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As a (probable) life-long resident of Florence, you would know the following about your native city-state. TUSCANY Tuscany is the western part of the center of the Italian peninsula (see map #1). It is bounded on the northwest by Emilia and Liguria, on the east by the Marches and Umbria, on the southeast by the city-state of Rome and on the west by the Mediterranean Sea. The eight provinces of Tuscany are Firenze, Arezzo, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa-Carrara, Pisa and Siena. (see map #2) It has an area of approximately 9,304 square miles. The countryside is mostly hilly, with plains around Firenze, Lucca and Arezzo. The hills are spurs of the Appenines, which separate Italy and Switzerland. The Arno River runs through the plains, creating a fertile agricultural valley. (Starting to understand why so many Italians felt at home when emigrated to Northern California?) The soil in the hills is clayey and subject to landslides in unterraced areas, but still supports some farming. The climate is moderate. The Appenines block most of the cold winds from the north, and the winds from the west off the Tyrhennian Sea are warm and humid. Winter gets somewhat cold but rarely to freezing, and sometimes there could be a light snowfall. Winter is mostly rainy season. Summer temperatures usually peak in the low 90s, but mostly in the 80s. It is hotter in summer and colder in winter than Rome because of the mountain effect. Farming and farm animals are the main activities of most of the rural residents. The farms produce olives and olive oil, wine, wheat, cheese, wool, leather, and animals to be taken to city markets for slaughter. There is also a huge marble mine near Carrara, which is considered the finest marble in the world (even in the 20th century!). There are also mines for copper, salt, mercury, alabaster, and Sienese earth (used in making pigment for paints). Tuscany has numerous mineral and hot springs, the most famous of which are at Montecatini and Bagni di Lucca, which were spas even in Roman times, and were fully functional during the time period we are playing. Firenze hosts a university, which is one of the leading centers of humanist learning of the time. The Medici founded the University of Pisa to further developments in science and medicine (and to further Firenze's hold on Pisa). Siena, too, has a university, dating from the medieval era. Firenze, Pisa and Siena are also the leading artistic centers of Tuscany, being home to the finest painting and sculpture schools from the thirteenth century. All of the major Italian Renaissance artists at one point or another lived and worked in Tuscany. During the time we are playing, Tuscan has become the "official" form of Italian, being linguistically "pure" and being the common language of Italian literature, starting way back when with Dante and Petrarch. There are many dialects of Italian, even to this day, and it would not be unusual for someone from Naples speaking "Italian" in a form unrecognizable to a Florentine. (At that point, you politely ask them to stop speaking "dialetico" and start speaking Italian. There is a difference.) A HIGHLY CONDENSED HISTORY OF TUSCANY Etruria was finally annexed to Rome in 351 B.C. and constituted the seventh of the eleven regions into which Italy was, for administrative purposes, divided by the Emperor Augustus. Under Emperor Constantine it was united into one province with Umbria, an arrangement which lasted until at least 400. After the fall of the Western Empire, Tuscia, with other provinces of Italy, came successively under the sway of Herulians, Ostrogoths, and Greek and Lombard dukes. Under the Lombards, "Tuscia Langobardorum", comprising the districts of Viterbo, Corneto and Bolsena, was distinguished from "Tuscia Regni", which lay more to the north. Under Charlemagne the name of Tuscia or Toscana became restricted to the latter only. One of the earliest Frankish marquises was Boniface, either first or second of that name, who about 828 fought with success against the Saracens in Africa. Adalbert I, who succeeded him, in 878 espoused the cause of Carloman against his brother Louis III of France, and suffered excommunication and imprisonment in consequence. Adalbert II (the Rich), who married the ambitious Bertha, daughter of Lothair, king of Lorraine, took a prominent part in the politics of his day. A subsequent marquis, Hugo (the Great), became also duke of Spoleto in 989. The male line of marquises ended with Boniface III, who was murdered in 1052. His widow, Beatrice, in 1055 married Godfrey, duke of Lorraine, and governed the country until her death in 1076, when she was succeeded by Matilda, her only child by her first husband. Matilda died in 1114 without issue, bequeathing all her extensive possessions to the Church. The consequent struggle between the popes, who claimed the inheritance, and the emperors, who maintained that the countess had no right to dispose of imperial fiefs, enabled the principal cities of Tuscany gradually to assert their independence. The most important of these Tuscan republics were Florence, Pisa, Siena, Arezzo, Pistoia and Lucca. The struggle between the Guelf party (the pro-Papal forces) and the Ghibelline party (the imperialists) dominated Italian politics until 1600. In Firenze the struggle was particularly fierce, sparking a number of rebellions against the municipal government in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Each time the party which took power exiled the leaders of the losing side; when the losers won again, they recalled their own and banished the former leaders. (Some aspects of Italian politics never change.) The role of the Medici in Florentine and Italian politics is way too complicated to be summarized in one paragraph. Please see the Guild Reading List for suggestions on further reading. Suffice to say that they were highly active in politics during the fifteenth century and early sixteenth century. They were banished from Florence in 1494 for being on the wrong side of the political fence. In 1512, the Medici returned from exile. Although certain outward forms of republican government were preserved (like the Signoria), Alessandro de' Medici was made Duke of Florence, the dignity to be hereditary in the family. He died an ugly death (read one of the books on the reading list). Cosimo was made Duke in 1534. Siena was annexed in 1559 after being defeated in battle by Cosimo and his troops, and completed Florentine control of the province of Tuscany. The title of Grand Duke of Tuscany was conferred on Cosimo by Pope Pius V and recognized by the Emperor Maximilian II in 1569. Catherine de'Medici was married to Henri II of France in 1533 and bore him 10 children during a painful and complicated marriage. Henri died unexpectedly in 1559 during a tournament to celebrate the "Ladies' Peace". Henri's death left the crown to his son Francois II, who died less than a year after taking the throne. He was succeeded by Charles IX. Catherine actually ruled the country during her sons' reigns. During this time, France was experiencing not only political upheaval but religious strife (which furthered the political instability) and so it was a real mess over there. Suffice to say, we don't go to France often unless we really have to. Read "Queen Margot" for a rather edited version of the Huguenot problem in France and to see what a despicable creature Catherine was capable of being. The movie takes even more liberties with history; while entertaining, it doesn't give you the real story, although the depiction of French court life is well done. FLORENCE First, the scientific stuff: The city is 4346' N, 1114'E, on both banks of the River Arno, which at this point flows through a broad fertile valley enclosed between spurs of the Apennines. The city is 165 feet above sea level, and occupies an area of three square miles. The soil is very fertile; wheat, olives, vines, and fruit trees of many kinds cover both the plain and the surrounding hills. The chief non-fruit-bearing trees are the stone pine, the cypress, the ilex and the poplar. The maximum temperature during summer can go as high as about 97, and the minimum in winter about 36, sometimes sinking as low as 21. The longest day is 15 hours and 33 minutes, the shortest 8 hours and 50 minutes. The average rainfall is about 37-1/2 inches. The city is known as "la cittą dei fiori", the "city of flowers", because of its numerous gardens and the surrounding terrain, and also known as "la bella Firenze", "Florence the beautiful". The symbol of the city is the giglio, the lily (what the French call the fleur-de-lys, only customized for Florence), which also appears on the Medici crest. The Patron Saint is San Giovanni Baptista, St. John the Baptist, whose feast day is June 21. This day is celebrated for a number of days, marked with religious ceremonies, street parades, pageants, feasts, and general carryings-on. Much of the public display was paid for by the Medici family or the Medici bank as a means of controlling the populace. ("Bread and circuses" worked in the Roman times, it worked in the Renaissance, too.) PUBLIC BUILDINGS All references are to map #3. You would know the location of, and probably have been in or by, all of the following: PALACES The Palazzo Vecchio (the "Old Palace"), on the Piazza della Signoria. This is where Cosimo and his family live. It also houses the Government Assembly rooms. Go ahead, ask me about it - I've been in the secret passageways! The Palazzo Medici-Ricciardi, one of the early Medici residences, located near the Piazza of San Lorenzo (more on the Basilica in a bit). It contains the Chapel of the Magi, which depicts Lorenzo the Magnificent as one of the Three Wise Men traveling to Bethlehem, and is a truly amazing study of what one painter can accomplish with an unlimited supply of gold leaf. The Palazzo Pitti, bought by Eleonaro de Toledo, Cosimo's first wife, from the Pitti family. She had Bartolommeo Ammanati enlarge and elaborate the palazzo itself, and the gardens underwent a radical transformation. After Cosimo's death, his descendants favored the Pitti over the Palazzo Vecchio and lived at the Pitti exclusively. Having seen both places, I can't image why; the Pitti is proof that the Baroque period was the beginning of modern bad taste. The Palazzo Dolce, the Contessa's palazzo in Firenze and where we all live happily together when in Firenze. Note that this is a fictional palazzo and will not be found if you actually go to Firenze today. For theatrical purposes, it is situated "near" the Palazzo Vecchio, to which there is access through underground passageways. CHURCHES The Church of Santa Maria del Fiore (also called "Il Duomo") is the largest church in Firenze and the fourth largest church in the world. It was founded in 1298 on the plans of Arnolfo di Cambio, and recently (for character's time) completed by Brunelleschi, although construction of the facade has not yet begun. (It actually won't even start until 1875, but of course you don't know that.) Near the Duomo is the Campanile, built by Giotto, begun in 1332. Opposite is the Baptistry also built by Arnolfo di Cambio, adorned with Ghiberti's bronze doors from the 15th century. We attend church in the Basilica of San Lorenzo. Cosimo built this church in memory of his father, a statue of whom is in the piazza in front of the church. The Medici Bank loaned the money for the construction to the city government, and so guess who had total control over the design and all aspects of construction? The Medici coat of arms is repeated all over the church, including four times in the ceiling down the center aisle and over the crucifix behind the High Altar (the subliminal message - the Medici are above even God). The tomb of Cosimo the Elder is in the floor in front of the high altar, thereby making the entire church his personal sepulcher. The Medici tombs are in the "basement" of the Basilica, where all the Medici are buried (except the daughters who were married off to foreign husbands). Upstairs from the tombs are the Chapel of the Princes and the Baptistry. The Chapel of the Princes is a highly ornate marble and gold leaf Baroque premonition. It contains larger-than-life statues of each of the Grand Dukes (although in our time there is only Cosimo) and is where the Medici held private masses. Regular weekly masses would have been private; we would have attended mass in the main church only on high holy days, feast days, and San Giovanni's day (June 21). The Medici attended mass in the main church in the prior century, until the attempted assassination of Lorenzo the Magnificent, during which his brother Giuliano was killed. The Baptistry was done by Michelangelo and is a study in white marble; very soothing, very serene, and a pleasant relief after the grandeur of the Chapel of the Princes. Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother Giuliano are entombed in the Baptistry. In the Basilica complex is also the only public library of the sort with which moderns are familiar. This is the Biblioteca Mediceo-Laurenziana, which was founded in 1571. The original books were from the personal library of Cosimo the Elder, and the collection was enlarged by Piero, Giovanni and particularly Lorenzo the Magnificent. There are books of every type on many subjects, maps, paintings, sculptures, etc. In the City Hall there is also the Biblioteca Ricciardiana, founded in the 16th century by Romolo Ricciardi, on a smaller scale, containing mostly information related to the history of Firenze. OTHER PUBLIC BUILDINGS The Palazzo Vechhio is across the street from the Signoria, the Government building, and from the Uffizi, the government offices. (The Signoria is still used for government purposes; the Uffizi is now a fabulous art gallery.) It is connected to both buildings and the Ponte Vecchio by secret passageways underground. The Ponte Vecchio is one of the nine bridges which connects the two parts of the city. The Ponte Vecchio was a medley of different shops for centuries. As the Grand Duke crossed the bridge every day, the Medici decided to improve the image of the bridge, and so kicked out all of the more "common" shopkeepers and installed goldsmiths and jewelers, which remain today. The other major bridge is the Ponte Santa Trinitą, which is the next bridge west of the Ponte Vecchio. The Ponte Santa Trinitą has four statues, one on each corner, depicting the four seasons. |