18 February is a special day for Florence and for the whole world.
It celebrates the 282nd birthday of Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, the last princess of the dynasty, the one who saved the treasures collected by her family.
The last generation of the Medici family in fact had not been kissed by fortune; Anna Maria Luisa’s brothers, Grand Prince Ferdinand and Gian Gastone had passed away, leaving no heirs.
Anna Maria Luisa, after being widowed without descendants of the Prince of the Palatinate, returned to Florence. She was no longer a young girl and knew that after her no one would be able to pick up the baton of the great legacy left by her ancestors.
So the princess had an idea: why not draw up a document binding all the goods and treasures belonging to the Medici family to bind them forever to Florence and for the benefit of visitors? So it was!
The document drawn up, known as the family pact, stipulated that all the treasures found today in the museums of Florence were forever bound to this city.
That is why every year on this date, the Florentine civic museums celebrate the memory of the princess by allowing free access to the monuments.
To worthily celebrate this birthday, the association the Landladies Concierge ETS, organises a free guided tour of the Santa Maria Novella complex, which is among the free sites for the day.
Tuesday 18 February 2025 at 10 a.m.
Meeting point: in front of the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella.
By reservation only, subject to availability
Info@thelandladies.it
WhatsApp 351 316 0218
