Geology 101
The Florentine territory is home to several different varieties
of stone. On the southern side of town we find the pietra forte, (strong
stone), a yellowish-honey colored sandstone used extensively in the Middle
Ages and is still visible in many structures of that period. The Palazzo
Pitti is a good example of a construction in pietra forte, and in fact
the stone used in the building came from quarries in the nearby Boboli
Gardens.
Bravo Brunelleschi
It was Filippo Brunelleschi, noted Florentine sculptor and architect
of the monumental dome of the Duomo in Florence, who turned his attention
toward the promise of another stone in the Florentine domain: the macigno,
commonly called pietra serena (serene stone). This sandstone is found
on the northeast edge of Florence, in the areas of Maiano and Settignano.
Pietra Serena has a milky- grey hue which Brunelleschi adapted for the
columns, arches, and trim in the churches of San Lorenzo and Santo Spirito,
both begun in the 1440's. The smooth grey finish of the stone combines
gracefully with the white stucco walls of the churches for an elegant,
somber effect that would influence Florentine architecture in the years
ahead.
A tradition is born
Brunelleschi's faith in the potential of pietra serena spurred the growth
of whole communities of stone masons, carvers, and quarry men in the
areas around Maiano. Michelangelo himself was born in the area, near
the village of Settignano. Tradition claims that he was nursed by the
wife of a local mason, and it was in her milk that he first tasted the
call of stone and chisel.
Hometown heroes
Maiano is the birthplace of the brothers Guiliano and Benedetto da Maiano.
Guiliano (1432-1490), was a skilled woodworker and creator of architectural
ornament. Recent research has also attributed to him two works originally
thought to bear Brunelleschi's mark: The facade of the Pazzi Chapel
at Santa Croce and the Palazzo Pazzi - Quaratesi, both from the 1460's.
Benedetto (1442-1497) carved the beautiful bust of Pietro Mellini from
1474 to 1476, a work now on display at the Bargello Museum of Sculpture
in Florence. However, his most dramatic work is the monumental Palazzo
Strozzi in Florence, which he designed together with Simone del Pollaiuolo,
il Cronaca, beginning in 1489. Both Giuliano and Benedetto reenforced
the tradition of artistic families that existed in Maiano right up to
the 20th century.
>> The Quarries of Maiano
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