Grace Vaughan is a student at William & Mary and a Featured Blogger. She is studying with ISA in Florence, Italy.
Florence is famous for its extensive history, particularly its significance during the Renaissance. Many of the most influential figures of the Italian Renaissance spent time in Florence, such as Michelangelo, Galileo Galilei, Leonardo Da Vinci, and more. This impressive history is visible everywhere in the city. One of the great Renaissance triumphs is the massive Florence’s Duomo, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, which dominates the city’s skyline. On my day-to-day walks to get groceries and go to class, the Duomo’s beautiful, red-tiled dome peeks out between the narrow streets.
Learning about the Duomo’s history made it even more impressive. In the 15th century, Florence was a republic, where the guilds controlled Florentine arts and trades. Powerful guilds would be patrons of public projects, such as the Duomo’s construction. The guild of wool merchants, who oversaw the Duomo’s construction, hosted a competition in 1418 for Florentine artists and architects to determine who would design the cathedral’s dome. The two most prominent competitors were two famous goldsmiths, Lorenzo Ghiberti and Fillipo Brunelleschi. Supported by the highly influential Medici family, Brunelleschi won the competition, and his dome was completed in 1436.
This was not the first time Brunelleschi and Ghiberti had competed against each other. In 1401, when Ghiberti was only 21 years old, he won the competition to build the bronze doors for the Baptistery, which stands opposite the Duomo, and Brunelleschi was the runner-up. Ghiberti’s doors were so beautiful that Michelangelo described them as the “Gates of Paradise.” The competitive spirit between artists like Brunelleschi and Ghiberti, combined with the funding from the lucrative Florentine guilds, created the perfect environment for Renaissance art to flourish.
It’s easy to notice and appreciate the grand historical sites of Florence, like the towering Duomo and Ghiberti’s stunning doors. However, history also manifests in more subtle forms all around the city. Leaving my apartment every day, I step onto Via Ghibellina, a bustling street stretching through the Sante Croce neighborhood. Across the city, in the San Marco neighborhood, I walk along Via Guelfa every weekday to attend my Italian language class. At first, these names were average Italian street names, but I later discovered their rich historical significance.
In the Middle Ages, Italy was divided into many small city-states, which were in near-constant conflict with one another. In fact, Italy was not united as a country under one government until 1861. The Catholic Church exerted significant power, but the head of the church was split between a religious leader, the Pope in Rome, and a temporal leader, the Holy Roman Emperor in modern-day Germany. This caused two political factions to form in Europe: the Guelphs, who supported the Pope, and the Ghibellines, who supported the Emperor.
Tension between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines was especially present in Florence, where the factions would war against each other to take control of the city. One famous Guelph is Dante Alighieri, who wrote his historic Divine Comedy when in political exile from Florence. This political conflict was highly important to Florence’s 13th—and 14th-century history.
Florence’s unique and vibrant history has amazed me once again. This piece of history stood out to me because of how it is subtly connected to my everyday life. Little did I know that the streets I walk on every day carry a story of a deep historical conflict. I came to realize that there is history everywhere in Florence if you know where to look!
One of my professors this semester told our class to not look down at our phones while walking around Florence and instead pay attention to the city itself. By being an active observer in Florence, a world of history reveals itself to you. This could be in the major monuments, like the Duomo and Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, or in the little things, like street names. These sights are only the tip of the iceberg of Florentine history. When in Florence, look everywhere to uncover the city’s fascinating history. Your everyday life will become enriched with historical significance, making the most mundane tasks more exciting. This is part of the joy of living and studying in Florence!
