LLEI D'ART 11

Art routes FLORENCE The cradle of the Renaissance The beautiful city of Florence stands on the banks of the Arno River, sited in a valley surrounded by Tuscan hills. Founded by the Romans in the 1 st century BC, the city came under the control of the Medici during the Renaissance, and it was at this time that the capital of Tuscany enjoyed the pinnacle of its success, becoming a city of arts and culture thanks to its economic power and political skill. The city that was the most prosperous in 13th century Europe retains an exceptionally magnificent artistic heritage, the legacy of a history that saw the births of some of the greatest artists of all time, like Cimabue and Giotto, the fathers of Italian painting, Arnolfo de Cambio and Andrea Pisano, renovators of architecture and sculpture; Brunelleschi, Donatello and Masaccio, the founders of the Renaissance; Lorenzo Ghiberti and the members of the Della Robbia family; Filippo Lippi and Beato Angelico; Botticelli and Paolo Uccello, and the all-round geniuses Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. They say that on a trip to Florence, Henri Beyle Stendhal was so overcome by the beauty of the Santa Croce basilica that the emotion of such a sublime experience –from then on called ‘the Stendhal effect’– caused him a kind of heart- racing vertigo. He was already a passionately romantic writer, and the charm of this city, the epicentre of the Renaissance, beat his expectations. One requires time and attention to be able to take in the flavour and tonality of the streets, so charming and full of nooks and crannies; they let themselves be admired, causing fortuitous meetings with fragments, shards of history, and inviting the visitor’s imagination to take flight. It has an incredibly important heritage linked to places of prayer, such as monasteries, sombre cloisters, churches or beautiful cenacles (representations of the room where the Last Supper took place), the ceilings of which bear magnificent frescoes with evangelical scenes in varying degrees of repair. Such places are home to splendid art works that are worth a visit: amongst them is the Brancacci Chapel, on the south side of the river, with works by Masaccio and Masolino; Andrea del Sarto’s Cenacle, in a monastery somewhat far from the historical centre, but worth the effort just to see its wonderful altarpieces. The cenacles of Fuligno, Ognissanti and Santa Apolonia, all relatively close to each other, and all of which have wonderful frescos; the Barefoot Chapel, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist or the Basilica of the Holy Cross. The size of the city –especially the historical centre– is deal for a carefully planned route, and not planning out your visit would be a waste. The entire city is so full of subtleties that reveal details of its history Biblioteca/ Library Medicea Laurenziana. Foto Richard Fabi. Lic. Creative Commons. 129