Florence: the bees that are not counted ...

Florence: the bees that are not counted ...

Walking through the streets of the historic center of Florence, you arrive in Piazza della Santissima Annunziata which immediately involves for arches, palaces and fountains.

Extremely representative of the Florentine Renaissance character, it is the one who with its precise aesthetic sense, also inspires the rest of the city.

The loggia in fact had various practical functions as well as beauty; It could in fact be used for the market, as a refuge for sick or welcome for travelers.

To increase its charm, an imposing equestrian monument dedicated to the Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinand the Medici gods was placed in the center of the square. Late work of the Giambologna, which was then completed by his trusted pupil Pietro Tacca in 1608.

The statue was made through the merger of the bronze obtained from the cannons of Turkish ships, defeated during the military campaigns of the order of the Knights of Santo Stefano. But the curious singularity of this monument is a swarm of bees on its pedestal:

The bees, arranged in precise concentric circles, aim to represent the Florentines who had the task of loyalty, laboriousness and collaboration towards Ferdinando I.

In the center, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and his sovereign represented by the Ape Regina.

Above, the Latin motto "Maiestatis tantum", Or" only for his majesty "which highlights why this image also became the heraldic symbol of Ferdinand I.

But how many laborious bees are there?

It is not easy to understand it because their position makes it difficult for the enumeration ...

In the past, the parents used the stratagem to count them to calm the whims of their children, promising them a reward if they managed to find the solution.

Counting bronze bees thus became not only a stratagem or a game but also a real challenge that, reaching the present day, still involves adults and children: legend in fact wants who can count them strictlywithout touching them with your hands or indicating them with the finger, it could receive a lot of luck ...

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