porta

Alle porte co' sassi (time is tight)

We are at the gates with stones!
According to the Vocabulary of Contemporary Florentine (Accademia della Crusca): “trovarsi in prossimità di una scadenza, aver pochissimo tempo a disposizione; essere molto vicino al raggiungimento di qualcosa”. In short: time is tight.
With this Florentine dialect expression, which originated in the Middle Ages, the intention is to represent the imminence of an event, something that is about to happen soon, thus emphasising the urgency of hurrying to finish what one has to do or to get to one's destination before... Before the doors close!

The expression, in fact, takes us back to the city customs of ancient times, when, at the time of the first, second and perhaps up to the third circle of the Florentine walls, the city closed its gates at dusk. The latecomers, in order to signal to the gate guards not to close the gates, but to wait for their arrival, having no other expedient but the power of wit, would pick up stones to throw on the gates and thus warn them not to leave them outside for the night.

Our itinerary focuses precisely around the gates that have been the protagonists of these events, near which we can admire some of the finest and most important craftsmen in the city of Florence, expressing sectors such as goldsmithing, bronze work, weaving for furniture, leather goods, footwear and stained glass.

 

This itinerary is part of the European project Crafts Code.

Photo credits:
Walking route
Porta san Miniato

via San Miniato

Alessandro Dari Jewels

via san Niccolò

Alessandro Dari Jewels

via san Niccolò

Torre San Niccolò

Piazza Giuseppe Poggi, 1, Firenze

Torre San Niccolò

Piazza Giuseppe Poggi, 1, Firenze

Torre San Niccolò

Piazza Giuseppe Poggi, 1, Firenze

Torre San Niccolò

Piazza Giuseppe Poggi, 1, Firenze

Torre San Niccolò

Piazza Giuseppe Poggi, 1, Firenze

Stefano Bemer

via di san Niccolò 2

Stefano Bemer

via di san Niccolò 2

Porta Romana

Piazzale di Porta Romana, 50125 Firenze FI, Italia

Porta Romana

Piazzale di Porta Romana, 50125 Firenze FI, Italia

Porta Romana

Piazzale di Porta Romana, 50125 Firenze FI, Italia

Porta Romana

Piazzale di Porta Romana, 50125 Firenze FI, Italia

Porta Romana

Piazzale di Porta Romana, 50125 Firenze FI, Italia

Bronzetto

via Romana 151R

Bronzetto

via Romana 151R

Porta San Frediano

borgo S. Frediano, Firenze

Porta San Frediano

borgo S. Frediano, Firenze

Porta San Frediano

borgo S. Frediano, Firenze

Porta San Frediano

borgo S. Frediano, Firenze

Porta San Frediano

borgo S. Frediano, Firenze

Duccio Banchi

VIA DEI SERRAGLI 10/r 50124 Firenze

Duccio Banchi

VIA DEI SERRAGLI 10/r 50124 Firenze

Porta San Gallo

piazza della Libertà

Antica occhialeria

Via San Gallo 130 r 50129 Firenze

Antica occhialeria

Via San Gallo 130 r 50129 Firenze

Antica occhialeria

Via San Gallo 130 r 50129 Firenze

Antica occhialeria

Via San Gallo 130 r 50129 Firenze

Antica occhialeria

Via San Gallo 130 r 50129 Firenze

Antica occhialeria

Via San Gallo 130 r 50129 Firenze

Porta Faenza

Fortezza da Basso - viale Filippo Strozzi

Porta al Prato

piazzale di Porta al Prato

Tessilarte

Via Toselli 100 50144 Firenze

Tessilarte

Via Toselli 100 50144 Firenze

Porta alla Croce

piazza Beccaria

Porta alla Croce

piazza Beccaria

Guido Polloni e C

via Fra Giovanni Angelico 71

Guido Polloni e C

via Fra Giovanni Angelico 71