Florence Local Customs

1 more image

Get used to the grafittis on the walls, on business establishments, on apartment buildings, on the streets...These grafittis are all over Florence. Sometimes these grafittis don't make sense, no meanings. I guess some bored Italian took a large pentel pen or spray paint and write on the wall to make a statement that has no sense.

To clean this up is expensive and labor-wise, takes a lot of time.

2 more images

Since I grew up in Asia, I had a culture of bargaining and haggling products that I buy. I don't usually pay what the seller tells me. I firmly negotiate the price and most of the time, I get the discount. Everywhere I travel, I get the negotiated price!

When I was in Florence, I bought gifts (mini-jewelry boxes), scarves, leather book covers, coin purses at discounted prices. When fellow travellers asked me how much I paid for them, they were surprised that I bought my gift items 40 percent lower than what they paid for the same item.

"Italian" sellers in Florence night markets don't give discounts as much as those immigrants sellers. "Italian sellers" are not usually into haggling! One got mad at me when I tried to haggle a leather book cover 50 percent of the retail value.

Most of the sellers at the night market in Florence are from Africa. I liked "negotiating" with them because they were very friendly. And, they were used to it, too.

Also, one of the tip is that make sure to compare prices first before you lock in the negotiated price that you wanted to pay. Also, compliment the seller (I can detect immediately if he is the owner of the stall/store or not. If he is willing to negotiate, he is the owner. If not, I leave and go to another store).

2 more images

One can be confused with different names this palace have; Palazzo Pazzi, Palazzo Congiura or Palazzo mai finito - (Palace Pazzi, the Palace of Conspiacy, the Palace never complited).
Pazzi family were bankers with the support from Pope Sixtus IV and King of Neaples, and held important position in the Renaissance Florence but it wasn't good enough, they wanted much more. They aim was to seize political and economic power from the Medici. In this palace the conspiracy against the Medici's was hatched and planned in 1478; Giuliani de Medici was killed while Lorenzo il magnifico managed to escape. After conspiracy failed the retribution was brutal; public execution of most conspirators, all Pazzi property was confiscated and the Pazzi name destroyed. De' Medici become even stronger then before.
The palace was built by the architect Giuliano da Maiano, designed in the style of Brunelleschi.

1 more image

Originally it was home of the Guelph family Ruggerini who had to abandoned it in 1260, after the battle at Montaperti. It was built almost as the fortress but then reconstructed at the end of the 13th century by family Gianfigliazzi, who were the owners of the palace until 1764.
From the beginnings of the 18th century the palace was used as Accademia dei Nobili, hospiting many famous people, such as Alessandro Manzoni, Vittorio Alfieri and the king Loiuis Buonaparte.
Nowadays the palace is used as a hotel.

1 more image

Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni was the first palace in Florence built according to the Roman Renaissance style. It was designed and built by the architect Baccio d'Agnolo, from 1520-1523 and he was paid two florins per day. The new style caused much criticism to the architect d'Agnolo, leading him to add the Latin inscription "Carpere promptius quam imitari" (critisizing is easier than imitating). The windows have another inscription in Italian saying "per non dormire" (in order not to sleep), which was the motto of the Salimbeni family. It is reference to the members of Salimbeni family habit to postpone sleeping to affairs.

2 more images

The palace Spini Ferroni, built from 1289 for the rich cloth merchant and banker Geri Spini, was the largest private-owned palace in Florence. The design of the building has been attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio.
Later on the palace was divided between the two branches of the Spini and the section facing the square of Santa Trinita was sold in 17th century to marquis Ferroni. After a period as a hotel, in 1846 the comune of Florence bought it and was used for offices during the period when Florence was capital of Italy, from 1865-1871.
In 1930 the palace was bought by Salvatore Ferragamo, the famous shoe designer, and from 1995 its second floor houses the museum founded by Ferragamo.

4 more images

The BNCF, (National Central Library) is public library, largest in Italy and one of the most important in Europe. It was founded in 1714 when scholar Antonio Magliabecchi bequeated his collection of books with 30.000 volumes to the city of Florence. Thats why the library is originally known as Magliabechiana. It was reguired that a copy of every work published in Tuscany be submitted to the library.
The library, located at the Piazza dei Cavalleggeri, has an collection of over six millions books, magazines, editions, manuscripts and incunabules.

I must have led a charmed life up to this particular venture to Italy, because in all the other countries I visited, English was either one of the standard languages or, in the case of France, I spoke the ambient tongue. I suppose I expected that many, if not most, of the hoteliers and shop keepers and transport personnel in Italy would speak at least a modicum of English. I didn't invest in a phrase-book (although it turned out my companion had brought one along). What arrogance! I have only myself to blame for the multiple times when language barriers led to absurd or disappointing results. (It is hard to ask for directions when you can't articulate where you want to go -- and can't understand when someone tries to help out.)

Probably no one reading this tip would make such a foolish mistake, but just in case...either learn enough Italian to get by, or keep a phrase-book or English-Italian dictionary close at hand. I promise you'll have a more enjoyable visit.

(And as one VT'er says in a very funny motto which I will badly paraphrase, speaking English slowly and very loudly does NOT make it more comprehensible!)