Florence, Tuscany, Italy 12/2013
After our pleasant stay in San Gimignano, the romantic City of Florence, or as the Italians call it, “Firenze”, was actually out of our way, but with its reputation for being one of the most beautiful cities in the world, according to Forbes, it was worth the short drive back north. Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called “the Athens of the Middle Ages”. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1982.
On a tip from fellow travelers we found a safe parking place right in front of the San Miniato al Monte (St. Minias on the Mountain) standing atop one of the highest points in the city. The historic center of Florence attracts millions of tourists each year, so we didn’t expect to be alone. With so many things to see, we really had to be selective. Fortunately almost everything was within walking distance when we reached downtown.
It was afternoon, and we were hoping we might still catch the Accademia Gallery. Finding the poorly marked entrance, we could see the line was probably two blocks long. Plan B: Come back in the morning.
We were on the doorstep at 7:30 AM in a light drizzle and there were only five people ahead of us. While the Accademia Gallery has many halls full of spectacular art and sculptures, our primary goal was to see the famous statue of David, the masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504 by the Italian artist Michelangelo. His actual name was Michelangelo di Lodovico Buanerroti Simoni (1475-1564). No photos were allowed, (David is understandably rather camera shy), but we snuck one anyway. There he was in all his natural beauty, 15 ft tall, the self acclaimed “most beautiful man in the world”, and he never even made the cover of People Magazine!
The real deal, the famous statue of David, the masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504 by the Italian artist Michelangelo.
As we exited this remarkable museum three hours later, we could see the line already stretching around the corner.
Our next stop was The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (English: Basilica of Saint Mary the Flower), the Cathedral of Florence. With its huge Piazza del Duomo commanding the center of town, it seemed to be a meeting place for tourists and locals day and night. An impressive collection of remarkable sculptures are on display including a copy of the famous David in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. It is really quite astounding when you look at the detail and realize the work was created from a block of stone with a hammer and chisel, one little chip at a time.
We couldn’t help notice that these fearsome warriors battling each other, chopping off heads and wrestled with scimitars, apparently ran around stark naked.
Giving a wave to the copy of David we continued to the Cathedral to marvel at the architecture inside. It was begun in 1296 in Gothic style. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade. Being a little overcast, we resisted the temptation to climb to the top of the Giotto bell tower with its panorama of Florence and the surrounding hills. It can be reached by climbing 414 steps. Enough steps already!
A little surprise on our way back to the truck was the new Museum of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). Models created from drawings of his numerous inventions were on display, including a flying machine and a rolling attack tank with revolving canons. What was more interesting was the incredible life this multi-talented man lead, who by the way, painted the famous Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. His genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomizes the Renaissance humanist ideal, a man of unquenchable curiosity and feverishly inventive imagination. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer. Just to think about it is exhausting!
Getting an early start the next day we drove south again to pick up our trail toward Rome. They say, “All roads lead to Rome”. Garmin never got the word.
Be sure to enlarge the pictures attached here.
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- The romantic City Florence, or as the Italians call it, “Firenze”, was actually out of our way.
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- Everywhere you look in Florence, you see the art that has made this city one of the most beautiful in the world.
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- The Italians love their sweets, and Florence had tempting shops.
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- Seeing the traffic in downtown Florence, we could understand the popularity of the Vespa Scooter and its many incarnations.
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- The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (English: Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower), also called Il Duomo, is the cathedral of Florence.
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- We resisted the temptation to climb the 414 steps top of the Giotto bell tower.
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- One of the many magnificent sculptures that are part of the collection in the main plaza.
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- With its huge Piazza del Duomo commanding the center of town it seemed to be a meeting place for tourists and locals day and night.
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- The Cathedral’s façade was built in Gothic Revival style.
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- The dome of the Cathedral was started in 1420 and was completed in 1436. It was the first ‘octagonal’ dome in history to be built without a temporary wooden supporting frame.
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- This was not David, but he seemed to be important.
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- The original of Michelangelo’s David once stood in front of the Palazzo Vecchio.
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- An impressive collection of remarkable sculptures are on display in the Piazza del Duomo.
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- It is hard to imagine that this work was created from blocks of stone with a hammer and chisel, one little chip at a time.
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- Models of Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions were on display, including a flying machine and a rolling attack tank with revolving canons.
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- No, this is not David either. This is just Gary carving some hors d’oeuvres from Monika’s Jamón de Ibérica de Bellota she received in Spain for her birthday. It has lasted well.
We have all heard about the Mediterranean diet. This must be a classic example. (We couldn’t resist adding this photo sent by Monika’s old Swiss classmate Richard.)
After our pleasant stay in San Gimignano, the romantic City of Florence, or as the Italians call it, “Firenze”,… http://t.co/fiqeQzWZjO