Florence hotel with meeting room

This itinerary could last a half a day or could be divided into a number of days depending on whether you would like to visit the sites in detail or enjoy some shopping at some of Florence's antiques markets. Many typical restaurants are available where a "pure Tuscan dialect" is spoken and meals can be had at a good price. This itinerary is suggested with a departure on foot from Porta Romana, reached either by bus no. 37 or by the Hotel Relais shuttle service, both in about 15 minutes. Suggested seasons: All year round, in particular spring and fall. The map indicates the main stops of this walk.

DESCRIPTION OF ITINERARY
The area surrounding San Frediano occupies the entire area bordering the Arno River, going from the bridge of Santa Trinità to the bridge of Carraia, and the ancient walls that connected Porta San Frediano, Porta Romana, and Via Serragli.
Within this area are sites such as the Carmine and Cestello Churches.
Inside the walls, in Piazza della Calza, notice the forking of the two arteries going into the center; Via del Serragli and Via Romana.
On the facade of the front house of Porta Romana, a seventeenth-century fresco by Giovanni da San Giovanni, welcomed its guests to Florence, later substituted with a more modern one by Mario Romoli.
On the facade of the front house of Porta Romana, a 1600 fresco by Giovanni from Saint Giovanni, welcomed its guests to Florence, later substituted with a more modern one by Mario Romoli. (Up to here, this itinerary is the same of that of Itinerary 1; Santo Spirito). Our walk continues to the left on Via dei Settagli and leaving Porta Romana behind you. On your left, you can see the Torrigiani gardens which constitute an example of Romantic style from the early 1800s.
The tower was constructed by Gaetano Baccani for the purpose of star gazing and it included a library, a collection of astronomical instruments, and on the top an open terrace for observing the stars. (The gardens are private. Please contact the desk at the Hotel to arrange a visit).
Continuing on Via dei Seragli, the neighborhood becomes livelier with an increased number of shops. After 10 minutes, you will see on your left Via S. Monaca which leads you directly into Piazza del Carmine. On the corner you can admire the graceful tabernacle with "Madonna col Bambino e Santi" (Mother Mary with Baby and Saints), a fresco by Lorenzo di Bicci.
Piazza Carmine is a splendid piazza facing the church of the same name and you can see the cupola of Cestello. There are a number of open-air restaurants and bars if you wish to stop for a refreshment.
The church of Santa Maria Del Carmine, owes its fame to the frescoes by Masaccio and Masolino in the renaissance chapel of the Brancacci. The chapel, situated on the west side of the transept, was saved together with its pendant, the Baroque chapel Corsini with masterpieces by Foggini and Luca Giordano, from the disastrous fire of 1771 which destroyed large parts of the Gothic church dating back to the thirteenth century. Around 1775, the church underwent reconstruction and interior restoration according to the Baroque style.
Visiting hours are: Monday and Wednesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. Closed on Tuesdays.
Sundays and Religious Holidays: from 1 pm to 5 pm
Ticket office closes at 4:45 pm
Reservations are required for visits to the Chapel and other activities
The maximum time allowed inside the Brancacci Chapel is 15 minutes.

In the Sala del Cenacolo, the film of "L'occhio di Masaccio" (the eye of Masaccio), is shown every hour; this is an extraordinary account with references to in-depth texts on the magnificent cycle of the stories of Saint Peter as depicted by Masolino, Masaccio and Filippo Lippi.
We invite you to attempt to view the masterpiece in the Brancacci Chapel with the eye of the artists and image readers of 15th-century Florence. The film "L'occhio di Masaccio" is an introduction to the Brancacci Chapel and the Carmine Church and can be heard through infrared earphones, even by foreign visitors thanks to the simultaneous translations in both English and French. Everyday (except Tuesdays) on the hour.
The Brancacci Chapel cannot be entered from inside the church; you must enter through a separate entrance to the right of the façade. The frescoes in the chapel can be seen in their original splendor, thanks to a recent restoration. With their figurative realistic language, their exact central prospective, the profound individualization of figures and the full dramatic human emotion, these paintings represent a milestone in the history of western art.
Among these pieces, find the frescoes of Masolino: il Peccato originale (Original sin) aand that of Masaccio: La Cacciata dal Paradiso Terrestre (Expulsion from the Garden of Eden) both from 1425 extraordinarily innovative for the time was the use of light in painting by Masaccio who, used chiaroscuro (light and dark painting technique) to define body volume.
Also noteworthy is the Crucifixion by Pietro di Filippino Lippi the Healing of the Cripple by Masolino; The Resurrection by Teofilo del Masaccio and Lippi [photo 10] [photo 11]. When you leave, go through the cloister, as you did when entering, you can find restrooms and a book shop with souvenirs.
From Piazza del Carmine you get onto Via Borgo San Frediano, the heart of the district, and turning left we find small narrow streets with period trade names, for example, Via dei Tessitori (weavers), Via dei Cardatori (fabric carders), etc., Here you can find furniture restorers and silk and silver workers. Silk materials are produced according to a 15th-century tradition when Florence was a leader in brocade workmanship with 83 specialized shops. There is also the silk museum on Via dei Bartolini.

ANTICO SETIFICIO FIORENTINO From 1786
Via Bartolini, 4 - Firenze
Open for selling from Monday to Friday
9 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 5 pm

The antique Florentine silk factory for years has created costumes and flags for the Siena districts and famous "Palio" (horse race) in the famous Renaissance material "Ermisino" in pure silk. Great architects and world famous interior designers use these materials to fulfill their every requirement in colors, yarn, or motif, through which they express their personalized and unique creativity.
Private clients, which include those from the houses of European royalty such as the Queen of Denmark for the Royal Palace of Amalienborg, the royal family of Monaco, the Agnelli family (Fiat magnates) the Falks, the Ghettys, trust Antico Setificio Fiorentino to produce the work in textiles and upholstery for their homes.
The quality of the material is guaranteed by the gentle processing stages: the hand dying, the preparation of the weaving on antique machines, with no fixer or chemical treatment.
From Via dei Bartolini, go towards the Arno River where you take the Lungarno Soderini to get to Piazza del Castello, from where you can enjoy a magnificent view of the Ognissanti church that faces the street and other distinctive palaces on the river bank. In the summer months on the wharf of the Arno, you can comfortably get some sun.
The Cestello church with its bare façade in brick and stone, was built at the end of the seventeenth century by Antonio Ferri who completed it with an elegant drum-shaped cupola and the small bell tower. Inside, the decorations and ornaments in stucco make it festive and congenial.
Various artists including Pier Dandini, Camilio Sagrestani, Alessandro Gherardini, Domenica Gabbiani, and Matteo Bonechi worked here. The church is currently closed for restoration.
On both sides are small alleys and streets that are well visiting. Resume the tour by taking Via San Freidiano to Piazza Nazario Sauro, across from Ponte alla Carraia.

The original medieval-era bridge has been rebuilt several times due collapsing. Cosimo I asked Ammannati to design a new bridge, which withstood until the withdrawal of the Germans during WWII. The bridge you see today was erected in 1948 according to a design by E. Fagioli. Its old name derives from the fact that it was crossed over by carri (carriages). Catch bus no. 37 or the shuttle back to Relais Certosa.