Settignano, a magic place up to the hills of Florence

When you'll be at Hotel Mario's, from our very convenient position in the city, you could walk to the train station of Santa Maria Novella and catch the bus line 10 that will get you up to the hill of this nice small and panoramic village.
Settignano, a tranquil residential district located on one of the hills overlooking the city of Florence, shares its artistic fame with nearby Fiesole. The original village was probably founded by an important Roman family, thus fundus Septinianus, when Florentia was chosen as the residence of the united regions of Etruria and Umbria.
The name of Settignano is famous in the whole world thanks to her natural and adoptive sons, sculptors, architects and painters whose works of art adorn many museums. Desiderio da Settignano, Antonio and Bernardo Rossellino, Luca Fancelli, Meo del Caprina, the Ciolis and the Lorenzis were all born in Settignano, as was the painter Bartolomeo Bimbi. Other artists and scholars, such as Michelangelo, Niccoló Tommaseo, Telemaco Signorini and the poet Gabriele d'Annunzio lived in Settignano and were inspired by its harmonious landscapes.
Because of its vicinity to the famous quarries of Maiano and Trassinaia, Settignano also produced a multitude of lesser known artists, artisans, quarriers, carvers and stone masons who embellished the palaces of Florence during the Renaissance and introduced Florentine Renaissance artistic theories into many other cities in Italy as well as France and Spain.
Settignano is a lovely village, go in one of that little restaurant just around the main square and enjoy a good Chianti red wine and a bistecca alla fiorentina ( the steak ); enjoy the life, come to Italy.


information about Settignano are taken from the website www.settignano.com

Cenacolo del Conservatorio in Fuligno, Florence

Hotel Mario's is situated in a fantastic position for all the visitors would like starting their days walking to everywhere here in the city. Close to the train station of Santa Maria Novella ( less than 2 blocks ), close to the Mercato Centrale of San Lorenzo and also to the topic we are talking today : The Cenacolo of Fuligno.
The ancient convent in Fuligno was founded at the start of the fourteenth century and subsequently renovated in 1430.The convent’s refectory is decorated with fifteenth century frescoes depicting the Last Supper and the Oration of Christ in the Garden, both of which are attributed to Pietro Perugino. This refectory was used as a museum from the nineteenth century.Many works of art damaged in the great flood of 1966 were brought here. It was re-opened in 1990, with the addition of some frescos by Bicci di Lorenzo (1430 circa) which came from other rooms of the convent, as well as a wooden crucifix by Benedetto da Maiano.
Today the Cenacolo, or refectory, is home to other works such as the Assumption of the Virgin by Valerio Marucelli which once stood above the main altar in the church of Sant’Onofrio, the Crucifixion and several fifteenth and sixteenth century Tuscan and Italian paintings of the Perugino school. Hotel Mario's is only 50 metres far from this extraordinary masterpiece and we are glad to welcome you here in our small and typical hotel.


Opening hours
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 9am – 12pm
Closed on New Year’s Day, 1st May and Christmas Day

Entry fee
Free

Disabled access
No

Contact information
via Faenza 42
Florence
Telephone 055 286982
E-mail segreteria@sbas.firenze.it
http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/musei/fuligno

Cultur week in Italy and in Florence too.Museums free

The settimana della cultura, or the culture week, or the week during which the state- and city-run museums in Florence (and the rest of Italy) offer entrance without admission costs for the year 2010 is...now. In fact is already started 18th of April and will be continued till 26th of April.
Apart from normally open museums being free, several attractions that are normally closed to the public will open their doors during the settimana della cultura. This can be achieved thanks to the help of hundreds of volunteers.Some favorite sites such as the Colosseum, Uffizi Galleries, the archaeological site of Pompei, and the Galleria Borghese are just a few of the many that will be free during this 9 day period. You’ll be out of luck at the Vatican, however, as it is not a state museum and will still enforce the normal entry fee.
For any Context walk that normally includes pre-purchased tickets to a state museum, you will either be receiving a refund shortly if you were already charged for your ticket or, if you will be booking, the price of your ticket will be deducted before it is charged.
In Florence you could visit for free Uffizi, Accademia ( where the David of Michelangelo is ), Medici Chapels, Bargello,Pitti Palace,Boboli garden,Opificio delle pietre dure and many others.

Here a list of special events for your visit in Florence:


Uffizi: from 4/20/2010 to 5/30/2010 on special display is the newly restored Altarpiece of the Novitiate painted by Filippo Lippi for the chapel of the same name in the Church of Santa Croce (read announcement from the Uffizi). The altarpiece was commissioned by Cosimo de’ Medici in 1445. For the first time since its dismantling it will be displayed with its predella, painted by Francesco di Stefano known as Il Pesellino, thanks to a loan from the Louvre.

Boboli Gardens: Saturday 17 April at 15:30: Sbandiatori – historic flag throwers of Florence will perform in costume in the Boboli’s Piazzale della Meridiana.

Cappella Ruccellai and Alberti’s Tempietto: this little jewel of a chapel is only open on this occasion! I’ve seen it during previous culture weeks, it’s an important contribution to understanding Alberti’s architecture.

Conservatorio di S. Maria degli Angiolini: special opening of this dominican convent that has been recently restored! Info here, booking by telephone is obligatory.

At the state archive, an exhibit of documents related to the city of Florence and the Medici family. April 16 to 24

You can check other information on the website http://www.beniculturali.it if you are also interested to others Italian museums. Take a break now, come in Florence and stay at Hotel Mario's, next to the railway station of Santa Maria Novella, in the heart of the city of beautiful Florence. We are here, contact us and require all the information you need ( info@hotelmarios.com ).

Fiesole, a perfect day off Florence

If you're beginning to feel overwhelmed by Florence's churches and museums, or simply want to get away from the crowds for a while, take a break and visit Fiesole, the town perched on the hill just north of Florence. Getting there is easy, a short ride on the number 7 bus, and it can easily be explored in a morning.
Fiesole was once Florence's big brother, but now it's a sleepy hill-town visited by tourists. Ironically, their main reason for coming here is not to see Fiesole itself, but to admire the view over Florence. Fiesole's history goes back into the mists of time. As Faesulae, it was an important Etruscan town, commanding the Arno valley from its defensive heights. The Romans encouraged a new settlement, Florentia, on the plain by the river, to drain importance from Fiesole, and gradually Florence became the more important of the two towns. After various spats, the Florentines destroyed Fiesole in the 12th century, since when it has enjoyed quiet, insignificant independence. The local artist Fra Angelico lived and worked in the monastery of San Domenico before descending to San Marco in Florence. Its peace and fresher air made Fiesole a popular resort for rich Florentines who wanted to escape the heat, smells and crowds of the city, and many fine villas were built on the slopes around the town.
Here are the main sights and attractions:

* Piazza Mino - Fiesole's large main square was named after the sculptor Mino da Fiesole. It's ringed with cafes, restaurants, and shops. On one side is the pretty 14th century Palazzo Pretorio, the town hall, with coats-of-arms displayed on its facade.
* Cathedral - Cattedrale di San Romolo dates from the 11th century but has been modified several times. It has its original 13th century bell tower that can be seen from a long distance. Inside the cathedral are works by Mino da Fiesole and frescoes. The nearby Museo Bandini, Via Dupre 1, houses sacred works from the 14th and 15th centuries.
* Archaeological Area or Zona Archeologica - Fiesole's Archaeology park includes a partially restored 1st century BC Roman amphitheater, baths, and an Etruscan temple. There are Roman, Longobard, and Etruscan ruins and a museum with prehistoric, Etruscan, Roman, and Medieval artifacts. The entrance is on Via dei Partigiani, open at 9:30 and closed Tuesdays except in summer.
* Etruscan Walls - The Etruscans settled in Fiesole about 2000 BC, building the city of Faesulae, the most important city of the region before Roman times. They left their typcial huge Etruscan walls, which can be seen several places, the best being below the archaeological park on Via delle Mure Etrusche. There are a remains of two Etruscan tombs outside the Etruscan walls.
* Convento di San Francesco - The uphill walk is worth it for views of Fiesole, the hills, and sometimes even Florence. Take Via di San Francesco, the steep pedestrian-only street west of the Duomo. There's a Gothic church with Renaissance paintings and 14th century wooden choir stalls, built on the site of the ancient acropolis. On exhibit in the museum are local archaeological finds and a display relating to the friars missionary work in China and Egypt. Currently it's free (donations appreciated) and open daily. Below the convent is a large park.
* Sant' Allesandro Church, below San Francesco, was built in the 4th century over a pagan temple incorporating Roman materials into the building.
* San Domenico di Fiesole - San Domenico monastery can be reached by walking down the road (or taking the bus) toward Florence. Fra Angelico first entered the monastic world here and the 15th century church holds his Madonna with Angels and Saints and the chapterhouse also has Fra Angelico frescoes. Nearby is the Badia Fiesolana, Fiesole's ancient cathedral built in 1028, with its original Romanesque facade.
* Monte Ceceri - The quarries at Monte Ceceri outside Fiesole produce the famous Tuscan gray stone. There's also a nature park and a pillar with an inscription about Leonardo da Vinci's flight experiments.
The bus number 7 gets you from and to the train station Santa Maria Novella, exactly a couple of minutes walking from where Hotel Mario's is. It's fantastic that from where we are you can reach every nice place in or around the city. We just love to see your happy face when we indicate the distances you need to take to go to the Uffizi or to the Accademia or to the San Lorenzo Market. Visit Florence, stay at Hotel Mario's. www.hotelmarios.com info@hotelmarios.com

Giotto, the father of modern painting

Giotto di Bondone, the father of modern painting and one of the greatest figures in the history of Western art, was born in a small hamlet in the valley of the Mugello, twenty miles north of Florence.
Giotto signed his name to only three of his paintings. His most famous attributed works are the Arena Chapel frescoes (1305-10) in Padua, the Bardi and Peruzzi Chapel frescoes in Santa Croce in Florence, and the magnificent Ognissanti Madonna for the Church of All Saints. The twenty-eight frescoes based on the life of St. Francis and located in the Upper Church of the Franciscans in Assisi are accepted as Giotto's by some art historians and denied him by others. The controversy, which has now raged for a century and a half, fills volumes and has yet to be resolved.
Giotto was a painter during the renaissance period and this influenced his paintings to be mostly based on the bible. During this period a Dante of the devine comedy said "Giotto is regarded as the founder of the central tradition of western painting because his work broke free from the stylizations of Byzantine art, introducing new ideals of naturalism and creating a convincing sense of pictorial space."
At the Uffizi Gallery you could see the "Ognissanti Madonna" , the "The Badia Polyptych" and others. As written by Vasari:
“One day Cimabue was going about his business between Florence and Vespignano, and he came upon Giotto who, while his sheep were grazing, was sketching one of them in a lifelike way with a slightly pointed rock upon a smooth and polished stone without having learned how to draw it from anyone other than Nature. This caused Cimabue to stop in amazement…”
Another very good reason to visit Florence, you cannot imagine how many great masterpieces you are gonna see here. Start your days at Hotel Mario's, we are in the centre of the city, next to the train station Santa Maria Novella, a very nice and typical 3 stars Hotel in an historical palace. Enjoy Hotel Mario's, enjoy Giotto...