La Specola - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

The Boboli Gardens is a historic park in the city of Florence. Born as the Grand Ducal garden of Palazzo Pitti, it is also connected to the Forte di Belvedere, a military outpost for the safety of the sovereign and his family. The garden, which welcomes over 800,000 visitors every year, is one of the most important examples of an Italian garden in the world and is a real open-air museum, for its architectural-landscape setting and for the collection of sculptures.

Palazzo Pitti is an imposing Renaissance palace in Florence. It is located in the Oltrarno area, a short distance from Ponte Vecchio. The original core of the building dates back to 1458, as the urban residence of the banker Luca Pitti. The palace was then purchased by the Medici family in 1549 and became the main residence of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, first Medici and from 1737 Habsburg-Lorraine.

Piazza Santo Spirito is a square of the district Oltrarno in Florence. The square was formed in the thirteenth century, like other squares in front of important religious buildings, to accommodate the crowds who attended the prayers of the Augustinians, owners of the Basilica of Santo Spirito Frequent home to markets and flea markets, it is full of restaurants and nightclubs, craft shops and artists' studios.

The church of Santo Spirito is one of the main basilicas of the city of Florence. It is located in the Oltrarno district, the southern part of the historic center, and with its simple facade dominates the square of the same name. It was built on the remains of the thirteenth-century Augustinian convent destroyed by a fire in 1371. This church is nestled in a quiet little corner of Florence and it is very possible that you will pass in front of it several times before even really noticing its per

This beautiful Fountain of Neptune was located Right in the center of Florence's Piazza della Signoria, just under the Palazzo Vecchio. The fountain was commissioned to built in honor of the marriage of the second Grand Duke of Tuscany Francesco I De’ Medici to the Grand Duchess Johanna of Austria. The Fountain of Neptune in Florence represents several stories from both Greek and Roman mythology. It was one of the main attractions in this area.

The Brancacci Chapel, located inside the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence, represents one of the highest examples of Renaissance painting. It is the result of the collaboration of two of the greatest artists of the time, Masaccio and Masolino da Panicale, to which the hand of Filippino Lippi must be added, called to complete the work about fifty years later. The church and the chapel are treated as separate places to visit and as such have different opening times.