The octagonal Baptistery of Saint John is clad in geometric panels of white Carrara and green Prato marble. It sits directly across from the Duomo, distinct for its squat, fortress-like proportions compared to the soaring cathedral. In…
Dante's Medieval Florence
Follow the footsteps of Florence’s most legendary poet through the narrow stone alleys where he lived, loved, and was ultimately exiled. You'll see the medieval tower houses, parish churches, and civic monuments that shaped the world of the Divine Comedy.
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1. Baptistery of St. John
2. Piazza delle Pallottole
The Piazza delle Pallottole sits squeezed against the northern side of the Florence Cathedral, marked by the weathered stone walls of the Canon’s houses. Its name translates to the Square of the Bullets. During the sixteenth century,…
3. Torre dei Donati Ian XII / XIII secolo
The Torre dei Donati stands out for its sheer, austere height, a stark stone pillar rising above the surrounding rooftops with the jagged, uneven crown typical of Florentine defensive towers. Built by the powerful Donati family in the…
4. Chiesa di Santa Margherita dei Cerchi - Chiesa di Dante
The facade of Santa Margherita dei Cerchi is a plain, narrow stone front that blends into the surrounding walls of the street. Inside this eleventh-century structure, the Portinari family held their private chapel. Dante Alighieri grew up…
5. House of Dante
The House of Dante stands out for its irregular, medieval stone facade and its small, shuttered windows that look entirely out of place among the surrounding Renaissance structures. This site was once the Alighieri family home, where Dante…
6. Torre della Castagna
The Torre della Castagna rises as a narrow, austere stone tower wrapped in rough masonry, distinguished from its neighbors by the lack of decorative balconies or ornate flourishes. Built in twelve eighty-two, it served as the original…
7. Badia Fiorentina - Monastero
The Badia Fiorentina displays a slender, hexagonal bell tower that rises sharply above the surrounding rooftops. Founded in nine hundred seventy-eight by Willa of Tuscany to honor her late husband, the abbey became the social heart of…
8. Museo Nazionale del Bargello
The Bargello stands as a fortress of grey stone with a high, crenellated tower that dominates the corner of the street. It began its life in twelve fifty-five as the headquarters for the captain of the people, the official tasked with…