Michelangelo's faun and how it was stolen by nazis
A story of marble, with a couple of celebrities and a secret agent.
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I hadn't sent any emails yet, and I thought this was the right time to start, so I can wish you happy holidays from Florence!
I'll introduce myself soon, but first I have a story to tell you...
Michelangelo's Faun and how it was stolen by the Nazis
The heroes of this story are three Florentine legends: you definitely know two of them, you probably don’t know about the third.
The first two, the famous ones, are a very young Michelangelo Buonarroti and Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent.
Lorenzo the Magnificent had a garden, next to Palazzo Medici, the Garden of San Marco (no longer existing), in which he had placed many statues from the Greek and Roman era, and where he invited young artists to sculpt marble, drawing inspiration from his collection of ancient statues.
At the age of 13, Michelangelo was already an apprentice of the great Florentine painter Ghirlandaio, but he also practiced sculpture. And it was precisely in the garden of San Marco that, as a teenager, he sculpted a wonderful marble faun's head, so beautiful that it was noticed by Lorenzo de' Medici. Impressed by the young artist's talent, Lorenzo decided to host Michelangelo at Palazzo Medici, and offer him the best possible education and the opportunity to meet the greatest intellectuals of the time.
That faun's head, which marked a turning point in Michelangelo's life, was in Florence for over four centuries, until 1944, when Florence was occupied by the Nazis, well known for raiding precious works of art.
The faun was hidden, together with other works of art, in the castle of Poppi, in the Casentino valley, inside a vault protected by seven security doors. Unfortunately, the shelter was not safe enough, because the SS officers managed to find it, open the doors and steal many works of art, including Michelangelo's head of a faun.
That’s when the third hero of the story comes into play: he was Rodolfo Siviero, the Italian secret agent of art, who with his team followed the traces of many Italian paintings and sculptures stolen by the Nazis. He managed to bring many of them back to Italy, but he never found Michelangelo's faun head.
Rodolfo Siviero's house, which overlooks the Arno river, and from which he coordinated his espionage activity, is today a museum dedicated to him, where you can discover his amazing story.
There isn't even a photograph of the faun's head, but at the Casa Buonarroti museum, the house museum of Michelangelo, there's a plaster which is thought to be a copy of that famous lost sculpture.
To learn more:
One recipe from Florence
Cavallucci Cookies - these very old fashioned cookies are actually typical of Siena and not Florence, but are widespread throughout Tuscany, and are definitely my favorite Christmas treat. With honey, walnuts, spices and candied orange peels, they are just simple and delicious.
About me
Ciao, my name is Claudia Vannucci, I am a licensed tour guide of Florence with over 10 years of experience, and I have been mentioned on Lonely Planet and Fodor’s Travel, yay!
The Florence Insider is my website where I blog about traveling Florence, art and history. There are tons of useful tips for a traveller, and also my private guided tours
Travel Florence 101
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Thanks for reading, see you in a month!
Claudia