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The
Medici had a
very close relationship with Florence for more than three centuries.
They influenced the city and were influenced by her. Cosimo the
Elder, called Pater Patriae, held both public and private
power in town. So did his grandson Lorenzo, called the Magnificent.
As active merchants and bankers the Medici handled important financial
affairs with the Church and the most important European courts.
They reached the Papacy with Leo X and Clement VII, the throne
of France with Henry II's bride Catherine and Maria who married
Henry IV. The Medici patronized art, favoured the ribirth of antiquity,
developed learning and promoted science. They made Florence the
capital of a rich and powerful well respected Principate.
An
itinerary in search of the Medici cannot but start from the Medici
Palace, built in 1444 by Michelozzo for Cosimo the Elder. In the
renaissance courtyard one can see the Medici coat of arms and
at the first floor visit the small, but richly decorated Chapel
where Lorenzo's resemblance with the younger of the three kings
emphasizes the political and civil weight of the Medici.
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Palazzo Medici,
poi Ricciardi
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The Chapel of Magi
[zoom]
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When the Palace was sold to the Riccardi family
an Allegory
of the Medici was painted
in a seventeenth century Gallery. Almost opposite the palace
the church of Saint Laurence holds the tombs of the Medici
(died out in 1737), who were also buried in the Old and
New Sacristies as well as in the Chapel of the Princes.
Going through the cloister one can visit the Laurentian
Library with precious books and manuscripts collected by
Cosimo and his son Piero. They had both generously commissioned
works of art in the convents of San Marco, Santissima Annunziata
and San Miniato al Monte. Medici street, in the centre of
town, witnesses the early settlement of the family in the
area of the Old Market. The Medici banks were instead near
the present Loggia of the New Market, wanted by Cosimo I
( 1547). |
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In
the nearby piazza
Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio the achievement of monarchical
power by the Medici is clearly visible. Sculptures in the square
as well as those under the Loggia, called in XVIth Century of
'the Lanzi', emphasize the might of Medici Grandukes: Bandinelli's
Hercules and Cacus , Cellini's Perseus, Ammannati's Neptune,
Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine and the Equestrian
Monument of Cosimo I. Furthermore, in the courtyard and inside
Palazzo Vecchio the visitor notice the various changes wanted
by Cosimo I and his wife Eleonora of Toledo. Giorgio Vasari and
his several assistants transformed the Palace of old Republican
regime into a great Ducal Palace , lavishly decorated with paintings
and sculptures.
Cosimo I's climax was reached when the Uffizi were built in 1560 and later
Vasari was charged to link Palazzo Vecchio with the newly acquired
Pitti Palace, thanks to the Corridor built in 1565 over the
old shops at Ponte Vecchio. Although the Uffizi were used for
the administration of the Granduchy, the top floor was turned
into one of the most prestigious art collections. Buontalenti
designed the Tribune as a magic jewel box containing precious
items, painting and sculptures of amazing value. |
The monestary of the
church S.Lorenzo
Palazzo vecchio,
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At
Pitti Palace and in
the magnificent Boboli
gardens, designed by Tribolo in 1550, the Medici lived as successful
sovereigns sorrounding themselves with high quality works of art
and really fascinating pomp. At least one of the several country
Medici villas should be visited to end the Medici tour properly,
either at Careggi, Castello, Petraia or Poggio Imperiale in the
outskirt of Florence and, in the sorroundings of the city, at
Poggio a Caiano, Cerreto Guidi, Pratolino or Cafaggiolo.
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The Pitti Palace
Villa Medicea La Petraia
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- Medici Palace,
via Cavour, 1.
- Church
and Cloister of San Lorenzo, piazza San Lorenzo.
- Medici
Chapels,
piazza Madonna Aldobrandini.
- Loggia of the New Market,
known as the "Straw Market", via Porta Rossa.
- Palazzo
Vecchio, and Loggia dei Lanzi, piazza della Signoria.
- The
Uffizi, piazzale degli Uffizi.
- Pitti
Palace and Boboli
Gardens, piazza Pitti.
- Medici Villa at Careggi,
viale Pieraccini, 17.
- Medici Villa "La Petraia",
via della Petraia, 40.
- Medici Villa at Castello,
via di Castello, 47.
- Medici Villa of Poggio
Imperiale, viale di Poggio Imperiale, 1.
- Medici Villa at Poggio
a Caiano, Poggio a Caiano (Prato).
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