Author: Michela Diletti

The Basilica di Santissima Annunziata is a Renaissance style, Roman Catholic church. It is considered the mother church of the Servite Order, and was founded in 1250 by their seven original members. In 1252 the Servite monks commissioned Frair Bartolomeo to paint the Annunciation. Legend has it that Bartolomeo agonized over his ability to adequately capture the beauty of the virgin's face. Having completed the rest of the painting, he

The Chiesa di Ognissanti, the “Church of All Saints”, is a Franciscan church located in Piazza di Ognissanti. The church was founded by the order of the Umiliati and was dedicated to all saints and martyrs. The building was originally completed in the 1250’s but was almost completely rebuilt in 1627 by architect Bartolomeo Pettirossi in a Baroque style. A decade later, a new façade was designed and constructed using

The Basilica di Santa Trinita is a Roman Catholic church which is located (surprisingly!) in Piazza Santa Trinita, just a few steps away from the bridge over the Arno River of the same name. The church was constructed in place of a pre-existing church from the 11th century. Although multiple reconstructions occurred over the centuries, the main construction took from 1258 to 1280. Originally, the church was designed in a

The Basilica di Santo Spirito is one of the most predominant examples of Early Renaissance architecture in Florence. Located in the Oltrarno quarter, meaning beyond the Arno, its bare facade and interesting shape is one of the unmistakable images of the neighborhood. The current church was commissioned as a gift from the Signoria of Florence to replace an existing Augustinian church and convent. The design of the Basilica is the

The Basilica di San Lorenzo is one of the largest and oldest churches in Florence. The original church actually stood outside the Florence city walls when it was consecrated in 393. Today, San Lorenzo is very much embeded in the center of the city, located in the main market district. San Lorenzo was the city’s cathedral for three hundred years and the parish church of the Medici family. The ajoining

The Duomo di Firenze was designed in the Gothic style by Arnolfo di Cambio, and began construction in 1296. The famous dome was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, and is the largest brick dome ever constructed. After Di Cambio died in 1310, construction slowed down until 1334 when Giotto was appointed to finish his work. Before his death in 1337, Giotto was able to complete the campanile. Work resumed in 1349