APRIL 2015
Florence News & Events
NEWS
www.florencenewsandevents.com
Siena Duomo Reopens ‘Stairway to Heaven’
Siena’s Duomo will re-open its series of spiral staircases named the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ from March 9 through October 31 for guided tours and the adjoining Piccolomini Library. The thirteenth-century cathedral, known for its black-andwhite stripes, first gave the public access to a walkway near the top of the 16-metre nave in 2013. The elevated visiting area provides an exceptional view of the ornate mosaic floor that was created by close to 40 artists from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries.
The floor’s design includes 56 hexagonal, rectangular and rhombus shaped panels that depict pictures of the sibyls, allegories and virtues, and scenes from the Old Testament. The staircase also allows visitors to clearly see the cathedral’s hexagonal dome with its trompe l’oeil coffers painted in blue with golden stars and topped with Bernini’s gilded lantern. The Gothic cathedral, built between 1215 and 1263, is home to many works of art including pieces by Donatello and Michelangelo.
Behave in Front of Art
Uffizi reinforces selfie-stick prohibition The Uffizi Gallery directorate confirmed last month that the use of selfie sticks is forbidden inside the museum. Although the rule was introduced in October 2014, it has been reinforced, possibly due to the irreverent shots published by American singer Katy Perry in front of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus at the museum and Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery, although
the use of a selfie stick was not confirmed in these instances. The prohibition of selfie-stick use is clearly indicated alongside the museum’s code of behavior close to the ticket office. In recent times, the use of selfie sticks has been banned in several important museums all over the world, including MoMa and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the US.
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The Middle Ages on the Road on Display at the Bargello
Divided in five sections and the result of a collaboration between the Bargello National Museum, Musée de Cluny in Paris, the Schnütgen Museum of Cologne and Catalonia’s Episcopal Museum of Vic, the exhibition The Middle Ages on the Road explores travelling in the medieval period. The first section of the exhibit explores the boundaries and perceptions of the known world during the Middle Ages through a series of maps dating back to the twelfth century, and, in particular, how the world was perceived from Florence at that time. The maps showcased present the routes followed primarily by merchants, as well as other kind of travellers, while the dangers of
sea travel are evoked through an iconographic section and the display of ancient navigation tools. The second part is dedicated to presenting the different types of medieval pilgrims, including their travel garments, instruments, and the badges ‘conquered’ depending on the destinations reached, and also presents direct accounts by the Crusaders. A third section documents land and sea travels through small objects, followed by an examination of the theme of travel made for business or political purposes, such as the missions undertaken by diplomats, messengers and ambassadors, with the display of various instruments necessary for such tasks, including document
folders, trading cards and letters of exchange. The final part of the exhibition focuses on the short trips made by royalty and aristocrats, together with their entourage, to visit their domains or properties; in short, trips that were simply a demonstration of power.
The Middle Ages on the Road Until June 21 Bargello National Museum Mon – Sun: 8:15 a.m.–1:50 p.m. Cost: €4 055 23 88 606 info@polomuseale.firenze.it www.polomuseale.firenze.it