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The glazed terracotta frieze on the façade of the Medici Villa at Poggio a Caiano is an expression of the Renaissance culture of Lorenzo the Magnificent. In this article, we attempt to understand its complex meaning.

Marguerite-Louise d’Orléans, a French noblewoman of the highest lineage, seemed the perfect match for the Medici family. In 1661, the marriage contract between the young Parisian and the future Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo III, was signed — but the love story did not unfold as hoped.

It is 1847 in the Cuneo province of Racconigi. The twenty-five-year-old Victor Emmanuel of Savoy, heir to the Kingdom of Sardinia, is engaged in one of his favorite activities: hunting. During this outing, he sees fourteen-year-old Rosina for the first time. From that moment, an intense love story begins, which will find its ideal setting at Villa Petraia.

In these lines, we tell you the story of the tallest tower in Florence, the only one to have preserved its original size from the 14th century to today: the Tower of San Niccolò. This is also the neighborhood we’ve chosen to explore with you on our tour along the city’s lesser-known paths, to discover together a more authentic and less crowded Florence.

In the heart of Medieval and Renaissance Florence, a stone’s throw from Palazzo Vecchio and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, lies one of our favorite places: the Bargello Palace. This majestic building, made of pietraforte, the local brown strong stone, appears as a true fortress, echoing the ancient political and judicial institutions that…

In our tours, we like to take you to see lesser-known places in our beloved Florence. In the itinerary dedicated to Michelangelo, along with the most popular museums where you can see iconic works like the David, we have also included a stop at the National Museum of the Bargello. Housed in an evocative Medieval…

Among the many sculptures by Michelangelo that you can find in Florence, there is one very particular and quite unknown: Bacchus, made on marble around 1496-97, displayed in one of our favorite museums, the Bargello. On the ground floor of this imposing medieval building, a large room hosts numerous masterpieces by the famous Michelangelo. Bacchus…

In a world where marriages were arranged for political or economic reasons rather than love, genuine passions and unconditional love that defied all obstacles were rarely considered, especially for members of a noble house like the Medici.

Since antiquity, perfume has always accompanied mankind’s journey. It was the Crusaders who brought this custom to Europe, importing fragrances from the East through Genoa and Venice. With the discovery of America, new fragrant substances arrived in Spain, which also made their way to Italy. The Renaissance was the golden age of perfumery, especially at…

If, like us, you are fortunate enough to often stroll through the rooms of the Palatine Gallery at Palazzo Pitti, amidst hundreds of more famous paintings, you might come across truly worthy masterpieces, but largely unknown to most. This is what happened to us with the paintings by Rachel Ruysch. Still lifes with hyper-realistic details,…