OSPEDALE DEGLI INNOCENTI

The Ospedale degli Innocenti is a historical building in Florence, central Italy. Designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, who received the commission in 1419, it was originally a children's orphanage. It is regarded as a notable example of early Italian Renaissance architecture. The hospital, which features a nine bay loggia facing the Piazza SS. Annunziata, was built and managed by the "Arte della Seta" or Silk Guild of Florence. That guild was one of the wealthiest in the city and, like most guilds, took upon itself philanthropic duties.

The façade is made up of nine semicircular arches springing from columns of the Composite order. The semicircular windows brings the building down, earthbound and is a revival of the classical style, no longer a pointed arch. In the spandrels of the arches there are glazed blue terracotta roundels with reliefs of babies suggesting the function of the building. There is an emphasis on the horizontal because the building is longer than it is tall. Above each semicircular arch is a tabernacle window (a rectangular window with a triangular pediment on the top).

The clean and clear sense of proportion is reflected in the building. The height of the columns is the same width of the intercolumniation and the width of the arcade is equal to the height of the column, making each bay a cube. The simple proportions of the building reflect a new age, of secular education and a sense of great order and clarity. Also half the height of the column is the height of the entablature, which is appropriate for a clear minded society.

Ospedale degli Innocenti

Children were sometimes abandoned in a basin which was located at the front portico. However, this basin was removed in 1660 and replaced by a wheel for secret refuge. There was a door with a special rotating horizontal wheel that brought the baby into the building without the parent being seen. This allowed people to leave their babies, anonymously, to be cared for by the orphanage. This system was in operation until the hospital's closure in 1875. Today the building houses a small museum of Renaissance art.

Visit Florence and stay at our hotel:

HOTEL MARIO'S
Via Faenza, 89
50123 Florence - Italy 

email: info@hotelmarios.com

www.hotelmarios.com

Pizza,pasta,maccheroni: Hotel Mario's don't let you go to bed without eating

Dear friends,

 Since last June Hotel Mario's is glad to inform its clients that we have a notice: it's possible to serve pasta, anytime during the day, for who doesn't want to spend either the night or the lunch at the restaurant. We have some types of dirrent genuine pasta.

 We also have Pizza; in only one month we served that much more than what we expected and we probably add some other dishes. So, it's important you know that by now you can also eat at Hotel Mario's.
 We are in Florence, downtown, near the  train station Santa Maria Novella ( the central one ) and very close to the market of San Lorenzo.
Check our rates and availabilities on our website:
www.hotelmarios.com
email: info@hotelmarios.com

via Faenza, 89
50123
Florence
Italy

Moto GP, Mugello, close to Florence city

The Italian Grand Prix of 2011 MotoGP calendar will be in July, 3rd, 2011 on the circuit of MUGELLO. Hotel Mario's is located in Florence, just few miles from the area of Mugello.
 We are in the centre of Florence, we have an agreement with a parking and you would be easily able to reach Florence and drop your car.
 We still have some rooms available form the next weekend.


Hotel Mario's,
Florence,
via Faenza 89,
50123
Italy ( Tuscany )
www.hotelmarios.com
info@hotelmarios.com

Roman origins of Florence

A wooden model of Florence

Florence was established by Lucius Cornelius Sulla in 80 BC as a settlement for his veteran soldiers and was named originally Fluentia, owing the fact that it was built between two rivers, which was later corrupted to Florentia. It was built in the style of an army camp with the main streets, the cardo and the decumanus, intersecting at the present Piazza della Repubblica. Situated at the Via Cassia, the main route between Rome and the north, and within the fertile valley of the Arno, the settlement quickly became an important commercial centre. The Emperor Diocletian is said to have made Florentia the seat of a bishopric around the beginning of the 4th century AD, but this seems impossible in that Diocletian was a notable persecutor of Christians.

In the ensuing two centuries, the city experienced turbulent periods of Ostrogothic rule, during which the city was often troubled by warfare between the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines, which may have caused the population to fall to as few as 1,000 people. Peace returned under Lombard rule in the 6th century. Florence was conquered by Charlemagne in 774 and became part of the Duchy of Tuscany, with Lucca as capital. The population began to grow again and commerce prospered. In 854, Florence and Fiesole were united in one county.

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.

Pitti Bimbo, June 2011, Florence and children's fashion

 Pitti Bimbo in Florence, next 23th, 24th and 25th of June 2011 at the Fortezza da Basso, just few metres far from Hotel Mario's ( via Faenza 89 ).
The world preview of clothing and accessories collections for children and teens (0 to 18 years), maternity wear, and childcare products for the fall-winter season.
Pitti Immagine Bimbo is the world’s reference in fashions for the youngest set and the focus of trends and novelties for the whole industry.
The only event anywhere that presents a complete overview of children’s fashions is more contemporary than ever, featuring not only different looks – from the sportswear at SportGeneration to the classic-elegance of the big names at Pitti Bimbo, from the creativity of the independent brands.

Opening hours:show  9.00 am - 6.00 pm
last day show  9.00 am - 4.00 pm

Buyers only.

For further information:ph. +39 055 36931
email: info@pittimmagine.com
web: www.pittimmagine.com
Address:
Viale Filippo Strozzi, 1, 50129 Florence (FI)

Hotel Mario's invites all the buyers to stay in a friendly and welcoming place.
Contact us:

Hotel Mario's
via Faenza 89
50123
Florence ( Italy )

Contact us:
info@hotelmarios.com
tel: +39-055-216801
fax:+39-055-212039

Pitti Immagine Uomo, soon in Florence

Pitti Uomo will take place again here in Florence from 14th to 17th of June 2011 at the Fortezza Da Basso. The atmosphere, during that days, is amazing and we invite everybody to come in that period, if you like fashion,people,beautiful women and international atmosphere.
 As every year, here at Hotel Mario's, we are fully booked, but try to contact us as well. We are keen to let the people know how friendly and nice is the stay at Hotel Mario's.
 We are only few metres far from the Fortezza da Basso, where Pitti Immagine Uomo is.

Hotel Mario's,
via Faenza 89,
50123
Florence
(Tuscany), Italy
www.hotelmarios.com
info@hotelmarios.com