The Last of Florence

We woke up the next day refreshed and excited for another day in Italy.  Our first appointment of the day was the Uffizi at 8:15, so we ate a quick breakfast and started towards the magical courtyard we had spent the last two evenings being serenaded by the Florentine street performers.  It was an interesting walk; seeing people going about their everyday lives, kids waiting for buses.  Sunrise over the Arno was beautiful; it was just a wonderful day for wandering.

We arrived in the courtyard with our trusty Rick Steves audio tour at the ready and spent the next three hours immersed in some of the finest artwork mankind has ever produced.  I am at a loss for how to summarize the experience.  The museum started with some excellent examples of medieval sacred art and showed the progression art made from 2D to 3D, from symbolic to realistic.  In a corner were some small prints of Hercules, the first believed to have been informed by dissections.  Soon, we found ourselves in the swirl of the Renaissance, with large wall space dedicated to Botticelli, his Rite of Spring marking one of the earlier secular works of art to enter mainstream discussion.

Every piece on the wall comes from a Who's Who list of painters you vaguely recall from school.  Several important themes are shown displayed by artists throughout time, the Annunciation (Gabriel announcing to Mary that she was about to have a baby by the Holy Spirit), the Adoration of the Magi, Madonna and Childs (I thought a long time about how to go about pluralizing that), and passion scenes abound.  In the Baroque area, we noticed quite a few escapes to Egypt.  Da Vinci, Michelangelo (using some of the brightest colors of his era, I noticed), Raphael, Carvaggio, all proudly displayed in a dazzling whirlwind tour.  Hallways lined with sculptures dating back to Constantine; rooms with wallpaper every bit as much a masterpiece as the framed paintings inside; summaries best left to sentence fragments rather than complete thought.

The memories flood back in droves.  We completed Rick Steve's tour, then wheeled back around for some of the stuff Alex had a hard time finding the first time.  At last, we departed and headed to our next destination, another museum.

The Galileo Museum is not one of the more advertised sites in Florence.  The churches and galleries, rightfully so, hold top billing in Florence, but there's only so much art you can look at, and the Uffizi was a ton of art.  The Galileo serves as a great palate cleanser, with an extensive collection of scientific instruments and displays.  Located a sort block away from the Uffizi, it was a great final tourist site for Florence.

Scientists of the Renaissance were, well, Renaissance men, and they had to be.  If you had an idea for an experiment, you couldn't just go and buy materials, you had to make it yourself, so a scientist was also an expert in forging metal, woodworking, and glassblowing.  They were proud craftsmen who made beautiful instruments, and four hundred years later industrial age man can look back and ponder what they accomplished without computers or automation.  Globes, astrolabes (a type of "clock", more or less, that tracks the motions of the celestial bodies), and telescopes abounded.  Early engines and electricity experiments abounded.  There was even several terracotta models of the development of a child inside the mother's womb.

Arthur's favorite displays had to do with clocks.  He had recently become fascinated with how pendulums, weights moving towards gravity, and tension springs could be so finely controlled as to accurately tell time, in some cases without loosing a second over a hundred days, and this is all, again, being achieved without electricity or automation of any type.  The museum had some wonderful displays describing different clock movements and types.

At last, is was time to move on.  We crossed the Arno for the last time and found a lovely little cafe for some authentic Italian, and when I mean authentic, I mean the waiters didn't even speak English; this was not a tourist spot but where the locals were gathering for lunch.  We enjoyed the pasta (selected by pointing a lot) and Arthur had, for the first time in his life, rabbit.  Rabbit is delicious but very bony; like every other meat you're trying to describe, chicken is a pretty good default answer, but it had more of a gamey quality to it.  Served in an olive and tomato sauce, it was a memorable and delicious final memory of Florence.

And so, somewhat sadly, we headed back to the train station from this lovely little town whose sights, sounds, and tastes we all too briefly explored.  But fear not, dear reader, our travels lead us next to Cinque Terre, where neither visual, audio, or gastronomical senses will be found wanting.  Omnia Vincit Amour.

A Renaissance Walk

Coming out of the Duomo, we had no major plans.  With appointments for the Bargello in the late afternoon and for the Uffizi the next day, we turned to our trusty audio guide, Rick Steves, to direct our path on a Renaissance walk.

Starting at the Duomo, the tour took us down the Via de Calziuoli, which has served as the main pedestrian walkway since the Duomo' dome was but a dream in Brunelleschi's head, towards Orsanmichele.  This impressive building served as a grain storage facility until it was renovated into a church during the Renaissance.  Evidence of its prior function, with covered slot openings for pouring out grain to bolts in the roof that secured hooks for raising bushels upwards, can still be seen, but again the true attraction is the artwork in situ.  The massive tabernacle encasing a portrait of Madonna and child is truly astonishing in its intricacy and beauty; it's considered one of the great works of art predating the Renaissance.

It costs nothing to enter the building, and was definitely worth sitting down to allow the profound stillness and gravity of the place fill you with reverence.  It became something of a ritual for Arthur to find a quiet place to sit down and look around, trying to feel the awe of a 13th century layman entering into sacred space; something that he found deeply moving and something that kept him fresh as we moved from location to place.

Outside, Oranmichele is ornamented with statues by some of the giants of the early Renaissance.  Donatello's St. Mark and St. George stand guard in marble; Ghiberti adds in a Matthew and Stephen in bronze, in face the first freestanding bronze statues seen in Europe; even Brunelleschi contributed.  These statues were all commissioned by guilds of different trades and symbols for the guilds can be seen carved into the niches where the statues reside.

At this point, we did stop for some sandwiches prepared in a small little shop on the other side of the street that had been in business for almost 150 years.  It was delicious, and we enjoyed watching the pigeons clean up after the customers.   Then it was on to the Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall we had been to the night before.  We got some much better pictures in daylight than the previous night, then it was time for the Bargello.

The Bargello, which translates to jail, makes no secret of its previous function, and its sturdy stone walls fit the part.  Today is serves as home to some of the most important statues and sculptures of the Renaissance.  We saw some early works of Michaelangelo and Donatello.  On the second floor, three Davids reside in a corner, illustrating the progression of sculpture from Medeival art to the Renaissance.  The entries from the famous contest for the right to create the bronze doors of the Duomo baptistry between Brunelleschi and Ghiberti were there.  It was fun to try to guess who won.

The Bargello hosts an impressive collection, from small figures dating back to the Etruscans to an armory of antiquated weaponry.  We happy took it all in until closing time.

After indulging in great art we decided to take a little bit of a break and indulge in some gelato.  We sat on the steps right outside San Croce, where Galileo, Michelangelo, and Ghiberti are buried.  We did not have time to look in, but it was amazing to think of so many amazing men coming in such a short span of time from the same town of 50,000.  We did make a quick stop at the leather school located behind the church and watched a few of the craftsmen at work.

We then made our way up the hill across the river to San Miniato atop the tallest hill in Florence.
The monks reside in a church overlooking the town and this made for some beautiful views of the city.  Inside, the chapel built in 1018 was pre-Renaissance, with a large 12th century  mosaic greeting you as you come in.  We were there to listen to the monks' nightly Gregorian chants.  We arrived early enough that we caught the end of mass as well.  The chants were held in the crypt of the church.  There were minimal windows in Romanesque architecture and since it was late afternoon it was fairly dark with just candle light.  The melodies were basic and without accompaniment which showcased the monks' voices.  After the hustle and bustle of being a tourist in Florence it was nice to sit and be mindful and contemplative.  Arthur enjoyed the concert thoroughly; Alex reached her max of contemplation headed outside a little early to catch watching sunset over Florence from the church's steps. 

We then meandered back through Florence to our "neighborhood", Piazza di San Spirito.  We then got some margherita pizza from the aptly named Gusta Pizza and enjoyed our pizza with the locals out in San Spirito square.  The highlight for Alex was when an Italian asked us where we got our pizza and she was able to reply in Italian.  Speaking Italian just seems to come a little bit easier if speaking with your mouth full of pizza. 

And finally, this day that has comprised the past three posts began concluding.  On our way back, we stopped by the Uffizi courtyard to listen to more street performers while enjoying our second cone of gelato for the day.  This time the musicians were a trio of two violins and a cello performing Vivaldi and Pachelbel.  Usually we aren't much for a nightlife but we had a hard time convincing ourselves we needed to head back to the hotel and go to bed.  There was just so much to drink in at night in Florence.

And with that, dear reader, we conclude day one of Florence.  It was a full day but one of our favorites on the trip.  Omnia Vincit Amour. 

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.