marikatravel

In most of the travel guides about Florence you find information about The Mall and when I used to work as a receptionist in Florence hotels there were lots of travelers asking information about it. The Mall is a proper shopping village where you can find boutiques of the most famous designers in the world. Here you have Gucci, Cavalli, Armani, Ferragamo and Bottega Veneta just to name some of the most famous Italian designers. In addition yo find some international designers such as Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent. All shops are open all year, from Monday to Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm. Sometimes it happenes there are longer openings' hours and you can find these information visiting the website - http://www.themall.it/en/visit In the shopping village you find several service, such an I ... read more

My beautiful art day in Florence ends with the Brancacci Chapel. I hope you will appreciate this monuments and their ancient splendour. To be an “art expert” is not necessary in a city like Florence that still managed to look amazingly romantic and picturesque. The Brancacci Chapel, an important example of Renaissance painting in Florence, stands within the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine in the Oltrarno area. Its fame can be mainly attributed to the series of frescoes created over time by the hands of Masolino, Masaccio and Filippo Lippi. Completed at the end of the fourteenth century, this chapel was commissioned by Felice Brancacci, a wealthy fabrics merchant and Florentine ambassador in Egypt. The task of frescoing the chapel was given to fifteenth century painter Masolino, who was later assisted by young Masaccio. When ... read more

Every time I spend some time in Florence I go to have lunch at Cantinetta da Verrazzano, an excellent bakeryin the historical center. The Cantinetta da Verrazzano is located in via dei Tavolini, a small street in between Piazza della Signoria and Piazza Duomo. It is a small place when you can taste some really good food, such as the typical schiacciata all'olio. You can taste several types of typical breads and schiacciata farcita, together with lots of different biscuits and cakes, that are home-made. In addition you can take a sit and have a proper lunch with local hams and cheeses while drinking great Chianti wine. In fact the Cantinetta da Verrazzano is the twon shop of the famous Castello da Verrazzano , that produces an excel... read more

Yesterday, as promised in my first post, I visited some museums in Florence to join a real interesting international initiative and celebrate the Women’s Day with some art for free! I started my Art-Day with the “Uffizi Gallery” to move later to the BargelloMuseum. After a very Tuscan meal I went to the PittiPalace visiting finally the Brancacci Chapel. When the Grand Duke Cosimo the 1st conquered the SieneseRepublic and created a state of which Florence was made capital, he decided that the most important offices and magistracies of the city should have their headquarters close to those of the government, which were in Palazzo Vecchio. The area with stretches from the Palazzo Vecchio to the River Arno was full of very small, rundown houses and was quite ill-famed. They decided this would be the perfect ... read more