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Florence is, without a doubt, one of Italy鈥檚 most appreciated travel destinations and it really couldn鈥檛 be otherwise, with all its聽art,听history听补苍诲 good food. Most of us are familiar with its beauties, even聽if we鈥檝e never had the luck to visit, but do we really know everything about it? What鈥檚 hidden聽in its streets and palaces or under Ponte聽Vecchio? What can we still discover about the magnificent home of Dante,听Cosimo听补苍诲 Lorenzo de Medici and聽Benvenuto聽Cellini?

罢丑别蝉别听five curiosities聽should quench our thirst聽for knowledge about聽Firenze, cradle of the Renaissance, mother of the Italian language and Tuscany鈥檚 most precious gem.

1.聽Michelangelo’s etchings are hidden in its streets

The name of聽Michelangelo聽is tied indissolubly to that of聽Florence聽through his art and genius, but did you know聽a hidden work of his can be admired on the external walls聽of Palazzo聽Vecchio, at the very heart of the city, in Piazza聽della聽Signoria?

Indeed, if you turn your back to聽Baccio聽Bandelli鈥檚聽Hercules and聽Cacus鈥� statues, looking to the right of Palazzo聽Vecchio鈥檚聽main entrance, you鈥檒l notice, almost on the building鈥檚聽corner, the聽etching of a human head. Legend says that a Florentine of a somewhat bothersome nature聽鈥� and who owned the artist a good amount of money –聽used to stop Michelangelo almost聽every day in that very spot, to聽complain about his misfortunes and financial failures.聽Buonarroti, who was certainly a genius, but remained famous in history for聽not being particularly patient, grew quickly tired of these daily meetings to the point he, one day,听started nonchalantly to carve his inopportune interlocutor鈥檚 profile on Palazzo聽Vecchio鈥檚聽walls. Some say he simply turned his back聽to the man,听while others maintain he sketched聽him聽in stone without even looking,听hiding his hands behind his back. Even if the story were a legend, the presence of the etching – familiarly called the 鈥渋mportuno,鈥� the untimely or bothersome 鈥� is very much a thing of reality.

A curiosity within the curiosity: there鈥檚 a second version of the story, according to which the stone portrayal on Palazzo Vecchio, always realized by Buonarroti, didn鈥檛 represent an annoying acquaintance of the artist, but a man sentenced to the stocks he saw just there, in Piazza della Signoria.

2.聽A cuckolded husband is remembered on the fa莽ade of its cathedral

There are far more and far more curiosities but we’re trying our best to highlight some top notes! Far from me the will to be disrespectful: this is really what Florentine tales say.

If you look closely to the聽Duomo鈥檚聽fa莽ade, you鈥檒l note the presence of a bull-shaped gargoyle that many believe was made to symbolize the bulls used to carry stones and materials to the building site while聽the聽cathedral was constructed.

There鈥檚 another, much saucier version of the story, though: apparently, a beautiful woman, married to a tailor, used to live near the building site, her bedroom windows opening directly聽on it; fate wanted she began a steamy relationship with a stonemason employed on the site. One day, the man found himself working away on a piece of stone high up on the church鈥檚 fa莽ade: it only took him one second to notice that, from there, he could see his lover鈥檚 bedroom. The temptation to play a blatant practical joke on her husband was too strong to resist, so he gave the gargoyle he was busy sculpting the features of a horned bull, symbol of the cuckholded,听looking in the direction of his lover鈥檚 house.

I wonder if the poor husband聽ever聽knew he had been immortalized in one of Florence most important monuments鈥�

3.The old stores of 笔辞苍迟别听痴别肠肠丑颈辞听were not what we know them to be

What a characteristic, beautiful landmark聽笔辞苍迟别听痴别肠肠丑颈辞听is. Unique in its architecture, magical because of the aura of history and art brought聽by its seemingly endless, glittery line of goldsmiths鈥� ateliers.聽Yes, today 笔辞苍迟别听痴别肠肠丑颈辞听is home to Florence鈥檚 most exclusive jewelry creators and sellers, but it hasn鈥檛 always been the case.

Ponte聽Vecchio, let鈥檚 say, had much humbler beginnings. The history of the bridge dates back to the Middle Ages and to the early years of the Florentine Renaissance: it was 1345 when Ponte聽Vecchio got the looks we all know now. However, for聽more than a century, its small stores were聽not occupied聽by elegant and exclusive goldsmiths鈥� workshops, but by much more proletarian –聽forgive the anachronism聽–聽green grocers, butchers and fish mongers.

Why, you may say, what was the problem with that? Well,听the聽problem was that all of Ponte聽Vecchio鈥檚聽commercial residents had the habit to dispose of the large quantities of refuse resulting from their trade directly into the Arno river. Yes they, quite literally, dumped all the rubbish under the bridge, causing聽miasmas deign of聽Dante鈥檚 Inferno.

So when, in 1565, the聽颁辞谤谤颈诲辞颈辞听痴补蝉补谤颈补苍辞聽was constructed,听Cosimo聽I de Medici ordered all the stores on the bridge to be replaced by goldsmiths鈥� ateliers. You see, the聽颁辞谤谤颈诲辞颈辞听痴补蝉补谤颈补苍辞聽was created to join Palazzo聽Vecchio聽to Palazzo聽Pitti听补苍诲 crossed Ponte聽Vecchio: aristocratic nostrils,听Cosimo聽must have thought, were too delicate for the rotting tanginess of Ponte聽Vecchio鈥檚聽air. The shine and preciousness of gold, on the other hand, would have fitted just fine.

And this is how, ladies and gentlemen, 笔辞苍迟别听痴别肠肠丑颈辞听turned from a popular corner of Florence, into one of its most exclusive spots.

4.There is a window that never closes

Yes, and not because of an absent minded resident.

It鈥檚 a window of Palazzo聽Budini-Gattai, also known as聽笔补濒补锄锄辞听骋谤颈蹿辞苍颈听in Piazza聽Santissima Annunziata, just opposite the Basilica. On the right hand side of its fa莽ade, a window always keeps its shutters open. Legend tells us that, sometimes towards the end of the 16th聽century, young Lord聽Grifoni听补苍诲 his wife moved into the palace, shortly after their marriage. However,听the man was soon forced to leave his wife to join the army and fight to defend Florence: the day he left, his beloved wife聽waved聽goodbye to him from聽the聽very window we聽still see open.

For months, the woman sat by the window reading or embroidering, waiting for her lover to return. Months turned聽into years, years into decades and聽Grifoni聽never came back from that battle; yet his wife waited for him faithfully, by that very open window, until the day of her death.

After her passing, the palace鈥檚 residents went on with their lives, finally closing the window. It wasn鈥檛 a good idea. As soon as the square was no longer visible from the room, books started to fly in the air, furniture moved and objects broke against the walls: the dead woman鈥檚 spirit was still there, and wanted to keep her timeless wake by the open window for eternity. From that moment, the shutters were never closed.

5. The 鈥淢adonna del聽Puzzo鈥�

This last curiosity is rooted in a much more recent past than the others described in this article. We are at the end of the 1980s when a statue of the Holy Virgin Mary pinching her nose closed in disgust made her first glorious appearance in Via Toscanella. Nicknamed 鈥淟a Madonna del Puzzo,鈥� or the Madonna of Stench because of her peculiar posture, it was conceived and created by artist Mario Mariotti, resident of the area, tired of the unbearable smell of urine that plagued the area because of the lack of manners of passersby.

Mariotti聽thought it was a good idea, a way聽to passively and artistically protest against rudeness. Needless to say,听locals loved it and supported his initiative, but rude people, alas, kept on being rude and never quite stopped urinating where they shouldn鈥檛. Actually, a few years later, large rubbish bins were placed just opposite the sculpture. As we say in Italy: 鈥渙ltre聽al聽danno, la聽beffa鈥�.

Florence聽is known for its聽history,听art听补苍诲 beauty, yet even when we think to know everything about a place these curiosities听补苍诲 quirky anecdotes come our way to demonstrate how wrong we are: just imagine these five little tales are only a fraction of the thousands of small, incredible聽stories聽the city holds secret for us to discover and appreciate.