FIRENZE: PALAZZO DAVANZATI

Façade of the palace.

Palazzo Davanzati is a palace in Florence. It houses the Museum of the Old Florentine House.

Palazzo Davanzati was erected in the second half of the 14th century by the Davizzi family, who were wealthy members of the wool guild. In 1516 it was sold to the Bartolini and, later that century, to the Davanzati family, also rich merchants (1578), who held it until 1838. After the suicide of Carlo Davanzati, it was split into different quarters and modified. After escaping the numerous demolitions of 19th century Florence, it was bought by Elia Volpi, an antiquarian, who restored in (his impression of) the original style.

In 1910, Volpi opened the building as a private museum (Museo Privato della Casa Fiorentina Antica). The contents of this museum kept changing as Volpi sold the furniture at auctions, including in a major sale of 1916 in New York. In the 1920s, Egyptian antique dealers Vitale and Leopoldo Bengujat acquired the building and its contents. In 1951 it was purchased by the Italian state and kept open as a museum. In 1995 it was closed for major restoration to consolidate the building that was falling down. The museum was partially reopened in 2005; the ground and first floors can now be visited.

The palace consists of a facade that unifies a grouping of earlier, medieval tower homes that the owner purchased with the intent to put them together.

It is constructed in sandstone, with three large portals on the horizontal axis, and three stories of mullioned windows. The topmost floor has a loggia supported by four columns and two pilasters that was added in the 16th century. The façade displays the Davanzati coats of arms and has traces of other decorations.

The interior courtyard has arches, vaults, and capitals in 14th century-style.

FIRENZE: CAPPELLA BRANCACCI

The Distribution of Alms and Death of Ananias by Masaccio

The Brancacci Chapel (in Italian, "Cappella dei Brancacci") is a chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence. It is sometimes called the "Sistine Chapel of the early Renaissance" for its painting cycle, among the most famous and influential of the period. Construction of the chapel was commissioned by Pietro Brancacci and begun in 1386. Public access is currently gained via the neighbouring convent, designed by Brunelleschi. The church and the chapel are treated as separate places to visit and as such have different opening times and it is quite difficult to see the rest of the church from the chapel.

The patron of the pictorial decoration was Felice Brancacci, descendant of Pietro, who had served as the Florentine ambassador to Cairo until 1423. Upon his return to Florence, he hired Masolino da Panicale to paint his chapel. Masolino's associate, 21 year old Masaccio, 18 years younger than Masolino, assisted, but during painting Masolino left to Hungary, where he was painter to the king, and the commission was given to Masaccio. By the time Masolino returned he was learning from his talented former student. However, Masaccio was called to Rome before he could finish the chapel, and died in Rome at the age of 27. Portions of the chapel were completed later by Filippino Lippi. Unfortunately during the Baroque period some of the paintings were seen as unfashionable and a tomb was placed in front of them.

Stay at Hotel Mario's: we help you to enjoy Florentine culture.

HOTEL MARIO'S

Via Faenza, 89

50123 Firenze

Tel. 0039 055 216 801

Fax 0039 055 212 039

E-mail: hotelmarios@hotelmarios.com

Website: www.hotelmarios.com

Appuntamento domenica 27 novembre 2011 con la 28^ edizione della classica internazionale di corsa su strada

E’ il fascino avvolgente di secoli di arte, storia e cultura che ti accompagna, passo dopo passo, lungo i 42 chilometri e 195 metri della Firenze Marathon. Un’emozione unica che solo chi ha corso a Firenze può raccontare e che ha trasformato la classica della città del giglio in un appuntamento irrinunciabile per migliaia di sportivi e appassionati provenienti da tutto il mondo, puntuale ogni anno, l’ultima domenica di novembre.

L’evento fiorentino è cresciuto in maniera esponenziale in questi ultimi anni, tanto che lo scorso 28 novembre in occasione della XXVII edizione è stato centrato il nuovo record di iscritti, con 10200  podisti provenienti da 62  paesi. Numeri impressionanti, a testimonianza di una crescita che non è solo numerica, ma anche qualitativa, che hanno trasformato la Firenze Marathon nella seconda maratona italiana, alle spalle soltanto di Roma.

Una manifestazione che non è solo un evento sportivo, ma anche un fatto di costume e di cultura davanti a cui non si può che restare incantati. E’ questa la sensazione che ha accomunato migliaia di podisti e che hanno potuto provare anche i tanti spettatori collegati suRaisport1, per seguire le tre ore di diretta riservate alla XXVII Firenze Marathon dalla Tgs-Raisport. E’ il settimo anno consecutivo che la Rai dedica la diretta alla manifestazione fiorentina, a giusto riconoscimento della crescente importanza assunta dall’evento in questi anni. Parlare solo di numeri, però, non renderebbe il giusto merito ad una maratona che ha raggiunto ormai un livello organizzativo di assoluta eccellenza e che può vantare un palcoscenico eccezionale come Firenze, una città unica al mondo per la sua bellezza e per la sua atmosfera.

La Firenze Marathon è il principale evento di corsa su strada che si svolge in Toscana e, insieme a Roma, è ormai di diritto la maratona internazionale più importante d'Italia e tra le prime 20 al mondo per numero di partecipanti e per qualità.

Il percorso fiorentino si muove attraverso scorci paesaggistici e monumenti di una bellezza unica, che hanno reso famosa la città nel mondo. Un nuovo tracciato che tocca i luoghi più affascinanti di Firenze, come piazza del  Duomo, piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio e tante altre strade e piazze ricche di storia e di cultura, prima di concludersi nella solenne maestosità di piazza Santa Croce. Il percorso è senza dislivelli, come previsto dalle norme IAAF, e sempre su strade asfaltate, caratteristiche che lo rendono particolarmente scorrevole e apprezzato da tutti gli atleti. La Firenze Marathon è inserita nel calendario ufficiale delle maratone internazionali, certificata AIMS e riconosciuta dalla IAAF.

PER IL TUO SOGGIORNO A FIRENZE, HOTEL MARIO'S

HOTEL MARIO'S

Via Faenza, 89

50123 Firenze

Tel. 055 216 801

Fax 055 212 039

E-mail: hotelmarios@hotelmarios.com

Sito: www.hotelmarios.com

NOVEMBER 27, 2011: fIRENZE MARATHON

Sunday, 27th November 2011, is the date of the 2011 edition of the international classic road race, the 28th Florence Marathon. Step by step all along its 42 kilometers and 195 meters you are surrounded by centuries of art, history and culture, a unique emotion that can only be experienced by those who run in Florence. Year after year, thousands of sportspeople and enthusiasts from all over the world come to participate in this classic race on the last Sunday in November. This great event in Florence has increased immeasurably recently so much so that we expect more than 11.500 participants in 2011.

This extraordinary increase in participation also testifies to the constant attention given to the organization of the race. Florence Marathon is now the second Italian marathon (after Rome), and among the 20 most important marathons in the world. The route takes you by all those landmarks of singular beauty that have made Florence famous worldwide: views over the enchanting hills and countryside, and passing right by the Cathedral Square, Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio (to mention only just a few of historical importance), before entering the majestic Piazza Santa Croce.  The road is entirely asphalted and ramp-free, except for the short, slightly sloping stretch of road at the start, and these characteristics make it a particularly fast route appreciated by runners.

ENJOY THE MARATHON AND STAY AT HOTEL MARIO'S

HOTEL MARIO'S
Via Faenza, 89
50123 Firenze
Tel. 0039 055 216 801
Fax 0039 055 212 039
E-mail: hotelmarios@hotelmarios.com
Internet site: www.hotelmarios.com

LITERATURE IN FLORENCE

Decameron (1350–1353) by Giovanni Boccaccio.

Despite Latin being the main language of the courts and the Church, writers such as Dante Alighieri and many others used their own language, the Florentine dialect, in composing their works. The oldest literary pieces written in vernacular language go as far back as the 13th century. Florence's literature fully blossomed in the 14th century, when not only Dante with his Divine Comedy (1306–1321) and Petrarch, but also poets such as Guido Cavalcanti and Lapo Gianni composed their most important works. Dante's masterpiece is the Divine Comedy, which mainly deals with the poet himself taking an allegoric and moral tour of Hell, Purgatory and finally Heaven, during which he meets numerous mythological or real characters of his age or before. He is first guided by the Roman poet Virgil, whose non-Christian beliefs damned him to Hell. Later on he is joined by Beatrice, who guides him through Heaven.

In the 14th century, Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio led the literary scene in Florence after Dante's death in 1321. Petrarch was an all-rounder writer, author and poet, but was particularly known for his Canzoniere, or the Book of Songs, where he conveyed his unremitting love for Laura. His style of writing has since become known as Petrarchism. Boccaccio was better known for his Decameron, a slightly grim story of Florence during the 1350s bubonic plague, known as the Black Death, when some people fled the ravaged city to an isolated country mansion, and spent their time there recounting stories and novellas taken from the medieval and contemporary tradition. All of this is written in a series of 100 distinct novellas.

In the 16th century, during the Renaissance, Florence was the hometown of political writer and philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli, whose ideas on how rulers should govern the land, detailed in The Prince, spread across European courts and enjoyed enduring popularity for centuries. These principles became known as Machiavellianism.

Visit Florence and stay at Hotel Mario's.

Hotel Mario's

Via Faenza, 89

50123 Firenze - Italy

Tel. 0039 055 216 801

Fax 0039 055 212039

E-mail: hotelmarios@hotelmarios.com

Internet site: www.hotelmarios.com

ART IN FLORENCE

Florence has a legendary artistic heritage. Cimabue and Giotto, the fathers of Italian painting, lived in Florence as well as Arnolfo and Andrea Pisano, renewers of architecture and sculpture; Brunelleschi, Donatello and Masaccio, forefathers of the Renaissance, Ghiberti and the Della Robbias, Filippo Lippi and Angelico; Botticelli, Paolo Uccello and the universal genius of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Their works, together with those of many other generations of artists, are gathered in the several museums of the town: the Uffizi Gallery, the Palatina gallery with the paintings of the "Golden Ages" the Bargello with the sculptures of the Renaissance, the museum of San Marco with Fra Angelico's works, the Academy, the chapels of the Medicis Buonarroti' s house with the sculptures of Michelangelo, the following museums: Bardini, Horne, Stibbert, Romano, Corsini, The Gallery of Modern Art, the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, the museum of Silverware and the museum of Precious Stones. Great monuments are the landmarks of Florentine artistic culture: the Florence Baptistery with its mosaics; the Cathedral with its sculptures, the medieval churches with bands of frescoes; public as well as private palaces: Palazzo Vecchio, Palazzo Pitti, Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Palazzo Davanzati; monasteries, cloisters, refectories; the "Certosa". In the archeological museum includes documents of Etruscan civilization. In fact the city is so rich in art that some first time visitors experience the Stendhal syndrome as they encounter its art for the first time.

Uffizi hallway

Florentine architects such as Filippo Brunelleschi (1377–1466) and Leon Battista Alberti (1404–1472) were among the fathers of both Renaissance and Neoclassical architecture,

The cathedral, topped by Brunelleschi's dome, dominates the Florentine skyline. The Florentines decided to start building it – late in the 13th century, without a design for the dome. The project proposed by Brunelleschi in the 14th century was the largest ever built at the time, and the first major dome built in Europe since the two great domes of Roman times – the Pantheon in Rome, and Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. The dome of Santa Maria del Fiore remains the largest brick construction of its kind in the world. In front of it is the medieval Baptistery. The two buildings incorporate in their decoration the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. In recent years, most of the important works of art from the two buildings – and from the nearby Giotto's Campanile, have been removed and replaced by copies. The originals are now housed in the Museum dell'Opera del Duomo, just to the east of the Cathedral.

Florence has large numbers of art-filled churches, such as San Miniato al Monte, San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Trinita, Santa Maria del Carmine, Santa Croce, Santo Spirito, the Annunziata, Ognissanti and numerous others.

Palazzo della Signoria

Artists associated with Florence range from Arnolfo di Cambio and Cimabue to Giotto, Nanni di Banco, and Paolo Uccello; through Lorenzo Ghiberti, and Donatello and Massaccio and the della Robbia family; through Fra Angelico and Botticelli and Piero della Francesca, and on to Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Others include Benvenuto Cellini, Andrea del Sarto, Benozzo Gozzoli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Filippo Lippi, Bernardo Buontalenti, Orcagna, Pollaiuolo, Filippino Lippi, Verrocchio, Bronzino, Desiderio da Settignano, Michelozzo, the Rossellis, the Sangallos, and Pontormo. Artists from other regions who worked in Florence include Raphael, Andrea Pisano, Giambologna, Il Sodoma and Peter Paul Rubens.

Brunelleschi's dome

The Uffizi and the Pitti Palace are two of the most famous picture galleries in the world. Two superb collections of sculpture are in the Bargello and the Museum of the Works of the Duomo. They are filled with the creations of Donatello, Verrochio, Desiderio da Settignano, Michelangelo and others. The Accademia has Michelangelo's David – perhaps the most well-known work of art anywhere, plus the unfinished statues of the slaves Michelangelo created for the tomb of Pope Julius II.

Other sights include the medieval city hall, the Palazzo della Signoria (alsdo known as the Palazzo Vecchio), the Archeological Museum, the Museum of the History of Science, the Palazzo Davanzatti, the Stibbert Museum, St. Marks, the Medici Chapels, the Museum of the Works of Santa Croce, the Museum of the Cloister of Santa Maria Novella, the Zoological Museum ("La Specola"), the Bardini, and the Museo Horne. There is also a collection of works by the modern sculptor, Marino Marini, in a museum named after him. The Strozzi Palace is the site of special exhibits.

Visit Florence and stay at Hotel Mario's

FASHION DESIGNERS OF FLORENCE

Luxury boutiques along Florence's prestigious Via de' Tornabuoni.

Florence being historically the first home of Italian fashion (the 1951–1953 soirées held by Giovanni Battista Giorgini are generally regarded as the birth of the Italian school as opposed to French haute couture) is also home to the Italian fashion establishment Salvatore Ferragamo. Gucci, Enrico Coveri, Emilio Pucci, Patrizia Pepe, Ermanno Scervino and many others are founded and located in Florence. Prada, Roberto Cavalli, and Chanel have large offices and stores in Florence or its outskirts. Florence's main upscale shopping street is Via de' Tornabuoni, where major luxury fashion houses and jewelry labels, such as Armani, Ferragamo and Bulgari, have their boutiques.

The San Lorenzo market is now largely for tourists. Great places to walk include along the Arno and across any of its bridges, through narrow, medieval back streets in the Santa Croce area and in the Oltr'Arno – on the south side of the river, in many ways like Rome's Trastevere or Paris's Left Bank – but far smaller. There are also superb shopping streets, such as the Via Tornabuoni, the Via del Parione, and the Via Maggio.

Visit Florence and stay at Hotel Mario's.

Hotel Mario's
Via Faenza, 89
50123 Florence - Italy
Tel. 0039 055 216 801
Fax 0039 055 212039
E-mail: hotelmarios@hotelmarios.com
Internet site: www.hotelmarios.com 

FORTE DI BELVEDERE

Fortification

The Forte di Belvedere or Fortezza di Santa Maria in San Giorgio del Belvedere (often called simply Belvedere) is a fortification in Florence, Italy. It was built by Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici during the period 1590–1595, with Bernardo Buontalenti as the designer, to protect the city and its rule by the Medici family.

On the same side of the river as the Grand Ducal palace, the Pitti Palace in the Oltrarno district of the city, today the grounds provide spectacular outlooks over Florence; the buildings are used to hold works of art, and as a venue for exhibitions of contemporary sculpture.

The design and construction of the Fort were entrusted to architect Bernardo Buontalenti, the chief architect for both Cosimo I and his son, Ferdinando. The Fort served many purposes: to protect the center of government in Florence, the Pitti Palace; to protect the south end of the city of Florence and the Oltrarno district; to demonstrate the power of the Medici family; hold the treasury of the Medici; and finally to provide a shelter for the Grand Duke if the city came under attack. The fort was connected to Palazzo Vecchio via the Vasari Corridor over Ponte Vecchio, passages in the Pitti Palace and paths through Boboli Gardens.

Buontalenti applied contemporary fortification principles when he designed the Fort. The walls are designed at angles that allow for all the walls to be seen by another wall, allowing for cross fire to assist in protecting the other walls. The location where the fort was placed had long been considered of strategic importance since the time of Michelangelo, then head engineer of fortifications. An earlier version of the fort was built of earth and stone gabions as seen in frescoes in Palazzo Vecchio.

In addition to being a fortification, the Belvedere was meant to be a sign of Medici prestige. The villa inside the fortress was designed to be elegant and did not adhere to the military purposes of the rest of the fort. Since the villa was meant to be used as the residence of the Grand Duke during times of unrest or epidemic, it was built as a comfortable, luxurious palace, another sign of Medici domination in Florence.

The Fort served as a garrison for troops for over 100 hundred years after its completion.

Visit Florence and stay at our hotel:

HOTEL MARIO'S

Via Faenza, 89

50123 Firenze - Italy

Tel. 0039 055 216 801

Fax 0039 055 212 039

E-mail: hotelmarios@hotelmarios.com

www.hotelmarios.com

DAVID by Michelangelo

DAVID by Michelangelo

David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo. It is a 5.17 metre (17 foot) marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favoured subject in the art of Florence. Originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence Cathedral, the statue was instead placed in a public square, outside the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence, where it was unveiled on 8 September 1504. Because of the nature of the hero that it represented, it soon came to symbolise the defence of civil liberties embodied in the Florentine Republic, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici family. The eyes of David, with a warning glare, were turned towards Rome. The statue was moved to the Accademia Gallery in Florence in 1873, and later replaced at the original location by a replica.

 

Enjoy your trip to Florence and stay at Hotel Mario's.

HOTEL MARIO'S

VIA FAENZA, 89

50123 FLORENCE - ITALY

PHONE NUMBER: 0039 055 216 801

FAX NUMBER: 0039 055 212039

E-MAIL: hotelmarios@hotelmarios.com

INTERNET SITE: www.hotelmarios.com 

FLORENTINE CUISINE

Florentine food grows out of a tradition of peasant eating rather than rarefied high cooking. The majority of dishes are based on meat. The whole animal was traditionally eaten; tripe, (trippa) and (lampredotto) were once regularly on the menu and still are sold at the food carts stationed throughout the city. Antipasti include crostini toscani, sliced bread rounds topped with a chicken liver-based pâté, and sliced meats (mainly prosciutto and salame, often served with melon when in season). The typically saltless Tuscan bread, obtained with natural levain frequently features in Florentine courses, especially in its famous soups, ribollita and pappa al pomodoro, or in the salad of bread and fresh vegetables called panzanella that is served in summer. The most famous main course is the bistecca alla fiorentina, a large (the customary size should weigh around 1200 grams – "40 oz.") – the "date" steak – T-bone steak of Chianina beef cooked over hot charcoal and served very rare with its more recently derived version, the tagliata, sliced rare beef served on a bed of arugula, often with slices of Parmesan cheese on top. Most of these courses are generally served with local olive oil, also a prime product enjoying a worldwide reputation.

SUMMER IN FLORENCE

During the summer, Florence became a big open air stage where they are often tourists, visitors to play the part of the protagonists. With its squares, its churches and monuments to admire without getting bored, Firenze is ideal for young couples, families and groups of friends.

First we start with some advice. Florence in the summer is a very hot city, then try to limit your outputs to the cooler hours, preferring perhaps visiting museums and places indoors during the time when the sun is strongest. Of course this advicehas to be applied  to European tourists, because those Americans are certainly more accustomed to high temperatures. Ultimately the climate of Florence is still a Mediterranean climate.

We start from the center. Just a few months ago the entire area around the Piazza del Duomo, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore with Giotto‘s frescoes, the famous dome of Brunelleschi and the Baptistery, had been pedestrianized. This is a great scene, one of the marvels of humanity, even more enjoyable now breathing cleaner air and less noise.

From here I awant to create two paths. The first takes you through the Via dei Calzaioli, where are boutiques of fashion: Gucci, Prada, Valentino and so on. A pause in Piazza della Repubblica, sipping a coffee at one of the famous bars, where the artists of the vanguard of primo novecento The second route takes you from the Duomo to Borgo San Lorenzo, where it is to be  visited the Church designed by Michelangelo and the museums of the Medici Chapels. Spread around a small market of leather handicrafts made by Florentine artisans. Bags, shoes, girdles, jackets. Here is a must to visit the Central Market, where you’ll find the authentic flavors of Tuscan cuisine and especially the Florentine. It starts primarily from meat, queen of the tables in the restaurants. The famous Fiorentina Cut, a cut of rib eye steak, cooked on the outside and rare inside.

You eat natural, or with oil and pepper, served with arugula and shavings of Parmesan cheese or perhaps with a beautiful chapel of fresh porcini mushrooms. At Central Market of San Lorenzo, a small restaurant offers some of the best specialty of Florence, at really low prices.

Try the sandwich with Lampredotto, or the one with the Bollito, tripe, Peposa and other dishes prepared daily. Then in the market you will find spices, cheese, bread and cake for all tastes. 

Many special exhibitions are also organized this year in Florence. Four hundred years after his death, Michelangelo Merisi in the Uffizi, along with Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Botticelli. Then the largest collection by many artists of the Reinassance period.

HOTEL MARIO' S
Via Faenza, 89
50123 Firenze
tel +39055216801
fax +39055212039
hotelmarios@hotelmarios.com
www.hotelmarios.com   

How to get to Florence

Florence is well-connected with the rest of Italy and with Europe, and is easy to get to by air or land. In the last few years there has been a significant increase in traffic in and out of Florence's Vespucci Airport, and the infrastructure and facilities are constantly being upgraded.
Florence is also a key node on the Italian railway network. It has good connections with the main cities in the north, while to the south Rome is only about an hour and a half away. Work on the Bologna-Florence stretch of the high-speed railway line (TAV, Treni Alta Velocità) is at an advanced stage, and a new station is due to be built in Florence.
The A1 motorway, the main road artery linking the north and south of the country, runs past Florence, which has four exits. A third lane is currently being built on the Barberino-Incisa stretch of the A1. The A11 motorway and the Florence-Pisa-Livorno (FI-PI-LI) dual carriageway link the city with the west (Tyrrhenian Sea) coast.

HOTEL MARIO'S

Via Faenza, 89

50123 Firenze

Tel. 0039 055 216801

Fax. 0039 055 212039

www.hotelmarios.com

info@hotelmarios.com

ART 75° Mostra Mercato Internazionale dell’Artigianato: Fortezza da Basso, Firenze, dal 30 Aprile all' 8 Maggio - ART International Arts and Crafts exhibition: Fortezza da Basso, Florenze, from Friday, April 30 to Sunday, May 8, 2011

Dal 30 Aprile all' 8 Maggio 2011 nei suggestivi spazi espositivi della Fortezza da Basso torna l’appuntamento con ART - Mostra Mercato Internazionale dell’Artigianato, giunta alla 75^ edizione.
Nove giorni interi per valorizzare e commercializzare le culture innovative e le produzioni tradizionali a cui si legano i diversi comparti artigiani nell’ottica di un proficuo incontro e scambio fra il made in Italy (con la sua innata creatività e originalità) e la multiculturalità. A Firenze, capitale per antonomasia, dell’arte e della raffinata e secolare esperienza del ‘fatto a mano’.
La mostra sarà aperta al pubblico con il seguente orario: tutti i giorni dalle ore 10,00 alle ore 23,00 (ultimo giorno: chiusura alle ore 20,00).
Una serie di iniziative collaterali, workshop e convegni, promossi ed organizzati in collaborazione con Artex e le principali associazioni di categoria, con la partecipazione di opinion leader e personalità di spicco del comparto artigiano, affiancheranno la kermesse commerciale con il fine di rafforzare il ruolo di ART quale osservatorio annuale permanente di riferimento per il mondo dell’artigianato e test di mercato unico per il prodotto esposto. 

Identico il format delle edizione passate che prevede la suddivisione in sei grandi aree tematiche: TERRITORI - SCENE D’INTERNI - IL GUSTO - SCENARI DAL MONDO - SCENARI DI MODA & PREZIOSI - VISIONI, nelle quali gli espositori potranno presentarsi sulla base delle specifiche caratteristiche merceologiche dei loro prodotti a coprire l’intero mondo artigiano, colto nel suo costante cambiamento ed innovazione.
Un’occasione da non perdere dunque come punto di incontro fra produttori e consumatori: artigiani, piccole e medie aziende, interior designer, arredatori, architetti, titolari di negozi e gallerie specializzate. Questo e altro ancora è ART, lo storico salone internazionale dell’artigianato di Firenze, che da sempre premia la creatività, l’estro e l’abilità manuale di tanti maestri artigiani, suscitando intorno, sempre e comunque, nuove emozioni e desiderio di bellezza.

Art breasts the tape of 75 years of history, a period in which it has been able to develop and to keep pace with change, thus becoming one of the most prestigious shop-window of high quality artistic handicraft, both on a national and international level. Creating is an art. It is not by chance that ART, the International Handicraft Fair, was born and developed in Florence, and it is now housed
at the Fortezza da Basso, in the appealing exhibition areas of FirenzeFiera.
A top level location where to show and enjoy the creativeness and art of artisans from all over the world, who meet Florence’s and Tuscany’s history and tradition.
Artistic handicraft is an important richness of our culture and economy, one of the sectors which made the ingeniousness of “Made in Italy” products known and well-regarded all over the world.
ART 2011 is a unique meeting place for people who love that which is beautiful, for those who regard creativeness as valuable. A shop-window of innovating ideas and projects for professionals working in this field, and for consumers, whose tastes and needs are continuously changing.

The 75th Fair will be characterised by a very peculiar flavour: a look to the past, but mainly to the future, aiming at new shapes, new materials, new colours, taking into account, at the same time, the traditional refinement and taste that are peculiar to products which are never out-of-date.
ART 2011, the International Handicraft Fair, is not only a trade show, with over 700 exhibitors; it is a cultural event as well, which crosses Florence’s and Tuscany’s history.
And it is also the quality of exhibitors, the quality of side exhibitions, meetings and workshops: an irrevocable choice, that is well-regarded by artisans and visitors, both end-consumers and professionals such as architects, interior designers, shop owners and specialised galleries.

HOTEL MARIO'S Via Faenza, 89 50123 Firenze Tel. 0039 055 216801 Fax. 0039 055 212039 www.hotelmarios.com info@hotelmarios.com

BACI 2011 XX° Balloon Arts Convention International: Fortezza da Basso, March 24, 2011 - March 29, 2011

24 / 25 MARCH 2011 - Large Sculptures Competitions
If you’re not yet ready to be a team captain we can assign you to a team,
a truly unique and invaluable learning experience!
Se non sei ancora pronto per essere un capitano sarai assegnato ad una squadra,
un'esperienza di apprendimento unica e preziosa!

26 MARCH 2011 - Florence BACI Tour
Choose your favorite activities, detailed information will be sent to all delegates:
- tour the city, the museums, the shops and the trattorias
- visit fashion outlets
- participate in special event décor classes
Scegli le attività che preferisci,
- visita la città, i musei, i negozi e le trattorie
- visita gli outlet- partecipa a lezioni ed eventi speciali

27 / 29 MARCH 2011 - Courses
Inauguration March 27th, 16:00.
CBA examination March 27th , 09:00.
Inaugurazione il 27 Marzo alle ore 16:00.
Esami CBA il 27 Marzo alle ore 09:00.

28 MARCH 2011 - Gala Theme Party
Bring or make your best ISLAND theme costume for an unforgettable party!
Prepara il tuo costume (tema l'isola) per una festa indimenticabile!

HOTEL MARIO'S

Via Faenza, 89

50123 Firenze

Tel. 0039 055 216801

Fax. 0039 055 212039

www.hotelmarios.com

info@hotelmarios.com

Firenze Tango Festival 2011 in Florence

Firenze Tango Festival 2011 will take place in Florence from April 28th to May 1st, 2011.
30 international artists, 40 workshops, performances every night, tango dancers from all over the world.
Dancing in the Saschall Theatre means: 2500 sq dedicated to tango in a location with high quality light and sound system, 2 orchestras, big tangoshow on the stage, 2 dance floors (“traditional” and “alternative”), afternoon milonga, table reservation and table service, exposition of tango shoes and clothes.

HOTEL MARIO'S

Via Faenza, 89      50123 Firenze

Tel. 0039 055 216801

Fax: 0039 055 212039

www.hotelmarios.com

info@hotelmarios.com

Firenze: Santa Maria Novella railway station

Santa Maria Novella railway station

Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station is the main national and international railway station in Florence and is used by 59 million people every year. 

The building designed by Giovanni Michelucci was built in Italian Rationalism style and it's considered one of the main rationalist building in Italy. 

It's located in Piazza della Stazione, near the Fortezza da Basso and the Viali di Circonvallazione, and in front of the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella's apse from which takes its name.

Mario’s Hotel is located on Via Faenza, number 89, an unusual niche of tranquillity in an otherwise bustling city. Our half of via Faenza (the half nearest Santa Maria Novella train station) is not an ZTL zone, meaning most traffic is allowed down it. No parking is allowed therefore you must park in a nearby garage however, Mario’s guests get parking facilities here at discount rates!

If arriving by air you can take the city shuttle to Santa Maria Novella Station. To reach the hotel from here go parallel to the station on its right hand side and turn right at Piazza Adua and continue along Via Cennini. When you come to Via Faenza turn right and you’ll soon come to Mario’s Hotel – number 89.

If you’re coming by car simply follow signs for the station then the directions above. The Fortezza da Basso conference and trade fair centre are within a few minutes walk of the hotel.

Florence: the Fountain of Neptune

Stay at

Mario's Hotel

and its staff helps you to visit Florence

The Fountain of Neptune is a fountain in Florence, Italy, situated on the Piazza della Signoria (Signoria square), in front of the Palazzo Vecchio.

Fountain of Neptune

This work by Bartolomeo Ammannati (1563–1565) and some assistants, such as Giambologna, was commissioned on the occasion of the wedding of Francesco I de' Medici with grand duchess Johanna of Austria in 1565. The assignment had first been given to Baccio Bandinelli, who designed the model but he died before he could start working on the block of Apuan marble.
The Neptune figure, whose face resembles that of Cosimo I de' Medici, was meant to be an allusion to the dominion of the Florentines over the sea. The figure stands on a high pedestal in the middle of an octagonal fountain. The pedestal in the middle is decorated with the mythical chained figures of Scylla and Charybdis. The statue of Neptune is a copy made in the nineteenth century, while the original is in the National Museum.
However, when the work was finished, it was not appreciated in particular by the Florentines, who called it Il Biancone (the white giant).
Work continued on this fountain during the next ten years. Ammannati, with the assistance of the best Florentine sculptors and casters, added around the perimeter of the basin, in a mannerist style, suave, reclining, bronze river gods, laughing satyrs and marble sea-horses emerging from the water. The monumental marble and the dynamic bronzes give nevertheless a coherent impression. The fountain served as an example for future fountain-makers.

LORENZO DE' MEDICI, known as THE MAGNIFICENT

Lorenzo by Girolamo Macchietti

MARIO'S HOTEL staff wants to take you into the history of Florence.

Lorenzo de' Medici (January 1, 1449 – April 9, 1492) was an Italian statesman and de facto ruler of the Florentine Republic during the Italian Renaissance. Known as Lorenzo the Magnificent (Lorenzo il Magnifico) by contemporary Florentines, he was a diplomat, politician and patron of scholars, artists and poets. His life coincided with the high point of the early Italian Renaissance; his death marked the end of the Golden Age of Florence. The fragile peace he helped maintain between the various Italian states collapsed with his death. Lorenzo de' Medici is buried in the Medici Chapel in Florence.

Lorenzo's court included artists such as Piero and Antonio del Pollaiuolo, Andrea del Verrocchio, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Michelangelo Buonarroti who were involved in XV century Renaissance. Although he did not commission many works himself, he helped them secure commissions from other patrons. Michelangelo lived with Lorenzo and his family for several years, dining at the family table and attending meetings of the Neo-Platonic Academy.

Lorenzo was an artist himself, writing poetry in his native Tuscan. In his poetry he celebrates life even while - particularly in his later works - acknowledging with melancholy the fragility and instability of the human condition. Love, feasts and light dominate his verse.

Cosimo had started the collection of books which became the Medici Library (also called the Laurentian Library) and Lorenzo expanded it. Lorenzo's agents retrieved from the East large numbers of classical works, and he employed a large workshop to copy his books and disseminate their content across Europe. He supported the development of humanism through his circle of scholarly friends who studied Greek philosophers, and attempted to merge the ideas of Plato with Christianity; among this group were the philosophers Marsilio Ficino, Poliziano and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola.

PONTE VECCHIO

Visit Florence and stay at Hotel Mario's: its staff will help you in your visit!!!

Ponte Vecchio is a Medieval bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common. Butchers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. It has been described as Europe's oldest wholly-stone, closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge, but there are far older segmental arch bridges such as Alconétar Bridge. Ponte Vecchio's two neighbouring bridges are Ponte Santa Trinità and Ponte alle Grazie.

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.

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.

Tuscan Cuisine: Ribollita Recipe

 Hotel Mario's is a place where to spend a very nice holiday!!!

Our staff will help you to visit the city and also live an authentic florentine life!!!

www.hotelmarios.com

hotelmarios@hotelmarios.com