In Via della Scala, behind the central station, in the convent complex of Santa Maria Novella, is the oldest historic pharmacy and apothecary shop in Europe, active for over four centuries.
Already in the fourteenth century, the Dominican friars of Santa Maria Novella sold rosewater as a disinfectant, even for epidemics.
The perfumery dates back to 1612 and when you enter you can still admire the furniture and furnishings of the time, where you can inebriate yourself with the essences and perfumes of the brand Farmacia di Santa Maria Novella.
From the Pharmacy it is possible to access the marvellous Chiostro Grande which is part of the church convent, the largest in the city with splendid 16th century frescoes by over 15 painters from the Florentine Academy.

At the time of the Grand Dukes, in the courtyard of Palazzo Pitti, the most sumptuous society parties and theatrical performances took place.

The marriage in 1589 between Ferdinando I Medici and Christine Lorraine, favourite niece of Catherine Queen of France, marked a turning point in the Medici policy of alliances. For this solemn occasion the festivities were to be memorable!

To impress its prestigious guests, a naumachia was staged, which could be admired from the upper floors of the courtyard, which was transformed into a spectacular setting for a naval battle! But how did they do it?

The sides were sealed with bitumen and the courtyard was filled with water to a height of almost 2 metres.

In Livorno were specially built 18 ships, protagonists of the theatrical reconstruction of a real naval battle between Turks and Christians.

The effect was amazing, also thanks to the suggestive pyrotechnics by Bernardo Buontalenti, the court architect famous for his technical devices including automata, merry-go-rounds and fireworks. For this reason he was also called Bernardo of the pinwheels!

Perhaps not everyone knows that...the first opera in the world was performed in Florence, in the splendid and prestigious Renaissance palace in Via Tornabuoni, once the headquarters of the Banca Commerciale Italiana.

The palace was built when Giovanni Tornabuoni, the wealthy patron who commissioned the frescoes in Santa Maria Novella and brother of Lucrezia, mother of Lorenzo the Magnificent, unified several of the family's tower-houses (consorteria) into one large palace.

Subsequently with Alessandro de Medici, the future Pope Leo XI, ("Pope Lightning" for its short duration of a few days) it became a point of reference for the many cardinals who were hosted there.

It was when Jacopo Corsi, a refined patron who was passionate about music, became the new owner of the palace that the Accademia della Musica was born.

The group included artists of the calibre of Vincenzo Galilei, father of the astronomer Galileo Galilei, Giulio Caccini, Pietro Strozzi and many others.

Thanks to Corsi, in 1594 the Fable of Daphne, composed by Jacopo Peri with a text by Rinuccini, was performed for the first time in a completely private form. It was the first Italian melodrama that later gave life to opera.

At the side of the palace there is a marble slab that commemorates the birth of melodrama in the palace.

Ponte Vecchio, one of the most famous bridges, crossed by millions of tourists to get to the other side of the city, in the picturesque Oltrarno district.

Whoever crosses it is fascinated by the splendor of the shop windows with precious jewelry and the romantic view of the Arno River.

Damaged several times by floods, it was then destroyed in 1333 in the disastrous historical flood.

The one we see was built in 1345 by Taddeo Gaddi, who designed a bridge with three wide segmental arches instead of five round ones. This solution facilitated the passage of debris brought by any floods.

At one time there were four towers on the bridge, two protecting the entrance to the city and two to the south, in Oltrarno, in the direction that led to Rome.

Of these towers only one remains, the Mannelli tower.

In 1565, during the construction of the Vasari Corridor, private homes had to be knocked down and broken into. But the Mannelli family, owners of the ancient tower, objected, claiming the historical importance of their property.

The Grand Duke Medici surrendered, saying: "Everyone is master in his own house!"

But the works had to go on (the work was completed in only 5 months for the imminent wedding of Francis I and Joan of Austria!) and the architect Vasari built the corridor passing around the tower, creating that narrow gallery supported by arches and corbels that still characterizes the south side of the bridge.

Impossible to visit Florence without enjoying a good ice cream! Strolling through the streets of the old town there is no shortage of ice cream shops where you can stop and find yourself in the difficult choice in front of so many flavors!

But my favorite is still him! The Buontalenti, made with cream and custard, which owes its name to the famous architect.

The recipe using ice and fruit was already known, but he created a new type of ice cream for the Medici family using eggs as well. It seems that he had also invented a machine for making ice cream, making it freeze thanks to the paddles operated by a crank.

Once our palates are satisfied, let's talk about the great architect Bernardo Buontalenti, student of Vasari and author of Florentine masterpieces, who, in addition to architecture, also created wonderful fireworks shows, fountains with water games, fittings and sets for parties and court celebrations.

He worked on the enlargement of Palazzo Vecchio, of the Uffizi (he was also the author of the Tribuna, considered the first museum in the West). He also continued his work in the Pitti Palace and in the Boboli Gardens, where even today his famous Grotto conquers all visitors. Inside, in the past, the Medici family placed the 4 statues of Michelangelo's Prisoners, now in the Accademia Gallery together with David.

Perhaps not everyone knows that in the Uffizi there is a special door next to which there is a slot in the marble that the Grand Duke had put to receive letters from citizens with requests for help or complaints.

An innovative system to be informed personally and demonstrate its closeness to the citizens. The architect was Bernardo Buontalenti, a trusted artist of the Medici. Very particular is the upper part of the door, with the tympanum broken and the two halves inverted to obtain a greater dynamism and the opening in the middle that allows the light to filter inside.

Pietro Leopoldo Habsburg-Lorraine, who succeeded the Medici, also wanted to be informed about the public and private affairs of his citizens. He thus had a slit opened in the thick ashlars (stones) of the facade of the Pitti Palace, at the time called the palace of residence, like that of the Uffizi.

The request was placed inside a small room where only the Grand Duke could enter and where he took refuge to read in all privacy.

Visiting the Treasury of the Grand Dukes in the Pitti Palace, you can see the entrance door in one of the beautifully frescoed walls.

The hole had been plastered over and traces of it had been lost until the restoration that brought it to light.