Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the 14th-century Loggia del
Bigallo
0
. Piazza di San
Giovanni is the heart of
religious Florence and if you
have the time and energy to
climb the 400-odd steps of
the Giotto's Campanile,
you will be rewarded
by a close-up of the
great dome by
Brunelleschi
(see
pp64-5),
and a
view of the city
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Façade of San Marco from Piazza San Marco
r
F
Piazza Santissima Annunziata
to Santa Maria Novella
Go back to Via dei Servi and
right to Piazza Santissima
Annunziata
e
(see p98),
flanked on the right side by
Brunelleschi's loggia and the
Spedale degli Innocenti (see
p95)
. Turn left out of the
square on Via Cesare Battisti
and enter the Piazza San Marco
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. The portico immediately
left dates from 1384 and was
once part of a hospital. Today,
it is home to the Accademia di
Belle Arti, an art school
founded in 1784. Also in the
piazza is the convent of San
Marco
(see pp96-7)
where Fra
Angelico's sublime frescoes
are housed. Walk south down
Via Cavour to Palazzo Medici-
Riccardi
t
(see p89),
where
the Cappella dei Magi is
painted with Benozzo
Gozzoli's delightfully vivid
fresco. Turn right along Via
de' Gori to the church of San
Lorenzo and the Medici
Chapels
y
(see pp90-91)
.
Walk past the chapels and
bear right down Via del
Melarancio. Cross Piazza
dell'Unita Italiana and Via
Panzani to make your way into
Piazza di Santa Maria Novella
where the walk finishes at the
Santa Maria Novella church,
under Alberti's glorious
symmetrical façade
u
(see
pp110-11)
. To return to the
Duomo, catch the no. 1 bus
from the Piazza.
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below. After-
wards, walk
round the north
side of the Duomo
and turn left up Via
dei Servi. At no. 10
is Palazzo Niccolini
with its typical mid-
16th century façade
q
E
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. If the main door
is open, you can see
into the courtyard
and small garden
beyond with its
double loggia. A little
further up, take a
right turn into Via
degli Alfani where
Brunelleschi's
octagonal Rotonda di
Santa Maria degli Angeli
w
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is on the right.
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TIPS FOR WALKERS
Starting point:
The Ponte
Vecchio
Length:
3 km (2 miles)
Getting there:
The bridge is an
easy walk from the city centre.
Stopping-off points:
There are
plenty of bars and cafés along
the way.
0 metres
300
0 yards
300
KEY
Florence's cathedral, Santa Maria
del Fiore, with its marble façade
Suggested route
8
