Mugello Medici Vacation: place Florence, date 30 November 1420. Last week, I think it was a monday, I wanted to cross Piazza del Duomo, when I came across red bands to delimit the area behind Giotto’s bell tower and a small crowd of curious people. Normally I dash straight on these occasions, but I joined the crowd of onlookers and saw beautiful white horses ridden by noblemen dressed in furs, courtiers covered with long cloaks and guards in Armor that stopped in front of the “Porta dei Canonici”.
One of the noblemen on horseback had the very appearance of Cosimo de ‘Medici …
Certainly we are not in 1420, but the magical medieval atmosphere of Florence means that we need not to jump six centuries back . This city is a magnificent open-air set, the most beautiful you can imagine, because here, everything is true.
The majestic beauty of the Duomo appears to the visitor in the same way as it appeared to the eyes of Cosimo de’ Medici.
What I had just seen was the set of “Medici, masters of Florence“, the TV series planned for early 2016. The actor who plays Cosimo de’ Medici, Richard Madden, is a star of the famous series “Game of Thrones.”
Alongside Madden, in the role of Giovanni, the head of the Medici Family, no less than Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman; in his case any presentation is useless. The firepower that this series will release will therefore be definitely of high level.
What it takes to make a remarkable story?
Take a powerful family who kicked off the Renaissance perhaps the most intruiguing moment of creativity and ingenuity in the western world. Churn it up with holliwood entreprenership and top quality blockbuster film making et voila .
The series promises to be spectacular, full of power games, politics and love, along the lines of the series as The Tudor or The Borgia. Hopefully it will have the double merit to tell the story of the Medici and Florence and to show the public beautiful corners of Italy.
Besides Florence, filming will take place in other historical cities in Tuscany such as Pistoia, San Gimignano and Siena.
Few know that the Medici Family originally come from the Mugello our beautiful valley which lies just north of Florence. Furthermore, over the centuries, the patrons elected the Mugello as their favourite holiday place. In other words, the Medici, Florence masters and boosters of the Renaissance, enjoyed Mugello holidays.
We can add one of the mottos of Mugello &Tuscany. If the Mugello has inspired the Renaissance it may well inspire you. So follow the footsteps of the Medici and come to the Mugello for a true Mugello Medici Vacation