Florence Tourist Spots According to Dan Brown’s “Inferno” Novel

Photo credit: Bigstockphoto
Photo credit: Bigstockphoto

New York Times Bestselling author Dan Brown is no stranger to controversy after ruffling the Vatican’s feathers over “The Da Vinci Code,” in 2003. The award-winning author is back with another book, this time set in Florence, Italy. The book is not only controversial; it caused hordes of tourists to flock to Florence. In today’s post, we are highlighting a few of the amazing spots in Florence highlighted in the novel:

Boboli Gardens

The Boboli gardens are one of the most iconic open-air museums in Florence. The park sits at the heart of the city. It features breathtaking landscapes, stone statues, and grottos. In Brown’s novel, Boboli gardens are the site wherein characters Robert Langdon and Sienna Brooks escaped from mysterious men who are chasing them.

Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge in Florence and was the only bridge in the city until the construction of the Ponte alla Carraia in 1218. The bridge exists way back in 123 BC and still stands today. Ponte Vecchio is also one of the most historically relevant landmarks in Florence. In the book, Brown mentioned that a tragic incident happened in the Ponte Vecchio Bridge. Below in an excerpt from the book that mentions the bridge:

“In 1216, a young nobleman named Buondelmonte had rejected his family’s arranged marriage for the sake of his true love, and for that decision he was brutally killed on this very bridge.

His death, long considered “Florence’s bloodiest murder,” was so named because it had triggered a rift between two powerful political factions—the Guelphs and Ghibellines—who had then waged war ruthlessly for centuries against each other.”

Signoria Palace and Museum

Signoria Palace and Museum is a massive square situated in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. The square was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also called Palazzo Vecchio. Piazza della Signoria is instrumental to the history and origin of the Florentine Republic. Even today, Piazza della Signoria remains as the political stronghold of the city.

In Dan Brown’s Inferno, the Signoria Palace and Museum contains secrets that describe the “true history” of the city. Mystifying clues are also scattered along the halls of the museum.

The Badìa Fiorentina

The Badìa Fiorentina is an abbey and a church located in Via del Proconsolo in the center of Florence, Italy. It was founded in 978 as a Benedictine monastery for monks by Willa, the mother of Ugo di Toscana.

The Badìa Fiorentina was rebuilt in 1910 as a museum to Dante, which supposedly grew up across the street. In Dan Brown’s book, the unnamed and hidden protagonist ended up passing in the famed abbey.

Florence Cathedral

Florence Cathedral is the largest, main church of Florence. The cathedral was built in 1296 and completed in 1436. Florence Cathedral is located in Piazza del Duomo. It is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Florence.

In the novel Inferno, the cathedral contains clues about the origins of the city. A haunting mosaic, which depicts Satan munching on souls in the underworld, is also highlighted in the book.