I've been meaning to write this article for some time, thanks for giving me the nudge to do so! It'll be great for the thick of summer, what better beach read than building better cities?!
Absolutely, I spent most of my time walking in the middle of streets for this reason, and was mostly fine in the historic core, but it can get a little precarious with the vespas rushing by!
Exactly, it's only been recently that our efforts have turned to preservation rather than reinvestment. For Florence's sake, I'm glad it was spared from the 20th (and much of the 21st century so far) ideal of "improvement" but here's hoping we can recover the spirit and execution of building that made this city what it is
That's a huge overstatement. Most of Florence's medieval area is entirely preserved with the notable exceptions of the area around Piazza della Repubblica which was cleared during the time Florence became the capital of Italy; and the buildings immediately surrounding the Ponte Vecchio during WW2.
Most of the 19th century renovations were gridded additions to the city beyond the former walls.
Brilliant and insightful . Painted a great picture and great photos
Loved the details about what makes Florence’s buildings so gorgeous. Would love a post on your book recommendations for urban planning+placemaking!
I've been meaning to write this article for some time, thanks for giving me the nudge to do so! It'll be great for the thick of summer, what better beach read than building better cities?!
When you take photos, what kind of Camera are you using?
Just an iPhone! And an older one at that (13). In Florence, the cityscape did much of the work for me
I love the city but I wouldn’t mind seeing them widen their sidewalks so you could pass by someone without having to step into the street!
Absolutely, I spent most of my time walking in the middle of streets for this reason, and was mostly fine in the historic core, but it can get a little precarious with the vespas rushing by!
oh boy do i love those knockers in florence am i right
A key driver of tourism, surely!
One interesting aspect of Florence is much of the medieval area was actually demolished in the 19 century.
Exactly, it's only been recently that our efforts have turned to preservation rather than reinvestment. For Florence's sake, I'm glad it was spared from the 20th (and much of the 21st century so far) ideal of "improvement" but here's hoping we can recover the spirit and execution of building that made this city what it is
That's a huge overstatement. Most of Florence's medieval area is entirely preserved with the notable exceptions of the area around Piazza della Repubblica which was cleared during the time Florence became the capital of Italy; and the buildings immediately surrounding the Ponte Vecchio during WW2.
Most of the 19th century renovations were gridded additions to the city beyond the former walls.
not sure if you mean most of its renaissance development is preserved.
In terms of what it looked like circa 1600 btw there is a good resource here https://florenceasitwas.wlu.edu/maps
https://florenceasitwas.wlu.edu/maps