I got lucky! Forte Belvedere

Today after 5 years of being closed, Forte Belvedere was reopened!!!  The mayor of Florence came and spoke (I don't know what he said) and the artist that is being featured right now at Forte Belvedere  also was present and spoke (and again, I didn't understand him because he speaks Chinese)!  The one thing that I did understand were the breathe taking views of my beloved Florence!

 The mayor is speaking!

PittiPalace

 Bobili Gardens

 The Pitti Palace is the large building in the center of the picture, Bobili Gardens surround Pitti Palace and Forte Belvedere sits in the upper left hand corner.

The Forte di Belvedere or Fortezza di Santa Maria in San Giorgio del Belvedere (often called simply Belvedere) is a fortification in Florence, Italy.  It was built by Grand  Duke Ferdinando I d' Medici during the period 1590–1595, to protect the city and its rule by the Medici Family.

On the same side of the river as the Grand Ducal palace, the Pitti Palace in the Oltrarnodistrict of the city, today the grounds provide spectacular outlooks over Florence; the buildings are used to hold works of art, and as a venue for exhibitions of contemporary sculpture.

The Fort served many purposes: to protect the center of government in Florence, the Pitti Palace; to protect the south end of the city of Florence and the Oltrarno district; to demonstrate the power of the Medici family; hold the treasury of the Medici; and finally to provide a shelter for the Grand Duke if the city came under attack. The fort was connected to Palazzo Vecchio via the Vasari Corridor over Ponte Vecchio, passages in the Pitti Palace and paths through Bobili Gardens.

The walls are designed at angles that allow for all the walls to be seen by another wall, allowing for cross fire to assist in protecting the other walls.

As well as being a fortification, the Belvedere was meant to be a sign of Medici prestige. The villa inside the fortress was designed to be elegant and did not adhere to the military purposes of the rest of the fort. Since the villa was meant to be used as the residence of the Grand Duke during times of unrest or epidemic, it was built as a comfortable, luxurious palace, another sign of Medici domination in Florence.

Pictures from the exhibit of Zhang Huan, who used natural materials such as ash, animal skin, copper, steel, etc to create art.