The Fiorita. Florence memory to Girolamo Savonarola

May 23 is not a date like many others in Florence, because on that day, many years ago, an important event occurred for Florence history, but also for Italy itself.

On 23 May 1498 Girolamo Savonarola, Dominican friar, was executed in Piazza della Signoria. Savonarola is an emblematic figure of the religious and political scenario of the time, constantly struggling against the Church and the Pope himself and the government of Florence, represented by the Medici family, he became the symbol of the protest against corruption.

He was an assiduous preacher and his speeches were a violent condemn against sin and its earthly manifestations. His personal battle culminated with the famous Bonfire of the Vanities, organized in 1497, on the Shrove Tuesday, to publicly burn objects that where considered immoral, such as mirrors, cosmetics, luxury staff, but also books and many artworks (Botticelli himself threw some of his own paintings in the fire).

As most of the very charismatic people use to be, Savonarola was beloved and followed by many believers, but at the same time he was hated by lots of powerful opponents. After years of struggles against the Medicis and the Church he was judged as a heretic and condemned (along with two other brothers) to be hanged in the Piazza della Signoria. His body was burned at the stake, and his ashes thrown into the Arno from the Ponte Vecchio.

During the night some people sprinkled with flowers the place where the gallows had been erected, to secretly pay their tribute to the memory of the friar. This gesture gave birth to a tradition that has been perpetuated to the present day, the Fiorita.

Every year, on May 23, a ceremony is organized including: the Mass in the Chapel of the Priors of the Palazzo Vecchio, the floral tribute in the square and a historical parade that reaches the Ponte Vecchio, from which some flower petals are thrown into the river.

Travel tips
The ceremony takes place in the morning in the Piazza della Signoria. You can take the opportunity to make a nice breakfast at the cafe Rivoire, right in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, a wonderful and historical cafe, born in 1872, when Florence was Italy’s capital city, and then enjoy the show. The plaque commemorating the event is in front of the statue of the so called Biancone (the statue of the Neptune) and that’s where the flowers are placed.