Have you ever looked closely at the base of Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence Cathedral and wondered why the marble gallery is unfinished? Sometimes, a single remark can change the course of a work of art. This is the story of an unfinished gallery on Brunelleschi’s magnificent dome, and of Michelangelo’s cutting sense of humour. When Filippo Brunelleschi completed his splendid dome, there were still finishing touches to be made to this extraordinary masterpiece. One of them wa

Florence is a city that rewards those who look up. Beyond its famous monuments and breathtaking architecture, the city is full of hidden details that many visitors walk past without ever noticing. One of the most intriguing can be found on the side of Florence Cathedral, between Via Ricasoli and Via dei Servi: a large marble bull’s head, carved with striking horns and placed high above street level. It is a detail that naturally raises a question: why is there a bull on the

How many times we stroll through the streets of a city and we don't notice the things that can hide an interesting story? A lot! And an example can be the small "wine doors" that is possible to see on the sides of the big Renaissance palaces or sometimes close to the main gates. They are tiny "arch"- shaped windows resembling the typical doors and portals of the ancient palazzos. In Florence we could discover circa 145 doors just in the city center. Some of them are very good

Do you know the legend of the Perseus and Medusa? I always loved reading to my daughter mythological stories. So interesting, this was the one that she mostly preferred. In Florence you will find a lot of statues about this subject and the artists where all great and important artist. A very important artist like Caravaggio painted the astonished face of Medusa in the Uffizi Gallery, a masterpiece, but if you don't want to enter a museum, you can simply go to Piazza della Sig

In the Medieval time it was not so easy to live in Florence. The city was like a "Medieval Manhattan". In that period there was circa 150 towers in Florence where important families lived and rising above the city as a symbol of power. One of these towers in particular was not built for a family but it was very very old. The Pagliazza Tower (Straw Tower) This tower was the so called "Pagliazza Tower" built out of stone and breaks and located in the small and beautiful Sant'E