Peretola is a suburb of

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 ...

, Italy, located on the northern extremity of the Florentine commune. It belongs administratively to Quartiere 5 - Rifredi. It lend its name to the nearby

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...

and is claimed as the birthplace of Amerigo Vespucci.

History

The village of Peretola was founded in the Middle Ages. It was greatly developed during the Florentine Renaissance of the 15th century, as it sat in a strategic location between two great communication roads, the via Pistoiese and the via Pratese. For much of its history, the village of Peretola was a dependency of the autonomous commune of Brozzi, until 1928, when the latter's communal status was suppressed and its territories partitioned. Peretola fell into portion assigned to the commune of

, and was integrated into the administrative ward of Quartiere 5 (Rifredi). Casa Vespucci

A house in Peretola (No. 8, on the corner of via Peretola and via del Campagnie) is claimed to be the original home of the Vespucci family, and birthplace of the celebrated navigator Amerigo Vespucci (although Amerigo Vespucci was raised in their urban home in the Ognissanti quarter of the city of

proper). Peretola is also the native village of

Tommaso Masini Tommaso di Giovanni Masini ( – 1520), known as Zoroastro da Peretola, was a friend and collaborator of Leonardo da Vinci. According to Scipione Ammirato, he was born in Peretola, near Florence, and he was the child of a gardener, although he s ...

, nicknamed the "Zoroaster of Peretola", a friend and collaborator of

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was somet ...

set the tale of "Chichibio e la gru" (''

Decameron ''The Decameron'' (; it, label=Italian, Decameron or ''Decamerone'' ), subtitled ''Prince Galehaut'' (Old it, Prencipe Galeotto, links=no ) and sometimes nicknamed ''l'Umana commedia'' ("the Human comedy", as it was Boccaccio that dubbed Dan ...

'', VI, 4) in the village of Peretola.

Niccolò Machiavelli Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli ( , , ; 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527), occasionally rendered in English as Nicholas Machiavel ( , ; see below), was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher and historian who lived during the Renaissance. ...

, in his novella, ''Belfagor arcidiavolo'', tells the story of a demon which had been sent from Hell to Florence to investigate the excuses of its incorrigibly corrupt and wicked citizens (the Florentines blame their wives). The demon sets himself up in grand style with a Florentine wife, but quickly finds himself overwhelmed by her demands and flees to Peretola to seek refuge and restore his peace of mind. Machiavelli characterizes Peretola as a small rural paradise, an escape from the morass of Florence, a pleasant haven even for the devil.

Monuments

The old village of Peretola is composed of narrow streets, typical of a Tuscan country village, dotted with shrines, and a typical rural housing scheme organized around numerous short courtyards. Some of these courtyards date from the 14th century, but most are from 17th and 18th centuries. Peretola's center is at Piazza Garibaldi, on which sits the old Church of Santa Maria a Peretola, with its 1443 terra-cotta tabernacle by

Luca della Robbia Luca della Robbia (, also , ; 1399/1400–1482) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Florence. Della Robbia is noted for his colorful, Tin-glazed pottery, tin-glazed terracotta statuary, a technique which he invented and passed on to his ne ...

and a 1446 baptismal fountain by Francesco di Simone Ferrucci. Nearby is the

Oratorio della Santissima Annunziata An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is m ...

, built in 1821, a rare example of

neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

in the region. Just outside the old village is the 1510 chapel of

Santa Maria Vergine della Pietà Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

, with an octagonal-shaped dome, in imitation of the

Florence cathedral Florence Cathedral, formally the (; in English Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower), is the cathedral of Florence, Italy ( it, Duomo di Firenze). It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally c ...

. Nicknamed ''la cupolina'', the chapel was once in open fields, but now is circulated by vehicular traffic from the via Pratese. Image:Chiesa di Santa Maria a Peretola 01.JPG, Santa Maria a Peretola Image: Oratorio della santissima annunziata, peretola.JPG, Oratorio della santissima annunziata Image:Via di peretola, corte 01.JPG, Courtyard Image:Via di peretola, corte 02.JPG, Courtyard File:Via di peretola, corte 03.JPG, Courtyard Image:Peretola, piazza garibaldi, targa amerigo vespucci.JPG, Vespucci plaque Image:Oratorio di Santa Maria Vergine della Pietà.JPG, Oratorio di Santa Maria Vergine della Pietà

References

{{Coord, 43.797, 11.19657, format=dms, display=title, region:IT-52_type:city_source:wikidata Districts of Florence