The Duomo

After the Academy, we headed over to the monolithic Duomo of Florence, a mere ten minutes away.  After purchasing our tickets, we looked over at the line to actually get into the cathedral itself and decided our best bet was to head into the baptistry, a logical setup considering that you had to be baptized before they'd let you in back in the day.  The baptistry is actually older than the current cathedral by about a century; the interior ceiling is covered with 13th century Venetian mosaics depicting scenes from Christ's life.  Towards the front ceiling, Christ sits in judgement with the faithful on his right in glory and the condemned in judgement to his left.

Heading out of the baptistry, we headed towards the Duomo museum, but noticed the line going in the bell tower was relatively short and called an audible.  Rick Steves actually recommends climbing the bell tower over the Brunelleschi's dome on the cathedral; first off, the line is much shorter, and secondly, you can actually see the dome from the bell tower.  We stood in line for about half and hour and chatted with a man from Colorado who was behind us touring Italy in a camper with his kids and grandkids, then we headed up the tall, narrow structure.

The typical 14th century Florentine is not built at all like Arthur is.  He spent much of the time working up the spiral staircase with his shoulders turned so people coming down could pass.  The base of the bell tower is perhaps 15 yards square and extends straight up about 90 yards; there was a lot of spiral to the staircase.  The structure is divided into five stages with an open floor between each stage; allowing the stragglers to catch their breath and look out on a slowly descending Florence below.  This allow for some truly magnificent views of rooftops and allowed you to appreciate just how massive the dome of the cathedral is.

We headed down the stairs and over the the Duomo museum.  Most of the artwork exposed to the weather on from the Duomo are copies; the originals are inside this museum.  It was pretty amazing getting to see statues originally viewed looking from the ground up seven stories right in front of you.  Ghemberti's bronze doors, which I couldn't believe were still attached to the baptistry, are actually housed here and preserved for all time.  It was fun getting an up-close look (you could get a better view of the actual doors than you could the copies on the baptistry) at the intricate detail and the stories depicted.

We next saw Michelangelo's Deposition, a masterpiece among the many masterpieces he completed during his long productive life.  The hooded figure in the back is actually the artist himself; he originally meant this to be his gravestone.

We also saw some reliquaries, special boxes housing the relics that drove pilgrims to, well, pilgrimage.  It was pretty amazing to think about the veneration these objects have been held in throughout the years.  Standing out in my mind is the jawbone of St. Jerome and the thumb bone of St. John the Baptist.

Also inside the museum we saw some of the original scaffolding used to erect the Duomo and several of the objects that had been used to perform the sacraments and religious ceremonies in the cathedral over the years.  Overall the museum was a very cool stop along the way we would highly recommend.

We headed out of the museum and decided to walk around the cathedral to see what the line was like to get in.  Much to our surprise, we could just about walk straight in unhindered.  A great travel tip we picked up during this experience was that tourists want to eat at noon to one o'clock, so if you can delay lunch for an hour or two, you can dramatically cut down on the time you spend in line.  There were days on this trip that we completely went without lunch to maximize our sightseeing and we never regretted it.

The interior of the Duomo itself is, dare I say it, underwhelming compared to its dramatic facade and dramatic scale.  Most of the stuff that make it cool were inside the museum we had just gone through.  I had wanted to see the interior of the dome itself, but that area was roped off, one of the few disappointments we had on our trip.  The true treat of going inside the cathedral lies underneath.

The Duomo is built on the remains of four earlier churches, the earliest of which was built while the ancient Roman empire ruled Florence.  Archaeological digs have since exposed some of the ancient mosaics of the original basilica.  It is amazing how archaeological time gets pressed together; that original basilica was rebuilt three times before the current Duomo was constructed, but this was over a time span five times as long as the United States has existed.  The tombs of some important Florentines, including the Medici who really got the family going, reside down there; they are almost our contemporaries compared to the original structure.

Anyway, that was our exposure to the Duomo.  In our next post, we'll try to finish day our full day of Florence.  Omnia Vincit Amour.

The Academy

Our next day saw us up bright and early, ready for the day's activities. First on the agenda was visiting The Academy, home to Michaelangelo's David.  Not wanting to waste anytime Alex had purchased out tickets in advance, a tactic that would throughout our trip maximize the time we spent viewing sites and minimize the time spent in line.  Our reservation was for 8:30, when the doors opened.  As we walked across the city that morning we joined those rushing off to work or to school.  We walked through delivery vans making final morning stops in the piazzas before the crowds would make it a nightmare to get vehicles into the historic district.  

We were among the first admitted into the Academy.  We knew that we wanted our first stop to see David before the rest of the throng waiting in the line outside the door rushed in.  We left the chaos of the crowds in the lobby and turned the corner to the hall leading up to David at the end.  Alex got chills and Arthur may have had moist eyes when beholding this masterpiece for the first time in person.  Fourteen feet high, he is an impressive sight even at that distance.  Michelangelo originally intended for his David to stand atop Florence's Duomo, and he consequently was meant to be viewed from far away and looking up.  For this reason, David's head is slightly out of proportion to his body; the effect makes David into more of the thinking man that the Renaissance idealized.  The detail put into him is stunning; and his countenance now personifies for me quiet resolution in the face of opposition.

The hall leading up to David houses the Prisoners, statues Michelangelo never finished. The one closest to David is actually a deposition scene that might or might not actually be a Michelangelo, it certainly brings to mind a deposition definitely by Michelangelo we'd see in about three hour's time.

 At this point, we had a brief moment of panic; Alex had sent our day pack through security and hadn't picked it up.  Fortunately, she was able to go back to security and get it without any problem and that was perhaps our closest brush with calamity through the entire trip due to Alex's sharp planning.

After we grabbed the daypack and made our way past the opening atrium, we entered a room where a copy of the "Rape of the Sabanese Women" stands in the center.  Perhaps ironically, the walls of this room are lined with religious paintings from the pre/early Renaissance period.

We walked along the hall leading up to the David again, however now swarms had gathered at the base of the statues.  We glanced at some of the magnificent paintings that have the great misfortune of being displayed in site line of one of the most attention-grabbing works of art in all the world.  There was one portraying the story of Abraham and Isaac, but that's honestly all I can tell you.

Next we went into a huge room filled with final exams from aspiring sculptors from years past the at the Academy of Fine Arts next door. Busts line the walls three shelves high.  At ground level rest elaborate tombstones commemorating fallen loved ones.  We walked in a circle around the large rooms and marveled at the talent displayed.

In another wing there was a small museum for Renaissance music. Music took a huge step forward during this time with all sorts of new instruments created by luthiers and artisan instrument makers every bit the product of their times.  It was a fascinating part of the Academy, complete with what might legitimately be the oldest piano in the world.

At this point, it was time to continue on with the rest of our day in Florence, and we walked past David one last time on our way to the exit.  I did not know that I would be moved so much by the view of him; after all, I had seen pictures of him all my life.  Our trip was filled with many larger than life moments; David literally and figuratively stands out among them.

Well, the name of this post was originally "A Full Day in Florence."  I now find myself with a decent sized post after recalling two hours, and I'm disinclined to edit it down to make things more manageable.  Next time, we'll head to Florence's Duomo and discuss the baptistry, bell tower, and cathedral.  We might even get through the museum.  Omnia Vincit Amour.

An evening in Florence

We pulled into the train station in Florence around 6 in the evening.  The thrill of those early moments remain vivid, scanning the distance for the first glance of the Duomo, whose famous dome is perhaps the most recognizable symbol of the Renaissance.  We crossed the street and headed past a beautiful marble church next to the train station.  Worthy of all the admiration we could heap on it, this church did not rank high enough on our list of sights to ever warrant a viewing, such was the history and architecture of this wondrous place.

With darkness approaching, we made our way to our hotel.  We walked down narrow alleys filled with shops.  The sheer quantity of small businesses we would see this night and throughout our trip was astounding.  While understanding that tourism generates vast quantities of revenue for the city, I still do not see how this location could support so many art collectors, boutiques, and tradesman of such varieties.  We saw a bronzeworker working late into the night through his shop window, and Arthur, trying to take it all in, was chided by Alex to hurry up so we could get our stuff stored.

We crossed the Arno river and found our way to our hotel.  We were actually staying in a guest house that is operated by Waldensian (the Methodist equivalent in Italy).  The proceeds from the guest house fund their program for disadvantaged children.  Plus since the rooms and amenities were basic we got a great deal on  room in the heart of Florence.  The clerk led us up to our spacious room, and within a few minutes, we were out the door again, unencumbered by our luggage and looking to experience some of the nightlife of this beautiful town.  Also since we were packing light with just backpacks  it was time to do the laundry again.  Over this trip we realized how much we appreciate a washer after washing clothes in the sink by hand.  As you can see with the laundry hanging in the bathroom there wasn't must room left to get around.  But this is the nitty-gritty part of travel that then allowed us to go out and spend a lovely evening in the heart of Florence.

 We headed towards San Spirito square to get some Rick-Steves-approved chow.  An old European city like Florence is almost entirely narrow streets until you find a church.  There, and only there, will you find a public square, and these centers are the center of Italian social life.

Italians generally live in rather small apartments which they do not heat or cool to near the extent Americans do.  To an extent, this contributes to the fact that they spend far less time at home than us.  They meet each other in a public square like San Spirito where they eat or listen to the street performers, who are incredible.  As we sat at one of the outdoor tables on the sidewalk waiting for our food at Gusto Ostia, we saw young Florentines chatting with each other while sitting on the steps of San Spirito church, munching on delicious pizza from the pizzeria a half block away.

As we enjoyed our own appetizers (salami, cheese, and bread), an accordion player and a violinist serenaded us with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."  We looked at each other, astonished.  Was it that obvious we were from Kansas?  I imagine this was pure coincidence, but they sure had a good repetiore.

The meal lived up to the setting.  We dined on gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce and wild boar pasta.  Wild boar is a Florentine specialty, so we thought it was fitting.  It was definitely gamey, but eaten with the pasta that gaminess wasn't overbearing.

We set out that night to view a bit of the city before bedtime, and the experience was surreal.  You will hear in the coming week about some of the sights we saw that night when we describe them the coming day, but that night still gives me shivers.  We walked by the Palazzo Vecchio (town hall) where Michaelangelo's David guarded the entrance for a century plus.  A beautiful replica resides there now, silently proclaiming the power of this place.  He is not alone; to David's left is a statue of a Medici on his horse; to his right are some of the statues you still see in history books.

We headed on to the Duomo, illuminated by city lights to dazzling effect.  In front of the massive structure stood the baptistry with Ghiberti's bronze doors closing the inside from the outside world.  I could not believe that Ghiberti's doors were still being exposed to the elements like that (turns out they were copies, we saw the real ones the next day.)

In case you don't know, many historians consider 1402 as the exact year the Renaissance began, because that is the year Ghiberti won a competition to create the bronze doors going to the baptistry.  No one had ever seen anything like what Ghiberti pulled off since the fall of Rome.  On a bronze panel about 3/4 of an inch in depth, he created a three dimensional scene that stood in stark contrast to the flat images of previous periods.  His panels, depicting scenes from the Old Testament on one door and the life of Christ on the other, paved the way for what was to follow.  Oh yeah, among the artist Ghiberti beat for the honor of creating those doors was a fellow named Brunelleschi.  Disappointed with his defeat, Brunelleschi decided to take up architecture and wound up winning a bid to create the first dome anyone had completed since the Romans.  His grand dome rises about 100 yards away, a scene of incredible beauty.

One more scene from this first night: the Uffizi courtyard.  Uffizi means "offices," these were the official offices of the Medici banking enterprise.  Today, it is one of the world most famous art museums, but the courtyard contains some incredible art in its own right.  Here is the Renaissance "Hall of Fame," where likenesses of Dante, Galileo, da Vinci, Amerigo Vespucci, and so many others look down from their perches at passersby.  A violinist was performing the meditation from Thais, an opera by Massenet.  This has always been a favorite of mine, the meditation is supposed to represent the thoughts of a courtesan, pondering the love of Christ towards a sinner such as her.  I first heard this piece performed live at a funeral, celebrating the life of one who had pondered long the mystery Thais expresses here:

We'll get more into detail about Florence's sites next time.  Until then, Omnia Vincit Amour.

Bolzano

The next morning, we made it a point to get up early enough to be in line right breakfast was served.  Weather reports warned that rain would start later in the day, and if at all possible we wanted to avoid it.  Breakfast was, as always, a delight with fresh bread, meat, and yogurt; and we were headed down within almost a half hour of waking up.

Fog was very prominent all the way down; which cut what I'm sure were some incredible views, but it still had a wondrous effect, with the fog moving in and out of the mountain crags and the profound silence of it all.  We took the main road down rather than the trail to save time, and barring one extreme moment of uncertainty, we had no trouble following the signs down.  Being along a vehicle road, we saw more farmsteads and buildings, and it wasn't long before cowbells let us know that we were nearing pastureland.

We had this wonderland all to ourselves for perhaps two hours before we saw another living soul, and we loved every moment.  Soon, we had to watch out for vehicles and tractors along the little road; visibility was such we didn't trust that we'd be seen outside of a few yards.  We arrived in Compatsch in good time and were able to quickly get on a chairlift back down the mountain, which we had all to ourselves, and the bus back to Castlerotto was just ready to take off when we got back down. 

After picking up our bags back at the hotel room, we had got back on the bus and headed to Bolzano.  The way back was perhaps the most uncomfortable part of the trip, as this particular bus quickly filled to standing room.  We were very happy to get off and have some space to ourselves in our first fairly significant European city.

We hadn't originally planned to do much in Bolzano, but because we had hoofed it down the mountain, we found ourselves with about 3 hours free before the train was set to got to Florence, so we got to explore.

First we stopped by the ancient cathedral, begun in the 12th century and more or less finished with its prominent steeple in the 16th century.  Bolzano was heavily bombed during WWII and the cathedral, situated closely to the militarily significant train station, was heavily damaged.  Though the restoration effort has left the city looking remarkably healed, some of the frescoes inside the cathedral still show the effects of that terrible period.

This church was our first exposure to medieval art in situ, that is, in the space or setting they were intended for.  Seeing an altarpiece in a museum is a far different effect than seeing it inside the cathedral that the altarpiece was originally intended for, and here we saw eight hundred year old frescoes admonishing the faithful to reflect upon Christ's sacrifice, just like they had for eight hundred years before, instead of lining a museum as a historical artifact displaying the medieval Austrian style.  The effect and power of that experience is hard to describe, but it would drive Arthur to as many churches throughout the trip as Alex would put up with.

One other piece of note: the Bolzano Pieta.  We first saw a photo of this statue in a presentation by Rick Steves about European art as an example of pre-Renaissance sculpture.  We did not know that we would see it in this cathedral, and suddenly finding oneself face to face with a work of art covered in a lecture series was another thrill.

A pieta is any work of art portraying Mary's meditation over Christ's body.  This particular pieta is usually contrasted with Michelangelo's, whose marble figures are almost alive, in contrast to the rigid figures shown here, but that doesn't do this earlier work justice.  We'd see a few of these in Italy, and each are moving.  In a human since, it is a mother weeping over her fallen son; but it is also a fallen sinner recognizing that the reconciliation with herself and God is finished through history's greatest act of love.  Looking at the face of Mary and thinking about where the artist chooses to portray her countenance in light of that truth is deeply moving.

Anyway, enough of the church.  After wandering through the square we found ourselves on a street with buildings from the 1200s.  These buildings that were once small shops with barns at street level 8 centuries ago are now stylish boutiques.  While later on in our trip we would become more accustom to being in places that were even older, this was our first brush with how in Europe the buildings stay the same through the years but have different uses.  At this point we did get rained on but were able to duck inside to get some groceries (the cashier was not happy about breaking my 50 euro bill for 7 euros of groceries), and got our trip's first gelato, or Italian ice cream.  Gelato has less air and typically more flavoring, making it richer than other ice creams.  It is truly delicious, and we really enjoyed trying out new flavors on our trip.  This time, just to establish a baseline, we kept it simple with simply two chocolates.

I started this post with every intention of getting to Florence, but it's pretty obvious now that it's going to have to wait until next time.  On the train though we enjoyed looking at the Italian country side slide by while listening to podcasts about what we were about to see in Florence.  For now, dear reader, I'll leave you with us at the train station waiting to see the birthplace of the Renaissance.  Omnia Vincit Amor.

The Lonely Goatherd

Day 2 began with an excited Alex  exclaiming that we get to go play… in Italy.  Today’s activities   The day started out wonderfully with a great breakfast at our hotel followed by an ominous warning. You can not imagine the sinking feeling in her heart when the lady at the tourist office counseled us against hiking the mountains due to the fog and possible snow.  We had reserved a room for a refuge in the mountains for the night and so we asked the hotel receptionist to call up to the refuge to check on the weather and if the trail conditions would be safe.  With deep assurances from the refuge staff, we decided to embarked on the planned adventure. 
were some of the parts of the trip she was most looking forward to—hiking in the mountains of the Dolomites and experience the Alpine culture (since she got voted down on going to Switzerland this was the best Italian alternative).

We caught a bus that whisked us to a nearby town with a chairlift station at the base of the mountain.  This chairlift gave us gorgeous overhead views of cattle grazing, the pine forest, and the charming homes tucked on the side of the mountain.  In 15 minutes we were let off in the town of Compatch.  From there we began a glorious hike.  Everything was so beautiful Arthur might have gotten carried away with the camera.  Our journey led us through the largest high alpine meadow in Europe.  When Johanna Spyri was writing Heidi, this is the setting of the action. I highly recommend Youtubing "The Lonely Goatherd" and listening along while reading the rest of this; it'll help set the mood. 

Early on the profound silence of the area was broken only by the continual clanging of cow bells as the unconcerned bovines chewed lazily and watched the next set of tourist pass by.  These working farms coexist side by side with the budding tourism of the area in a simple symbiotic relationship; the farms provide the ambience that keep tourists coming, and in return these farms receive government subsidies for the value added to the community.  Soon the great Schlern came into view out of the clouds.  The Schlern, a great plateau with a sharp cut off high in these limestone mountains  certainly seems abrupt rising sharply out of the rolling meadow, but it is part of the charm of the area.  

I had seen the American Rockies before and ultimately that is what I expected from the Dolomites, but the contrast between the two was palpable in every way.  The Rockies are made primarily of granite that forms bolderous, well, rocky, faces.  The Dolomites by contrast are limestone and take a craggier form.  I wouldn't want to speak for the whole of the region, but hiking in high meadow like we were, the mountains were not forested at all, and that gave some pretty extraordinary views.  

It took us roughly three hours to reach the refuge, but we did not yet have our fill of adventure, so we dropped our night packs off and headed to the Schlern.  We were soon overtaken by some friendly vacationing Germans with whom we chatted and walked along.  They took some pictures for us and were just a delight to talk with, and when we had to turn back towards the refuge it was sad to leave them.

However, dinner was not eaten without company.  While most of the room was filled with Germans we were assigned to sit at the table with about the only other native English speakers.  We share a table (and a bunk room) with a couple from New Zealand and we again had a wonderful time comparing and contrasting our countries and cultures.  The meal was delicious; four courses of the most splendid Italian/German fare you'll ever see.  Arthur opted this time for the spinach dumplings (we needed to be able to compare and contrast similar founds with each other; this was a different style but still so good) to go with his salad, pesto alfredo, and cheesecake; Alex had barley soup, sausages, and apple strudel.  

Tired, well fed, and happy, we showered up, took some quick notes on the day, and headed up to bed; dreaming of the wondrous day and anticipating what yet stood before us.  Omnia Vincit Amour.

The Longest Day Continues

When we last left our weary travelers, they were just checking into their room in the Italian hamlet of Castelrotto.  Eager for adventure (they did not come all the way to Europe just to take a nap), they headed out to explore the town.  I did not realize how easy it would be to know you were not in the United States anymore just by a single glance at the world around you.  The architecture of the buildings was just different enough; some had murals beckoning back to knightly themes and fables of yore.  In the middle of town rose a gigantic bell tower, the likes of which you would be unlikely to see in an American town.  In Italy it is said that many people fall in love with the sound of their hometown bells and that they can discern it from any other bells in the country.  It was fascinating to think that this monolith sticking out from the sleepy hamlet could be such a unifying force.  

 As we walked the narrow streets we marveled at the integration of both new and old.  A town a thousand years old maintaining its pastoral charm while integrating the modern conveniences of the 21^st century.  As we would see throughout our trip, this integration is far from seamless, oftentimes we would walk by wires running along the sides of buildings until a hole was bored through 800 year old stucco to bring power to the inside.  Modern conveniences like indoor plumbing and showers would have to be incorporated into square footage not necessarily conducive to the comfort of a particular large American, and yet the charm was constant. 

 But back to the sights and sounds we were seeing in that moment.  We headed to the church, a square building whose exterior bespoke of its more modern lineage (around 1850).  Arthur wondered whether the Reformation would have gone this far south in Austria but it took two seconds inside the cavernous room to show the strength of Catholicism in the region.  It was a wonderfully ornate church, the first of many (Alex rolls her eyes) that we would tour.  In the square outside of the church a few of the locals were strolling by or gathering to chat.  On Sundays they all still make a point to wear traditional clothing.  Alex liked the idea of everyone in the town joining together to keep these traditions alive since wearing lederhosen by yourself can lead to being the brunt of a lot of jokes.  

 Outside of town we walked up a hill where buildings depicting scenes of the stations of the cross line the trail to the top.  This led up to a Roman fort.  Older than the town by centuries, the fort beckons back past the days of feudalism to the era of Roman imperial rule.  Never ones for taking the same path twice, we ventured down the back side of the hill on the Peace Trail surrounded by a fairy tale forest with mushrooms and toadstools that hearken back to the illustrated books of our youth.  

 We ambled back into town and Alex directed us towards the only restaurant open on Sunday evenings.  Alex had spinach dumplings and though the name was really, really German, Arthur basically had pork chops in the creamiest mushroom sauce you can imagine.  As would be our standard practice, we switched plates halfway through the meal so we could both experience twice as much food on this trip, spinach dumplings despite what you might imaging are actually quite tasty and filling.  By now it was dark and the weary travelers who couldn’t keep their eyes open during dinner headed back to the hotel for a well earned night's repose. And there we will leave them until tomorrow.  Omnia Vincit Amor.