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Completamento e restauro del Monastero di San Salvatore a Camaldoli, detto “Casa della finestra”

Where the Bellosguardo barrier existed on the outline of the city wall of Florence, the project is conceived as a project of “view.” Bordering the old city, Piazza Tasso held the church and monastery of San Salvatore di Camaldoli and the Postern, the outermost monuments prior to the ascent towards Siena. From the hill, the place for observing the city par excellence, the eye identifies at this point the road to enter Florence.


A body partially closed on the outside, it lies on the traces of the ancient fortifications of Cosimo, partially demolished in the past, and reinterprets them in an arrangement with two staggered walls, overall respecting the existing street contour. The entrance to the ascent takes place through the vertical cut that derives from the staggered layout. Starting from the planimetric layout of the ancient bastion, the imposing wall thicknesses and the construction warp are once again in evidence, as is the outermost escarpment of the wall, freed from the added wall piece.


The interior stairs that guide the ascent, encounter various places for the gaze to pause: towards the Cupola, towards Palazzo Pitti, towards Bellosguardo, up to reaching the grand loggia that develops on both exterior sides. From there, the panorama and access to the existing loggia, which can lead to an upper pathway between other loggias and roof terraces.


The loggia is the only architectural element that is able to combine the relationship of scale between the fabrica constructed on the remains of the bastion and the surrounding territory, in particular in that which is extra moenia. Thus a courtyard, a tree, and a tower with a large four-light window that concludes the edifice towards the piazza are the elements of the picture and lead to one end: observing Florence.

Project credits

Project data

Project Year
2005
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