After our enjoyable lunch, David took Patrick and me to the train station for a trip to Florence for a few days. We have loved the city since we first visited there years ago and we are so looking forward to our return visit. Our train ride took about three hours with one change in Padua (Padova in Italia).
Our hotel, Domus Florentiae, is conveniently located just a short walk from the train station and next to Santa Maria Novella. We almost never found it.
Do you see why we walked by
this hotel? The signs are too
small!
 |
| When you enter the archway, you go through this area, turn right, and go upstairs. |
Small lobby
and religious meeting place. In 1563 the piazza was transformed by Cosimo I de Medici
into a track for coach-racing. Two obelisks marked the ends of the race track.
After checking into the hotel, we walked to the Duomo to get our bearings.
Behind Giotto's bell tower is Brunelleschi's Dome.The green and pink marbles
look dark in the dusk.
Tuesday, May 6
We went to the Academia to visit David. We met some very nice people from California. Talking with them helped pass the hour we stood in line. The Academia has been arranged differently and for the better since we were here. Photos are not allowed, but guess who took them with his phone? Not me!
In 1501, Michelangelo Buonarroti was commissioned to carve this
statue. He was 26 years old. David, the shepherd boy who killed
Goliath, stands 17 feet tall.
The Academia also has pre-Renaissance and Renaissance paintings
and plaster models, but David is what people want to see.
Next stop: the Medici Chapels in San Lorenzo. We did not visit the
basililca designed by Brunelleschi for the Medici family church, but
we went to the other side to revisit the Cappella dei Principi (Princes'
Chapel) and the New Sacristy. The chapel was erected between 1604
and 1640. The domed, octagonal chapel is a mausoleum for the
Grand Dukes. It is almost entirely covered with semi-precious stones
and marbles of different colors. Photos are not allowed, but I encourage
you to look up photos on the web.
The New Sacristy contains the tomb and statues by Michelangelo fo
Lorenzo Il Magnifico and his brother Giuliano and monuments to
Giulliano, Duke of Nemours, the son of Lorenzo Il Magnifico, and to
Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino. Michelangelo's Madonna and Child
is flanked by Medici patron saints Cosmas and Damian
(which were completed by Michelangelo's students). Drawings by
Michelangelo were discovered on one wall in 1976 and can be seen.
Dinner tonight at Il Bargello in Piazza della Signoria. A wonderful, nostalgic evening.
Patrick had penne pasta;
I had lasagna that was tasty
but not like our layered lasagna.
(middle) Hercules beating the centaur Nessus
Roman lion
Famous statue of Perseus holding
the head of Medusa by
Benevenuto Cellini
Look at that sapphire sky!
This morning we went to the church of Orsanmichele to buy Uffizi tickets and were very
lucky to get tickets for 10:45 entry.
niches with statues of guild saints on the exterior. On the right is a statue of Christ with
Doubting Thomas. The present building was a market and grain store (1336). By 1380,
the ground floor had become a church.
museum on the second floor. We did not
have time for a visit.
St. Philip
Beautiful roundels by Della Robbia; the
iris, symbol of Firenza
Dante Alighieri
Bernardo Daddi's Madonna della Grazie.
about 2500 masterpieces in 45 rooms.
Since we have been to the gallery before, we wanted to see certain works again:
Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Spring; da Vinci's The Annunciation; Michelangelo's
Holy Family with St. John; Caravaggio's Medusa shield; and others by Rafael,
Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Van Dyke. Talk about sensory overload!
terrace. The Medici built the red-tiled, elevated, enclosed passageway (Vasari Corridor)
over the bridge in 1565 to give them a safe, private route to the Uffizi and Palazzo
Vecchio from the Pitti Palace on the other side of the Arno.
are still there. A statue of Benevenuto Cellini, the master Renaissance goldsmith, is in
the center of the bridge (not pictured).
Next stop: Santa Croce
a Jew, was finished in 1853. The star of David is prominent on the largest Franciscan
church in the world.
Memorial to Dante; he is buried in Ravenna because he was exiled from Florence.
Prices on leather goods have gone up considerably in ten years!
Thursday, May 8
We plan to make our last day in Florence memorable with a tour of the Duomo and
visits to the Baptistery, the Cathedral Museum (Museo dell' Opera del Duomo), and
Santa Maria Novella before taking the train back to Vicenza to celebrate Vanessa's
eleventh birthday.
Last day for breakfast on
the terrace at Domus
Florentiae.
Looking up at the Duomo, or
Cathedral of Santa Maria
del Fiore, fourth largest
church in the world
The 24-hour liturgical clock was
painted by Paolo Uccello in 1443; only clock in the world on
"Italian time" which is based on sunset at XXIII; single hand moves counterclockwise; is rewound each week
The altar; we were in a small,
English-speaking group with
a wonderful volunteer guide
fresco of Dante by Domenico di Michelino.A copy was painted
on the outer wall of Oransanmichele.
Under the Duomo is the remains of an early Christian church and crypt.
In 1966 during a major renovation of the Duomo, the remains Santa Reparata, a 4th century basilica, was discovered. Santa Reparata was the site of the new cathedral; most of the destruction took place in 1375. This photo shows some of the original Roman mosaic floor.
Many prominent Florentines are buried
in this crypt. One is Lando di Giano,
chaplain of Santa Reparata, who died
in 1353.This is not his tombstone;
it is just a representative of ones in
crypt.
The great architect of the Dome is
entombed here at the foot of the stairs
by the gift shop. You will miss it if you
aren't looking for it.
Next we went to Cathedral Museum (Museo dell' Opera del Duomo) behind the Duomo.
The exterior is being renovated and was covered. Artwork that has been removed from the
Duomo, Bell Tower, and Baptistery are on display here.
the work, the statue broke because the block of marble was defective, and he let his
servant take the pieces. Later the servant sold them. The new owner, Tiberio Calcani,
had it pieced together and probably added the figure supporting Christ's arm, which is
certainly not by Michelangelo." (The Museum of Florence website)
two men who removed Christ from the cross.
In 1401, the 23-year-old won a competition to make the doors; it
took 21 years to complete the 28 panels of New Testament scenes.
We were told this is the oldest building in Florence.
Florentine painter and creator of mosaics; he probably was included in this venture.
Mosaic floors
Our last major stop in Florence is Santa Maria Novella.
now with flowers where the grass is. Our hotel is on the right.
 |
| The Strozzi Chapel |
Elaborate gate to chapel and
detail from gate
Life-sized displays; the Holy Family on right in upper photo
Madonna and Child
Cloister of the Dead; for many centuries it was used as a cemetery 
black and white marblel facade (1456-1470).
Back to Vicenza to celebrate with the Birthday Girl!
conveyer belt so you can choose right from your table!
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