Microstoria the journal in 2005 and Florence in the monthly information in 2006
Text and photos by Robert Ferdinand
By the mid-nineteenth century in Florence she had felt the need to initiate action building and urban Nisticò that the best materials and hygienic city. With the temporary transfer of this capital requirement became a priority. So on November 14, 1864, just days after the signing of the Royal Decree stated that the new capital of Italy Florence, the city council Florentines, on the recommendation of the mayor Peruzzi, decided to establish a committee with the task of choosing the curators and the guidelines of the new project of enlargement of urban co-replace the link between the old and the new city. " The engineer
Del Sarto, Head of Municipal Art, was in charge of the interior of the city, while the architect and urban planner Giuseppe Poggi (1811-1901), his enlargement. At rest the Commissioners recognized the capacity of previous work performed in building and re-structuring (Villa Favard, Palazzo Canevaro and Santissima Annunziata), to marry well, but the classical-matrix with the fifteenth-century Tuscan school, as well as a good training planning, gained from the study trips to Paris and London.
In February 1865 the so Poggi presented to King Vittorio Emanuele II, for its approval, the master plan for the enlargement of the city, acting on the recommendations laid down by the municipal committee, "breaking down walls to build a big step [ ...] and the link between the streets of the old city and those that will open or change in existing neighborhoods. " The in-building and urban interventions of the plan indicated as priorities: roads, namely the widening of existing streets and riversides and the creation of new ones, and the development of new residential neighborhoods. The king was delighted.
In the spring of 1865 he gave the opening slaughter of the walls along their path on the right bank of the Arno, starting from the iron bridge outside door to the Cross (in the vicinity of the Ponte San Nicolò) to the Porta al Prato . The old border between the old and new Florence was replaced by a long passage lined, the ring road, completed in 1869. The project saw the installation of the square of the Zouaves (now Vittorio Veneto), as a new access to Ca-pad is that in those years became a good state-owned municipal property, and the isolation of the Fortezza da Basso, surrounded by tree-lined avenues, such as the English Cemetery, in the Piazza Donatello, with whom also was torn down the Porta a Pinti. It was redesigned Piazza San Gallo, who took the name of Piazza Cavour (now Piazza della Libertà), while keeping the old port, the Arc the Parterre and Grand Duke of Lorraine, but providing it with green space and surrounded by tall buildings with arcades there- . Similar action was taken for the current Piazza Beccaria, saving the main gate to the Cross. Along the sides of these streets were built new homes, where fate until then, in particular between the Cross and Borgo Borgo Pinti, he had only several small gardens.
in 1866 were built new Lungarno della Zecca, Serristori and Torrigiani and strengthened the defenses at the Cascine and riversides of the center flood of the Arno near the Ponte Rosso and against those of Mugnone.
On the left side of the city interested in the killing of walls taken from Piazzale Porta Romana to the current Galileo, to rise in 1865, the first part of the Avenue of Hills and Royal Mews. Work on the next stretch of the avenue and the panoramic square was begun in 1868 and com-pletely in 1871. The panoramic square took the name of Michelangelo, and in 1875 was placed a copy of David. In the same year the completion of the balustrade and the elegant loggia-coffee, this intention of the Poggi, should have a museum of Michelangelo.
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| Piazzale Michelangelo, the plaque dedicated to Giuseppe Poggi |
Poggi also predicted that the Viale dei Colli continue beyond Porta Romana, in the hills of Bellosguardo to the pinion, and then to the Cascine, but for lack of funds was not made follow-on formulas. He was instead given a new place, with ramps, springs and caves-it oclassiche, the area under the square, around the ancient port of St. Nicholas, now precisely Piazza Poggi.
The killing of walls and the creation of new avenues and then the new expanded city boundaries giving birth to new residential areas. The City encompasses the its territory, the common Ro-vezzano, Careggi and Woodshed was completed the arrangement of the districts of Mattonaia of Maglio, barbers and Prato, also arose the new quarters of Savonarola, The Cure, and those in back-to Fortress da Basso. In all these districts would find accommodation for the 30,000-people who came to Florence in the transfer of the capital city, bringing the population to 150,000 residents Florentines. Instead, the poorest were transferred from the places covered by the work at the homes were built around the streets from City Hall, Gate to the Cross, the sprocket and outside the Porta San Frediano.
Poggi's plan could not fail to take account of specific military needs, In fact, the barracks were to rise close to the center of town and the new road network should ensure the rapid movement of cavalry in the event of riots. For this reason, following the instructions of Engineer I-tate, it was decided to place the Champ de Mars below the hill of Fiesole and connect to new avenues through the construction of the Military Avenue (now the Thousand). There were also former religious buildings around the station and barracks to house the Fort, and was destined for military purposes in 1888 is the area between the current Piazza Beccaria and Poggi instead Piave from which he had made a big garden enclosed by an embankment on parterre.
At the same time continue the work in the city center, where they been housed various government functions. It was in fact completed the widening of roads Panzani, Cerretani, Tornabuoni and Martelli, built the headquarters of the Bank of Italy on a dell'Oriuolo, while in Piazza della Signoria, was taken down the old roof de 'Pisani, site of the Old Post Office , to build the Palace Lavison. In 1862 it was announced the competition to cover the facade of the Duomo, which was won by Emilio De Fabris draft, but was not completed until 1887.
Additional treatments involved the construction of new markets to replace the old ones in the center. In 1871, then killed the Camaldoli unhealthy districts of San Lorenzo, inaugurated the covered market of San Lorenzo, then those of Saint Ambrose and San Frediano, while the new slaughterhouse and cattle market were built in the district of San Jacopino.
remained open arrangement of the old town center around the old market (the ghetto) consists of narrow streets and tall blocks of flats without compliance with hygiene and safety. Already on the eve of the transfer of the capital to Florence institutions had hoped for a speedy solution to the housing problem but only in 1895 was completed the demolition of the old market with the creation of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II (now the Republic) and the covered gallery, while Poggi had the desired area for non-radical actions. The complex plan
Poggi, however, was only partially implemented, mainly due to lack of funds (in six years, however, were carried out 2,363 new homes, with more than 40,000 new living spaces, while larger buildings were 850). The Municipality of Florence had sustained the biggest expenditure, and then transfer the capital to Rome and the exodus of 30,000 people, was in fact co-tight to declare bankruptcy. RDF
