The rusticated stone blocks on the ground floor of the Medici Riccardi Palace grow smoother and lighter as they rise toward the heavy cornice. Michelozzo built this fortress-like residence for Cosimo the Elder in fourteen forty-four. When…
San Lorenzo Market District
This walk plunges into the bustling, aromatic heart of Florence's historic mercantile hub, where grand Medici monuments stand alongside a historic pastry shop, open-air leather stalls, and the majestic Mercato Centrale.
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1. Medici Riccardi Palace
2. Basilica di San Lorenzo
The Basilica di San Lorenzo is defined by its raw, unfinished brick facade, a rough-hewn surface that contrasts sharply with the white marble monuments nearby. This was the parish church of the Medici family, who funded its construction to…
3. Cappelle Medicee
The Cappelle Medicee in Florence features a massive, octagonal dome of gray stone and brick that rises above the Basilica of San Lorenzo. This structure serves as the burial chapel for the Medici family, housing the remains of grand dukes…
4. Antica Pasticceria Sieni
The green storefront with the gold lettering on Via dell'Ariento belongs to Antica Pasticceria Sieni. It opened in nineteen oh nine as a place for the local workers in the nearby San Lorenzo market to grab a quick coffee and pastry.…
5. Conte Max
The Conte Max sign hangs over a narrow storefront near the Duomo, distinguished by the vintage, hand-painted lettering on its weathered wooden frame. This shop operates as a specialized boutique for rare, high-end Italian textiles and silk…
6. il Mercato Centrale Firenze
The cast-iron and glass structure of the Mercato Centrale rises above the surrounding stone buildings, its high, airy halls designed by Giuseppe Mengoni in eighteen seventy-four. He modeled the iron framework after the Les Halles market in…