Florence's 'Talking Tabernacles' bring historic street shrines to smartphone life
In Florence, a new project called 'Tabernacoli Parlanti' or Talking Tabernacles has been launched by the Life Beyond Tourism movement, which is under the Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco. This initiative involves placing QR codes on 37 historic tabernacles in the city center, allowing visitors to scan them for information in both Italian and English, featuring historical anecdotes, images, and five curated itineraries. These shrines, once used for prayers during challenging times like plagues, are now being digitally recorded. The project kicked off at the Festival delle Associazioni Culturali Fiorentine, running until September 30, and was developed with the Amici dei Musei e dei Monumenti Fiorentini. There are plans to expand to 200 'talking Florentine places.'
Key facts
- 37 tabernacles in Florence's historic center have been selected for the project
- QR codes on brass plaques provide access to digital content
- Content includes historical-artistic details, photos, anecdotes, and five itineraries
- The project was presented at the Festival delle Associazioni Culturali Fiorentine
- The festival runs until September 30 with free events at 34 locations
- The initiative is part of the Luoghi Parlanti® network active in over 20 Italian areas
- A printed guide has been developed with the Touring Club Italiano
- The goal is to reach 200 'talking Florentine places'
Entities
Artists
- Benedetto da Maiano
- della Robbia
Institutions
- Life Beyond Tourism – Travel to Dialogue
- Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco
- Amici dei Musei e dei Monumenti Fiorentini – Comitato per il Decoro ed il Restauro dei Tabernacoli
- Touring Club Italiano
- Festival delle Associazioni Culturali Fiorentine
- Artribune
Locations
- Florence
- Italy
- Oltrarno
- Sant'Ambrogio
- San Lorenzo
- via Faenza
- via della Scala
- via Palazzuolo
- Santa Maria Novella station
- Rome