BEATO ANGELICO: San Marco, Florence, 1436–1445

Posthumous portrait of Fra Angelico by Luca Signorelli

Fra Angelico (c. 1395 – February 18, 1455), born Guido di Pietro, was an Early Italian Renaissance painter described by Vasari in his Lives of the Artists as having "a rare and perfect talent". He was known to his contemporaries as Fra Giovanni da Fiesole (Brother John from Fiesole) and by Vasari as Fra Giovanni Angelico (Brother John the Angelic One).

Fra Angelico is known in Italy as il Beato Angelico, the term "Il Beato" ("Blessed One") being already in use during his lifetime or shortly thereafter, in reference to his skills in painting religious subjects. In 1982 Pope John Paul II conferred beatification, in recognition of the holiness of his life, thereby making this title official. Fiesole is sometimes misinterpreted as being part of his formal name, but it was merely the name of the town where he took his vows as a Dominican friar, and was used by contemporaries to separate him from other Fra Giovannis. He is listed in the Roman Martyrology as Beatus Ioannes Faesulanus, cognomento Angelicus—"Blessed Giovanni of Fiesole, nicknamed Angelico".

Vasari wrote of Fra Angelico:

But it is impossible to bestow too much praise on this holy father, who was so humble and modest in all that he did and said and whose pictures were painted with such facility and piety.

In 1436 Fra Angelico was one of a number of the friars from Fiesole who moved to the newly-built Friary of San Marco in Florence. This was an important move which put him in the centre of artistic activity of the region and brought about the patronage of one of the wealthiest and most powerful members of the city's Signoria, Cosimo de' Medici, who had a large cell (later occupied by Savonarola) reserved for himself at the friary in order that he might retreat from the world. It was, according to Vasari, at Cosimo's urging that Fra Angelico set about the task of decorating the monastery, including the magnificent Chapter House fresco, the often-reproduced Annunciation at the top of the stairs to the cells, the Maesta with Saints and the many smaller devotional frescoes depicting aspects of the Life of Christ that adorn the walls of each cell.

The Maestà (Madonna enthroned) with Saints; San Marco, Florence

In 1439 he completed one of his most famous works, the Altarpiece for St. Marco's, Florence. The result was unusual for its times. Images of the enthroned Madonna and Child surrounded by saints were common, but they usually depicted a setting that was clearly heavenlike, in which saints and angels hovered about as divine presences rather than people. But in this instance, the saints stand squarely within the space, grouped in a natural way as if they were able to converse about the shared experience of witnessing the Virgin in glory. Paintings such as this, known as Sacred Conversations, were to become the major commissions of Giovanni Bellini, Perugino and Raphael.

 

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HOUSE OF MEDICI

The House of Medici or Casa de' Medici  was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside, gradually rising until they were able to found the Medici Bank. The bank was the largest in Europe during the 15th century, seeing the Medici gain political power in Florence — though officially they remained simply citizens, rather than monarchs. The Medici produced four Popes of the Catholic Church and in 1531 the family became hereditary Dukes of Florence. In 1569, the duchy was elevated to a grand duchy after territorial expansion. They ruled the Grand Duchy of Tuscany from its inception until 1737, with the death of Gian Gastone de' Medici. The grand duchy witnessed degrees of economic growth under the earlier grand dukes, but by the time of Cosimo III de' Medici, Tuscany was fiscally bankrupt.

Their wealth and influence initially derived from the textile trade guided by the guild of the Arte della Lana. Like other signore families they dominated their city's government. They were able to bring Florence under their family's power, allowing for an environment where art and humanism could flourish. They fostered and inspired the birth of the Italian Renaissance along with other families of Italy, such as the Visconti and Sforza of Milan, the Este of Ferrara, and the Gonzaga of Mantua.

The Medici Bank was one of the most prosperous and most respected institutions in Europe. There are some estimates that the Medici family were the wealthiest family in Europe for a period of time. From this base, they acquired political power initially in Florence and later in wider Italy and Europe. A notable contribution to the profession of accounting was the improvement of the general ledger system through the development of the double-entry bookkeeping system for tracking credits and debits. This system was first used by accountants working for the Medici family in Florence.

Piazzale Michelangelo: a panoramic view

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.
The square can be accessed by car along the tree-Viale Michelangelo, made in those same years, or walk the stairs going up the ramps of the monumental Piazza Poggi Poggi in the district of San Niccolò.

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.

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