Hikari Yokoyama’s Trip to Florence Is a Lesson in Italian History and Style Inline
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko1/10Happy to be in Florence, a place of rich history, wine, architecture, and art!
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko2/10After winding my way through the Palazzo Pitti, the fountains and meandering paths through thickets of forest, I climbed a set of stairs up a small tower and was greeted by the effulgent smell of these pink roses in full bloom. The open garden with expansive views of the city was radical at the time, all the more decadent because no one was allowed inside except for the immediate Medici family. They never hosted parties or functions—it was the innermost sanctuary.
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko3/10Here I am near one of the many Renaissance sculptures that stand watch over the gardens.
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko4/10A classic tourist picture of the Ponte Vecchio. This is the only bridge that wasn’t destroyed during WWII, allegedly because Hitler had his sights on the famous art collectsion housed in the secret passageway above. I never realized that there was a corridor built above the bridge, which was a kind of secret passageway for the Medicis to be able to privately walk from the Palazzo Vecchio to the Uffizi to the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. Over one kilometer long, it provided the powerful family a protected pathway to move between their various offices, art collectsions, church, homes, and gardens without ever having to step foot on the street.
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko5/10I’ve emerged from the passageway into the sun-drenched Boboli Gardens!
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko6/10Later, I got to pop my head into another secret little jewel box behind the cash register in Ferragamo’s Creations section of the shop. To this day you can still purchase the original designs he created for Audrey Hepburn, Peggy Guggenheim, Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo—they feel like they were made yesterday.
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko7/10Just across from Ferragamo, you can see the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi by Domenico Ghirlandaio in the basilica of Santa Trinita. This painting is one of the great masterpieces of art in the world. I can’t help but think about what it would be like to see this story unfolding in the eyes of a Florentine in the late 15th century, having never seen a soap opera or a film, a photograph or even an illustrated book as a child. The magic of visual storytelling gives life and form to power, social mores, and the dramas of the day. It never gets old.
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko8/10The exhibition opens with an installation of Salvatore Ferragamo creations from the ’20s and ’30s when he first began making shoes for Hollywood stars. Every shoe was handmade in a workshop from beginning to end.
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko9/10En route to the Uffizi Gallery, reflecting some of that beautiful Tuscan sunlight wearing head-to-toe Ferragamo.
Courtesy of Hikari Yokoyama / @hikariyoko10/10As guests entered into the Uffizi Gallery at sunset, I tried to imagine what it would be like to be a dignitary visiting this incredibly wealthy family who had wrested power from their competitors and installed themselves as absolute monarchs of Florence. They also firmly established the connection between political power and strong support of the arts—the very beginning of the concept of cultural hegemony. Interestingly, the art and the buildings they created to house it have become their most potent legacy. To this day, major collectsors remain influenced by this powerful mix of patronage and showmanship, commissioning architects to build gleaming buildings to display the treasures they amassed.
