CONSULEGIS Autumn Conference Florence/Italy 25 th - 28 th October 2012

Transcription

1 CONSULEGIS Autumn Conference Florence/Italy 25 th - 28 th October 2012 Information about places we will visit during the Conference 1

2 GRAND HOTEL BAGLIONI The hotel is a symbol of Florentine hospitality, has always been a protagonist of historical and society events, and has welcomed visitors from all over the world since It is located in the heart of Florence, a short walk from the Palazzo dei Congressi congress centre, the exhibition centre and the most important tourist attractions. The 193 recently renovated and decorated rooms are comfortable and elegant. The restaurant, and in summer the magnificent roof garden, have splendid views over the city of Florence views which constantly change throughout the day. HOTEL TORNABUONI BEACCI The Bechi Family is happy to welcome you to discover this charming hotel which is located in two Renaissance palaces, the Palazzo Minerbetti and the Palazzo Strozzi del Poeta, on Tornabuoni street and close to the monuments which have made this city famous the world over. The rooms, no two of which are the same, delight guests for the attention that has been given to every smallest detail, and the quality of the decor. They are furnished with 17th-, 18th- and 19th-century antiques, frescoes and heirloom lamps and Murano wall lights, all of which go to create a unique ambience. Wednesday, 24 th October 2012 Early Arrivals Dinner GUCCI MUSEUM CAFFE The official GUCCI MUSEO is inside the historic Palazzo della Mercanzia located in Florence s Piazza Signoria. It was in 1921 that Guccio Gucci opened his company and first store in Florence with a dream and a vision that still lives on today through a heritage of icons and values that continue to inspire the House. The ancient Palazzo della Mercanzia, dating back to 1337 and still today a symbol of the Florentine arts and craftsmanship, spans from Piazza della Signoria to Piazza San Firenze and originates from two splendid buildings, respective offices of the Ufficio della Condotta degli Stipendiati and the Università dei Mercanti and Ufficio della Mercanzia, in the time of the Medici. The GUCCI MUSEO spans 1,715 square meters across three floors and is divided into different thematic rooms inspired by the House s iconic motifs and symbols. Admission is 6 Euros with 50% of each ticket sale benefitting a fund to help the City of Florence preserve and restore the city s signature art treasures. 2

3 Thursday, 25 th October 2012 Welcome Reception PALAZZO MEDICI RICCARDI Palazzo Medici Riccardi has a particularly fascinating history, rich in art and also in political, cultural and worldly events. The history of this palazzo, one of the finest and most famous in Florence, is an integral part of the history of the city, marking out all the important stages in its development. Built in the mid fifteenth century by Michelozzo on commission from the Medici, the building became the prototype of Renaissance civil architecture. The robust and austere pile of the mansion, originally designed as a sort of cube, was for at least a century the most direct and efficacious symbol of the political and cultural primacy of the Medici in Florence. After a period of neglect, in 1659 the Medici sold it to the Riccardi who extended the building northwards and partially renovated the interior. The modifications of Baroque flavour, particularly intensive in the last two decades of the century, were on the keynote of lavish show and sophisticated erudition. When fortune waned and the sun set on this splendour, in 1814 the Riccardi sold the palazzo to the State. Since 1874 it has belonged to the Provincial Authority, which since the beginning of the last century has adopted a policy aimed at the reclamation and valorisation of the building itself and the works housed within. Palazzo Medici Riccardi offers the visitor the chance to retrace over four centuries of the history of art, architecture and collectionism in Florence. The itinerary starts on the ground floor, the fulcrum of which is Michelozzo s fifteenthcentury courtyard, one of the most suggestive sites of Renaissance Florence The true gem of the palazzo is the Chapel of the Magi, reached via the elegant seventeenth-century staircase. The chapel, built and decorated in the fifteenth century, features a harmonious decoration of enchanting beauty. More specifically, the frescoes of Benozzo Gozzoli, more famous even than the artist himself, constitute one of the most eminent illustrations of Medici Florence. Another important pole of attraction of the museum of Palazzo Medici Riccardi is the magnificent Galleria, created at the end of the seventeenth century and again located on the first floor, in the area overlooking the garden. Here the visitor is immersed in the triumphal and variegated pomp of late Baroque art, dominated by the lively and spectacular tumult of the ceiling fresco by Luca Giordano. 3

4 Friday, 26 th October 2012 Autumn Conference 2012 PALAGIO DI PARTE GUELFA The Building of White Guelph s party was built in the XIV-XV centuries and was the headquarters and meeting place of the Guelphs. In the great Papal and Imperial quarrel that shook Italy in the 12th century the parties of Guelphs and Ghibellines took shape and acquired an ineradicable force. The Guelphs, friends of the democratic expansion, maintained, against the claims of the Emperor, the independence of Italy and the supremacy of the Pope. The Ghibelline party, which included naturalized nobles, men of arms, and advocates of feudalism, supported the authority of the German emperors over the Italian States. The division between Guelphs and Ghibellines was especially important in Florence, although the two sides frequently rebelled against each other and took power in many of the other northern Italian cities as well. In Florence were the Guelphs to take the power, except for a short period from 1248 to There, the Parte Guelfa practically established a miniature republic within the republic. The early part of the Palagio started to be built at the beginning of XIV century, but the works continued for many years, until it occupied an entire block. In the first half of the XV century the architects Filippo Brunelleschi and, later,francesco della Luna designed and managed several alterations of the interior of the building. Of particular interest is the Salone Brunelleschi (so called from its designer), where the conference meeting will be held on friday 26 october Inside the medieval palace, nowadays the headquarters of two of the most important historic Florentine organizations, Calcio Storico Fiorentino (historic fiorentine football) and Corteo Storico della Repubblica Fiorentina, there are some impressive rooms decorated by Giambologna, Luca della Robbia and Donatello. Lunch HARRY S BAR Since 1953, Harry s Bar has been one of the most famous restaurants in the world. Today, the style that made it famous continues to both fascinate and deligh. The elegant ambiance, enhanced by the light of the exclusive Murano art glass lamps provides a perfect meeting place to enjoy the special Bellini cocktail or a delicious cup of coffee.the magnificent terrace, overlooking the Arno river with the Ponte Vecchio in the background, is a wonderful spot to admire a beautiful Florence sunset. Celebrities from all over the world have always appreciated the many characteristics that make Harry s Bar so special. 4

5 Friday, 26 th October 2012 Dinner MUSEUM OF ORSANMICHELE This imposing building was erected in 1337 as a grain store for the comune; at the end of the 14th century the loggia on the ground floor was closed in and turned into a church, which was then frescoed and adorned with an imposing tabernacle in marble and mosaic by Andrea Orcagna. It is a Temple of Work, because it was built by the city Guilds Responsible for the prosperity of the free Florentine Comune, which were symbolically represented by it. In the middle of the fourteenth century the granary was consecrated for Christian worship. The room on the first floor, reached via an overhead passageway joining the building to the Palazzo dell Arte della Lana, houses the original sculptures from the external niches on the four sides of the building: produced for the most part in the second decade of the 15th century, they are seminal Early Renaissance sculptures, and include contributions by Donatello, Lorenzo Ghiberti and Andrea del Verrocchio. The room on the top floor contains a number of Gothic sculptures. These were commissioned from the most famous Florentine artists in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries for the niches on the four sides of the imposing building in pietra forte, positioned half-way between the Palazzo della Signoria and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. On this floor, one can observe a remarkable, unparalleled panorama of Florence. Saturday, 27 th October 2012 Farewell Dinner CHURCH (now Auditorium) OF SANTO STEFANO AL PONTE VECCHIO The church was originally constructed in the 11th and 12th century in a Romanesque style with a polychrome marble facade. The interior featured three aisles. In the 14th century, the exterior was renovated. Of the original facade, only the marble work around the portal remains. Between 1631 and 1655, the interior of the church was renovated to convert the three aisles to an open hall. A crypt was added and the interior was redesigned to include a choir. It has a main entrance, which has a two-colored stone molding, dating back to late 13th century. The interior is rectangular, and originally had three aisles, which were merged into a single nave by F. Tacca between 1649 and The roof has exposed trellis-beams that are at two different elevations. Main art works: the front half of the church has altars from the 1500s, while the back half is architecturally subdivided into two orders that open towards the presbytery, which is proceeded by an interesting marble staircase with balustrades of a kind Bernardo Buontalenti had already placed in the Santa Trinita. The annexed Diocesan Museum houses a panel with a Madonna by Giotto. The church has now been deconsecrated. 5

6 Sunday, 28 th October 2012 Optional: Late departure dinner ALLE MURATE RESTAURANT Restaurant Alle Murate is a unique place. It is a restaurant and a museum at the same time. Its spaces not only inspire a sober and accurate cuisine offer but are also home to a hugely valuable artistic and historic heritage possible to visit even with the help of audioguides. The restaurant is hosted in the famous Palace of the Guildeof Judges and Notaries, place where a series of frescos from 1300 as well as some archeological finds from the Roman era narrate the history of Florence up to the Rinascimento. Dated 2005, is also the impressive discovery of the world's most ancient documented portraits of Dante and Boccaccio. 6