ITALY
Florence, golfing in Medici's gardens

by R. Bourne & C. Jaricott

To UNESCO statistics, 60% of the world's important works of art are located in Italy and approximately half of these are in Florence. Destination of a high proportion of international tourism, nobody goes to the Medici's city just for playing golf but, for those who don't want to visit-visit-visit, they can take their golfbag; some of the best Italian courses are located on Medici's former properties at a mashie shot from the city.

Florence Octobre 2002 - Florence stands 50 m. above sea level on the banks of the Arno River, in a hollow surrounded by hills: the world known Chianti to the south and the Fiesole village to the north where the famous Orient-Express Hotel, Villa San Michele offers a superb view over the city.

Originally a Roman centre (Florentia), it began to acquire a certain importance under the Carolingians but its fortunes date from the time (1115) of its constitution as a Republic and later from the 14th century Renaissance movement .

Poet Dante Alighieri, author of the famous Divine Comedy and father of the Italian language, was born in Florence in 1265, at the time when the city was politically divided between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. The Guelphs were the supporters of the church and papacy and were mostly aristocrats and nobles trying to keep things the way they were, instead of moving ahead into the Renaissance supported by the Ghibellines. This did not, however, prevent it, aided by increasing economic importance, from undertaking a policy of expansion directed at the largest Tuscan towns. Shortly after (1434), the Republic became a Signoria (seigniory) under the Medici family and in 1530 Charles V created the Dukes of Florence, which was changed to Grand Dukes of Tuscany (1555).

Under this Signoria, the town gained great masterpieces by the foremost artists (Brunelleschi, Donatello, Botticelli, Masaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaelo, etc.) becoming the most important European centre of Renaissance culture. When the Medici family died out, the Lorenas gained power in 1737 and, apart from Napoleonic period (1800-1815), governed Florence and the region until 1859, the year in which Duke Leopold II was expelled and Tuscany became part of the Kingdom of Italy; it was even the capital city from 1865 to 1870.

Nowadays Florence remains the capital of the Tuscany province, a charmed land, equally blessed by the genius of man and nature. Tuscany enchants because it holds together as a region, from the tiniest hamlet to Florence the Magnificent where the famous Italian art of live was born. Remember Malaparte : Something like happiness… There lies the famous Italian unity, in that art of living, to be seek, to recover or to die under a Renaissance ceiling.
                                                                                       
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Three Medici's golf courses
around Florence


Toscana is blessed by nature and genius


30% of world's art works are
in Florence

and no modern building spoils the city's skyline

viewed from Villa San Michele.