Category Archives: Firenze
The invention of Piano in Florence
Did you know that the piano was invented in Florence? Indeed, the invention of the piano is due to the Italian Bartolomeo Cristofori of Padua. Cristofori, a citizen of the Republic of Venice was employed at the court of Ferdinando … Continue reading
Lionardo (not Leonardo) da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci is an artist who certainly needs no introduction and there is no place on this planet where his name is not remembered with admiration. But few people know that the real name of the Florentine genius is … Continue reading
The invention of the internal combustion engine in Florence
Do you know that the invention of the first internal combustion engine was presented in Florence? Eugenio Barsanti (neé Nicolò) was a teacher of mathematics and physics at the College of San Michele in Volterra. In 1841 he illustrated to … Continue reading
The Stendhal Syndrome
The hospital of Santa Maria Nuova is the oldest active hospital in Florence. It was founded in 1288 by Folco Portinari, Beatrice‘s father (Dante‘s muse and inspiration). The building retains a significant historical and artistic value, and contains works by … Continue reading
June 24 in Florence and Leonardo da Vinci
In the Codex Atlanticus (folio 673 recto) we find the last dated annotation from Leonardo da Vinci: “A 24 di giugno il dì di san Giovanni 1518 in Ambosa nel palazzo del Clu” (“On 24th of June St. John’s Day … Continue reading
The birth of Opera in Florence
Do you like the Opera? Do you know that it was born in Florence? The story starts with the Camerata de’ Bardi, a group of humanists and musicians active in Florence since January 14 1573. Their members used to meet … Continue reading
Manzoni in Florence and the national language issue
The birth of Freemasonry in Florence
Everyone knows that Florence is a city of art and beauty, but it happens to be also a city of…mistery. Freemasonry is an organisation which dates back its origins from the operative stone masons who built cathedrals and castles in … Continue reading
The insurrection of Florence (update)
There is an update about the liberation of Florence occurred on August 11 1944, during World War II. It is well known that the nazis, on the night of August 3 1944, mined all the five bridges (Ponte San Niccolò, … Continue reading
Enrico Fermi in Florence
Enrico Fermi (Nobel prize in physics 1938) is worldwide recognized as one of the greatest scientists of any time. After Galileo Galilei, Alessandro Volta and Guglielmo Marconi, he is without doubt the italian physicist who gave the most important contributions … Continue reading