Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
for Cosimo II's marriage to
Maria of Austria. The bridge
was restored after it was
blown up by the Germans in
1944, and the statues were
dredged up from the river bed.
Look west from here to the
golden-yellow Palazzo Corsini
(1648-56), with statues on the
roof balustrade. It is one of the
best examples of Baroque
architecture in Florence.
in shoes and leather goods. To
the north, on the corner with
Via delle Terme, is the Palazzo
Bartolini-Salimbeni. Built dur-
ing 1520-29, it is one of the
city's best examples of High
Renaissance architecture. In
between the two palazzi is a
column of oriental granite
originally from the Baths of
Caracalla in Rome and given to
Cosimo I by Pope Pius IV in
1560. The figure of Justice on
top was made in 1581.
Just south of the square is
the Ponte Santa Trinità, con-
sidered the most beautiful
bridge in Florence. It affords
fine views of the surrounding
hills and especially of the
Ponte Vecchio
(see pp106-7)
.
It was originally built in wood
in 1252, and then rebuilt by
Ammannati in 1567 as a monu-
ment to Cosimo I's defeat of
Siena. Michelangelo is credited
with the elegant design, based
on an intriguing elliptical curve
echoing those on the famous
Medici tombs
(see p91)
. The
statues of the Four Seasons at
each end were added in 1608
Santa Trinità
7
Piazza di Santa Trinità
.
Map
3 C1
(5 C3).
Tel
055 21 69 12.
#
Piazza di Santa Trinità
Piazza di Santa
Trinità
6
Map
3C1 (5C3)
.
7am-noon, 4-7pm daily.
6
7
Noble Palazzi line this busy
square. To the south is the
Palazzo Spini-Ferroni,
originally built in 1290 but
much rebuilt in the 19th
century; today the ground
floor houses the famous
boutique of Salvatore Ferra-
gamo
(see p284)
, specializing
The nave of Santa Trinità
The original church, built in
the second half of the 11th
century by the Vallombrosan
monastic order, was very plain
- a reflection of the austerity of
the order, which was founded
in Florence in 1092 to restore
the simplicity of monastic rule.
Gradually, the building became
more ornate, with a Baroque
façade added in 1593. Inside,
the east wall shows traces of
its Romanesque predecessor.
Ghirlandaio's frescoes in the
Sassetti Chapel (right of the
High Altar) show what the
church looked like in 1483-6.
In one scene St Francis of
Assisi performs a miracle in the
Piazza di Santa Trinità, with the
church and the Palazzo Spini-
Ferroni in the background.
The donors of the chapel,
Francesco Sassetti and his
wife Nera Corsi, are portrayed
on either side of the altar. In
another scene, St Francis is
receiving the Rule of the
Franciscan order from Pope
Ponte Santa Trinità
