Florence grew
as a result of it's business and trade. The main business center of the
city was the Mercato Vecchio (now called the Piazza della Republica).
This is where the daily trading when on, and where people bartered and
barbers cut hair. The more dignified business of the cloth merchants and
money changers took place in the Mercato Nuovo.
The Mercato Vecchio
Religion had a key role in daily life.
Some of the famous churches included Santa Maria del Fiore (which is the
large dome on the map) and Santa Maria Novella. The churches were crowded
with sepulchers. It was not until much later that there was concern for
the fact that dead bodies spread disease. Otherwise, Florence did very
well on public health. All hospitals were free, and supported by wealthy
families and the guilds. They were reported to be clean, comfortable and
to have good food. In general, the people like cleanliness. There were
several public bathes.
Many people in Florence enjoyed the
outdoors. Distinguished families in Florence would have garden frescos
painted in their homes and would often own a garden inside of the city,
called a loggia. It was fashionable to have a deer living in these
gardens and courtyards. There were a total of 50 squares and 138 gardens
in the city. People would gather in the squares for social events. In
piazza, like the Piazza San Martino, one might see a fable singer. He
would ask the audience to chose a subject, then play his lute or violin
while reciting a story about that subject. Afterward, he would take a
collection.
Festivals were a large part of life.
On May Day, girls would dance with branches in the Piazza Santa Trinita.
For the Feast of Saint John, all of the guilds would decorate their shops
with silk and gold cloth. The clergy would form a procession through the
city carrying the holy relics.
The citizens would march under the banners of their quarters and offer
candles. This was also a day to release prisoners from the Stinche, the
state prison.
Another big event was the a horse race through the city.
The prize was a Palio, a role of cloth trimmed with fur and gold and silk
fringes. These were given by the other cities of the Tuscan region.
Horse Racing through
Florence
The Lion was the symbol of Florentine independence.
There was a lion den in the city. Bulls, boars, bears, leopards, stags
and bulls were also used in public festivals.
The rich also
owned villas outside of Florence. These villas served as places of
escape, in a figurative as well as a literal sense.
They were a place to relax and have parties. They were also a place to go
to get away from debts and tax collection, or from the plague.
A
hypermap tour of Florence is available