Fortezza da Basso

A modern and multifunctional venue, where Renaissance and contemporary architecture create a timeless dialogue. The pavilion integrates a long section of the Fortezza da Basso walls &#8211; a powerful setting of exposed stone &#8211; while the roof traces a sort of large wave over the whole building.

Cavaniglia Pavilion

A unique location in the world &#8211; a Medicean fortress in the heart of Florence, combining Renaissance architecture masterpieces and state-of-the-art technologies. A complex of century-old and contemporary buildings, featuring different sizes and characteristics, where you can organise events and exhibitions without leaving anything to chance.
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<h2>From Military Fort to Congress &amp; Exhibition Center</h2>
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<h4>The Origins of the Fortezza da Basso</h4>
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Called by all the Florentines Fortezza da Basso as opposed to Forte del Belvedere, the Fortress of Saint John the Baptist is a Renaissance fort with an overall surface of 80,000 square metres &#8211; of which 55,000 are roofed &#8211; built by architects Pier Francesco da Viterbo and Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane between 1534 and 1537 at the behest of Alessandro de&#8217; Medici. Through this work, the Medicis wanted to create a defensive garrison after the Siege of Florence, but they also wanted to impress the Florentines with an imposing building.
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<h4>Centuries of Modernity</h4>
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Surrounded by massive walls tracing an irregular pentagon, the Fortezza da Basso includes the buildings built for military use in 16th century, the ones from 18th century following the advent of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and the modern pavilions designed by Pierluigi Spadolini after converting the Fortezza to an exhibition center, in 1967.
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<h4>The Fortezza da Basso Today</h4>
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Today, the Fortezza da Basso is part of the Florence Congress &amp; Exhibition Center, a leading hub in Tuscany. Its privileged location and the charm of its venues, where Renaissance and contemporary architecture create a harmonious dialogue, make it a unique place within the global congress and exhibition sector.

The Spadolini Pavilion is the main venue for congresses and exhibitions in Florence. Its distinctive façade in shades of bronze, lined with steel and aluminium elements, houses a building designed to host a large number of people and to organise more events at the same time.

Spadolini Pavilion

The Nazioni Pavilion is a beautiful, contemporary room, where great corporate events and fairs find all the necessary space to organise spectacular settings and welcome large numbers of visitors.

Nazioni Pavilion

The rooms and halls composing the Monumental Area are the most ancient ones of the Fortezza da Basso, as well as one of the most valuable models of Renaissance architecture. This perfect combination of tradition and innovation, and of past and future, captures the very essence of Florence.

Monumental Area

Walking inside the Fortezza da Basso, you can notice the unique lines of a small building – the Polveriera (literally, Gunpowder Deposit). It is a surprising vision, with its pitched roof, its unusual, elongated shape, and its impressive walls.

Polveriera

In the 18th century, the Fortezza da Basso also served as a depot for the sumptuous scenic décor used for the parties organized by the Grand Dukes of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Today, the Teatrino Lorenese (literally, Lorraine-Habsburg Theatre) is a vivid testimony of Florence at the time. A superbly elegant, but also versatile and functional, space.

Teatrino Lorenese

With its loggia overlooking a large square, the Palazzina Lorenese evokes the charm of Tuscan countryside. Located at the heart of the Fortezza da Basso, next to the Spadolini Pavilion, this 18th-century building was redeveloped to exploit its potential, while maintaining its original character.

Palazzina Lorenese

Once an arms depot of the Fortezza da Basso, today its harmonious proportions meet the needs of all the settings required to organise congresses, conventions, and exhibitions, capturing the essence of Renaissance architecture in a contemporary context.

Arsenale Pavilion

The Sala della Ronda (Patrol Room) is a multifunctional and modular space suitable to host any kind of set-up. The room is located between the renovated Nazioni Pavilion and the historic Polveriera, and together they create an exciting combination of ancient and modern styles.

Sala della Ronda

The Ghiaie Pavilion stands on a large gravel deposit. Its wavy metal surfaces outline a functional and flexible space.

Ghiaie Pavilion

Palazzo dei Congressi

Built in sloping sections, this wonderful Auditorium is an authentic jewel that will leave you speechless at first glance. Still today, after 50 years, it keeps on surprising everyone, it is a top-class space for international congresses organised in the heart of Florence.

Auditorium

Green Room

19th-century Villa Vittoria houses Palazzo dei Congressi, a historic location for the main national and international MICE events, attracting participants from all over the world. Built in neo-16th-century style and surrounded by a century-old park, it is directly connected to the Fortezza da Basso through a pedestrian square.
<a href="http://firenzefiera.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/pannello-villavittoria04-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here</a>, if you wish to learn more about the charming history of Villa Vittoria or visit the page dedicated <a href="https://firenzefiera.it/en/visit/palazzo-dei-congressi">Palazzo dei Congressi.</a>

Villa Vittoria

Located in the century-old park of Villa Vittoria, the roof of the Auditorium at Palazzo dei Congressi is not just a simple cover. It is a completely renovated open-air Amphitheatre, a spectacular square of great visual impact, inspired by ancient Greek and Roman caveas.

Amphitheatre

Born as Villa Vittoria’s winter garden to protect some plants from the cold weather, the Limonaia (Orangery) is flooded by natural light thanks to its large windows marking its façade. Its charming open space projects the Limonaia into the century-old trees of the park surrounding it.

Limonaia

Palazzo degli Affari

Completely renovated in 2021 and inaugurated in 2022, Palazzo degli Affari is an excellent congress venue dominated by a panoramic terrace. It is a modular and completely convertible space, with solutions to guarantee acoustic comfort and multi-sensory features, always at the forefront of environmental sustainability &#8211; energy from renewable sources, eco-sustainable materials, and low-emission electromagnetic pollution.

Ground Floor

First Floor

Completely renovated in 2021, Palazzo degli Affari is an excellent congress venue. Dominated by a panoramic terrace, it is a modular and completely convertible space, always at the forefront of environmental sustainability and equipped with innovative and spectacular technical solutions.

Second Floor

Third Floor

Fourth Floor

Lower Floor

Padiglione delle Nazioni

Thanks to its 2,000 square metres of surface and its great heights, the Nazioni Pavilion is a modern and flexible space where you can set up a wide variety of congresses, exhibitions, and corporate events. This long room was recently equipped with a new and elegantly contemporary black concrete flooring.

Characteristics of the Nazioni Pavilion

A Large Space for Spectacular Settings

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Piazzale Centrale

Cannoniera

Cannoniera- esterno

Sala dell’Arco

Sala della Volta

Sala delle Colonne

Sala delle Grotte

Its panoramic terrace boasts a special wooden roof, as well as embrasures for artillery and loopholes for small arms, making it unique in terms of refinement and character.

An Exclusive Panoramic Terrace

During corporate meetings and events, the Sala dell’Arco (Arch Room) evokes centuries of Florence history. Inside this room, surrounded by original floors, wooden beams, and mighty exposed stone walls &#8211; free from plaster – it feels like being at the Court of the Medici.

Sala dell'Arco

A Century-Old Atmosphere for Unforgettable Events

An ideal location to organize corporate meetings, buffets, and receptions, the Sala della Volta (Vault Room) presents itself as a single environment characterized by barrel vaults with pavilion heads.

A Top-Class Exhibitions for Top-Class Events

From the terrace of the Sala della Scherma (Swordplay Room), you can enjoy a breathtaking view on the city of Florence, one of the most famous and iconic sights in the world. Inside, still retaining the original wooden trusses of the roof, you will find an intact environment which can become a prestigious location for meetings, exhibitions and cultural events.

Sala della Scherma

A Breathtaking View

Located opposite Porta Santa Maria Novella gate, the main entrance to the Fortezza da Basso, the Sala delle Colonne (Column Hall) is a perfect example of Renaissance architecture, featuring a succession of arches supporting a vaulted ceiling with small, exposed steel beams. It is one of the most coveted rooms to organize art and fashion fairs and exhibitions, and to set up a ticket office area for great exhibitions.

From Renaissance to High Fashion

From Porta Faenza gate, passing through the basement, you can access the Sala delle Grotte (Caves Room), right where the river Mugnone once flowed. The river was later diverted to build the Fortezza da Basso. Today, this charming room it is the ideal environment to organise art exhibitions, gala dinners, and high fashion exhibitions.

How to Organise Your Ideal Event

A large and perfectly rectangular room, directly connected to the prestigious Sala della Scherma (Swordplay Room), where you can organise meetings and small corporate events, or set up catering areas and press offices.

Sala Monumentale

Elegance and Functionality

Thanks to its eight-sided brick vault, made with the same “herringbone pattern” technique used for the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Sala Ottagonale (Octagonal Room) is a masterpiece of Renaissance, adding prestige to exhibitions, niche fairs, meetings, and dinners. From here, upon reservation, you can access the underground passage, an exclusive path in the heart of the Fortezza evoking centuries of history.

Sala Ottagonale

Evocative and Magnetically Beautiful

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Polveriera (1)

Built to house the explosive materials of the Fortezza, today it hosts meetings, exhibitions, and dinner parties with the same peaceful solidity.

Characteristics of the Polveriera

A Unique Atmosphere

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An ideal location to host congresses, conventions, and niche events, thanks to its large natural stage and to the 18th-century details adorning it, such as the frescoes on both sides of the proscenium, the festooned medallions with large spirals and the delicate inscriptions.

Characteristics of the Teatrino Lorenese

Eternally Elegant

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Piano terra

Primo piano

Divided in over 40 small spaces distributed over two floors, the Palazzina Lorenese allows to organise fairs, meetings, and small events, or to host offices, and set up hospitality suites. Its rooms can welcome from 10 to 40 seats, and benefit from an independent entrance.

Tuscan Reception

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Basilica

Connext 2019

Balisica

Fineco

Arsenale, Fureria, Armeria and Basilica. These are the 4 rooms located on the ground floor of this pavilion, particularly suitable to also host exhibitions and shows, in addition to fairs and congresses. The charming Basilica particularly stands out for its beauty mitigating any militaristic reminiscence and capturing all hearts with its wide aisles separated by arches and a gable roof with exposed beams.

Renaissance Charm

The snow-white vaults crossing the First Floor of the Arsenale Pavilion and supporting the mighty wooden beams of the roof, make this light-flooded floor the ideal location for catering areas, poster sessions, gala dinners, and cocktail parties, as well as a perfect place to host fairs. The offer is completed by a self-service restaurant.

Centuries of Modernity

Fortezza da Basso – Arsenale

Esterno

Boasting a surface of 900 smq and great heights, this is the ideal space for corporate events, fairs, conferences, conventions, and high-fashion shows. Its austere and severe exterior houses a dynamic and flexible internal environment.

Characteristics of the Sala della Ronda

A Strong Flexibility

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Padiglione Ghiaie

A space for events where you can easily set up exhibiting booths for fairs and exhibitions. Ideal also to organise events and performances.

Characteristics of the Ghiaie Pavilion

Organising, Creating, Surprising

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Padiglione Cavaniglia

A pavilion for great events, located next to the ancient Porta Faenza gate, where you can organise important exhibitions, national and international congresses, gala dinners and conventions.

Characteristics of the Cavaniglia Pavilion

A Magnificent Setting

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Attico

Piano Inferiore

Piano Terra

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The ground floor of the Spadolini Pavilion can be transformed in many ways. Thanks to its modular structure, allowing to create any kind of set-up, it is suitable to host exhibitions, congresses, gala dinners, and conventions. It can also become the heart of great events thanks to a direct connection with the other two floors of the pavilion.

A Space Shaped by Events

A large, bright space filled with light, coming from its elegant glass windows. Accessible by an internal staircase and by two external ramps, the Attic confirms the flexible vocation of the Spadolini Pavilion, with modular solutions allowing to easily organise any type of events and exhibitions.

Attic

Designed by Light

Even the lower floor expresses the modular nature of the Spadolini Pavilion, a space where you can organise tailor-made fairs and meetings for every need. You can reach the lower floor directly from outside the Fortezza da Basso, through Porta alle Carra gate, thanks to a private pedestrian access, which can also be used as ticket office and registration area.

Modular and independent

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Teatrino Lorenese - Firenze Fiera

Firenze Fiera

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Teatrino Lorenese host congresses, conventions, and niche events, thanks to its large natural stage. Find out more.