Tag: throwback thursday
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Throwback Thursday: The Palazzo Vecchio

Sydney Zaruba0
Resting on top of an ancient Roman theatre dating back to the 1st Century AD, the Palazzo Vecchio was built from the start as a hall designed to host the city council of Florence.  At the time called Palazzo della Signoria, it was expanded in1342, with the extensions giving it the appearance of a fortress, and hidden staircases were added for secret escapes during the night. The Salone dei Cinquecento
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#ThrowbackThursday: The Ponte Vecchio

Sydney Zaruba0
The first bridge in Florence to ever cross the Arno, the Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge, has withstood the test of time.  The current bridge was built by the in 1345 after a flood destroyed the original (966-1218).  Since then the Ponte Vecchio survived WWII as the only bridge crossing the Arno the Germans did not destroy.  Miraculously the bridge also survived the 1966 flood, which ravaged the city, but
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Throwback Thursday: The Tomb of Galileo

Rachel Taylor0
Because of his assertion that the Earth revolved around the sun, Galileo was excommunicated by the Church in 1633. Upon his death in 1642, the Inquisition refused to bury him on consecrated ground. Therefore he was originally buried at the Noviate Chapel in Santa Croce under the Campanile. His body was moved inside the Church of Santa Croce and buried in an unmarked corner because Pope Urban VIII refused an actual
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Throwback Thursday: The Boboli Gardens

Sydney Zaruba3
What is it? The Boboli gardens are considered one of the greatest open air museums in Florence. They offer a calm escape from the busy city center. Wandering through the gardens there is a mix of art and greenery that took four centuries to create.  Filled with sculptures, fountains and centuries old trees, the “green architecture” was a prototype for other famous European gardens, such as, Versailles. History: The creation
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