A Nighttime Stroll Through the Streets of Florence 

written by Jack Wardynski for SPEL: Journalsim

Florence University of the Arts (FUA) hosted a walking tour centered around the Santa Maria Novella neighborhood of Florence early on this Fall semester. Students interested in visiting a highly-frequented area of the city were encouraged to attend for a brief history lesson, while also getting their steps in for the day. 

The tour began in the evening in Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, where tourists and Florentines congregate to enjoy the various restaurants that line the square. The tour guide and her students then moved north of the piazza to take a look at the Santa Maria Novella train station. From there, the tour rounded Via della Scala and stopped to admire Officina Profumo - Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, one of the oldest stores in the city. The perfume store originated back in 1221, more than eight centuries ago, and to this day sells many of the same products used by some of the key figures of the Renaissance. 

The group wandered back  through Piazza di Santa Maria Novella once again and down Via degli Strozzi, eventually arriving outside Palazzo Strozzi. The group received a brief rundown of the building’s history; it was constructed by the Strozzis, a prominent rival to the famous Medici family that ruled Florence during the Renaissance. The Palazzo was constructed in 1489, after the family’s return from exile, as a means of flaunting their wealth and power. The distinctive large rings that outline Palazzo Strozzi were used to hitch the family’s horses. 

A short walk from Palazzo Strozzi is Piazza della Repubblica, right in the heart of the ancient city, near the Duomo. A street performer strummed his guitar for captivated onlookers, eager peddlers showed off their flying, glowing spinners for the fascinated crowd, and giddy children rode the piazza’s famous merry-go-round. The bustling nighttime scene is usually a major attraction for visitors to Florence, so the priority of the tour group was to avoid someone getting lost!

From there, the group went down Via degli Speziali, then down Via del Proconsolo, and finally to la meridiana del Museo Galileo along the Arno River, right next to Galleria degli Uffizi. From this spot, you can see the Abbazia di San Miniato al Monte standing high above Piazzale Michelangelo. The church’s facade appears almost like a face, with two eyes and a mouth, gazing out over the Italian cityscape below.The tour came to an end along the Arno, and the students were released to discover the Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio just to the west. Or, they could return north to witness the Duomo, a beautiful sight in the dark of night as it dominates the center of Florence.

This had been Olivia Oddo’s first tour, who was tasked to fill in at the last minute for the original guide who had to call out sick. Despite a few stops to check GPS and ensure that the group was going in the right direction, the evening went smoothly, and the students had the chance to take in many of the best landmarks of the famous city.

“I hope you guys enjoyed it, I hope you guys learned a lot,” said Oddo. “I’m so proud that everything went well.”

FUA hosts a variety of walking tours over the course of the semester. With a city as robust and storied as Florence, walking the streets and familiarizing yourself with the local sights is oftentimes the best way to connect yourself more deeply with your surroundings. Students are encouraged to take note of the walking tours on the schedule and attend to give themselves a quick lesson into this stunning Renaissance city.