Panoramic penthouse on the Florence skyline

District 1: Location and surroundings of this property

The Borgo Ognissanti Zone, owes its name to the church of Ognissanti, as well as to the square of the same name and the street that opens along it. The streets known as "borghi" were those that started from the gates of the ancient circle of walls. The area was traditionally controlled by the Vespucci family, patrons and benefactors of the nearby church and other institutions along the street. When it was included in the circle in 1284 and before long it became the main access to and from Porta al Prato. The Ponte alla Carraia bridge itself was so named because of the traffic of wagons, loaded with bales of wool, going to and from the large and industrious convent of the Umiliati, who contributed greatly to the development of the Florentine Art of Wool. It was they who had the second Florentine bridge, Ponte alla Carraia, walled up. Horses raced in the area during the Palio dei barberi, and processions and carriages frequently passed through, as during the triumphal entry of Eleonora di Toledo, in celebration of whom Niccolò Tribolo created a whole series of extraordinary decorations and ephemeral scenery to adorn the street.