We arrived
in Florence
on the Eurostar from Rome on Saturday, June 21, 2003. The train left
Rome
around 40 minutes late, however, the trip was very smooth. We got a
chance
to enjoy the Italian countryside during the hour and half trip. We
arrived
in Florence, or as it's called in Italy, Firenze. After leaving the
Santa
Maria Novella Train Station, we walked along the Via dei Panzini toward
the Duomo. The Duomo is the most recognized landmark in Florence and
it's
dome dominates the skyline. It's hard to get lost in Florence, all you
have to do is head for the dome.
Their were villages on this site during the Iron Age and later by
Etruscans.
However, the foundation of Florence date back to the Roman Republic
when
it was founded in 59 BC as Florentia by Julius Caesar as a place for
retired
Roman soldiers. |
The Duomo
(which is
Italian
for 'dome') is the nickname for the large cathedral in Florence. It's
official
name is Santa Maria del Fiore (St. Mary of the Flowers). It is a Gothic
building constructed in
the
Middle Ages by architects who left it unfinished. How was it unfinished
you might ask? Well, they left a giant hole in the roof for a dome.
Problem
was that no one at the time knew how to construct domes. However, they
figured that someday, someone would figure it out and build it, so they
left a 130 foot diameter hole.
Construction began in 1296, under the design of architect Arnolfo di Cambio and would take 140 years to complete. Construction stopped in 1302, when di Cambio died. Work resumed in 1334, under a new architect, Giotto. However, Giotto, spent most of his time (he died only three years later) on the belltower next to the cathedral. Construction was halted in 1348, the year the Black Death decimated the population of Europe. Work continued until 1375, when it was for the most part finished. Except that is for the giant cupola on top.
In 1420,
architect
Filippo
Brunelleschi (1377 - 1446) won the contest to construct the dome. It
would
take only 14 years and was the largest since the Pantheon in Rome.
Brunelleschi's
dome became the model for domes to follow, like St. Peter's basilica in
Rome. When Michelangelo set out to build the dome of St. Peter's, he
used
the Duomo as his inspiration. He stated, "I will make her
sister...bigger,
but not more beautiful."
The Duomo was consecrated by Pope Eugene IV on March 25th (the Florentine New Year) 1436. It is the third largest cathedral in the world after St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in London. The finished dome, with the lantern on top, is 375 feet high. You can climb to the top, it's only 463 steps (St. Paul's Cathedral in London is 627 steps to the top and Debbie and I made that one). We didn't climb this one, however, we did climb the bell tower next to it.
The
exterior of the
cathedral
is in white Carrara, green Prato and red Siena marble giving it a very
colorful appearance. Construction began on the facade of the cathedral
much later in 1876 and took ten years to complete. Some people,
including
myself, think the colorful facade is spectacular. Others have been more
derisive toward it, actually calling it a 'cathedral in pajamas'. There
was a long line to get in when we arrived that morning, so we didn't go
inside. When we returned later in the day to climb the Bell Tower, we
went
in to find a place for Mom to sit down. She wasn't doing any climbing.
Brunelleschi died in 1446 and was buried in the Duomo. However, the location of his tomb was lost and only re-discovered in 1972. Here we are at the top of the Bell Tower with the dome in the background.
The
belltower of the
Duomo,
one of the most beautiful in Italy, was an (extremely costly) invention
of genius by Giotto which was created more as a decorative monument
than
a functional one. It is not connected to the cathedral, but is a few
feet
from the right of the facade. Construction began in 1334 and was
completed
in 1359 (long after Giotto's death). It is 277 feet high and 47 feet
wide
at any of it's sides. There are large windows all the way up that light
the tower and you get a view on the way up. On top, there is a terrace
with incredible views of the city
and the dome on the cathedral. For the price of €6, you can walk to
the top. Debbie and I paid the fee and climbed to the top - all 414
steps!
We left Mom inside the Duomo, where she could sit in the cool air. Unfortunately, while we were climbing the Bell Tower, they were closing the cathedral. When we went down to the street, we found Mom relaxing on the front steps of the Duomo. The inside of the cathedral is not as impressive as the outside. The inside is still pretty empty since the flood of 1966 damaged much of the artwork. Since then, the artwork is kept in the Museo dell' Opera del Duomo (behind the cathedral). You can climb up into the dome, but since we already climbed the bell tower, we passed on this. If you want to go up the 463 steps (49 steps more then the tower), it will also cost you €6.
Across from the front
of the cathedral, in the center of the square, is the Baptistry. It was
built on the site of a Roman temple to the god of war, Mars (who else
would
a bunch of retired Roman soldiers dedicate their temple to). The
foundations
of the first Baptistery of San Giovanni (St. John the Baptist is the
patron
saint of Florence), dated from 4th-5th century circa, was certainly
built
on top of these ancient buildings. It has an octagonal shape. New doors
were built in the early part of the 15th century. The famous "Doors of
Paradise", designed by the sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti (photo at left),
were finished in
1424. In 1972, between the Baptistry and the Duomo, they have unearthed
numerous Medieval tombs.
We were not able to get to the Santa Croce Church. Many famous people of the Renaissance are interred here. The most famous of all, Michelangelo is buried here along with fellow sculptor, Lorenzo Ghiberti (Baptistry bronze doors). Renaissance author, Niccolo Machiavelli (creator of hard-ball politics who wrote The Prince). Poet Vittorio Alfieri along with Physicist/Astronomer Galileo Galilei (who was allowed in many years after he died). There is also a memorial dedicated to Dante Alighieri. He's not here, he was banished from Florence in 1302, and died in exile in Ravenna, Italy 19 years later, a bitter and lonely man. (here is a site with a picture of all of the famous peoples tombs)
We had a
1:00 o'clock
appointment at the Uffizi
Gallery (pronounced: oo-FEEDZ-ee). I called the
museum the day before from Rome and made the appointment. It only cost
an extra €1,55, but you can avoid waiting in the long lines. So we
decided to have lunch before we went in. We bought some sandwiches at a
store in the Palazzo Vecchio and ate in front of the museum. The
panini sandwiches
were very good, and I was able to get some more Italian beer (I look
like I enjoyed it).
After
having our
sandwiches,
we strolled over to the museum. We had a little trouble at first
finding
the entrance. They are not much for informational signs here. However,
we did find it and went in. The cost is not much, €8 for the ticket
plus the extra €1,55. The Uffizi Gallery has the greatest collection
of Italian paintings anywhere. It features works by Giotto (builder of
the Bell Tower), Leonardo, Raphael, Rubens, Michelangelo and
Botticelli.
They only let a certain amount of people in at a time, so it's a very
good
idea to call ahead and book an appointment.
Construction of Uffizi Palace began in 1560 by Duke Cosimo I dei Medici as an administrative center for Florence. It was for the 13 magistrates (thus the name 'Uffizi'). The palace, and now the museum, is situated between the Signoria Palace and the Arno River. Cosmo died 11 years later in 1571 and the building still wasn't done yet (they must of had the same contractor that Debbie and I had). Cosmo's son, Francesco I, kept at it and it was completed ten years later in 1581. Francesco, who was into science, set up laboratories on the second floor. Gradually, they started compiling works of art on the second floor for display making the Uffizi one of the world's first art museums..
The Uffizi Gallery is u-shaped and is only on one floor. You don't have to walk much, which is good on your feetzi (sorry). After climbing a lot of stairs, you come to the gallery on the top floor. You follow a tour that goes through the art in chronological order. I thought this was very interesting, seeing how art progressed through history.
Realism in paintings (three-dimensional) developed during the Renaissance. In the first room, you can see pre-Renaissance paintings and how the artists were struggling with the concept of 3-D. Pre-Renaissance art almost always featured religious themes and the artist Giotto was no different. There are a number of "Madonna" paintings in the first couple of rooms. Giotto is considered the first of the great artists (along with designing impressive bell towers). He made great strides toward realism. After his death from the plague in 1337, the world went back to 2-D paintings.
The next
set of rooms
take you into the Early Renaissance (around mid-15th century) with
works
by Uccello, Fra Filippo Lippi and Pollaiolo. Realism is much more
evident
and the Madonnas are disappearing. The latter part of the 15th century
was when the Renaissance was at it's height in Florence. This is
evident
in the next room full of Botticelli's. Some of his more famous works
are
here, like the Allegory
of Spring, Adoration
of the Magi
and the Birth of Venus. Created around 1485, Botticelli's Birth of
Venus (Nascita
di Venere in Italian), also known by it's nickname "Venus
on the half-shell", is considered by many as the purest expression of
Renaissance
beauty.
After
leaving the
museum,
we walked around the square next to the museum called the Piazza
della Signoria (right). It is the largest square in the city and
contains a lot
of artwork. The south side is bordered by the Uffizi Museum and the
west
side by the Palazzo Vecchio. The Palazzo (or Palace) was once the home
of the Medici family, it now houses Florentine art and history. Most
guide books say it's really not worth going into. Though they recommend
to step into the courtyard just inside the door to feel the essence of
the Medici's. While
we
were there, the palace was covered in scaffolding while they do repairs
to the
exterior. While I am sure that is important to keep the building in the
best of shape, it is annoying to photographers who are looking to take
it's picture. There is a plaque on the ground in the piazza, in front
of the Palazzo commererating the spot where the
Dominican friar,
Girolamo
Savonarola, was burned at the stake. Next to the entrance of the Palazzo is a
replica of the statue of "David" by
Michelangelo. THE actual statue of "David" stood on this spot from 1873
to recentlty. Currently it is located in the Academia
Museum
which we didn't get into that day (after all, we were only in Florence
for 10 hours).
From the Piazza della
Signoria, we walked down to the Arno River. About a block away from the
Uffizi Gallery is the Ponte Veccho (Old Bridge). This famous Florentine
bridge (pictured at left and below) is full of small shops which house
gold and jewelry shops on
both
sides of the span. The only time you know you are actually on a bridge
is in the middle of the span where you can look out onto the river or
from a back
window
in one of the shops. In 1944, the German
commander of Florence was
ordered
to blow up all of the bridges in Florence as they retreated north
from
the Allied armies.
The commander blew
up all of the bridges except this
one. He did destroy the buildings on either side making it unpassable,
but he spared the bridge. In 1966, the bridge suffered heavy
damage by
a flood (pictures
of the damage).
The picture at right
was taken from the back of the Uffizi Museum.
The tile covered
passageway, called the Vasari Corridor, leading out of the museum and
across the Arno River is a fortified escape route that connects the
Palace Vecchio through the Uffizi over the river to the fortified Pitti
Palace. This way the Medici's could escape in times of attack (it
happened sometimes back in the day). The passageway is open by request
only and you have to pay €8. We didn't bother.
Dante Alighieri lived
in Florence (here is a great
website
on Dante) from his birth in 1265 until he was exiled in 1303. He
never
returned to Florence. His real first name was Durante, Dante was kind
of
a nick-name. On a side street in Florence, you can visit his home. We
walked
and looked at the outside, but the interior museum
was closed the day we were there.
Dante died in Ravenna, Italy in 1321 and was buried in San Pier Maggiore’s
Church (today called San Francisco or St. Francis). Shortly after his
death,
the city of Florence, who had exiled him 18 years earlier, asked that
his
body be re-interred in Florence. The people of Ravenna rightfully
refused.
A 150 years later, they asked again. This time they had the support of
Pope Leo X (who by strange coincidence was from Florence). It was tough
to say no, when the pope wanted Dante moved. So the citizens of Ravenna
told the people of Florence to come and get him. |
Links: The
Florence Art Guide
Sunset on the Arno River