THE IRIS
November 2016 ITALIA! 41In the fi elds and villages around Florence you will see the iris. The fl ower is a symbol
of the city, but it was not for its pretty petals that the plant was fi rst grown...T
he iris is a symbol of Florence and has been since
time immemorial. It used to be a white iris on a red
background, but when the Medici came to power in
the 14th century, they changed this to a red iris on a
white background, and this is the symbol you will see
in the city today. It is not, however, the flower, but the root that was
significant to the Tuscans. From the root come the oils that are used
in perfumes, pot-pourris, even gin – and the methods used today
to extract the oils are much as they were in the days of the Medici,
and indeed, in Ancient Greece, whence the culture of the iris came
here. The interest in the flower itself is a French fancy, dating to the
Napoleonic conquests, and is therefore comparatively modern.Photograph ©iStockIT144.PastItalia.sg4.indd 41 28/09/2016 14:37pm