Filippo Romolo Neri was born in the city of Florence on 22nd July 1515, and like every Florentine child of his day, he was baptized in the great baptistery adjacent to the cathedral. Philip's family was a close and loving one, and though his mother died soon after his birth, a kind stepmother replaced her. He was also close to his two sisters. His father was a notary, so the family ranked as noble, although it was certainly not wealthy. The bad state of the family's fortunes was partly due to the political situation in Florence, centred on the struggle between the supporters of the relatively new Medici princes and those, such as Philip's father, who wished to maintain the republic. The city in which  young Philip Neri grew up was in a constant state of political turmoil and instability.

     One hero of Philip's family must have been the great reformer and opponent of Medici tyranny, the Dominican friar, Girolamo Savonarola. Savonarola's hatred of vanity and love of freedom were to influence Philip and leave him with a deep admiration for the man, even if he always disapproved of Savonarola's disobedience to the pope which led to him being burnt in 1498. The Dominicans also influenced Philip's early life in more gentle ways. They were the ones who taught him the rudiments of grammar, and also his love of art, including  the paintings of Fra Angelico. Here, too, he must have learnt the simple vernacular hymns or lodi, that he was to take with him to Rome. The popular local devotion to Our Lady, to whom the governance of the city had been entrusted by the Medici opponents, also became part of the young saint's own life. Amidst all the troubles of civic life, Philip found happiness and an inner peace amongst the beauty of this great Renaissance city.

       Fire at the family home, combined with political troubles,  meant that at about the age of sixteen, he had to set out to help regain the family fortunes. This trip to a wealthier cousin at San Germano was to be his definitive parting with Florence. His stay at San Germano probably only lasted from 1532 to '33. Certainly he had arrived in Rome by 1533, having renounced his cousin's inheritance. We do not know the details of this change of mind, but doubtless some spiritual insight lay behind it. The Rome he came to was one barely recovered from the great sack of 1527, and as yet little had begun by way of its much-needed reform. Philip found lodging with a kindly Florentine, and lived on the simple daily fare of rolls of bread and a few olives. He taught the children of his Florentine host, talked to people in the streets, drawing them back to God with his simple words "Well then, my brothers and when shall we begin to do good?" He also pursued studies, probably until 1537, but above all else, spent his time in prayer.

     At Whitsuntide 1544, his many hours of prayer resulted in a most extraordinary event, one which was to mark him for the rest of his life. While praying in the catacombs of St Sebastian, a ball of fire entered his mouth and sank down into his heart, physically enlarging it and breaking two of his ribs. This physical  indwelling of the Holy Spirit left him continually warm, even in freezing cold weather,  and spiritually overflowing with a tender-hearted devotion that he found hard to control. The divine love that entered him  prepared him for his apostolic labours  yet to come. The first task this burning love was directed to was the foundation in 1548 of a hospital or