Alessandra Gardin

Florence tourist guide

FLORENCE AND WORLD WAR II - A SPECIAL PATH


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If you are interested in knowing about the history of Florence during the terrible years of the Second World War , please, follow your official licensed tourist guide of Florence exploring the most important places and characters of the period 1943-1945. We will start our tour with an historical introduction, walking through the area of the city which was most damaged by the war, that is The Ponte Vecchio and the streets nearby: Borgo San Jacopo, via Guicciardini and via de’ Bardi. Here on August 3rd 1944 at night the German mines destroyed  the ancient tower houses and the Reaissance buildings together with all the bridges except for the Ponte Vecchio. The German troups aim was holding up the arrival of the Allies and Partisans. In those terrible days the population living in the districts on both sides of the Ponte Vecchio was gathered in the Ammannati courtyard inside the Pitti Palace.
I will tell you about Frederick Hartt, young and brave art historian, belonging to the US Army during the war, who was part of the Allies Subcommission overlooking Monuments, Art pieces and Archives (MFAA), now well known as “Monumnets Men” and he was one of the two responsible for Tuscany. Frederick Hartt was buried in the Cemetery of the Porte Sante, the most ancient monumental cemetery of Florence, located behind the splendid Church of San Miniato al Monte.
We cannot no to include in this special tour the visit of one the two war cemeteries: the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial, which houses the mortal remains of more than 4000  American soldiers, belonging to the V Army and the Florence War Cemeterey where lies more than 1600 soldiers, belonging to the VIII Army of the British Commonwealth. They all died to defend Florence and Tuscany  from the Nazists. These evocative, clean, beautiful places, nowadays symbol of peace, are  at 20 minutes  from Florence, therefore it is requested a car to get there. Do book a tour with your licensed guide of Florence.