMMAGINE UOMO 78: 15th - 18th June 2010

Si chiama Design Watching il tema generale di Pitti
Uomo n. 78. È un’incursione curiosa e indiscreta del mondo
della moda nel mondo del design attraverso le suggestioni e gli
appunti visivi / sonori / verbali raccolti da una pattuglia di
design watchers – buyer, giornalisti, curatori, designer e opinion
leader – individuati nella community internazionale dei Pitti
People. A questi è stato chiesto di individuare i loro nuovi
oggetti di design preferiti - tra spirito artigianale e
contemporaneità - con il coordinamento di Cristina Morozzi.
L’allestimento sarà curato da Patricia Urquiola, che creerà
un’ideale continuità tra layout degli spazi esterni e interni della
manifestazione, assieme anche a una nuova proposta di aree relax
e speciali installazioni dedicate al cibo, firmate con i prodotti di
Taste, la rassegna di Pitti Immagine dedicata alle nicchie di
qualità della gastronomia italiana. Una nuova testimonianza
della vocazione allo stile e al design e della trasversalità delle
manifestazioni Pitti, sempre più contenitori pensati per le nuove
tendenze del lifestyle oggi.

Design Watching will be the theme of this summer edition
of Pitti Uomo: the world of fashion will be making a
curious – and indiscreet – foray into the world of design
through the ideas and visual-acoustic-verbal notes gathered by a
platoon of “design watchers”, the spearhead of Pitti People, the
international community of the Pitti Uomo buyers, journalists
and opinion leaders. They will choose, between tradition and
contemporaneity, their preferred design object and will be
coordinated by Cristina Morozzi. The settings, designed by
Patricia Urquiola will create an ideal continuity between the
outdoor and indoor areas of the fair, and will offer a new concept
for the lounge areas and special refreshment-food points.
It’s just one more and new proof of a clear calling and the
across-the-board nature of Pitti Immagine events that are the
ideal venue for launching new projects and presenting special
previews in the most important areas of contemporary fashion,
lifestyle and design.

June 2, 2010: Republic Day/Festa della Repubblica

Festa della Repubblica or, in English, Republic Day is celebrated in Italy on the second of June each year. The day commemorates the institutional referendum held by universal suffrage in 1946, in which the Italian people were called to the polls to decide on the form of government, following the Second World War and the fall of Fascism. With 12,717,923 votes for a republic and 10,719,284 for the monarchy, the male descendants of the House of Savoy were sent into exile. To commemorate it, a grand military parade is held in central Rome, presided by the President of the Republic in the role of Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The Prime Minister and other authorities attend too. Prior to the foundation of the Republic, the Italian national day was the first Sunday in June, anniversary of the granting of the Statuto Albertino.

La Festa della Repubblica italiana è la principale festa nazionale italiana. Viene celebrata il 2 giugno a ricordo della nascita della Repubblica.
L'emblema della Repubblica Italiana.
Il 2 e il 3 giugno 1946 si tenne, infatti, il referendum istituzionale indetto a suffragio universale con il quale gli italiani venivano chiamati alle urne per esprimersi su quale forma di governo, monarchia o repubblica, dare al Paese, in seguito alla caduta del fascismo. Dopo 85 anni di regno, con 12.718.641 voti contro 10.718.502. l'Italia diventava repubblica e i monarchi di casa Savoia venivano esiliati.
Il 2 giugno celebra la nascita della nazione, in maniera simile al 14 luglio francese (anniversario della Presa della Bastiglia) e al 4 luglio statunitense (giorno in cui nel 1776 venne firmata la dichiarazione d'indipendenza).
In tutto il mondo le ambasciate italiane tengono un festeggiamento cui sono invitati i Capi di Stato del Paese ospitante. Da tutto il mondo arrivano al Presidente della Repubblica italiana gli auguri degli altri capi di Stato e speciali cerimonie ufficiali si tengono in Italia.
Prima della fondazione della Repubblica, la festa nazionale italiana era la prima domenica di giugno, anniversario della concessione dello Statuto Albertino.
Con la legge 5 marzo 1977, n.54, soprattutto a causa della congiuntura economica sfavorevole, la Festa della Repubblica fu spostata alla prima domenica di giugno. Solamente nel 2001 su impulso dell'allora Presidente della Repubblica, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, il secondo governo Amato, con la legge n. 336 del 20 novembre 2000, riportò le celebrazioni al 2 giugno che divenne nuovamente festivo.