Chapter XVI: Part I: Paris to Marseilles (14)

The altar of the chapel, to the right of the high altar, is of solid silver. It is generally covered, but by applying at the sacristy a man will uncover it for 2 fr. It remained unfinished for more than 150 years (1314-1466), and is said to be the finest piece of silversmith’s work of that time in Italy, and that 416 lbs. of silver were employed in its execution. Below the chancel is a crypt. Fronting the Duomo is the _Baptistery_, begun 1339 (by C. di Nese), an elegant octagonal structure, also in alternate layers of black and white marble, each corner terminating in a pinnacle. The font is quadrangular, of panelled marbles, and constructed in the 13th cent. Outside, near the door, is a beautiful stone pulpit. Adjoining is the Palazzo del Podestá (now the seat of the Tribunale Civile), constructed in 1367, and restored in 1864. The vaults and soffits of the massive arches are covered with the armorial bearings of the former mayors of the town; while, to the left of the entrance, are still the stone-seats and tables where they sat in judgment. Pistoja: Pal. Municipale. S. Andrea. Opposite is the Palazzo Municipale (14th cent.), and a little way down the street, the Ospedale del Ceppo (13th cent.), with a coloured terra-cotta frieze. Near the two hotels is the church of _S. Maria dell’ Umilta_, built in 1509 by Ventura Vitoni. In the vestibule are large frescoes by Vasari. Near it is _S. Andrea_ (12th cent.), with quaint reliefs over the entrance door, and in the interior a precious marble pulpit, sculptured by Giovanni da Pisa, 1298-1301. The beadle, for a trifle, illuminates this piece of elaborate sculpture, when it is seen to still greater advantage. Between the two last churches is _S. Filippo da Neri_, with such a quantity of frescoes, representing angels and saints in glory, that even the visitor on entering feels himself among clouds also. In the Piazza Prato is S. Francesco, with some good frescoes and altar pieces. In the centre of the nave is the tomb of an Englishman, Thomas de Weston, Doctor Legum, 1408. The word pistol is said to be derived from the name of this town, as they have been manufactured here from a very early date. Catiline lost his life in a battle fought near Pistoia, b.c. 62, and the precise spot where he is said to have fallen is marked by a tower.

Passengers from Pisa to Florence have generally to change carriages at Pistoja.

11¼ m. from Florence and 50¼ m. from Pisa is Prato, pop. 13,100. _Hotels:_ Giardinetto, Contrucci, surrounded by ancient walls, and defended by a castle built by the Ghibelines. The interior and exterior of the Cathedral are faced with white and green marble in bands. The nave has columns of serpentine. The elevated choir has good frescoes by Filippo Lippi, and in a chapel are others by Agnolo Gaddi (1365).

233

Florence.

opp. 234 plan of Florence

61½ m. from Pisa by Lucca, or 49 m. by Empoli, is Florence, 357 m. from Turin, 82 m. from Bologna, 134 m. from Piacenza, 196 m. from Rome, and 60¼ m. from Leghorn.

Florence: Hotels and Pensions.

FLORENCE, on the Arno, pop. 169,000. _Hotels and Apartments:_ On the right or north side of the Arno, the Grand Hôtel Royal de la Paix; de la Ville; Grand Hôtel d’Italie; Washington; Grand Hôtel Nueva York; Gran Bretagna; del Arno; and just behind the Paix, the Russie. All these hotels have a south exposure, and are greatly run after in winter. Charge from 10 to 16 frs. per day, according to the room. The following charge from 9 to 13 frs., and are situated in the new streets a little way back from the Arno, and near the Cascine or Park of Florence (north-west side of plan):—Hôtel and Pension Corona d’Italia, Via Montebello; Hôtel and Pension Iles Britanniques in No. 42; and Hôtel and Pension Venise in No. 33 Via della Scala. In the Iles Britanniques are also furnished apartments at from 250 frs. to 400 frs. per month. Hôtel and Pension Couronne d’Angleterre, Via Solferino; Hôtel and Pension Anglo-Americain, Via Garibaldi; and the Universo in the Corso Vitt. Emmanuele. In the busy parts of the town, and charging rather less than the above, the Hôtel Milan No. 12 Via Cerretani; Hôtel and Pension Angleterre, Via Panzani; and at No. 21 of same street, Hôtel Bonciani, with front also to the Piazza S. Maria Novella. Near the bridge La Santa Trinitá, and in the Via Tornabuoni are the Europe and Nord. In the Via Porta Rossa the Hôtel Porta Rossa; in the Via della Spada the Ville de Paris; in the Via Condotta, La Luna; in the Piazza S. Maria Novella (near the station) Hôtel Roma; Minerva; Bonciani, with furnished apartments; and by the side of the station, La Posta and Rebecchino. In the Piazza Maria Novella there are omnibuses for Sesto Fiorentino and a large cab-stand. Conveniently situated for visiting the sights, and not expensive (from 7 to 9 frs. per day), are the H. d’Espagne above the Restaurant Etruria and the Etoile d’Italie in the V. Calzaioli. Pension Suisse, Via Tornabuoni; Le Phœnix, Via dei Martelli; Lion Blanc (in which also single rooms are let), Via Vigna Nuova; Cavour, Via del Proconsolo; Commerce, Piazza di S. Maria Novella; Hôtel and Pension Rudolfo, Via della Scala. Furnished apartments all over the town. Just outside the Porta Romana, in the Viale Petrarcha, furnished apartments cost from 250 to 400 frs. the month. The most expensive as well as the most fashionable are those situated on the right bank of the Arno; but in the streets a little way back from the Arno apartments can be had for less. It is of very great importance in winter to have 234

bedrooms with a south exposure. Those with a north exposure feel cold even on a sunny day. People who take furnished rooms can dine at very moderate rates in restaurants, such as the Toscana or the Etruria, both in the Via Calzaioli. Best money-changers and restaurants in the Via Calzaioli, between the Piazza della Signoria and del Duomo. Fioravanti and Co., 5 Via Cerretani, change circular notes as well.

_Protestant Churches._—American Church, 17 Via dei Serragli; American Episcopal, 11 Piazza del Carmine; English Episcopal, 5 Via del Maglio; Scotch Church, 11 Lungarno Guicciardini.

_Cab Tariff._—The course, 1 fr.; night (between 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.), 1 fr. 30 c. Time, first half-hour, 1 f. 30 c.; every successive half-hour, 70 c. Large trunks, 50 c.; portmanteau, 25 c. Omnibuses run between the Piazza della Signoria and the old city gates. Fare, 10 c.; Sundays, 15 c.

Florence: Hints and Directions.

Best maps of Italy and of the environs of Florence at the office of the Topografico Militare, No. 8 Via Sapienza, near the Annunziata. Best plans of the town published by Pineider, in the Piazza della Signoria, and Bettini, No. 12 Via Tornabuoni. They also publish excellent little guides to Florence, with complete catalogues of all the pictures and statues in the various museums and churches. Pineider’s is published in English likewise, and costs only a franc. They have a similar one for Rome. For the investigation and study of art in Florence, see the works, _Walks in Florence_ by Susan and Joanna Horner, 2 vols., Isbister and Co., London, and volume 3 of _Hare’s Cities of Italy_.

It is fatiguing, and unwise in those who are not students, to wander into every part of Florence to gaze upon every picture and every figure by a great master. The best are all in a few places, which, fortunately, are near each other. For oil-paintings the combined galleries of the Uffizi and Pitti are sufficient. In them the most important room is the Tribuna (p. 238), containing the concentrated excellence of both galleries in painting and antique sculpture. Besides what are in the Tribuna, Raphael has eleven pictures in the Pitti, of which the most famous is No. 266 in the Stanza dell’ Educazione di Giove (see p. 244). Michael Angelo’s finest sculpture is in the new sacristy of San Lorenzo (see p. 265), but the best collection of his works is in the _National Museum_ (see p. 261). His David is in the _Accademia delle Belle Arti_ (see p. 272). In the National Museum is the best collection of sculpture by great _Italian Artists_, such as Michael Angelo, G. Bologna, Luca and Andrea della Robbia, Ghiberti; Brunelleschi, Donatello, Pisano, 235

Benvenuto Cellini, Rossi, Mino da Fiesole, and Verrochino, chiefly in the first and sixth rooms of the first floor, and in the sixth room of the second floor. Of the churches, the most important are the Duomo or Cathedral, the Baptistery and Campanile, Santa Croce, San Lorenzo (but particularly the Sagrestia Nuova and the Cappella dei Principi, attached to St. Lorenzo), S. Maria Novella, and the Annunziata. They are open from early in the morning till mid-day, and again from three till six. The best specimens of fresco painting are in the churches and their cloisters. Remarkable ancient frescoes in the Brancacci chapel of Del Carmine (page 252). Best painting by Cimabue, a Madonna, executed in 1240, in the Rucellai chapel of S. Maria Novella (page 268). Best frescoes by D. Ghirlandaio on the chancel or recess occupied by the high altar in S. Maria Novella (page 268). Best frescoes of A. del Sarto in the narthex of the Annunziata (page 269). Best frescoes of Giotto in the first and second chapels of S. Croce (page 260). Of the palaces the best are the Palazzo Vecchio (page 274), Palazzo Strozzi (page 275), and the Palazzo Corsini (page 275). The best view of Florence is from the top of the dome; the ascent is very easy. The pleasantest drive, with views, is to the Piazza Michel Angiolo, by the Porta Romana and the Boulevards Machiavelli, Galileo, and Michel Angiolo (page 249), studded with handsome villas.

Florence: Piazza della Signoria. Loggia dell’ Orcagna.

At Florence the Arno is crossed by six bridges. One of these, the _Ponte Vecchio_, differs from all the rest in having shops on each side. By referring to the plan it will be observed that the road to the Pitti Palace with the Boboli gardens, commences at the south end of this bridge; while, at the northern end, commences the Via Por S. Maria, leading to the Piazza della Signoria. From the north-west corner of the Piazza della Signoria a fine broad street, the Via Calzaioli, leads to the _Piazza del Duomo_; from the eastern corner the street called the Borgo de’ Greci leads into the Piazza Santa Croce. It is of great importance to understand the relative position of these three squares. The chief feature of the Piazza della Signoria is the _Palazzo Vecchio_, a fine specimen of the Florentine castles of the Middle Ages (page 274). On either side of the main entrance are the terminal statues of Baucis and Philemon, by Bandinelli, and in front the colossal group of Hercules and Cacus, also by him. Opposite is the spacious Gothic arcade called the Loggia dell’ Orcagna, from the name of the architect, or dei Lanzi, from the name of the watchman who formerly guarded the building. It was usual in the early period of the Republic to provide a space near the government-house where the people 236

could meet and take part in public affairs; and for this purpose this open gallery was built opposite the Palazzo Vecchio about the year 1376. Five steps, running along the front, lead up to the platform, covered by a vaulted roof, supported on four arches, resting on three columns terminating in beautiful capitals of the Corinthian order. Two shaggy lions, in Cipollino marble, ornament the entrance. The lion on the left is by F. Vacca, 17th cent.; the other, on the right, as well as the six statues of Sabine priestesses, along the inner wall, beautiful in attitude and drapery, are antiques, and were brought from the Villa Medici in Rome in 1788. In front, under each arch, stand three separate groups, by celebrated masters of the 16th cent. To the right is the Rape of the Sabines, by G. Bologna, in 1583. Originally this group was intended to represent Youth, Manhood, and Old Age. To the left the statue in bronze of Perseus, with the head of the sorceress Medusa, by B. Cellini. The posture is fine, and full of power and animation, but the head and body of the Medusa are represented streaming with blood with a revolting exaggeration. Also left, Judith and Holofernes in bronze, by Donatello. Behind Perseus is the Rape of Polixena, a marble group, by Pio Fedi, in 1864. In the centre is an antique group supposed to represent Ajax dragging the body of Patrocles—restored by S. Ricci. Next it is the marble group, by G. Bologna, representing Hercules slaying the Centaur. In this Piazza is also the Fountain of Neptune, by Ammanati (pupil of Bandinelli), 1571. It is crowded with nymphs and satyrs, presided over by a statue of Neptune (19½ feet high) in a car drawn by four horses. Adjoining is a superb equestrian statue of Cosmo, by Bologna. The horse is admirable. To the left of the statue is the Palazzo Uguccione (considered to have been designed by Raphael), built in 1551. Adjoining the Loggia dei Lanzi are the extensive buildings “degli Uffizi,” the great storehouse of art treasures. On both sides of the Piazza, along the basement floor, extends a wide and lofty colonnade, by Vasari (1560-74), ornamented with 24 statues of the most eminent Italians. On the same side as the Loggia is the Post-Office (Reale Poste). Florence: National Library. On the opposite side, at the second door from the end, is the entrance to the Galleria degli Uffizi, and six doors farther down, the entrance to the _Biblioteca Nazionale_, with about 250,000 vols. and 14,000 MSS. Open from 9 to 4. Any book may be had for consultation in the reading-room by writing the name on a slip of paper. The National Library was formed in 1864 by the union of the Palatine Library collected by the Medici with the Magliabecchian Library collected by Antonio Magliabechi in 1700. The arch at the S. end of the colonnade leads to the river Arno and the Ponte Vecchio.

opp. 237 PLAN of the UFFIZI & PITTI GALLERIES

see caption

237

Galleria degli Uffizi.

Open daily from 10 to 3. Fee, 1 fr. each. Sundays, free. W.C.’s near the portrait rooms; key with the keepers in the corner of the southern gallery. In the top storey of the Uffizi buildings is the famous collection of paintings, statues, and antiquities, united with a similar collection in the Pitti Palace, by long galleries which cross the Arno by the Ponte Vecchio, and extend along the street Via Guicciardini, by the tops of the houses. The payment of a franc admits to both collections, and the visitor may commence at either end; either from the second door left hand, under the Uffizi colonnade, or from the door at the N.E. corner of the Pitti Palace, next to the iron gate opening into the Boboli gardens. But the easiest plan is to commence with the Uffizi, and to descend towards the Pitti gallery by the stair at the top of the western gallery. The only part of the way in which it is possible to go wrong, is where (after having passed through the gallery of birds, fishes, and plants, admirably drawn in 1695 by Bart. Legozzi, and a small room with a few beautiful miniature paintings representing scenes in the life of our Lord,) we come to a common stone staircase, which, to enter the Pitti galleries, _ascend_, but to go out, descend. Downstairs, outside, are the Piazza Pitti and the entrance to the Boboli gardens.

Florence: Uffizi Gallery—Vestibules—Corridors.

Entering the Uffizi by the second doorway under the colonnade, those who wish to save themselves the fatigue of the 126 steps up to the galleries may, for a franc, be carried up in a lift. In the first vestibule are Roman statues and bas-reliefs representing festivals and sacrifices, and busts of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Cosmo I., Francis I., and of others of the Medici. Second vestibule, more Roman statuary, and an inimitable Greek figure of a wild boar; the whole expressing admirably the growling ire kindling in an irritated animal. Two exquisite wolf-dogs, bold, spirited, and true to nature. The horse, said to have belonged to the Niobes group, does not bear close examination.

We now enter the eastern corridor, 178 yards long, with the ceiling painted in arabesques by Poccetti. Ranged on both sides are valuable specimens of ancient statuary, and of Roman busts of emperors and members of the imperial family, Augusti et Augustæ. On the walls is hung a valuable and interesting series of pictures, beginning with the stiff gilded Byzantine style of the infancy of the art, as No. 1, a Madonna by Andrea Rico di Candia (1102), and advancing gradually by No. 2, St. Cecilia, by Cimabue, 130 years later. A marked improvement in colour and grouping is seen in No. 6, Christ in Gethsemane, 238

by Giotto, pupil of Cimabue. No. 17 is a beautiful triptych by Fra. Angelico; No. 24 a Madonna by Credi; No. 29 a Battlepiece by P. Uccello; and No. 61 a Crucifixion by Lippi.

Florence: Uffizi Gallery.—Tuscan School.

From the two long sides of the gallery large doors open into halls where the pictures are arranged in schools; the first of these being, as is shown on the plan, the Scuola Toscana, contained in three rooms, and consisting of 165 paintings, by M. Albertinelli, A. and C. Allori, B. Angelico, M. A. Anselmi. B. Bandinelli, Fra. Bartolommeo, G. Biliverti, S. Botticelli, A. Bronzino. F. Cambi, J. Casentino, Cigoli, P. di Cosimo, L. di Credi, F. Curradi. C. Dolci. Empoli. P. Francesca, M. A. Franciabigio. A. L. Gentil, D. and R. Ghirlandaio, F. Giorgio, G. S. Giovanni, B. Gozzoli, F. Granacci. Ignoto (unknown). Fra F. Lippi. O. Marinari, Masaccio, T. Manzuoli, G. da Milano, F. Morandini. G. Pagani, M. Pasti, S. Pieri, A. Pollaiolo, Pontormo. G. Ramacciotti, Razzi, Il Rosso, G. F. Rustici. V. Salimbeni, C. Salviati, A. del Sarto, L. Signorelli. Fr. Ubertini. R. Vanni, O. Vannini, G. Vasari, Dom. Veneziano, A. Verrocchio, Leonardo da Vinci, Volterrano. F. Zucchero. The earliest painters are in the inner room. Among the most remarkable of them are, B. Angelico, 1294. A. Botticelli, 1286, a large picture, and 1289 and 1299. Fra. F. Lippi, 1307. D. Ghirlandaio, 1295 and 1297. G. da Milano, 1293, in ten compartments. A. Pollaiolo, 1301 and 1306; D. Veneziano, 1305.

In the middle hall—Albertinelli, 1259. Fra. Bartolommeo, 1265; Bronzini, 1271. Cigoli, 1276 his best work. F. Lippi, 1257 and 1268; Razzi, 1279, formerly a banner carried in processions. Leonardo da Vinci, 1252, an unfinished picture.

First hall—Albertinelli, 1259; Allori, 1165; Biliverti, 1261, one of his best works; Bronzino, 1271; Cigoli, 1276; Credi, 1168; Leonardo da Vinci, 1157 and 1159 remarkably fine.

Florence: Uffizi Gallery.—Tribuna.

Next to the rooms occupied by the Scuola Toscana is the Tribuna, a plain 8-sided hall, 30 ft. in diameter, designed by B. Buondelmonti, and painted and decorated by Poccetti. In this room are preserved five of the most famous antique statues in the world, and forty-two of the choicest pictures in the collection by Alfani, F. Barocci, Fra. Bartolommeo, A. and L. Caracci, Correggio, Domenichino, A. Durer, Guercino, L. Kranach, F. Francia, Lanfranco, B. Luini, Mantegna, Michael Angelo, L. d’Olanda, P. Perugino, Raphael, G. Reni, Giulio Romano, Rubens, A. del Sarto, Schidone, Spagnoletti, Tiziano, Van Dyck, P. Veronese, and D. Volterra. Facing the door is the Venus de Medici, 4 ft. 11 inches high, supposed to be by Cleomenes, son of Apollodorus, which, along 239

with the statue of the Apollino, were brought from the Villa Hadrian, in Tivoli, during the reign of Cosmo III. The group of the Wrestlers, exquisitely finished, wants animation. The Dancing Fawn, attributed to Praxiteles, is one of the most exquisite works of art that remains of the ancients. The head and arms were restored by Michael Angelo. In the _Knife-Grinder_, the bony square form, the squalid countenance, and the short neglected hair, express admirably the character of a slave, still more plainly written on his coarse hard hands and wrinkled brow. Among the paintings, six are by Raphael—all gems. 1120 Portrait of a Lady, painted when he was 20; 1123 the Fornarina, every hue as perfect as if transferred to the canvas by the sun—the expression is pert; 1125, the Madonna del Pozzo (Well), attributed also to Franciabigio, beautifully finished; 1127 St. John in the Desert, colouring tawny, but admirable light and shade; 1129 the Madonna del Cardellino (nightingale), one of Raphael’s best works, painted when he was 22; 1131 Portrait of Julius II., considered one of the finest portraits in the world. In the Hall of Saturn, in the Pitti Gallery, and in the National Gallery of London, are likewise portraits by Raphael of this impetuous and warlike pope. 1139 Holy Family by Michael Angelo. This picture, one of the few by him in oil, exhibits powerful drawing with dexterous execution. 1112 the Madonna between St. Francis and St. John, called also the Madonna delle Arpie, by Andrea del Sarto—rich but subdued colouring, very pleasing to the eye. 1117 the famous recumbent Venus, by Tiziano. 1118 the Rest in Egypt, by Correggio—wonderful colouring.

Florence: Uffizi Gallery.—The Italian School.

Six rooms follow in succession from the south side of the Tribuna, and contain respectively the Italian, Dutch, Flemish-German, and French schools, and the collection of gems. The Italian, or more properly the Lombardo-Venetian Schools contains 115 paintings by Albano, D. Ambrogi. Baroccio, J. Bassano, G. Bonatti. Cagnacci, Canaletto, A. Caracci, G. da Carpi, G. Carpioni, B. Castiglione, M. Cerquozzi, C. Cignani, Correggio. Domenichino, B. and D. Dossi. C. Ferri, D. Feti, L. Fontana. Garofalo, L. Giordano, Giorgione, F. Granacci, J. Guercino. J. Ligozzi, B. Luini. A. Magnasco, A. Mantegna, L. Massari, L. Mazzolini, Fr. Minzocchi, Moretto da Brescia. Palma (both), G. P. Pannini, Parmigianino, P. Piola, C. Procaccino, S. Pulzone. G. Reni, P. Reschi, S. Rosa. E. Savonazzi, J. Scarsellino, B. Schidone, F. Solimena. A. Tiarini, Tinelli, Tintoretto, Tiziano, A. Turchi. G. Vanvitelli, P. Veronese, A. Vicentino. B. Zelotti. S. Zugo. Of those, the most noteworthy are Guido Reni, 998 Madonna; Parmigianino, 240

1006 Madonna, and 1010 Holy Family; Correggio, 1016 Child’s Head; A. Mantegna, 1025 Virgin, with Child in her lap; Caravaggio, 1031 Medusa.

Florence: Uffizi Gallery.—The Dutch, Flemish, and French Schools.

_The Dutch School_ contains 135 paintings, of which the best are by Berkeyden, Borch, G. Dow, Galle, Hemskerch, Metsu, Mieris, Netscher, O. Paulyn, Poelemburg; Rembrandt, 922 an Interior, with Holy Family. R. Ruysch, Ruysdael, Schalken, Stingelandt, Van Aelst, Van der Heyden, Van der Werf, Van Kessel.

_The Flemish and German Schools_, in two rooms, consist of 157 paintings, of which the best are by Cranach 822, Catherine Bore, wife of Luther; 838 Luther; 845 John and Frederick, Electors of Saxony; 847 Luther and Melancthon. C. Gellé or Claude Lorraine, 848 Landscape, considered the gem of this department. G. Dow, 786 Schoolmaster. A. Durer, 766 His father; 777 St. James; 851 Madonna. Holbein, 765 Richard Southwell. 784 Zwinglius, and 799 Sir Thomas More. Quintin Matsys, 779 St. Jerome. Rubens, 812 Venus and Adonis, but his best pictures are in the Sala della Niobe. Susterman, 699 and 709 Portraits. Teniers, 742 a Chemist, and 826 a Landscape. Van Dyck, 783 a Madonna.

_The French School_ is represented by 47 paintings, of which the most noteworthy are by Fabres, 679 the poet Alfieri, and 689 the Countess of Albany, wife of, firstly, Prince Charles, the young Pretender, and afterwards of Alfieri. Gagneraux, 690 A Lion-hunt. Mignard, 670 Madame do Grignan and her Mother, and 688, Madame de Sévigné. N. Poussin, 680 Theseus before his Mother. Rigaud, 684 Portrait of Bossuet.

Florence: Uffizi Gallery.—Room of Gems.

_The Room of Gems_ has six upright glass cases, in which are exposed to view statuettes, vases, cups, caskets, and a variety of ornaments made of lapis lazuli, rock crystal, jasper, agate, aqua marina, turquoise, and gold. In the second glass case is the most valuable article, a casket of rock crystal, with twenty-four events from the life of Christ engraved upon it by Valerio Belli, by order of Clement VII., who presented it to Catherine of Medicis as a wedding present. The Room of Gems opens into the south or connecting corridor, painted in fresco by Ulivelli, Chiavistelli, and Tonelli. The most remarkable sculptures here are 129 reliefs on a sarcophagus, representing the Fall of Phaeton into the Eridanus (the river Po), with the Transformation of his Sisters into Poplar Trees; and the races in the Circus Maximus of Rome; 137 Round altar with reliefs representing the Sacrifice of Iphigenia; 145 Youth extracting a Thorn, a replica of the more famous statue in the Vatican; 145 Venus Anadyomene; 146 Nymph. (The key of the W.Cs. is kept in the little office in the corner of this corridor).

241

Florence: Uffizi Gallery—The Venetian School.

West Corridor and rooms. Rows of Roman statues stand on both sides, and the walls are covered with Italian paintings of a much later date than those in the eastern corridor. The first two rooms contain the Venetian School, represented by 82 paintings, and the next four contain portraits of artists, nearly all by themselves. The room behind the Venetian school contains a collection of 80,000 medals and coins. The 82 pictures which illustrate the _Venetian School_ are by twenty-five great masters, T. Bassano, G. Bellini, P. Bordone, C. Caliari, D. Campagnole, Giorgione, L. Lotto, A. Maganza, Moretto, Morone, G. Muziano, Padovanino, Palma (both), Pini, Porta, Savoldo, A. Schiavone, Tinelli, Tintoretto, Tiziano, P. Veneziano, C. Veronese, P. Veronese, A. Vicentino. At the head of all stands the immortal Tiziano. His finest portraits are those of the Duchess (599) and of the Duke of Urbino (605), Francesco della Rovere I.; of “Flora,” called his Mistress (626); of Giovanni, father of Cosimo I. (614); and of Sansovino (596). Also by Tiziano, 633, Holy Family; 609 Battle between the Venetians and Austrians; 648 Catherine Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus; and 618 Sketch of Virgin and Child for his celebrated picture in Sta. Maria at Venice. P. Veronese, 589 Martyrdom of St. Justina; 596 Esther before Ahasuerus, and 636 The Crucifixion. Tintoretto, 617 The Marriage in Cana. Florence: Uffizi Gallery— Portraits of Artists. In the next two rooms are Portraits of Artists of all nations, from the 15th cent. to the present time. In a niche is the statue (338) of Card. Leopoldo de’ Medici, and in the middle of the hall the celebrated Medici Vase (339), with the sacrifice of Iphigenia in relief, by a Greek sculptor. Cardinal Leopold, brother of the Grand Duke Ferdinand, founded this collection in the 17th cent., and left it with 200 portraits; now it has about 500. Among the most remarkable are—288 Raphael, by himself, in 1506, when 23; 225 Van Dyck; 228 Rubens; 232 Holbein; 292 Leonardo da Vinci; 384 Tiziano; 378 Tintoretto; 374, 384, and 459 Annibale Caracci; 368 Antonio Caracci; 403 Guido Reni; 546 Sir Joshua Reynolds; 465 Thomas Murray. The door adjoining the hall of portraits of painters opens into the long series of corridors and stairs leading to the Pitti Gallery. See page 243. Sala delle Iscrizione.—The walls are covered with Greek and Roman inscriptions, arranged in 12 divisions according to the subject. In this room are also some very interesting ancient sculptures. Among others (315) the Torso of a Faun. _Cabinet of the Hermaphrodite._—The most important piece of sculpture here is 306 Hermaphrodite reclining on a lion’s skin, a valuable Greek work; 318 Bust of Alexander the Great in suffering. _Cabinet of Cameos._—A very 242

precious collection of ancient and modern cameos, statuettes, and enamels, including those presented by Sir William Currie in 1863.

Florence: Uffizi Gallery—The Hall of Niobe.

_Sala del Baroccio._—Against the walls are beautiful tables in pietradura or Florentine mosaic, and one in the centre of the room by Jacopo Antella, in 1615, from designs of Ligozzi. This hall contains 172 pictures, chiefly by Italian artists. The great picture in size and merit is 169, by Baroccio, The Madonna del Popolo or “The Virgin interceding with her Son;” 163 is Susterman’s portrait of Galileo; 191, by Sassoferrato, a Madonna; 207, one of Carlo Dolce’s best works, “St. Galla Placida.” Sala della Niobe.—The hall of Niobe was built in 1774, by the Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo, for the famous statues supposed to have been by Scopas or Praxiteles, and found near the Porta S. Paolo at Rome in 1583, representing Niobe and her children struck by thunderbolts from Apollo. They constitute one of the finest and most powerful groups in the world, but stationed as they are round the cold, flat, white wall of an oblong saloon, each on his separate pedestal, the illusion of design and composition is not only destroyed but individual criticism invited, a test all of them cannot bear. It is believed that originally they formed a group on the pediment of a temple. Niobe is rather large, nearly nine heads high, but the child she protects is without a fault in form. This group is of one piece of marble. All the others are in single figures. But the soul and source of all that is interesting in these statues is the wonderful figure of the wounded and dying youth, represented lying on his back, his legs just crossing each other, the left hand reclining on his breast, and his right arm slightly raised. As a statue, it commands the highest admiration, and as a chaste and powerful picture of death, the keenest sympathy. Behind the statue of Niobe is a very large picture by Rubens—Henri IV. at the battle of Ivry—a performance of wonderful spirit, but unfinished; and opposite it, 147 The entry of Henri IV. into Paris; 144 Van Dyck, a portrait; 152 Honthorst, Fortune-teller.

Florence: Uffizi Gallery—The Hall of Bronzes.

_Sala dei Bronzi._—In two rooms; among these ancient bronzes the most remarkable are the bronze heads of Sophocles and Homer, and the Torso 428 found near Leghorn—a torso is the trunk of a statue that has lost the arms and legs; 426 The head of a horse; 424 The figure of a youth, 5 feet in height, called the Idolino, found at Pesaro in 1530. The pedestal is attributed to Ghiberti. A tablet containing a list of the Roman Decurions, dated a.d. 223. _Galleria Feroni._—In this room are arranged the pictures bequeathed by the Marchese Leopoldo Feroni, of which the best are, an Angel with a Lily, by C. 243

Dolce; A Butcher’s Shop, by Teniers the younger; and a Holy Family, by B. Schidone. Outside, in the corridor, is 131, Portrait of Pasquali Paoli, the Corsican patriot, by Richard Cosway; and 110 and 113, Landscapes, by Agostina Tassi, the master of Claude Lorraine.

Florence. The Way from the Uffizi to the Pitti Galleries.

The Connecting Galleries.

Between the Uffizi and Pitti Galleries is a series of passages and stairs finished in 1564, and opened on the occasion of the marriage of Francesco de’ Medici with Joanna of Austria, of whom the statue of “Abundance” in the Boboli gardens is supposed to be a likeness. The walls of the stairs and corridors on the Uffizi side of the Arno are covered with a rich and valuable collection of engravings, constituting a complete history of the art from the 15th cent. to the present time. The corridor on the Ponte Vecchio crossing the Arno is occupied with a glorious collection of drawings by the great masters. The first part of the corridor on the south side of the Arno contains numerous portraits of the Medicean family, and then follows (on the long passage behind the Via Guicciardini) a vast collection of tapestry, executed in the 16th and 17th cent. in Paris and Florence. The best are those representing the festivities at the marriages of Henry II. with Catherine de’ Medici, and of Henry IV. with Maria de’ Medici, executed in 1560 after designs by Orlay. From the tapestry gallery a short stair ascends to a room hung with pictures painted in chiaroscuro, or in one colour, by several of the old painters. From this another short stair leads to the long narrow gallery on the wall of the Boboli gardens. This gallery is hung with water-colour drawings, by Bartolommeo Ligozzi, in 1695, representing with wonderful truthfulness, figures of birds, fishes, and plants. To these illustrations of natural history succeeds a series of miniature paintings of scenes in the life of our Lord. Now we come to the common stone stair leading upwards to the Pitti Gallery, and downwards to the door fronting the Piazza Pitti, and next the gate leading into the Boboli gardens. At the top of the stair is a large vestibule, with a window looking into the gardens. The names of the Sale and Stanze (Halls and Rooms) are on the catalogues. Each room is provided with two of these catalogues, one in Italian and another in French. The halls are painted in fresco, and adorned with statuary and rich tables of Florentine mosaic.

Florence: Pitti Gallery. Halls of Saturn and Jupiter.

The Pitti Gallery.

The vestibule opens into the _Sala dell’ Illiado_, painted by Sabatelli in 1837, and having in the centre a statue of “Charity,” by Bartolini. 244

Nos. 191 and 225 are Assumptions, by Andrea del Sarto, and 184 is his Portrait, painted by himself. No. 185, a Concert, is a remarkable picture, and one of the few existing by Giorgione. Tiziano is represented by some of his best portraits:—No. 200, Philip II. of Spain; 201, Cardinal Ippolito de’ Medici; 215, Portrait; and 228, the Head of Jesus. 208, the Madonna del Trono, by Fra. Bartolommeo. 219, P. Perugino, Adoration of the Child Jesus. 188, S. Rosa, his own Portrait; and 218, Warrior. 190, Sustermans, a Prince of Denmark. 224, Rod. Ghirlandaio, Portrait of a Lady. 230, Parmigianino, the Madonna col lungo Collo. 235, Rubens, Holy Family. 286, Bassano, House of Martha.

_Sala di Saturno._—The frescoes on the ceiling are by Pietro da Cortona. The gems of this room may be considered:—151, Portrait of Pope Julius II.; and 165, the Madonna del Baldacchino, by Raphael. The others by Raphael are the Portraits of (158) Card. Bibbiena; and of (171) Inghirami and (174) the Vision of Ezekiel. 150, Charles I. of England and Henrietta Maria, by Van Dyck. 164, a Deposition, by Perugino.

_Sala di Giove._—Ceiling painted by P. da Cortona. In the centre of the room statue of “Victory,” by Consani, and at the sides five Tables in Florentine mosaic. The most remarkable picture in this, the Saloon of Jupiter, is 113, the Three Parcæ, or Fates, by Michael Angelo. Then follow Nos. 118, Andrea del Sarto and Wife; and 124, an Annunciation, by A. del Sarto. No. 133 is a Battle-piece, by Salvator Rosa. In the lower corner, right hand, is his own Portrait, with the initials S. A. R. O. No. 140, an exquisitely finished Portrait of G. Benci, by Leonardo da Vinci. 139, Holy Family, by Rubens.

Florence: Pitti Gallery—Halls of Mars and Apollo.

_Sala di Marte._—Frescoes and decorations by Cortona. Raphael, Rubens, Van Dyck, and A. del Sarto, have in this room some beautiful paintings. The gem is (79) the Madonna della Sedia (chair), by Raphael. 94 is a Holy Family, also by him—called the “Impannata” or cloth window. No. 81, Holy Family; and 87 and 88, Story of Joseph, by A. del Sarto. 82, Card. Bentivoglio, by Van Dyck. No. 86, Peace and War, by Rubens. 96, Judith, by C. Allori.

_Sala di Prometeo._—The Mosaic Table in this room, by Giorgi, occupied him fourteen years. 338, Madonna, by Fra. Filippo Lippi.

_Sala di Apollo._—Raphael has three portraits in this room:—59 and 61, M. and A. Doni; and 63, Leo X. Tiziano has some fine works:—No. 67, a Magdalene, shows his power in colour; and 54, Aretino, the poet, is one of his best portraits. 40, Madonna, by Murillo. 58, by 245

A. del Sarto, Descent from the Cross, one of his best works. 64, the same subject admirably treated by Fra. Bartolommeo.

_Sala di Venere_ (Venus).—Painted by Cortona. Nos. 4 and 15 are two most charming Sea-pieces, by Salvator Rosa. No. 18, La Bella Donna, by Tiziano. No. 27, Jesus appearing to Peter, by L. Cardi (Il Cigoli).

_Galleria Poccetti._—Painted by Poccetti. Bust of Napoleon by Canova. Small corridor, or Corridor of the Columns, with two columns in oriental alabaster, and the walls hung with Florentine mosaics, and admirably executed miniatures in water-colours and oil, collected by Card. Leopold. No. 4, In glass cases are displayed valuable articles in ivory, amber, rock-crystal, and precious stones.

_Stanza della Giustizia._—Painted by Fedi. The beautiful ebony cabinet was used by Card. Leopold. The most interesting picture in this room is 408, Portrait of Oliver Cromwell, painted from life by Sir Peter Lely, by request of Ferdinand II. of Tuscany.

Florence: Pitti Gallery—Rooms of Flora, Ullisse, Giove.

_Stanza di Flora._—In the centre is the famous Venus by Canova, called also the Venus Italica from its having been intended to replace the Venus de’ Medici, when that still more famous statue was carried off to Paris, where it remained fifteen years. No. 415, Ferdinand II., by Sustermans. 416 and 421, Landscapes, by Poussin. 423, Adoration of the Shepherds, by Tiziano.

_Stanza dei Putti._—Painted by Morini. No. 470 is a large picture by Sal. Rosa, called the Philosopher’s Forest—Diogenes throwing away his drinking-cup. No. 465, Landscape, by Ruysdael.

_Stanza d’ Ullisse._—Painted by Martellini. No. 324 is a fine portrait by Rubens of the favourite of James I., George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, assassinated by Felton in 1628. No. 289, Madonna, by Ligozzi. 297, Paul III., by Bordone. 306 and 312, Landscapes, by Sal. Rosa.

_Stanza del Bagno._—This, the bath-room, is tastefully fitted up with a mosaic pavement. Four handsome columns in verd antique, and four marble statues, by Insom and Bongiovanni.

_Stanza dell’ educazione di Giove._—Painted by Catani. 266, the Madonna del Granduca, by Raphael, is one of the finest pictures in the Pitti Gallery. 245 is attributed to Raphael. 243, Philip IV. of Spain by Velasquez. 248, a “Descent” by Tintoretto. 256, Holy Family by Fra. Bartolommeo.

_Stanza della Stufa._—The frescoes on the walls, representing the Four Ages of Man, are by Cortona, from sketches by the nephew of Michael 246

Angelo. The frescoes on the ceiling, representing the Virtues, are by Rosselli, in 1622. Among the treasures of this room are four antique statues in niches, a column of green porphyry, bearing a porcelain vase with a likeness of Napoleon I., and two justly celebrated bronze statues of Cain and Abel, modelled by Dupré of Siena, and cast by Papi in 1849.

Florence: Boboli Gardens.

The Boboli Gardens.

Now either return to the Uffizi by the very long galleries or descend to the foot of the stairs, and when outside, turn to the left and pass through the gate leading into the Boboli Gardens, open on Thursdays and feast-days. Permission to enter on other days is easily obtained at the office of the Minestero della Casa, under the south corner of the corridor. The gardens are laid out in a stiff style. Clumps of oleanders and oleasters among ilexes, laurels, pines, yews, and cypresses, encircled by tall myrtle hedges, make the grounds in many parts more like a labyrinth than a garden. Near the entrance is an artificial grotto, with, in front, a group by V. Rossi, and a Venus by G. Bologna; and in the four corners unfinished statues by Michael Angelo, intended for the monument of Julius II. at Rome, and presented to Cosmo I. by L. Buonarotti. Opposite the palace is the Amphitheatre; within the centre a granite obelisk and a large granite basin from Egypt, but brought to Florence from Rome. Beyond the palace, near the Porta Romana, is the Piazzale del Lago, with groups in marble by G. Bologna. In the flower-garden “del Cavaliere,” are two more fountains, with monkeys in bronze, by the same artist, and a small villa, from the top of which there is a fine view (entrance 25c.) On the highest part of the gardens, facing the palace, is a colossal statue of Dovizia (Abundance), commenced by Bologna, and finished by his pupil Dacca.

Florence: Pitti Palace.

THE PITTI PALACE was begun by Luca Pitti, a Florentine merchant, in 1436, from designs by Brunelleschi. In 1549 the still unfinished building was purchased by the Medici, who advanced it considerably, but not till quite recently was this vast pile finished. The façade is 659 feet in length, 148 feet in height, and the total surface occupied by the building 35,231 yards. Bart. Ammanati added the wings, and enclosed the beautiful court opposite the middle entrance with Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns, and placed at the extremity the pretty grotto covered in with Roman mosaic, supported on 16 columns, and ornamented with statues in marble and porphyry, and small trees and satyrs in bronze. To the right of the court is the Royal 247

Chapel. Above the altar is an ivory crucifix by G. Bologna. At the end of the portico, to the left, a door opens into the court, in which is the entrance into the room containing the splendid _Collection of Plate_ by Benvenuto Cellini and Maso Finiguerra, and ivories by Bologna and Donatello. Zumbo, the famous artist in wax, has likewise some of his works here. The state apartments are sumptuously furnished.

Florence: Tribuna Galileo—Museum of Natural History.

Nearly opposite the Pitti palace, at No. 16 Via Guicciardini, is the house in which Machiavelli lived and died in 1527. A little farther up the Via Romana, in the house No. 19, is the

Museo di Storia Naturale,

in the second floor, and the Museo Galileo in the first floor. Both open on Thursdays and Saturdays, from 10 to nearly 3. In the vestibule is an old terrestrial globe, black with age, 3 feet in diameter, probably by Ignazio Dante, a famous astronomer, brought to Florence by Cosmo I. He died in 1586. Upstairs is the Museo, or Tribuna di Galileo.* Explanatory catalogues in Italian and French are on the table. The statue of him is by A. Costoli. In the niche to the right are his telescopes, of which the lower one was constructed by himself, and by which he discovered the satellites of Jupiter. In the niche on the left are his compasses and magnet. The other philosophical instruments belonged to the Accademia del Cimento, instituted in 1657 and dissolved in 1667. It held its meetings in the palace of Prince Leopold de’ Medici. All around are beautiful frescoes, illustrating scenes in the life of Galileo. Among the relics is the forefinger of Galileo, taken from the body when it was removed to its present resting-place in the church of Santa Croce. In the second storey is the excellent and comprehensive Museum of Natural History. The collections are admirably arranged, and in good condition. The botanical department contains the herbariums of Andrea Cesalpino, which he is supposed to have collected about the year 1563; of P. A. Micheli, collected about the year 1725; of Central Italy, by Parlatore, commenced in 1842; of Labillardière, who accompanied La Perouse in his expedition to New Holland; of R. Desfontaines, the master of De Candolle; and of the Englishman, P. B. Webb, who bequeathed his herbarium to this 248

museum. Florence: Anatomical Preparations in Wax. But the most wonderful objects in the museum are the anatomical preparations in wax, chiefly by Clemente Sasini and his assistants, under the direction of Tommaso Bonicoli, 1775 to 1791. Like the great works of the great painters, they are executed with the most minute care and truthfulness to nature, whether it be the magnified anatomy of the cuttle-fish or of the silkworm, or the life-like representation of the most delicate organs of the human body. They are contained in twelve rooms, entered from the shell department, by the door lettered “Ittiologia,” opening into the Zootomia.

* The word tribune is used in Florence to designate any large niche. But the real meaning of the word “Tribuna” is the semicircular cavity at the extremity of a Roman basilica, where the judges sat. In the early ages of the church some of these buildings were given to the Christians for public worship, who still retained their secular name, and worshipped in them without consecration.

Florence: House of Galileo.

The House of Galileo,

at the head of the Via Romana, is the Porta Romana, the city gate by which, in 1536, Charles V. and Pope Leo X. entered Florence. An omnibus runs between it and the Piazza del Duomo. At the outer side there is a cab stand, which is likewise the starting-place of the omnibus for the Certosa (see page 250). Immediately outside the Porta commence three broad roads—the lowest is called the Via Senese and leads to the Certosa; the centre one, bordered with tall cypresses, is the Via del Poggio Imperiale; while to the left is the Viale Machiaveli, the first of a series of magnificent boulevards (viali) leading to that noble terrace the Piazza Michelangiolo. Let us first ascend the Via del Poggio to the Royal Villa, formerly the property of the Medicis, now the Instituto della Annunziata, a boarding-school for girls. From it ascend by the Via del Pian di Giullari, and when at the top of it take the road to the right leading directly to the village of Arcetri, containing the house in which Galileo spent the last years of his life, and in which when blind, and 74 years of age, he was visited by Milton. Galileo was born in 1564, at Pisa, and died in 1642. The house, a plain building, is indicated by a bust and tablet on the wall towards the street. The steep little road to the left leads up to the farmhouse in which is the Tower (Torre del Gallo) from which Galileo made his astronomical observations. It contains several relics of the great astronomer—a telescope, table, and chairs, a bust of him taken after death (il piu antico che si conosca), a pen-and-ink sketch of him on marble by Salvatelli, a smaller portrait of him by P. Leoni, 1624. From the farmhouse 249

a steep narrow road leads down to the Boulevards between the Piazza Michelangiolo and the Porta Romana.

Florence: Piazzale Michelangiolo. San Miniato.

The Piazzale Michelangiolo.

There is no place about Florence which affords such an agreeable walk or drive as to the Piazzale Michelangiolo and the church of S. Miniato. They are situated on a hill on the left bank of the Arno, two bridges higher up the river than the Uffizi, and are distinctly seen from the Lung’ Arno. The nearest way to approach them on foot is, having crossed the Ponte alle Grazie (the first bridge above the Ponte Vecchio), walk up the left bank of the Arno, passing the Piazza containing the fine marble monument to Prince Nicholas Demidoff, by L. Bartolini, in 1835, and continue the walk up the river till arrival at a square tower in the Piazza della Molina, whence commence the ascent by the stairs and road the Viale dei Colli. Or approach it from the Porta Romana by the fine avenues the Viali Machiavelli and Galileo, bordered by trees and handsome villas, disclosing as they wind round the steep sides of the hills a succession of ever-varying views. The Piazzale Michelangiolo is a splendid terrace, 165 feet above the Arno, commanding a grand prospect, and adorned with five statues in bronze, copies by C. Papi of Michael Angelo’s famous works. To the right is the Viale Michelangiolo, the carriage road leading down to the Barriera San Niccolo, opposite the suspension-bridge (Ponte Sospenso). Above the Piazzale, by the convent church of San Salvatore del Monte (built in 1504 by Cronaca), is the Basilica of San Miniato, one of the earliest (1013) as well as one of the most perfect structures in the Byzantine style. Internally it is 165 feet long by 70 wide, and is divided longitudinally into aisles by pillars of classical design. The façade is faulty. The tower was erected in 1519. The floor of the nave is considerably under the level of the chancel, which terminates in a semi-dome, covered with mosaics executed in 1247, and of the same kind as those of St. Mark’s at Venice. Behind the altar are five small windows of thin slabs of Pavonazzo marble. Between the stairs leading up to the chancel is the chapel constructed in 1448 by Michelozzi. Here lie the remains of Gualberto, the founder of the church and of the order of Vallombrosa. In the centre of the north aisle is the chapel of Cardinal Ximenes (died 1459). The monument is by B. Rossellino, and the beautiful terra-cottas on the ceiling by Luca della Robbia. On the south side is the Sacristy (built in 1387), exquisitely painted in fresco by Spinello Aretino, representing scenes in the life of St. Benedict. In 250

the centre of the nave is a curious piece of Byzantine pavement, executed in 1207. Below the chancel is the crypt, supported on 38 marble columns, several being prolongations of those above. Under the altar is the tomb of San Miniato. From the terraces of the adjoining cemetery there are splendid views of Florence and of the valley of the Arno.

Florence: The Certosa.

The Certosa.

From outside the Porta Romano a small diligence starts every hour, at the hour, passing by the Carthusian Monastery of the Certosa, 3¼ miles distant; fare, ½ fr. Passengers alight at the great wall enclosing the grounds at the commencement of the small by-road to the right, leading up to the top of the circular hill on which the convent is picturesquely situated. It was erected by Niccolo Acciaiola in the 14th cent., and is now the property of the State, who retain in it some twenty-three friars of the order to take charge of the church, chapels, and buildings. At the entrance-gate is the pharmacy, where the liqueurs made in the convent can be bought and tasted. Their Chartreuse cordial is not equal to that made in France, but the Alkermis is of good quality. Fee to see the convent, ½ fr. At the top of the stair leading up to the church is a fresco by Empoli. The church, paved with marble in the cinque-cento style, has some good stalls (1590), and over the marble altar a fresco by Poccetti. Right hand, chapel with frescoes by Masari on the walls, and on roof by Poccetti and his school. From S. aisle pass to chapel of S. Maria, in the shape of a Greek cross. Here is a curious Trinity of the Giotti school. Descend to the Cappella di Tobia, with the mausoleum of the founder, by Orcagna (1360), and three monumental slabs over the tombs of his father, sister, and son. Next, a narrow cloister with eight small windows, with vignette paintings by Udine, 1560; Cappella del Capitolo, having for the reredos a Crucifixion by Albertinelli, and in the centre of floor the mausoleum of Buonafede by Stogallo, 1545; then the Camere di Pio Sesto, his sitting-room, and bedroom. He was a prisoner here nine months. Beautiful views are obtained from various parts. In passing through the villages women may be seen plaiting straw—a standard occupation in Tuscany.

Florence: Bello Sguardo. Monte Oliveto.

Views.—From the Porta Romana commences also the road to the Bello Sguardo and to Monte Oliveto (about a mile distant), both commanding splendid views of the city, of the valley of the Arno, and of the surrounding mountains. Immediately outside the Porta turn to the right, and walk by the side of the city wall by the Via Petrarcha till the second road on the left, the Via de Casone, by which continue 251

to ascend till a road is reached on the left lettered, Via di Bello Sguardo. By it ascend to the next on the left, the Via dell’ Ombrellino, where at the house No. 1 ring the bell. The view is from the pavilion of this house; fee, ½ fr. To go from this to Monte Oliveto descend to the Via di Bello Sguardo, and from a house with a high railing turn to the right by the “Via di Monte Oliveto Per S. Vito,” and descend to a large gateway and house on the left hand. At this house ask for the key of the Monte Oliveto, then walk forward past the old convent, now a military hospital, to the top of the knoll crowned with cypresses, and behold the view. Now descend by the Via di Monte Oliveto, which, at the foot of the hill, enters the Via Pisana opposite house No. 82, near the Porta S. Frediano, whence an omnibus runs to the Piazza della Signoria. If preferred, the tour may be commenced at this end, taking the omnibus from the Piazza to the Porta.

Florence: Santo Spirito.