July 2017 – Finding Florence

The Pazzi Chapel: Venturing into Santa Croce

By Shelby Olson

If you venture further into the Santa Croce complex, you will come across many other monuments that hold much significance to early Florentine history such as the Pazzi Chapel.

When staying in Florence, Santa Croce is a highly recommend spot to visit because it is beautiful but also has fascinating history behind it such as the tombs of the famous. When you enter Santa Croce, the first thing you see is a large church filled with sculptures, paintings, and stained glass windows that light up the room. When you head out of the church, you are met by a large garden and a series of cloisters. If you walk across the garden, this is where you will find the Pazzi Chapel which is not something to miss out on when visiting Santa Croce.

The Pazzi Chapel was commissioned by Andrea Pazzi and built by Filippo Brunelleschi. It was built to show the legacy of the Pazzi’s power and patronage, as well as to show off their wealth and status to the Medici family. Originally, the chapel was a learning area for the monks but also a burial place for the family.

The chapel is a very important project of Filippo Brunelleschi because it was built according to a specific architectural harmony, and he was able to achieve this after studying and measuring ancient buildings in Rome such as the Pantheon. The chapel was commissioned in 1429 and it was opened in 1443, during this time Brunelleschi had passed away and was not able to finish the chapel on his own. There were also many stops in construction throughout the years due to funding as well as conspiracies the Pazzi family made on the Medici family. In 1478, Giuliano de’Medici was killed and Lorenzo de’Medici wounded while attending mass at the Florence Cathedral. Needless to say, the family’s position swiftly fell after the attempted coup to topple the Medici.

Although Filippo Brunelleschi was not able to finish the chapel, he holds much significance within it because of his perspective and ingenuity. Brunelleschi’s works are not limited to the Pazzi Chapel as he had worked on the Florence Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and its famed Dome, the Basilica di San Lorenzo, the Ospedale degli Innocenti and much more. Filippo Brunelleschi is buried inside the Florence Cathedral and continues to be an important part of the city’s history.

Inside the chapel, there are many beautiful works of art created by different Florentine artists. The relief, a raised sculpture representing Saint Andrew, was created by Luca della Robbia. Della Robbia also created the rounds with the apostles and decorated the central dome with sculptures and two paired dolphins. The stained glass window representing the figure of Saint Andrews was drawn by Alesso Baldovinetti.

The Pazzi Chapel is a simple yet elegant chapel. Although the interior colors are dim, the stained glass windows and colors of the paintings light up the room. Not only is the chapel full of history that dates back centuries, but it is a beautiful work of art and architecture that is worth seeing when visiting Santa Croce.

How to Visit:

Basilica di Santa Croce, Piazza S. Croce, 16, 50122 Firenze
Monday-Saturday 9:30AM to 5PM
Sunday 2PM to 5PM
Tickets: €8

People of Florence

By Chantal Boynes
All photos by the author

Recent Street Photography student Chantal Boynes captures the people of Florence through this gorgeous photo essay on the diverse individuals that make up our city.

There are hundreds of stories that I could have written for this article about the different people walking the streets of this beautiful old city everyday. Each person is at a different point in their lives, coming from different countries, backgrounds and languages. Each individual has their own story to tell and this photo series captures just 1 second of the 2,228,800,000 seconds in the average person’s life. With this we can catch a brief glimpse into the lives of some of the People of Florence.

Live Music in Florence

By Shelby Olson

Visiting local music venues throughout Florence is a great way to experience a new form of art as well as the city nightlife. I had the chance to check out three venues in Florence that accommodate to many different styles.

If you are looking to experience a different form of art in the city, Florence has many live music venues that can accommodate to your style whether that be upbeat, laid back, or a classic feel. I took a look at a few different live music venues throughout the city and had the chance to experience a different side of the nightlife in Florence.

Jazz Club is a great place if you are looking for an upbeat bar full of live music and dancing. They are open late and offer a food menu along with a large selection of drinks. Jazz Club hosts Italian artists and occasionally international artists, and concerts don’t start until later in the evening. The music genre is typically jazz but depends on the band playing and the shows have a very intimate feel. To get into the club, you can purchase a member card at the door for 6 euros (includes a beverage), and you’ll use the card for subsequent visits.

Libreria La Cité is a small cafe and library that hosts live music at night and they occasionally have events on various nights of the week. This is a neat place to check out if you are looking for a relaxing night filled with drinks, books, and music. I had the chance to visit La Cité during the evening and came across a lot of people sitting down with a book and coffee before the music started. The building is not too big but it is packed with bookshelves and even has an upstairs area with comfortable seating. I would definitely go back to this place whether it be for a coffee and book or to listen to music.

The Virgin Rock Pub is well-known for friendly service, rock music, and a great selection of food and drinks. It hosts events on the weekends with live music and aperitivo. The Virgin Rock Pub also has outdoor seating if you want to enjoy the music while still experiencing Florence’s beautiful weather during the summer. I had the opportunity to attend the Virgin Rock Pub during one of their events and it was a neat experience. The space is small but is decorated with old rock memorabilia, drum symbols turned into lights, posters, and paintings. After 10 o’clock, a band played classic rock music while everyone crowded in to listen.

There are many wonderful places in the city that can accommodate to your style. I recommend visiting these music venues during your time in Florence because it gives you a different taste of Florence at night. Try starting out with these spots and definitely venture out to explore the many music venues to check out while living in Florence.

How to Visit:

Jazz Club: Via Nuova de’ Caccini, 3, 50100 Firenze
Closed Monday, Friday-Saturday 11PM-4AM, other days 11PM-3AM

Libreria La Cite: Borgo S. Frediano, 20/r, 50124 Firenze

Virgin Rock Pub: Via dell’Agnolo, 76, 50122 Firenze
Open everyday 3PM-3AM

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Buy Fresh Buy Local

By Shelby Olson

The Sant’Ambrogio Market is an indoor and outdoor market filled with fresh meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables and is a great place to do your weekly grocery shopping if you want to shop locally, inexpensively, and keep up with what is in season this month.

There are many great supermarkets throughout Florence to buy fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish, but you are not always sure where your products are sourced considering supermarkets worldwide favor industrialized products. Luckily, Florence is home to a lot of great local markets that sell all these products that are guaranteed fresh, inexpensive, and locally sourced.

One of the most important things to know when visiting a local market is, what is in season and what is not. During the month of July you can find many fresh fruits and vegetables to add to your pantry. The fruits in season for the month of July are apricots, blackberries, cherries, figs, loquats, melons, nectarines, raspberries, plums, strawberries, and watermelon. The vegetables in season for the month of July are aubergine, arugula (rocket), basil, garlic, lettuce, spanish, swiss chard, turnip greens, beans, carrots, cucumber, fennel, green beans, mint, peas, taccole green beans, tomato, and zucchini.

FUA’s Italian language faculty, Francesca Peruzzi, recommends the Sant’Ambrogio Market because all of the products are fresh and prices are cheaper than most especially when shopping for six people. Francesca goes to Sant’Ambrogio once a week and here’s what she shared when I asked her what’s usually inside her grocery bag:
• Proteins: meat, fish
• Grains and vegetables: bread, carrots, salad, chou, spinach, zucchini
• Fruit: apples, bananas, apricots

I recently had the chance to visit the Sant’Ambrogio Market and after prior research on what is in season, I could tell that Florence takes pride in selling the most fresh and seasonal fruits and vegetables possible. The inside of the market is packed with meat, fish, and bread vendors and the outside of the market is home to the fruit and vegetable vendors. As I was walking around, I decided to purchase apples from a fruit vendor and was astonished that not only were they cheap, but the taste was incredible. In the summer, my favorite thing to eat is a large bowl with an assortment of different fruits. With the fresh produce I found at the market, I am excited to make my favorite summer meal and make Florence feel more like home.

After my visit, I decided that you cannot beat cheap prices and fresh items and that this would be my new stop to get groceries for the last few weeks I have in Florence.

How to Visit:

Sant’Ambrogio Market: Piazza Lorenzo Ghiberti, 50122 Firenze
Monday-Saturday 7AM-2PM

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