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.
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