Author: Enrico Giulio Giuliani

museo opera duomo firenze

Museo dell’Opera del Duomo

The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo testifies, with its rich heritage, the incredible history behind the Duomo of Florence. The present holy building began being built in the fourteenth century, while before in the same place stood the church of Santa Reparata, built around the fifth century.
This whole story is explained and exhibited in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, which is right behind the apse of Piazza del Duomo 9.
For some centuries the rooms that now house the museum were home to the Opera del Duomo, an institution that had and still has the task of providing maintenance and care of the monumental complex: statues, projects, documents, memorabilia and objects that have formed the nucleus of the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo .
After a first enlargement in preparation for the Jubilee in 2000, the exhibition space has since been expanded: now the 25 rooms cover 6,000 square meters on three floors.

The new display dramatically details the reconstruction in actual dimensions of the inferior part of the old facade of the Duomo di Firenze designed by Arnolfo di Cambio exactly as it appeared in some medieval codes. Because of these, it is now possible to admire the positions in which they were originally imagined to be, Florentine sculptures from 300-400 AD. The original doors of the Battistero, Porta del Paradiso and Porta Nord of Lorenzo Ghiberti were positioned in front. Reading the list of the names of the artists whose works are exhibited in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo can be likened to opening a book on Art History, with names such as Michelangelo, Donatello, Arnolfo di Cambio, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Andrea Pisano, Antonio del Pollaiolo, Luca della Robbia, Andrea del Verrocchio: all great artists who were formed in Florence between the 14th and 16th centuries, who assisted in the construction of the Duomo and whose works are exhibited there today.  To protect and preserve these works from damage from pollution and weather, the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo features copies of these works on the outside: the 36 meter Galleria del Campanile di Giotto is now the home to 16 natural sized statues and 54 smaller ones that adorned the belltower.

Even though it was less known to the public than the Uffizi or Pitti museums, the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo holds its place as a place of culture. Its new design places it on par with the other principal european museums for both content and exhibition space.

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Tuscan bread

When the typical Tuscan bread comes under discussion, it’s hard not to cite the phrase “You shall discover how the bread of others tastes of salt” from the Divine Comedy, through which Dante emphasizes his distaste for the salted version.

Even though unsalted bread is undoubtedly one of the most typical elements of Tuscan cuisine, its origin has yet to find a clear explanation. There are many theories and all are equally credible but unfortunately there are no reliable sources.
The most famous story dates back to the ages of the independent states, when Florence was constantly fighting with Pisa. During one of the numerous wars between the two cities, Pisa decided to block the sale of salt to Florence to create trouble for its adversary: in those times, salt was the main food preservative as well as a condiment. The Florentines did not let this get the better of them, and forged ahead by baking bread without the salt.

Other stories claim that unsalted bread originated from the medieval fiscal policies of Pisa toward the Florentines. Pisa monopolized the sale of salt in Tuscany and therefore could impose taxes and duties whenever and however they liked; they even raised them so much that the citizens of the Republic of Florence finally chose to go without! This theory is supported by the fact that in Lucca and Massa Carrara, who both had their own ports and did not purchase their salt from Pisa, produced bread with salt. Perhaps that explains why the phrase “better to have a death in the house than a Pisan on the doorstep” is still pronounced in most parts of Tuscany!

A third theory suggests that unsalted bread didn’t originate from the political disputes of the time, but rather from the abundant use of spices in Tuscan cuisine; for example, the finocchiona salami, the Peposo dell’Impruneta meat dish and the Tuscan prosciutto, to name the most reknown. They are all strong flavour foods with a decided taste that would decidedly be overwhelmed if paired with normal salted bread. Unsalted bread exalts the taste of these dishes.
All three theories could be true, and there is no proof or indication of which could be true, since taxes on salt no longer exist. Unsalted bread is such a deep part of Tuscan cuisine that if Dante came back to life today, he would just need to cross the Versilia river to say “how salty is the bread of others”.

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The Christmas market of Piazza Santa Croce in Florence

The Christmas market of Piazza Santa Croce in Florence has been a regular event in the urban schedule of the city for fifteen years.

Piazza Santa Croce is one of the most evocative squares of Florence, a few steps from River Arno and Palazzo Vecchio and easy to reach even for the public transport. In December, the magnificent marble façade of the Franciscan basilica, to which Foscolo dedicated verses because it stored the remains of great Italians such as Michelangelo and Galileo, acts as the background of the small wooden chalets recreating the northern village that is typical for Christmas.

This year, over 50 exhibitors compose the Christmas market of Piazza Santa Croce that, in spite of its original name being German (Weihnachtsmarkt), gathers perfumes, colours and specialties from all over Europe. Ukrainian Christmas decorations, French cheeses, British jams and Greek delicacies share the room with food and specialty of the Germanic area, from the ever-present strudel to the gingerbread. There are also many objects and gift ideas for any price and of any material and dimension, which are appropriate for all tastes and pockets.

Strolling through the Christmas market of Piazza Santa Croce in Florence, which is opened from 10 am to 8 pm every day and until 20th December, means getting lost in an ocean of different colours and perfumes, but which matches with the Christmas atmosphere.

Participating to a celebration for all five senses: listening to the merry people’s speaking in many foreign languages, admiring the decorations, smelling the typical perfumes, tasting the European and Italian specialties, touching with your hands the products. Ultimately, it means to live a celebration atmosphere fully.

Come to the Christmas market of Piazza Santa Croce in Florence and enjoy warm tea, mulled wine, or chocolate, hot and energizing beverages: do not mind the freezing cold, which helps creating the Christmas atmosphere though, and immerse among the wooden chalets. In the joyful din of elder and youth, you will find an object, a gift, something to make your Christmas special surely.

Discover the real “Made in Tuscany” brand and download the famous App for tablets and smartphones  “Made in Tuscany” on Google Play and on Apple Store . The best one for the traveler who wants to discover the real and authentic Tuscany.