Hikari Yokoyama’s Trip to Florence Is a Lesson in Italian History and Style Inline
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko1/10Happy to be in Florence, a place of rich history, wine, architecture, and art!
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko2/10After winding my way through the Palazzo Pitti, the fountains and meandering paths through thickets of forest, I climbed a set of stairs up a small tower and was greeted by the effulgent smell of these pink roses in full bloom. The open garden with expansive views of the city was radical at the time, all the more decadent because no one was allowed inside except for the immediate Medici family. They never hosted parties or functions—it was the innermost sanctuary.
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko3/10Here I am near one of the many Renaissance sculptures that stand watch over the gardens.
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko4/10A classic tourist picture of the Ponte Vecchio. This is the only bridge that wasn’t destroyed during WWII, allegedly because Hitler had his sights on the famous art collection housed in the secret passageway above. I never realized that there was a corridor built above the bridge, which was a kind of secret passageway for the Medicis to be able to privately walk from the Palazzo Vecchio to the Uffizi to the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. Over one kilometer long, it provided the powerful family a protected pathway to move between their various offices, art collections, church, homes, and gardens without ever having to step foot on the street.
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko5/10I’ve emerged from the passageway into the sun-drenched Boboli Gardens!
