Caffè Michelangiolo was a historic
café
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...
in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
, located in Via Larga (now renamed Via Cavour). During the nineteenth century
Wars of Italian Independence The War of Italian Independence, or Italian Wars of Independence, include:
*First Italian War of Independence (1848–1849)
*Second Italian War of Independence (1859)
*Third Italian War of Independence (1866)
*Fourth Italian War of Independence (19 ...
, it became a major meeting place for
Tuscan writers and artists, and for patriots and political exiles from other Italian states.
[Caffè Michelangiolo Anno I – N. 1, Gennaio–Aprile 1996](_blank)
, mauropagliai.it.
The Caffè, which existed from 1848 to 1866, was frequented by the artists of the
Macchiaioli
The Macchiaioli () were a group of Italian painters active in Tuscany in the second half of the nineteenth century. They strayed from antiquated conventions taught by the Italian art academies, and did much of their painting outdoors in order to ...
, especially after 1855.
[Broude 1987, p. 52] One of the artists,
Telemaco Signorini
Telemaco Signorini (; August 18, 1835 – February 10, 1901) was an Italian artist who belonged to the group known as the Macchiaioli.
Biography
He was born in the Santa Croce quarter of Florence, and showed an early inclination toward the st ...
, later published a memoir, ''Caricaturisti e caricaturati al Caffè Michelangiolo'' (1893), which has been called "the bible of the Macchiaioli movement".
[Agnew 2002, pp. 44–45] In it, Signorini described the nature of the discussions at the Caffè:
From 1848 to 1855, as a result of the times, political conspiracies and practical jokes prevailed. But from 1855 to 1860 ... the friends at the Caffè, remaining still, by tradition, the dear madcaps of Via Larga, joked less and devoted themselves more to their art.
See also
*
Notes
References
*Agnew, John A. (2002). ''Place and politics in modern Italy''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
*Boime, Albert (1993), ''The Art of the Macchia and the Risorgimento'', Chicago: University of Chicago press,
*
Broude, Norma (1987). ''The Macchiaioli: Italian Painters of the Nineteenth Century''. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
*Steingräber, E., & Matteucci, G. (1984). ''The Macchiaioli: Tuscan Painters of the Sunlight : March 14-April 20, 1984''. New York: Stair Sainty Matthiesen in association with Matthiesen, London.
Culture in Florence
Coffeehouses and cafés in Italy
Buildings and structures in Florence
Tourist attractions in Florence
Restaurants established in 1848
1866 disestablishments in Italy
1848 establishments in Italy
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