The ancient little town of Fiésole, beautifully situated on a hill overlooking Florence from the northeast, attracts large numbers of visitors for the sake of its magnificent view of the Tuscan capital in the Arno Valley below, as well as for the sights within the town itself.
History
Fiésole was founded by the Etruscans in the seventh/sixth centuries B.C.; it first appears in the records in the year 225 B.C. Towards the end of the first century B.C. it became the Roman town of Faesulae, complete with capitol, forum, temple, theater and public baths. In the period of the great migrations, however, it declined and was completely overshadowed by the nearby town of Florence. It became the see of a bishop in 492.
In Via Duprè 18 northwest of the archeological site is a small museum and foundation for the Tuscan artist Primo Conti (1900-1988). Initially a subscriber to Futurism and Cubism, after the Second World War Conti developed an individual style of hectic color. There are documents on Italian Futurism in addition to Conti's own works.
Address: Museo Primo Conti, Via Duprè 18, I-50014 Fiesole, Italy
The little hamlet of San Domenico di Fiesole (148m/486ft above sea level) is only about half a mile southwest of Fiesole and right on the boundary of Florence, with a panoramic view of the city. Its San Domenico Church (1406-1435; rebuilt in the 17th century) is worth seeing; it has a richly furnished interior, with a beautiful altarpiece by Fra Angelico (c. 1430) in the first chapel on the left.
Diagonally opposite the Church of Sant'Alessandro stands the monastic Church of San Francesco. It was built in the 14th century and given over to the Franciscans in 1407. In 1905 the church was extensively restored.
The interior, with valuable art treasures, the mission museum and the idyllic cloisters are all worth seeing.
Taking the Strada Vecchia Fiesolana which runs southwest downhill from Fiesole we reach the Villa Medici, also known as "Belcanto" or "il Palagio di Fiesole"; it was built by the architect Michelozzo between 1458 and 1461 for Cosimo the Elder. This is where the Pazzi conspirators originally planned to murder the Medici brothers, Lorenzo and Giulano, until they decided in 1478 that the Duomo Santa Maria was a more convenient meeting place.
Read More
Read More
Read Less
